Dr. Sue Jackson: Flow State Explained

What does it really mean to be “in the zone”? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sue Jackson, co-author of Flow in Sports with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and creator of the Flow State Scale and Dispositional Flow Scale - the tools researchers still use to study peak performance.

Together, we explore:

• What flow is, and why it matters in sport and life.
• The nine dimensions of flow and how athletes can access them.
• How tools like the Flow State Scale help fighters and coaches reflect and improve.
• Why anxiety, pressure, and distraction can kill flow, and how to manage them.
• Practical strategies to find flow more often, whether you’re a fighter, runner, or weekend athlete.

Dr. Jackson shares insights from decades of research, showing how flow isn’t just a lucky state - it’s something you can learn to invite, train, and apply far beyond sport.