ISESA Podcast

Bruce Wardrop
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Semiweekly

The ISESA Podcast takes you behind the scenes of the Irish sport and exercise science community. Through conversations with leading practitioners, academics and athletes, our podcast highlights their amazing work and achievements. Hosted by Bruce Wardrop, each episode offers fresh perspectives on performance, health, research and career development. So whether you're a student, professional, or simply someone passionate about sport and exercise science - make sure to tune in now and discover the people, ideas, and innovations driving excellence in sport, health and exercise in Ireland and beyond. The ISESA Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoy our content, please make sure to subscribe and leave us a review. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 18h ago

    Beyond Nutrition Myths: Supporting Athletes' Health and Performance

    Is clean eating always better for athletic performance? Are athletes particularly vulnerable to supplement marketing? And what does good performance nutrition support actually look like? In this episode of the ISESA Podcast, Bruce is joined by Laura Mahony, dietitian and performance nutrition consultant with extensive experience across Olympic sport, professional rugby and Gaelic games. Picking up on a discussion from the 2026 ISESA Conference, Bruce and Laura explore how nutrition myths and wellness trends can influence athletes' dietary behaviours, sometimes with unintended consequences for their health and performance.They discuss the pressures that can make athletes susceptible to supplement marketing, the importance of evidence-based advice and the risks associated with supplement use, including anti-doping considerations. The conversation then moves beyond nutritional recommendations to explore what effective performance nutrition support looks like in practice. Laura shares insights into building relationships with athletes, encouraging behaviour change, individualising advice and working within multidisciplinary performance teams. The episode finishes with practical takeaways for athletes, coaches and aspiring practitioners, including why consistency matters more than perfection, and why sometimes the most effective intervention is a small, sustainable change. Laura's upcoming webinars: 23rd Nov 2026: SENG - GAA Performance Nutrition: Live Online Discussion 26th Nov 2026: Sport Ireland Institute - Fuelling the Female Athlete Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:20 Clean Eating, Sugar and Nutrition Myths 07:00 When Healthy Eating Undermines Performance 10:00 Changing Athletes' Beliefs and Behaviours 15:20 Athlete Vulnerability and Supplement Marketing 19:00 Supplement Decision-Making 20:30 Batch Testing and Anti-Doping Risks 25:00 Communicating Evidence and Countering Misinformation 29:40 What Performance Dietitians Actually Do 33:20 Multidisciplinary Teams and Individualised Support 39:50 Balancing Performance and Long-Term Health 42:15 Practical Advice for Athletes, Coaches and Practitioners 48:20 Upcoming Nutrition Webinars 50:40 Closing Reflections Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Beyond Nutrition Myths: Supporting Athletes' Health and Performance

  2. Nov 1

    Remembering Ciara Mageean (1992–2026)

    In this special episode of the ISESA Podcast, we remember Ciara Mageean, one of Ireland's greatest middle-distance runners. We reflect on her extraordinary sporting achievements, the person behind the performances, and the lasting impact she had on Irish sport. Our deepest sympathies go to Ciara's family, friends and all who knew her. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Remembering Ciara Mageean (1992–2026)

  3. Oct 19

    Helping Young Players Thrive: The Psychology of Good Coaching

    What does good coaching actually look like when working with children and young people? In this episode, Bruce is joined by Patricia Jackman from the University of Lincoln to explore how psychology can help coaches create positive, engaging and developmentally appropriate environments for young athletes. Patricia is one of the researchers behind SÍOL na nÓige, a psychologically informed coaching framework developed in the context of Gaelic games, but with principles that can be applied across youth sport. They discuss why good youth coaching should extend beyond winning and performance, and explore practical ways coaches can support fun and enjoyment, motivation, autonomy, strong coach-player relationships, belonging, personal development and long-term participation. The conversation also gets very practical: how should a coach respond when a player is losing confidence? What do you do with a talented player who dominates a session? How should you respond after a heavy defeat? And what small changes could coaches make at their very next training session? A useful episode for coaches, parents, coach educators, sport scientists and anyone involved in youth sport. Topics include: - What good youth coaching should actually achieve - The SÍOL na nÓige framework - Why fun and challenge are not opposites - Giving young athletes autonomy - Building coach-player relationships through small interactions - Creating intrinsic motivation and a mastery climate - Belonging, playing time and inclusion - Managing parents and wider club expectations - Practical responses to common coaching situations Patricia's central message is simple: psychologically informed coaching does not necessarily mean doing more — it means being more deliberate about the environment and interactions we create for young people. Resources: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21520704.2024.2441849 https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0613/1495965-gaa-underage-players-coaching-psychology/ https://www.gaa.ie/article/siol-na-noige-how-we-can-best-grow-our-young-gaelic-games-players Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:06 What does good youth coaching look like? 08:42 What do great youth coaches do differently? 11:15 Introducing SÍOL na nÓige 17:39 Fun, challenge and avoiding overcoaching 23:20 Autonomy and player voice 29:06 Building strong coach-player relationships 36:26 Motivation: being your best, not the best 39:53 Belonging and inclusion 42:57 Playing time and participation 45:37 Parents, clubs and the wider environment 48:47 Practical coaching scenarios 55:25 One change for your next training session 57:24 Closing thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Helping Young Players Thrive: The Psychology of Good Coaching

  4. Oct 5

    Beyond Steroids: iPED Use in Ireland

    Image and performance enhancing drug use is changing rapidly and it is no longer confined to elite sport or competitive bodybuilding. In today's, Bruce speaks with Dr David Nolan about his new research examining iPED use in Ireland. They discuss what people are taking, why they are taking it, the growing prominence of peptides, the influence of GLP-1 drugs and testosterone replacement therapy, and the increasingly blurred line between treatment, enhancement and aesthetics. The conversation also explores health monitoring, the limits of blood testing, barriers to engaging with healthcare professionals, the challenges of coming off iPEDs, and why this is not exclusively a male issue. David’s study provides an important first snapshot of a poorly characterised area of health and performance in Ireland, with plans to repeat the research over time and build a clearer picture of how the landscape is evolving. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:15 The Enhanced Games and the changing PED landscape 05:00 What are iPEDs – and who is using them? 08:45 The first Irish iPED study 13:15 What are people taking? 18:15 Peptides, GLP-1s and the changing drug landscape 29:15 Testosterone replacement therapy and enhancement 33:45 Health monitoring, harm reduction and healthcare 39:00 Coming off iPEDs: exit strategies and identity 46:45 Women and the changing iPED population 50:10 Who actually identifies as an iPED user? 53:50 Where does the research go next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Beyond Steroids: iPED Use in Ireland

  5. Aug 10

    Childhood Cancer, Recovery and Exercise

    Childhood cancer survival continues to improve, but what happens after treatment ends? In this final episode of the Summer Series, Bruce travels to Navan to meet Cillian Maguire, his mum Tracey-Ann, and researcher Jenny Fitzpatrick to discuss the CHAMPS programme - an innovative exercise intervention supporting young people after childhood cancer treatment. Together they explore recovery beyond the hospital, the challenges of fatigue and returning to everyday life, and the growing role of exercise oncology in improving health and quality of life. A powerful conversation about resilience, recovery and how exercise can help people reclaim their lives. This episode forms part of the ISESA Podcast Summer Series: Exercise Beyond Sport - three conversations exploring the growing role of sport and exercise science within healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Childhood Cancer, Recovery and Exercise

  6. Jul 27

    Understanding Obesity in the GLP-1 Era

    Few areas of healthcare have changed as rapidly over the past three years as obesity medicine. With medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide transforming the conversation around obesity, Bruce revisits this insightful discussion with Professor Donal O'Shea and dietitian Aoife Hearne. Rather than focusing solely on medication, this episode explores the biology of obesity, the importance of compassion in clinical practice, and why understanding obesity as a chronic disease changes how we think about prevention, treatment and long-term support. The treatments may have evolved, but the need for evidence-based, person-centred care has not. This episode forms part of the ISESA Podcast Summer Series: Exercise Beyond Sport - three conversations exploring the growing role of sport and exercise science within healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Understanding Obesity in the GLP-1 Era

  7. Jul 13

    Stroke, Recovery and Independence

    When this conversation was first recorded in 2023, structured exercise programmes for people living with long-term health conditions were only beginning to gain momentum. Today, the role of exercise professionals within healthcare has never been more important. In this episode, Bruce is joined by Annalouise Muldoon and Marie O'Connor, who shares her remarkable journey of recovering from an atypical stroke. Together they explore how structured exercise can help people regain confidence, independence and quality of life long after they leave hospital. As Ireland continues to develop new educational pathways for exercise professionals working in healthcare, this conversation feels more relevant than ever. This episode forms part of the ISESA Podcast Summer Series: Exercise Beyond Sport - three conversations exploring the growing role of sport and exercise science within healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Stroke, Recovery and Independence

  8. Jul 6

    Summer Series Trailer

    Over the next few weeks, we're revisiting three episodes from the first season of the ISESA Podcast that have become even more relevant today than when they were originally recorded. Together, these episodes explore how sport and exercise science is increasingly moving beyond performance and into healthcare—helping people regain independence after stroke, supporting people living with obesity, and improving quality of life after childhood cancer. Whether you're discovering these conversations for the first time or listening back with fresh ears, I hope they offer a new perspective on the evolving role of exercise professionals within healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Summer Series Trailer
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Trailer

About

The ISESA Podcast takes you behind the scenes of the Irish sport and exercise science community. Through conversations with leading practitioners, academics and athletes, our podcast highlights their amazing work and achievements. Hosted by Bruce Wardrop, each episode offers fresh perspectives on performance, health, research and career development. So whether you're a student, professional, or simply someone passionate about sport and exercise science - make sure to tune in now and discover the people, ideas, and innovations driving excellence in sport, health and exercise in Ireland and beyond. The ISESA Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoy our content, please make sure to subscribe and leave us a review. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Bruce Wardrop
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Bruce Wardrop
  • Show Website
    ISESA Podcast

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