Supporting Champions Steve Ingham

In this episode I spoke to Rob Pacey. Rob runs one of the most successful podcasts in Sport, the aptly named Pacey performance podcast, which focuses on strength and conditioning and training. He has curated close to 300 episodes since 2015 featuring some of the leading names in aspects of conditioning.
In this discussion I was curious to find out what inspired Rob to begin recording episodes, and how he took the plunge. What Rob didn’t have at the time was a reputation to lean upon, he just went for it, with an infectious spirit summed up in the phrase, “Well I could do that”, or at least I could try. That optimistic spirit shines through about wanting to network, create connections, learn from people and contributing. In a cluttered world of online content we can learn from Rob’s lessons of being consistent, showing up for people and ultimately creating something of value. While he didn’t have a reputation when he first started, he does now!
Show notes
 
Dreams of becoming a professional footballer
Realisations of having optimised his performance
The loss felt when ending the pursuit of becoming a professional
Importance of education as another outlet
Mini business charging for football training
Finding work as a ‘fitness guy’
Getting an opportunity because people trusted him
Transition to the commercial world working for Catapult
Benefitting from other podcasts and thinking, “I could do that!”
Leading me to the realisation that this would be a great networking opportunity
Becoming the podcast guy
The strongest guests are the ones who you can have a drink with and who can talk hard science
Developing buy-in is a critical theme
Creating a resource for people to add value
Getting the specifics out from guests, there’s a lot of assumed knowledge
What has Rob learned. Editing audio, social media material, but also anticipating and communicating what the audience want to hear – becoming in tune with the industry
Authenticity to who you are and aware of what you communicate on social media
 
Links
Rob on Twitter https://twitter.com/strengthofsci
The Pacey Performance Podcast can be found here https://www.strengthofscience.com/
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Sign up for our webinars https://supportingchampions.co.uk/webinars/
Join our Facebook ‘ Performance People’ community, www.facebook.com/groups/627256457741181/
Students if you’re studying sport and want to get into sports and performance, sign up to our online course ‘Kickstart performance skills’ https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/
or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

I’m excited to share, in this special episode, 7 key principles from my new book The First Hurdle on applying and interviewing for jobs in sports performance (and the sub-text here too is for those doing the interviewing too).
The First Hurdle is a guide to searching, applying and interviewing for jobs in sports performance and is now available to buy for kindle or other e-reader here https://supportingchampions.co.uk/downloads/
In this episode I share the motivations behind the book; a story about my first interview experience alongside the England Football team; and 7 key principles that people would be wise to follow (including one message, principle number 7, for the interviewers)
Be yourself! why and how you need to be true to yourself
Can you do the job? How to emphasise your employability by focusing on their needs.
De-clutter! Focus your attention on the areas that really matter. Would you put on all the clothes in your wardrobe to go out to a party?
Add structure to your answers. How ‘and’ ruins interview answers.
The importance of holistic view on communication, not just what we say but how we say it. We need to
It’s not about you! The importance of focusing your answers on how you can influence others and your ability to work in teams. The Superheroes and the mice!
(If you’re interviewing people) Don’t be an arse! By all means push people, but you have a responsibility to people, profession and an industry. You should develop your interviewing skills such that you’re able to inspire someone’s development, not humiliate them. Take your responsibility as an interviewer seriously and inspire people.
The First Hurdle book is now available to buy, both as an ebook and paperback;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Hurdle-searching-interviewing-performance-ebook/dp/B087JTHB2M/
Here’s a look at the contents;
Runners and hurdlers: Introduction
One principle: You can’t be anybody else
Get out of your own head: What interviewers think about
Target practice: Finding the right job
Looking good on paper: CVs and cover letters
The warm-up: Interview preparation
First contact: The start of the interview
Xs and Ys: The question that differentiates
Clarity, clarity, clarity: Structuring your answers
Team: Can you work with other people?
Who are you?: The importance of self-awareness
Sprint finish: How to finish an interview
Eyeing the competition: Group interviews
Show me: Practical tests
Virtual reality: Video pitching and online interviews
Climbing the ladder: Interviews for managers and leaders
The feedback loop: Getting advice; win, lose or draw
A final word for interviewers and interviewees
Appendix 1: Unpaid internships
Appendix 2: An overview of career routes
About the author
More from Steve
 
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Join our Facebook ‘ Performance People’ community, www.facebook.com/groups/627256457741181/
Students studying sport and want to get into sports and performance, sign up to our online course ‘Kickstart performance skills’ https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
 
If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/
or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

We hope you and those close to your are safe and well.In this episode I spoke to Stef Reid, three-time Paralympic medallist, World Champion long jumper. Stef is a remarkable lady irrespective of the fact that at 15 years old she lost her leg to the rotor blade of a motorboat. For she has amongst her sporting accomplishments, also been a semi-finalist in Masterchef UK, was the first Paralympian to model in Vogue magazine and is Vice president of UK Athletics. You may be wondering with the Para games moved on a year, if she is still going for it – well in this discussion we find out that it’s a yes. We explore how she’s motivating herself during the lockdown and Stef, talks me through her horrific accident, her response, what helped her, who helped her, which wasn’t just her family but some tough loving health workers. We also talk about how she has made sense of her experience, emboldened her sense of self and to hear it was truly moving and uplifting.g.
 
Show notes
Delay to the Paralympics and the ramifications for athletes for a range of reasons
Stef’s coping mechanisms – ‘feel the feelings’
Adapting training due to COVID-19
Stef’s early sporting endeavour into rugby and ambitions to become a professional player
The accident
Processing the loss of the limb
The nurse that first challenged Stef and the thrill of having a poo!
Acceptance of the new Stef
The 2012 Paralympics changed everything
Bringing the whole package to sport
Running
The decision that sport wasn’t for Stef
World championships 3 years later!
Positive distractions
You can’t be too focussed on athletics, athletics can’t be your sole identity
 
Links
Not surprisingly Stef is a motivational speaker and if you’re thinking of someone to inspire your next event, take a look at http://www.stefreid.com/speaking
You can follow Stef on Twitter https://twitter.com/RunJumpStefReid
 
Sign up for our webinars https://supportingchampions.co.uk/webinars/
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Join our Facebook ‘ Performance People’ community, www.facebook.com/groups/627256457741181/
Students if you’re studying sport and want to get into sports and performance, sign up to our online course ‘Kickstart performance skills’ https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
 
If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/
or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

In this episode I talk to Dr Andrea Furst, performance psychologist at Mental Notes. Andrea has had a highly successful career supporting some of the highest performing teams to the highest performances. She has worked in Australia, where she originates from, Singapore and now based in the UK. She has supported the Australian kayak team, Singapore sailing, GB Hockey and is widely sought after in professional sports and supporting business leaders. Andrea brings a really grounded, pragmatic approach to her practice. She is thoughtful and intuitive, but shrewd and no nonsense. In this conversation we discuss some of the emotions and challenges everyday people and athletes will be experiencing during this lockdown period, what methods and ways of thinking can help people cope and thrive. What I really enjoyed about this conversation was not only hearing about the mental models and ideas that help people cope with change, but I was compelled by her approach of putting the human needs first on the path toward self-discovery.
 
Show notes
Andrea’s focus on adjusting to the new normal with challenge of COVID19
How the lack of deadlines effects our thinking
How we cope with change
Dealing with uncertainty
Staying present and the value of recognising our experiences
How investment in self-awareness and self-reflection nurtures the person and performance
Handling mavericks in team situations
Establishing buy-in and engagement with top performers
With the Olympics moved to next year what advice and support can help athletes re-focus
 
Links
You can follow Andrea on https://twitter.com/AndreaFurst
Have a look at her website https://mentalnotespsych.com/
 
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Join our Facebook ‘ Performance People’ community, www.facebook.com/groups/627256457741181/
Students studying sport and want to get into sports and performance, sign up to our online course ‘Kickstart performance skills’ https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
 If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/
or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

The next few special episodes of the podcast will break away from the normal regularity as we capture, produce and air some relevant content to the COVID-19 crisis.
In this episode I talk to Professor Louise Burke, Chief of Nutrition Strategy at The Australian Institute of Sport, where she has led the nutrition support work for Australia since 1990. Louise is certainly one of the world’s leading dieticians, has been there and done it but uniquely has outstanding achievements in applied sport and research. I caught up with Louise to ask her about some of the big things people can be doing to ensure a healthy diet to support immune function and support training during the COVID-19 crisis and what people can do when their normal food choices aren’t necessarily available in the supermarkets anymore. I also take a brief opportunity to ask Louise about her key experiences and lessons learnt from an illustrious career in support of elite performance at the Australian Institute of Sport.
Show notes
The new normal for a while - perhaps we can think about what is important and what isn’t…to recalibrate, during COVID-19
Team Australia, what are they up to now?
Grateful for an extra year to prepare for Tokyo 2021
Why we eat what we eat?
Disordered eating during this COVID-19 crisis
The complexity of habits beliefs and behaviours around diet
What can we do in these uncertain times to ensure we are nutritionally looking after ourselves
Planning menus for a week being more resourceful with the ingredients we have
This is a great time for exercise and ensuring nutrition supports health
The change in the Australian Institute of Sport
Supernova research camp
Project Supernova lack of resources ensured that Louise needed to find a new way or working
Having a good relationship with athletes and coaches
Periodising carbohydrate
Making the coaches and athletes part of the team
 
Links
You can follow Louise on Twitter https://twitter.com/LouiseMBurke
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Join our Facebook ‘ Performance People’ community, www.facebook.com/groups/627256457741181/
Students studying sport and want to get into sports and performance, sign up to our online course ‘Kickstart performance skills’ https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
Take the next step in your career through our coaching and mentoring support, https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring
 
You can subscribe through the website for the latest updates. and if you’re feeling like supporting and championing us then please leave a review on itunes.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/supporting-champions/id1330373242
 
 

Phil Skiba on exercise and health during COVID-19 crisis
The next few special episodes of the podcast will break away from the normal regularity as we capture, produce and air some relevant content to the COVID-19 crisis.
In today’s special episode I talk to Dr Phil Skiba, Director of Sports Medicine for the Advocate Aurora Medical Group in Chicago, one of the largest in the United States and one of sharpest people I know – a true polymath, about the current crisis, his observations, his advice about us for general health, staying physically fit and training and more broadly our responsibilities to ourselves, each other and why and how this situation arose and what this all might mean.
Show notes
The warning signs of COVID-19 and health service overwhelm
Making excuses for ourselves…
Our individual and societal responsibilities
Paying attention to how you are feeling
Do the neck check!
Good nutrition
Heart disease and cancer kill way more people than COVID-19 and are preventable and treatable with exercise
No more powerful medicine than exercise
Any organism has a carrying capacity
We are in this together 
Bettering yourself through education
Popping to the shop in Africa
Fighting this war from the coach, binging Netflix and don’t do anything stupid!
You can follow Phil on Twitter @DrPhilipSkiba
More from Phil is available on his website on www.physfarm.com
 
Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs
Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve
Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions
Join our Facebook ‘ Performance People’ community, www.facebook.com/groups/627256457741181/
Students studying sport and want to get into sports and performance, sign up to our online course ‘Kickstart performance skills’ https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse
Take the next step in your career through our coaching and mentoring support, https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring
You can subscribe through the website for the latest updates. and if you’re feeling like supporting and championing us then please leave a review on itunes.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/supporting-champions/id1330373242