276 How To Help A Footballer Who Focuses Too Much On Other People
Release Date: 04/04/2025
301 Words of Wisdom – Collective Insights on Mental Toughness
Demystifying Mental Toughness
Happy New Year! This special compilation episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness brings together powerful reflections from multiple experts across sport, performance, and personal development. Rather than offering quick fixes, this episode invites listeners to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with what truly underpins sustainable performance: self-awareness, authenticity, focus, and self-trust. A recurring theme throughout the episode is the importance of the internal narrative. The conversations we have with ourselves shape confidence, behaviour, and decision-making under pressure....
info_outline
300 Owning Your Journey: Personal Responsibility, Success Redefined & Thriving on Loan
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In this milestone episode #300 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David Charlton is joined by former Newcastle United defender and current Assistant Loans Manager Peter Ramage. In the second part of our conversation Peter shares powerful insights into what truly drives progression and resilience in young footballers. Peter discusses the importance of personal responsibility in career development highlighting how top performers take ownership of their learning, habits, and mindset. Through examples such as golfer Matthew Fitzpatrick and Harry Kane, he explains why success is...
info_outline
299 Emotional Flexibility & Versatility: Inside the Minds of Professional Footballers on Loan
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In this episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, host David Charlton is joined by former professional footballer and coach, and current Assistant Loans Manager at Newcastle United, Peter Ramage, who pulls back the curtain on what it’s really like for young players when they go out on loan. We talk about the often-unseen side of the loan pathway: adapting to new environments, dealing with being away from family, handling uncertainty and change, and the social-media comparison trap that many players fall into. Peter provides real world insight from his time at clubs like...
info_outline
298 Run Your Race: The Power of Consistency, Faith, and Mental Strength
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In the second part of our conversation David Charlton speaks with endurance athlete, coach, and world record holder Pierce Showe, who completed 153 consecutive half marathons to raise awareness about health and nutrition. Together, they explore what it really means to run your race in sport, business, and life. Pierce shares his philosophy of focusing on your own journey, avoiding the comparison trap, and finding strength through faith and purpose. He also talks about how goal setting and discipline form the foundation for consistent growth and long-term success, lessons that resonate...
info_outline
297 How Endurance Challenges Build Mental Toughness – Lessons from Pierce Showe
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In this powerful episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David sits down with endurance athlete, coach, and world record holder, Pierce Showe. From a lacrosse player to completing gruelling 200-mile ultra marathons, Pierce shares his journey of developing resilience, faith, and belief through extreme endurance. Pierce opens up about how early life challenges shaped his hunger for growth, the defining moment that unlocked his belief system, and why mental toughness isn’t something you’re born with and it’s built through hardship, practice, and reflection. He and...
info_outline
296 How to Take Control of Your Emotions: Building Your Personal Playbook for Confidence and Calm
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In the second part of our conversation, David Charlton talks with anxiety and fear coach Matt Young about why emotional control and emotional mastery is the key to lasting confidence and calmness under pressure. Matt challenges the common idea that we can only manage our emotions. Instead, he explains how emotions like anxiety, fear, or procrastination are learned traits that serve a purpose. By understanding why they appear, athletes and coaches can start to take ownership and use their emotions intentionally rather than reactively. Drawing parallels between sport and everyday...
info_outline
295 Taking Control Of Your Emotions: Lessons from Ex-Footballer and Anxiety Coach Matt Young
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In this episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, David Charlton speaks with Matt Young, an anxiety and fear coach and former professional footballer, about how emotional control can help athletes and coaches achieve lasting freedom and confidence, on and off the pitch. Matt shares how his playing career at Southampton and other clubs exposed deep insecurities and a constant need to control outcomes including; selection, performance, and judgment from others. That same drive for control, he explains, often leads athletes into anxiety, superstition, and burnout. True freedom, he argues, comes...
info_outline
294 The 3-Second Reset: How Stuart Barnes Helps Cricketers Perform Under Pressure
Demystifying Mental Toughness
High performance in cricket and sport in general is about far more than technical ability. In this episode of The Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I’m joined by Stuart Barnes, Bowling Coach at Warwickshire County Cricket Club, for the second part of our conversation. Together we explore the unique pressures cricketers face and how coaches and psychologists can work hand in hand to support player growth, confidence, and resilience. The Player at the Centre Stuart highlights the importance of a joined-up approach between coaches, psychologists, and teammates, with the athlete...
info_outline
293 How Cricket Coaches Build Mental Toughness: High Challenge, High Support with Stuart Barnes
Demystifying Mental Toughness
In this episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I’m joined by Stuart Barnes, Bowling Coach at Warwickshire County Cricket Club. With over 27 years of coaching experience, Stuart shares fascinating insights into the demands of elite cricket, the brutal nature of today’s schedules, and the importance of balancing challenge with support. We dive into how coaches can help players thrive under pressure, the role of self-awareness and process, and why some athletes fear success. Stuart also discusses the fine line between surviving and thriving in professional sport—and what...
info_outline
292 Breaking Barriers in Sport: Culture and Inclusion in India & the Middle East
Demystifying Mental Toughness
Today’s episode is the second part of my discussion with Gayatri Bhushan, co-founder of Mind Matter Performance. We go onto continue to explore the importance of being curious and open to learn about the experiences of others in sport. Gayatri goes onto share further insights from India and the Middle East, where cultural, social, and gender barriers can put limits on opportunities for different athletes, participants and coaches. Key Learning Points: · The discussion highlighted the significant impact of Premier League Football...
info_outlineToday marks the start of an 8-episode series where David Charlton is joined by a colleague. Gerard Fitzgerald features in this episode, as well as the next 3 episodes. They go on to discuss a case study of a young female footballer, 11 years old with a pseudonym name called Carly who is a sensitive soul who worries too much about other people (team-mates specifically in this case).
We go on to normalise emotional sensitivity in young athletes, highlighting that it can be a strength if managed properly. We also talk about the challenges of emotional sensitivity where young athletes often face mental drain and self-doubt. David and Gerard then go on to share some advice for parents and coaches to manage emotionally sensitive players who can focus too much on their team-mates.
Key Learning Points:
· Explore ways to normalize the emotional experiences of young athletes and help them manage the mental demands of the sport.
· Develop strategies to shift the focus from negative self-criticism and comparison to a more positive, responsibility-based approach.
· The conversation explores how a neutral third party can provide a fresh perspective and help both parents and children understand each other better.
· Constant comparison to teammates can lead to self-doubt and criticism in young athletes and footballers.
· The discussion concludes with a reminder that the win-at-all-costs attitude can sometimes drive young athletes away from sport emphasising the need for fun and enjoyment.
Connect with David Charlton
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN
Podcast Episodes Related To The Youth Sport Experience
Ep049: James Maurice – How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help
Ep082: David Charlton – Supporting Children in Sport with Positive Feedback
Ep122: Prof Camilla Knight – Helping Your Children Get The Most From Their Sporting Experiences
Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART
Ep141: David Charlton – How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport
Other Valuable Resources To Help Children, Young Athletes, Parents and Youth Sport Coaches
Youth Sports Psychology Library
Soccer and Football Psychology Library
Frequently Asked Questions - Sport Psychology for Children and Parents