WEBVTT - What an athlete mindset can teach us about pressure 0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:04.600 Hi, I'm Francisca Rudkin and I'm Louis Area, and welcome 0:00:04.600 --> 0:00:07.080 to season five of our new Zealand Here podcast, The 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:09.160 Little Things Good to have you with us. So in 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:12.000 this podcast, we're joined by experts in their field to 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:13.960 talk about the little things that you need to know 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:16.319 to improve all areas of your life. And but there's 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:19.080 lots of information and confusion out there, so we try 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:21.600 and cut through that to bring you some clarity so 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:24.280 you can make your own well informed decisions on your 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:27.040 well being. So you remember last season, we spoke to 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:30.120 Kathy Duffy, Yes, ultra Marison runner and a real advocate 0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:33.000 of women just pursuing stuff through them see the menopause 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:34.640 or us or the glory us as she called them. 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:38.159 Last season. I was so inspired by her that I 0:00:38.280 --> 0:00:41.400 decided to train to do a trail Morison early next year. Now, 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:44.320 Francisca and I have been talking about how much of 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.559 that training of foreigner event comes in the form of, 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:50.919 you know, comes down to mental toughness as much as 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:54.760 physical fitness, which I don't have much of either actually 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:56.720 at the moment, but anyway, I'm working on it. So 0:00:56.760 --> 0:00:59.520 we've been talking techniques that sports psychologists used to help 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:03.120 elite sleeps. We gained focus, manage their anxiety, so motivated, 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:05.560 and cope with setbacks and all of those things are 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:07.640 really important to you at the moment, Lou, to help 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.280 you achieve your goal. But then we got to thinking, 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:13.200 which is something which happens occasionally here on the little things, 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:15.400 and we were like, well, I wonder if we can 0:01:15.440 --> 0:01:18.840 actually take these tools that elite athletes use and apply 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:23.120 them to our everyday lives, all those little goals and 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:25.480 things we have for ourselves and every day just just 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:30.600 managing stress, managing precious situations at work, having a goal, 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:33.880 staying motivated about things. It kind of it was like, 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:37.120 hang on a minute, maybe there's something in this that 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:40.520 we that we could kind of all get on board with. 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:42.240 I think this is something I do in my everyday 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:44.720 life as well as my you know, when I'm setting 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.880 a goalf for an event, I have a habit of 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:52.000 saying it out loud and thinking that that the rest 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:54.760 of it will just magically unfold. And you know this 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:57.480 about me, and this is despiting lived experience of it 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:00.040 not being the case. It's never worked for me. Do 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:02.280 you remember that Tassic Travis, I told you I've been 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:03.960 doing a bit of training over summer and I did 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:05.920 it and know how to panic attack in the first kilometer. 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:08.720 Oh it was so yeah, no blessing. You were like, 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:10.560 you just go, just go, and I'm like, I'm not 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:12.880 going to leave you. And I couldn't leave you because 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:14.720 I was like, I don't know what she's going to 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:17.040 end up. What might just lose her on and it's 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.640 not pay her the de somewhere, but it's a metaphor 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:23.600 for my life. But you also did admit as we 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:25.760 were driving to the stat line that actually the training 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:28.440 had evolved quite a lot of summer beers and that 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:30.239 maybe you know you kind of did not on the 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:32.920 back of your mind, but you just now, I've just 0:02:33.080 --> 0:02:37.480 entered another event that is at the end of summer. No, no, no, no, 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:39.600 I think you added, You're completely different this time because 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:41.080 you know what it entails. You've done enough to know 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:42.560 that you can't rock up to what you're going to 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:44.480 go and do without doing the work. But it is 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:46.840 interesting because you're doing all the strength work and you're 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:49.679 doing all the physical work and things, but on the day, 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:51.840 it's going to be your brain that gets you to 0:02:51.880 --> 0:02:54.280 the end. It's going to be your mind that gets 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:56.240 you to that finish line. And as much as I 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:00.320 love running around the hills, it still gets monotonous. It 0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:03.160 So how do you keep going? We're using you as 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:05.680 a little bit of a guinea pig because as much 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:07.960 as I've done a lot of events as well on things, 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:13.040 I've never used any kind of tiple technique or anything 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:16.120 to kind of make me mentally tough. Forthing, I've literally 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.200 just gritted it out. I've literally my approach has been, oh, 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:21.080 I just have to finish. If it means I crawl 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:22.840 over the finish line. I crawled over the finish line. 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:25.360 But I've always just gone. Remember when I was hanging 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:29.120 that tree at the end of the Tara Wearra Trail 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:34.760 Marathon and I says, Tack, you're very kindly, just like 0:03:35.160 --> 0:03:37.080 I don't think you are. But I was sure that 0:03:37.120 --> 0:03:39.440 I wasn't going to make it. And actually, once I'd 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:42.040 had my little moment, I then just keep going because 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:43.640 to me, then my mind I just go. There is 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:45.520 actually no other choice. So I just gritted out. But 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:48.800 I'm sure there's a much more sophisticated way that we 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:50.880 could be dealing with these problems and then of course 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:52.840 bringing it into our real lives. I mean, are you 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:56.320 I mean you've set this goal? Well I know, I 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.280 just I just entered something again. It's not the same thing. 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.320 I don't think you know what I mean, like you're 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:06.160 trying to It's a gap between knowing and doing right right. Yeah, 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:08.360 And I guess I also look at other people who 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:11.200 set goals like one year, two year, three year, five 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.040 year goals not not exercise really admire people I've got 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.360 a five or ten year goal. Well they do they 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:17.600 learn something I didn't learn. 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:18.320 I don't know. 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:20.440 I'm not think people did tell us to set goals 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:23.640 and we were were fine, We're just wanting it. 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:24.200 Yeah. 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:26.480 Then you get to midlife and you go those goals 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:30.119 aren't goals. It's just actually living, being able to do something. 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:31.200 Do you know what I really want to get out 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:36.000 of this today? I want to get an idea about 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:39.719 how to bounce back from a setback, because I think 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:42.320 that in day to day life, when we're managing jobs 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.080 and families and kids and there's a lot going on, 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:48.000 there's always something's always falling over right, the ship setting 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.720 the fan somewhere, there's always a set back somewhere, and 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:53.240 I'm hoping that today I'm going to be able to 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:55.080 kind of get a tiple technical or two that just 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:57.000 makes me stop and pause and take a big deck 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.960 breath and actually be able to handle that and move forward, 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:02.960 you know, et with a bit of positivity. There's a 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:04.800 sign on somebody's store at work that says, if you're 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:06.800 going through hell, just keep going. And I think it 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:08.559 might be George or Well or something. I'm not sure, 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.200 but I'd like to change that. It's like this to pass. Yeah, 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:17.040 but if you're going through hell, make a plan and 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:19.520 visualize your way out of it. I don't know. Visualization 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:22.159 something I'm really going to see talk about us to 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:24.200 talk about as well, because it always sounds like a 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:25.840 really good idea, but I get halfway through it and 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:27.600 I get bored and I just go into something else. 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.560 I'm not really sure how it's supposed to work. So 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:37.440 that's a great commitment anyway. So to kill two birds 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:39.560 with one stone to help me achieve my goal and 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:41.719 help us all deal with the challenges that life throws 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:44.560 at us. We're joined by mental skills and performance coach 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:48.599 doctor Kylie Wilson. Kylie has a PhD in performance psychology 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:52.000 and is herself a former professional athlete. She has worked 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:54.200 with some of our best teams and athletes, from Olympians 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:56.880 to many of our national teams to help them fulfill 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.120 their potential and achieve their goals. Kylie, welcome, Thank you 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.200 so much for coming in today. Thank you for having 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:05.120 me so excited you're here. Can you first up, just 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:08.040 tell us a little bit about you and this fascinating 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:08.719 career that you have. 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:13.080 Yeah, I couldn't say that it was very crafted. I 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:15.920 felt like I fell into it. So I actually wanted 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:17.960 to be a police officer. And then they said go 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:21.279 to university and get some life experience. So I thought 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:25.200 I'll be a forensic kind of criminal psychologist or criminal lawyer. 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.640 So I studied psychology and law and realized law was 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:31.159 not for me. So then a lot of my friends 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:33.400 I was playing rugby down Otago and they were all 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.200 doing sort of sports science. So I fell into that 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:40.000 and loved the kind of sports psychology aspect of it. 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:42.240 So didn't know where it would take me, but I 0:06:42.279 --> 0:06:44.719 really enjoyed it. And then my supervisor at the time, 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:46.479 Ken Hodge, he said, do you want to do a 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:49.800 PhD over in the UK. My dad's Welsh, so I'd 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:52.240 planned to go over there anyway, And yeah, I ended 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:55.480 up sort of doing a PhD. And now it's my job. 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:59.040 So I feel like it's just my passion has led 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:01.880 me versus like me, you know, thinking oh, this is 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:03.080 what I'm going to do and I'm going to find 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:05.159 a way to do it. So feel very very lucky 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:06.520 that it's what I get to do for a living. 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:09.480 So do you mind me asking how long guess you 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:12.960 goo you were at Otago? Because that those sports sciences 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:15.960 courses are really choc a block full of ambitious young 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:20.520 you know, potential sports psychologists or sports managers. Now was 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:22.440 it like that when you started? 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:28.160 I think the physical sciences like your physiology and things 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:31.120 like that were far more advanced in terms of like 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:35.400 career pathways. Certainly Ken Hodge, who was my supervisor, would 0:07:35.640 --> 0:07:38.080 he's still there at Otago. He would say that there's 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:41.480 probably only a handfuluss he'll come through that program and 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:44.960 actually gone on to be sports psychologists so or work 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:48.560 in that field. So I wouldn't say that the psychology 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:50.240 part of it was that dominant at the time. 0:07:50.480 --> 0:07:53.679 M interesting, how long did you played rugby Forore. 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:57.320 I started Otago, so it would have been about fifteen 0:07:57.400 --> 0:08:00.360 years I would have played for, so really good rounding 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:02.520 to start at Otago. Played with a lot of black 0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:05.440 Ferns back then, and then when I moved to WLS 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:08.480 do my PhD. Yeah, I think after six months of 0:08:08.560 --> 0:08:10.760 arriving I was in the Welsh team, so it was 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:12.120 a pretty quick promotion. 0:08:12.800 --> 0:08:14.840 What position were you open side. 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:16.880 Plankets or seven? Yeah? Yeah, yeah. 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:18.400 Did you use yourself as a bit of a guinea 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:19.679 pig as you were studying as well? 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:20.400 Absolutely? 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:23.320 Yeah. I actually really enjoyed doing that. So as I 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:25.520 was learning, I was just practicing all the tools myself 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:27.840 and my own performance, and then I was coaching as well, 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.800 so I would integrate it into my coaching and then 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:33.760 as part of the Welsh team you got access to 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:37.120 work with sports psychologists, so I kind of felt like 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:40.600 I had, you know, a sort of three pronged approach 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:43.880 to developing my understanding of the skills, and I feel 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:46.200 like that's set me up to work really well with 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:48.880 other coaches, So that does make sense. Having It's nice 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:50.440 to have the theory but been able to put it 0:08:50.440 --> 0:08:52.559 into practice at the same time. And see it from 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:55.000 a different point of view from the other side. I 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:58.000 can imagine that was hugely valuable. Yeah, often I'd get 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:01.760 a little bit of a sideways look because I'd try 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:04.880 some things with the groups I was working with, and 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:07.000 I wouldn't say they are very traditional from what was 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:09.160 being taught in the coaching courses and things. But I 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.520 worked with a young Welsh team. We were I think 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:15.320 Wales under twenty and we were the first Welsh team 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:17.120 to beat England. Wow. 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:18.280 Yeah at any age group. 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.160 So in the women's side, and yeah, it was I 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.920 think some of their strategies or process I was putting 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:26.720 them through just made them see the game differently and 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:30.920 work differently together. So yeah, I loved using them as 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:33.120 my guinea pigs. I guess to try some things out. 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:35.520 Tell us a little bit about who you've worked with, 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:38.600 because you've worked with individuals and teams. Is that quite 0:09:38.600 --> 0:09:39.560 a different dynamic. 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:43.080 Absolutely yep. So I do love working in the team space. 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:46.199 I like the challenge of how you get people to 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:49.000 work together under pressure. It's a little bit more complex, 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.040 but also yeah, I just like the team environment. So 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:57.319 I guess early on work with men's blacksticks, then silver Ferns, 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:01.880 so in the netbull space, and then sort of worked 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:06.120 in various rugby settings, so Blues, Super Rugby, lots of 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:11.080 the sort of NPC level New Zealand Under twenty for 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:13.560 a while in and out of the Black Fern sevens 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:16.120 and who are currently one of the teams I currently support, 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:19.000 and they're operating at a very high level, so you're 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:21.320 really challenged in what you do with them in terms 0:10:21.320 --> 0:10:24.480 of taking them to a level that not many people 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:27.560 have been before. And then have started in November last 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:29.520 year with the Warriors, so that's my first time in 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:33.640 rugby league, which has been really exciting. And then individuals, 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:37.840 so working five sport New Zealand, you work with Olympic campaigns. 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:41.400 So I had the pleasure of working with Luca Jones 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:43.720 for twelve years, so she was the canoe slalem paddler 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:47.439 and then after her came Finn Butcher, so I worked 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:51.240 with in that sport. With those individuals, I've done a 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:56.080 little bit in various campaigns Trithlon weightlifting. Yes, you sort 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:59.360 of end up supporting a few campaigns in those different 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:00.520 sort of Olympic sports. 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:04.400 Well, that's a huge variation and it cannot be one 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:06.520 size fits all approach. 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:09.480 Right, absolutely not. You know, you have some principles of 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:12.440 practice and some approaches that are underpin your practice, but 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:16.320 it's how you marry those two a the individual and 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:18.720 be the demands of the sport. So you can imagine, 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:21.199 like lifting a weight above your head is a lot 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:23.559 different to a canoe sylm course, which is a lot 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:26.480 of decision making as you're going down, reading the water, 0:11:26.800 --> 0:11:29.199 very sort of being present in the moment, versus a 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:32.120 kind of very short, sharp like aggressive power movement. So 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:34.640 you've got to really look at the demands of the 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.960 sport to see what's needed, but also how the individual 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:41.080 approaches that. So you spend a lot of time actually 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:45.240 trying to learn the person and then apply your knowledge 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:47.640 to that person and see what kind of joins up. 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:50.360 So it's it's an art versus science most of the time. 0:11:50.520 --> 0:11:53.120 It must also be quite interesting. As you say, you 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:56.560 work with the Warriors, and I love the NRL. We're 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:59.200 big Warriors fans in our house, but my goodness, they 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.800 put us through the ring fans, right, So, but that's 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.960 week to week compared to when you're dealing with an Olympian. 0:12:05.280 --> 0:12:07.920 They have got this campaign and they work for four 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:11.640 years and then you have this one moment. You know, 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:14.440 that's that's a completely different pressure, isn't it It is? 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:17.720 It's I think what like for in Severns, for example, 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:19.840 is an Olympic sports both play the World Series every 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:21.600 year so that they're you know, it's not like they 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:23.400 don't do anything and then just do that, but it's 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:25.720 all roads lead to the Olympics. You know, you're always 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:27.760 that's sort of your focus. Is what we're doing now 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:29.240 going to get us to we want to be by 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:32.680 the Olympics. So the narrative is definitely like, yeah, it's 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:37.320 it's this real pinnacle moment and what someone like you 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.319 know Canuslalem for example, that they are pretty under the 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:45.040 radar for four years and then suddenly not a lot 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:47.160 of So it's a lot of the external noise and 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:53.160 attention and distraction that is quite novel to manage. And 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:55.000 so we did do a lot of work about talking 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:57.480 about preparing for it, but there's nothing like experiencing it. 0:12:57.520 --> 0:12:59.600 And that's why you normally see most people do better 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.360 at their seat in Olympics in there first because they 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:06.560 figure out how to better deal with that sort of distraction, 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:10.280 noise and the chaos of kind of the Olympic environment, 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:12.559 which it is, it is pretty interesting environment. 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.040 And as spectators with the Olympics, he's always that one 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:17.160 sport where you know, we didn't know anything about and 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:18.840 then suddenly we're seeing it all the time, and then 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.520 we're fully backing that person and that's I mean, I 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:23.520 don't know if they feel that pressure, but you know, 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:25.720 it's quite incredible. It's like with the pole volt, wasn't 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:28.480 Eliza mcahey. Yeah, yeah, it's like, I mean, but just 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:30.040 being in a meeting that day. It was a sad day, 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:31.840 but I had a meeting and we just all stopped 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:35.120 and you know, watched because we were just so suddenly 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:37.560 obsessed by this one individual sport. 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:41.920 Yeah, it's a really interesting kind of point in your 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:45.680 identity development. You know, you go from being not recognized 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:49.199 and not really you know, that's not important, and then 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:51.360 suddenly you know and Atho I work with one a 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:55.040 gold medal and was suddenly like you know, he said, 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:57.320 the Prime Minister text him. He was like, what the hell, 0:13:57.600 --> 0:13:59.800 what's going on? You know, like why am I suddenly white? 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:02.240 A pea will suddenly get interested? So it's an interesting 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:05.360 shift for them in terms of how they think the 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:08.360 world sees them. Suddenly is someone special or important and 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:11.280 yeah that they've got They have to process that because 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:14.240 it changes the way they kind of hold themselves, I guess. 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.199 So it's interesting. So why does an athlete come to you? 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:19.960 What do they hope to get from working with you? 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.840 I think of a variety of reasons. Like I think 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:27.160 traditionally it would be because maybe something's not working like 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.800 they feel it should be. Maybe they feel like they've 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:32.240 got potential but they can't access it at the right time. 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:36.440 Maybe they have a specific issue like anxiety or something 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:39.920 like that. But sometimes athletes, and this is happening more 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:42.440 and more regularly now, is they they just want to 0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:45.200 know how to get as much out of themselves as 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.320 they can. So it's not a deficit model. It's a 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:52.520 real how do I optimize myself through using mental strategy? 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.960 So that's definitely more of the case now. It's become 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:57.840 so much more normalized in terms of you know, you 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.640 have a nutritionists and you have a strengthening conditioning coach, 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:03.800 and you have your mindset coach. So it's now something 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:07.680 that is just part of a team of people that 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:10.720 help that person or that team get the most out 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:11.160 of themselves. 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:13.360 Yeah, that's really interesting you say that about the deficit 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:16.280 model versas, so they've got a platform and they're looking 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:20.440 to expand on that rather than they know that they 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:25.760 personally struggling with something psychologically or whatever. Yeah, and we 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:28.120 all have those little struggles, and we all have those 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.720 imposter syndrome that must come into it sometimes too, does 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:31.920 it absolutely? 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:32.720 Yep, yep. 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:36.200 And most of it's interesting because most of the athletes 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:38.920 who I get to work with, the lucky enough are 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:42.400 pretty have got to a high level and so they've 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:46.440 always been probably the big fish or yeah, the fish 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:51.040 in the small pond or whatever, and so when they 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:54.040 get up to that really elite level, sometimes things don't 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.160 work quite as well as they used to. So it's 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.680 not necessarily that there's a deficit, but they have to 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:03.160 find new ways to either attacker an opposition or a 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:04.400 competition or things like that. 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:08.960 So, yeah, Kylie, can you identify what it is about 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:10.760 an athlete that makes them successful? 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:14.320 It's normally not one thing. I think one of the 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:19.440 biggest things is they're really high level of self awareness 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:22.800 of both their strengths and potentially the things that don't 0:16:22.800 --> 0:16:26.960 help them that much. So their understanding of you know, 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:29.200 I like to use a phrase the light self and 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:32.080 the shadow self, you know, so they understand that their 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:35.280 shadow self and what holds them back, and they're really 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:39.280 willing and courageous to kind of dive into going how 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:43.880 can I shift that? You know, So that it's interesting 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:46.359 because you know, people will just go, oh, they're superhuman 0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:49.200 and things like that, but they're actually the really human 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:53.760 people who are choosing to do something that's scrutinized, not 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:57.520 saying it's difficult, but it's scrutinized, and so they have 0:16:57.600 --> 0:16:59.960 to really know themselves and how that's going to impact them, 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:00.880 and they're willing to. 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:01.280 Look at that. 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:05.760 So I would say that's the biggest differentiator between potentially 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:09.840 the athletes who you know, really push on is they're 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:12.640 not living in a fake world of trying to pump 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:13.439 their own ties up. 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:13.720 You know. 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:17.040 It's very authentic and they're able to say, yeah, I'm 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:19.479 not so good in those moments my mind goes there, 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:22.960 my heart doesn't really take me to the right place 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:27.119 or whatever it is, and they're willing to use the 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:29.239 resources to help them sort of address that. 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:32.879 See, I think that's something you know, because one of 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:34.520 the reasons we wanted to talk to you today was 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:37.879 we are fascinated by the world of the athlete and 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:44.480 how you get those extra increments of success. But also 0:17:45.119 --> 0:17:47.320 we all could do with a little bit of you know, 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.320 understanding our lighter what did you call it? The lifelight 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:55.080 itself and shadows? Yeah, yeah, I mean how often do 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:57.639 we We often sort of grit our way through things 0:17:58.520 --> 0:17:59.800 and we just wonder if there might be a bit 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:01.879 doing it sometimes. 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:05.520 And you know it's I think they're in the fortunate 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:11.400 position that, you know, their job creates space for them 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:16.520 to explore that, you know, so it's a really encouraged 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:21.560 and coaches now phenomenal it's at not setting up environments 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:24.560 where you're failing or you're not doing as well as 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:26.600 we want you to go and see that person, you know, 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:30.480 they're actually saying, well, just like, how can you know, 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:33.560 how can you get more out of yourself or hold 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:35.960 yourself in a different way if that's what you choose 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:39.560 to do. And so you've got the environments now much 0:18:39.600 --> 0:18:43.040 more supportive of kind of holding that shadowself a little 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:45.760 bit more tolerant rather than I know, you just know 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:47.399 you can't cope go, you know. 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.280 So I'm sure that you know, to be an elite athlete, 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:52.280 you've got to have a bit of natural ability, and 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:54.040 you've obviously got to be able to work really hard 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:56.280 and everything. But kind of what I hear you saying 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.640 is that we could actually all reach our potential if 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:00.160 we want. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:03.359 To do yeah, whatever and whatever that is you choose 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:07.240