Two old friends reunite for an unique conversation as we kick off a new mini-series for BS on Sport today exploring partnerships and what makes them great.

Today is a pretty damn good opener as yin and yang partnerships go. We have a huge treat as we are talking to 2 icons of British sport, certainly of the cricket world; Mike Brearley and Lord Botham of Ravensworth, otherwise known as Ian Botham.

The pair have never been interviewed like this together, so this is an unique listen.

Show notes

• The captain-player relationship
• Competitiveness, confidence, and calmness in high performance
• Experiences of fame and pressures on cricket families
• Contrasts with today’s modern sports psychology emphasis
• Reflections on their careers vs. the modern era of T20 cricket & central contracts
• Lasting camaraderie and mutual respect between players of their era
• Transitioning away from cricket into new fields in later life

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Podcast music: Tamsin Waley-Cohen's Mendelssohn's violin concerto

This week, we are joined by Caspar Berry. Caspar started out in acting aged 16 actor in BBC show Byker Grove with “Ant and Dec”. At Cambridge he had commercial success directing award-winning short films and TV commercials, then went on to write two feature films which were produced by Film Four and Columbia Tri Star before he had graduated.

Aged 26, he decided to take a risk and move to Las Vegas with his life savings in his pocket, and for next few years, became a professional poker player.

Caspar later returned to the UK to set up 21st Century Media which he later sold to Bob Geldof's Ten Alps plc. He now gives talks and mentors around the world on all his disparate experiences.

Show Notes:

• How Caspar’s early life decisions, driven by comfort with risk, led to diverse experiences
• Poker as a metaphor for decision-making processes in life and business
• The complexity of assigning probabilities to actions and the challenges posed by unpredictability
• Differences in risk-taking between individual and team sports
• The concept of 'negative metrics': sometimes the pursuit of certain performance metrics (e.g. home runs in baseball) might lead to higher failure rates (strikeouts)

Please leave a review if you like the podcast; and share with friends. Your support makes us very happy!

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Podcast music: Tamsin Waley-Cohen's Mendelssohn's violin concerto

This week, we are joined by esteemed sports psychologist Andrea Furst. With a career that spans continents and disciplines, Andrea is an extremely well respected, established figure in the realm of sports psychology, known for her work with elite athletes across a wide spectrum of sports—from golf and sailing to tennis, hockey, rugby, cricket and beyond. Indeed, among other, she is currently the sports psychologist at current county cricket champions Surrey.

She is also the founder of Mental Notes, where she leads a team of sport psychologists dedicated to elevating elite performance. Her extensive experience here includes supporting multiple Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games teams.

Show notes

• How psychological principles are applied to enhance athlete performance and mental well-being
• Techniques and strategies used by Andrea to help athletes manage downtime and focus during competitions
• Adapting sports psychology practices to different cultural contexts and individual athlete needs
• The importance of addressing mental health as an integral part of sports psychology
• Impacts of her psychological interventions: maximising walking time in golf

Please leave a review if you like the podcast; and share with friends. Your support makes us very happy!

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Podcast music: Tamsin Waley-Cohen's Mendelssohn's violin concerto