Shows
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Thibo DavidThibo David is a personal trainer and coach based in London, who works with global stars in sport, business, and touring musicians. Most famously, he has been working with pop star Harry Styles, who surprised both the running (and non-running!) world a few weeks ago in the Berlin Marathon, posting a hugely impressive sub-3 marathon in only his second attempt at the distance. While Harry's efforts have rightly garnered the plaudits - he did the work himself after all - there has been less coverage in the press about the man behind creating the sufficient training, fitness...
2025-10-0348 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview by Pete JacksonA one off special collaboration between ‘The Slice of Pie’ Psychology podcast and The Focused Mind. Host of SOP, Pete Jackson, interviews Endurance Mind Coaching founder, Stu Holliday, about his unique Endurance Mind management programme for runners, cyclists, and triathletes, called ‘The Unbreakable Athlete.’Pete delves into to ask: What is the programme?Who is it for?What psychological problems does it solve for endurance athletes?How long does it take?Why did you develop it?What are the results like? And, how does it b...
2025-08-3139 minThe Focused Mind PodcastEMC Weekly call 11-8-2025Endurance Mind Coaching Founder, Stu Holliday, talks with Fraser MacDonald Oulds again, about the mental capacity that endurance athletes build not just in terms of physical, but also psychologically during build phases. We discuss practices that free up space, such as limiting social media, as well as growing capacity through emotional flexibility and broadening our training opportunities to allow for performance bests and improvements to occur.A lot of what we discuss was covered in the classic book: Endure: Mind Body and the Curiously Elastic limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson. In his opinion, one of the...
2025-08-1329 minThe Focused Mind PodcastEMC Weekly call 4-8-2025Endurance Mind Coaching Founder, Stu Holliday, talks with athlete, Fraser MacDonald Oulds again, about the mindset shift that has to occur when an athlete gets injured and needs to mentally pivot to rehabbing. As a Sport and Exercise Psychologist, sadly injury is an occupational hazard, but we can help athletes get favourable outcomes, expedited by individuals treating their rehab just like training, cultivating an optimistic mindset, avoiding spiralling into a mentally bad place. In this interview we explore how Fraser will use the Unbreakable Athlete training course to help him get back to competitive racing in a different way...
2025-08-0530 minThe Focused Mind PodcastEMC Weekly call 28-7-2025Endurance Mind Coaching Founder, Stu Holliday, talks with all round athlete, Fraser MacDonald Oulds, about how he has cultivated mindset shifts associated with improving his performance across his swimming, water polo, and running. Within running, from track and road transitioning more to hill, fell, and ultra distances.
2025-07-2940 minThe Focused Mind PodcastTMP x EMC Weekly call 21-7-2025Steve Hobbs (of The Milestone Pursuit run coaching company), speaks to Stu (Founder of Endurance Mind Coaching) about the benefits and things to learn about goalsetting, whatever level of endurance athlete you are.
2025-07-2333 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Paul BenneyPaul Benney describes himself as having spent 30 years at the coalface of music, media, and acid house.If you’re into electronic music, you’ll likely know his work as a co-founder of seminal 90s magazine Jockey Slut and its associated club night, Bugged Out!, which began in Manchester 30 years ago. Since then, Bugged Out! has held residencies in Liverpool and London and now hosts a weekender event, next taking place in March 2026 in beautiful Bognor. Most recently, Bugged Out! curated a day celebrating its 30th anniversary at the Stonebridge tent at Glastonbury Festival.After Jockey Slut ...
2025-07-011h 12
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Ryan MorleyRyan Morley is a cycling coach, bike fitter, data analyst,and former RAF serviceman. Ryan began his racing career in time trials at the age of 15 and entered the world of road and criterium racing shortly after. As a junior, Ryan raced extensively, competing for the Welsh national team.Having worked within the cycling industry for several years,he then pursued a career in the Royal Air Force. Which was then ended when he was diagnosed with an underlying heart condition that prevented him from ever riding again and forced him to leave the service. Unwilling to l...
2025-06-201h 01
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Nick HuggettThis is the first episode of a mini series on the Focused Mind Podcast that talks to high performers across the music business who talk about their life, mindset, and skills they've developed to have long careers. We look at what individuals have done to look after themselves and what they'd consider helpful for working in the industry in the current day. In the series, we’ve got interviews with people in roles, including DJs, performers and producers, Distributors, Marketers, Engineers, Booking agents, Tour management, and music journalists and promoters.Our first guest is Ni...
2025-04-0847 min
Slice of PIE#32 The Psychology of Endurance - Stuart HollidayWelcome to Slice of PIE episode 32. Stuart Holliday (CPsychol) is a Sport Psychologist for GB Olympic Swimming, and runs his own practice Focused Mind Coaching with clients in sport, music, and business. He has worked in elite sport environments for over 10 years at Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth, and Premiership experience for Archery, Swimming, England Netball, and Liverpool Football Club. His real passion and area of expertise is Endurance sport, which is why he has a subsidiary of Focused Mind Coaching called Endurance Mind Coaching for runners, swimmers, cyclists and triathletes. He has co-written ‘The Psychology of Running’ with Dr Noel Bric...
2025-03-2858 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Mario FraioliMario Fraioli is the host of The Morning Shakeout podcast and the author of the weekly newsletter of the same name. As well as these well-known endeavours, he spends the majority of his work as a full-time endurance running coach.In this episode, timed to drop a month prior to a number of major marathon races Worldwide, FMC podcast host Stu Holliday wanted to discuss with Mario about how athletes can set and shift their mindset at key stages of the marathon training cycle and in readiness to race. Reviewing each other's practice and guidance for athletes...
2025-03-201h 00
Strength For Endurance PodcastMental Fitness Training for Endurance Performance with Stu HollidayIn todays episode Kriss sits down with Sport and Exercise Psychologist, Stu Holliday. With 15 years experience of training and professional practice Stu has worked with a wide range of sporting individuals helping them improve their mindset and thinking, in a way that benefits their performance Currently he is working with the GB Olympic Swimming Squad, his private practise see's him supporting athletes from the Endurance field, Archery, Netball, Football and musicians. Kriss and Stu talk about stress, the importance of reflecting on positive takeaways from your training and what day to day habits i...
2025-02-2840 min
The Focused Mind PodcastValencia Marathon - Why everyone should know about this event!In this mini episode, Sport and Performance Psychologist Stu Holliday answers the question: Why should everyone know about the Valencia marathon? And the second question... and why should they care?!
Whether you are a runner or not, this event is unique in the World of endurance sport and in the imaginations of the organisers. They put themselves in a different place to nearly all other marathon planners in so far of their aims to make the race 'The Everest of Marathons' for all runners. But what does that mean? Why does it take the effort of the...
2024-12-0533 minThe Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Nick SteelNick Steel is both a rowing and executive coach in sport and
business respectively. Having had a career in the energy sector all over the World, he dug into his love of rowing to set himself up on his return to the UK providing rowing training to all levels of ability.
Last year he was selected as the rowing coach for Team UK at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf (and again for Invictus 2025 in Canada). At the 2023 games we roomed together and shared many hours talking coaching, psychology, sport.
As you’ll hear in this epi...
2024-11-1849 min
The RunThrough Coach's PodcastEpisode 27 - Working On Your Mental FitnessWelcome to the New Levels Coaching Podcast. As coaches we want to share our knowledge and expertise with the running, triathlon and endurance sports community.Each week, our host Lewis Moses, former Team GB International Athlete turned Coach, will be joined by a special guest and together they will aim to educate and inspire our audience to help them find their own potential. We want people to listen, engage, take the best bits and LITERALLY RUN WITH THEM!Episode 27: Working On Your Mental Fitness with Stuart Holliday....
2024-05-231h 01
Running Book Reviews with Alan and LizThe Psychology of Running, by Noel Brick and Stuart HollidaySend us a textThe Psychology of Running is part of The Psychology of Everything series which also includes:The Psychology of ArtThe Psychology of WellnessThe Psychology of ComedyThe Psychology of DemocracyThe Psychology of CounsellingThe Psychology of TravelThe Psychology of AttachmentThis book dives into the science of running to answer six questions that make up the 6 chapters of the book:Why do we run?Why do we slow down or stop?What will help me run faster?What should I...
2024-01-171h 36
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Noel Brick & Dan RobinsonStu Holliday, Noel Brick, & Dan Robinson ‘The Psychology of Running’ podcast.
This episode supports your understanding and use of the Psychology of Running book!
Show Notes
Intros and how this episode supports the book with added context
Context of the RESIST project on endurance running and our respective roles and work within it.
Recollections of RESIST and its impact within Sport Psychology Research
Where listeners can find RESIST videos (see below) from the original project to support the skills and strategies covered in ‘The Psychology of Running’
Dan’s thoughts as a runner and coach on ‘...
2023-10-3049 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Chris Madden & Tamsin EmbletonFollowing on from previous guest Chris Madden (Episode 20), we wanted to bring the head of MITC (https://musicindustrytherapists.com/), Tamsin Embleton on to have a more in-depth discussion on the work we do in the music industry supporting artists, staff, and crew in person, virtually, at festivals, and how needed the work of caring professionals is a necessity in this modern day and age.
Tamsin gives us her background working for the likes of Anna Calvi and Standon Calling, and a bit about her working practice and style of work. This episode is aimed at anyone in...
2023-10-021h 10
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Sean WarburtonSean Warburton (@seanaldo26.2) is a Manchester-based runner and podcaster (The Local Runners), who has completed 38 marathons, and holds a PR of 2 hours, 38 minutes. In this 3rd episode of the mini-series on Autumn marathon, we turn the spotlight on how to cope if you get injured in the build-up to your main race of the year. How can you mentally cope better, to improve both your overall well-being, and how you come out of the injury into your next training block?
What tips, techniques, and strategies has Sean applied to help him overcome missing out on training for...
2023-09-2242 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Ross BradenRoss Braden is an elite British marathon runner who finished in 12th place in 2022's London Marathon (in a time of 2:14:32). A client of mine, Ross has broken client confidentiality to talk and reflect on the psych skill training we worked on together in preparation for that event, and in preparation for his upcoming 2023 Amsterdam debut appearance, he is an exceptional talent and we discuss how he works on his mental fitness in order to help him fulfill his potential on race day.
This episode is part of the Autumn 2023 marathon preparation series by...
2023-09-1838 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Matt FitzgeraldMatt Fitzgerald is a running coach, retreat owner, and to most psych-curious runners and triathletes, a prolific author on how to improve performance. A dedicated, evidence-based, (and non-academic) researcher of how to wring as much out of your discipline as possible, his pithy, and eloquent prose has helped runners at all levels improve, covering topics including training, diet, and mindset.
As a professional Sport Psychologist, I’ve wanted to interview Matt for a long time, as he has the mass reach that a lot of academics and pros don’t, but does have the respect of his Worl...
2023-09-0453 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Sarah BroadheadSarah Broadhead is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist based in Sheffield, UK. With extensive experience in business and sport (including 3 Olympic Cycles as the Psychologist for GB TaeKwondo), she set up ‘Broadhead Performance’ 5 years ago.
In November 2022 she published her first book, Perform and Thrive: A Sportsperson’s Guide to Mental Health and Wellbeing, aimed at athletes, coaches and psychologists at all levels. In our conversation we discuss her background, history, and we can all improve our performance by having sound mental health as a platform on which to build. For avid and aspiring writers, she gives great advice...
2023-06-1639 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Chris MaddenChris Madden is a Counselling Psychotherapist based in Leeds. He helps clients explore and navigate new insights and perspectives to bring about a better way of relating to themselves, others or situations they may find challenging.
He works with clients from all walks of life and has significant specific experience of working therapeutically with clients from the music, live events and other creative industries. We recorded this conversation in the week that would have been DJ and Producer Andrew Weatherall’s 60th birthday. Chris worked with and knew Andrew well (and I’m personally guided by his phil...
2023-06-1052 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Simon FreemanSimon Freeman is the Editor and writer for Like the Wind magazine. It is a long-form magazine, printed every quarter 'for runners, by runners' including notable figures from the sport including Dick Beardsley, to interviews with Lance Armstrong, and Courtney Dauwalter, amongst many others covering 'why we run' rather than how to run. Digging into people's motivations, experiences, and how running plays a part in their overall life. Since starting 10 years ago, it now is self-sufficient, with a staff of 5, sponsors, and Worldwide distribution. If you like running, *you'll probably like it!*
Co-founded with his wife Julie...
2023-02-241h 02
The Focused Mind PodcastLondon Marathon 2022 ReviewSomething different for episode 18. Former guest, athlete, and coach, Steve Hobbs (The Milestone Pursuit) from episode 6 returns to reflect on his 10th London marathon, and his views on the elite finishers in the men's and women's race as well as the problems the marathon faces as a spectator sport. We delve into what it takes to finish well in a marathon, from a psychological perspective and contrast his experience with a first-time runner, Claire Heron, who also competed in the same race. While experienced runners have had the time to develop and refine their psychological skills and abilities, we...
2022-10-1141 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with David Tilbury-DavisDavid Tilbury-Davis has helped triathletes achieve more than 3 World titles, 12 National titles, 4 Ironman Regional Championship titles, numerous wins, Ironman & 70.3 Worlds qualifications, Course Records & many many Personal Bests. David has worked with Olympic, Commonwealth Games, Professional, and Age Group athletes alike. He has also coached professionals in Triathlon, Mountain Biking, and Cycling. We cover subjects as diverse as Arsene Wenger, MMA, Eddie Jones, Core values, Coach-athlete fit, and Mel Mitchell (Adam Peaty's coach!).
Episode Show Notes:
1) The benefits of ‘cross-pollination between sports coaches to learn from each other and continual learning/CPD through the lifetime of co...
2022-09-2851 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Duncan SimpsonDr Duncan Simpson is a British Sport Psychologist and the head of Mental Conditioning and the Director of Personal Development at the IMG Academy in Florida, USA. What that means is he oversees the mental well-being and performance needs of all student-athletes at this huge sporting institution. Formerly at Barry University as both an Academic and practitioner, he is vastly experienced in supporting both student and professional athletes across many different sports. After I'd been the guest on the Runners World podcast, this was an opportunity for him and me to delve deeper into how endurance athletes can improve...
2022-09-0232 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Ian MorganIan Morgan is a 52-year-old Ultra Marathoner, who came to the sport later in life, having been a Cross Country runner in his youth. He's made a name for himself in the Masters World of marathon and ultra running. A lot of this is down to his fitness improvements from being 103kg at 38; to a now a lean 75kg, giving up his former corporate life after life changing events in his native New Zealand (the Christchurch earthquake, and heart surgery), to becoming a fully paid (not much, but enough), sponsored athlete. Having re-married and moved to Spain, his outlook...
2022-08-2238 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Grace LynchGrace Lynch is a high-level distance runner from Ireland. She competed in her debut Marathon in Berlin 2021, posting a time of 2:40:06, and has since raced the Berlin half marathon in April 2022 in 73.50.
Originally from South Kerry, Grace has progressed her running career from her initial years in her local running club and now trains with a high-level group based in Dublin. As a Sport and Exercise scientist, her background has helped her in adopting good practices across her training.
Her positive mindset and approach to running with the aim of enjoying the journey have led...
2022-07-0427 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Dr Justin RossDr. Justin Ross is a clinical psychologist specializing in health and wellness psychology, human performance, and sport psychology based in Denver, Colorado. A 2:57 marathoner, triathlete, and Human Performance expert. Dr. Ross is a clinical psychologist, 2:57 marathoner, triathlete, and cofounder of Mind-Body Health, an integrative health psychology and counseling center in Denver. He is a thought leader in applied clinical psychology, bringing Psychological principles aimed at human performance and optimal well-being, to help individuals, organizations, and teams realize their full potential. As part of his thought leadership, he writes frequently for Runners World - a full list of his excellent articl...
2022-05-0638 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Ben RosarioBen Rosario is the Hoka NAZ Elite Head Coach & Exec Director Ben Rosario has led the NAZ since he formed it in 2017. A Hoka-sponsored team of elite men and women who live and train at altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona. Since the team’s formation, over 10 of their athletes have had top 10 finishes in World major marathons (as well as a plethora of top-end results in cross country and other major race distance events); In Aliphine Tuliamuk, they had the 2020 Olympic Trials Champion and at Boston, this Patriot’s day, Stephanie Bruce in her last major marathon appearance, placed 12th lady...
2022-04-1952 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Chris WardChris Ward is a high-end Amateur Ultramarathon runner, originally from Nottingham, now resident in Manchester. In 2019 he was a client of mine and we spent most of the year preparing him for his target A race of the Spartathlon in Greece. A 253Km road and trail event that starts in Athens and finishes in the town of Sparta. Through a combination of very deliberate run training and extensive Sport Psychology mental conditioning, he finished in the top 150 in less than 35 hours - an incredible achievement, let alone on his debut. In this episode, having waived his confidentiality to share...
2022-04-0544 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Dr Noel BrickDr Noel Brick is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Ulster University. Along with Runner's World writer Scott Douglas, he is the author of the brilliant 'Genius of Athletes,' a book published this year that takes the psychological strategies and skills used by elite endurance athletes passed to you to learn and implement for success in any big endeavour. Originally from Kerry, his dulcet tones and advice are a welcome balm at the end of another bizarre year. Whether you're an elite athlete, weekend warrior or someone trying to improve their thinking for life, endeavours or...
2021-12-231h 00
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Sheryl GarrettSheryl Garrett is a writer. Over the past 30 years, she has been editor of The Face, the Observer magazine, and written for newspapers and magazines worldwide. Having started at the NME before moving to listings magazine City Limits, Sheryl wrote two books. Bliss to be alive, a collection of works by the late Gavin Hills, and one of the definitive books on the acid house scene, Adventures in Wonderland, in which she interviewed the movers and shakers of the movement about their experiences when club culture exploded in the late 80s.
More recently, Sheryl has trained as...
2021-07-2149 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Geoff ThomasGeoff Thomas is a former footballer, who won nine caps for England and captained Crystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.
In June 2003, a year after retirement, Geoff was diagnosed with leukaemia, from which he recovered and only 2 years later raised over £150,000 for Leukaemia Research by cycling each of the 21 stages of the 2005 Tour de France a few days ahead of the race itself with a group of friends and riders. This is a feat he’s repeated a further 3 times, and this summer will ride a final time in order to raise over £1 millio...
2021-05-2747 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Jon EganJon Egan is from South Carolina, and the Founder and Host of the “Studying Failure” Podcast, a show that focuses on normalizing the conversation about failure.
His goal is to help people change the way they see their failures, setbacks, and adversity so that instead of seeing failure as something to be avoided, to see failure as a key to unlock their next success.
In our chat we talk about his early life, work and pivotal moments that shaped him today where he juggles his time working, creating and hosting his podcast and family.
Th...
2021-05-2741 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Steve HobbsSteve Hobbs IS the Milestone Pursuit. That is the name of his business, podcast, and coaching method. Steve is a former MD of a media company, and skilled at working one to one with individuals and diverse groups of people to achieve personal and challenging milestones. Steve is adept at delving deep to help people set their goals (i.e. their milestones) and deliver step-by-step plans to achieve them (i.e. the pursuit). He has had success from beginner to elite levels in both sport and business. Since COVID19, Steve has grown his coaching business, in tandem with the...
2021-04-0648 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Colin RichardsColin Richards is a London-based Sex & Relationship therapist with over 15 years of professional practice. He helps people transform their relationships and sex lives covering anything from relationship conflict, sexual frustration, complacency, or helping people with a high or low libido and more. He has helped over 6000 people and takes a humanistic approach covering the biological, psychological, social, and anthropological influences behind human desire, curiosity, and fear through individual sessions and group workshops.
Colin is my go-to referral point for clients who bring sex or relationship matters to my practice that I need to forward on. He can...
2021-03-0556 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Pete McCleaveIn the past 2 years, I've interviewed Pete twice along his journey and been impressed by both his drive and determination and his optimistically framed mindset in the face of slim odds. He has successfully pivoted his thinking, actions, and behaviours from the success of the business and sporting world to help others, raise awareness, and competing in events to help the charity. We spoke during another challenging time for Pete, during the Pandemic, when he has had to shield, about how the campaign is going, his story, and understanding what makes him tick. We cover his background, sporting history...
2021-02-2349 min
The MARA Podcast#79 How to get into running during lockdown w/my run coach | Quarantine Diaries - Day 22Getting into running and training for a marathon w/Stu (my run coach)
In this one I talk about my marathon training and how the quarantine has changed my plans and I ask Stu about how people can get into running during the lockdown
If you want to get in touch with Stu and find out more about the Milestone Pursuit you can find him on:
Twitter: @stuholliday
Insta: @focusedmindcoaching
www.themilestonepursuit.com
2020-04-1317 min
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Sara SymingtonSara Symington is a former GB Olympic cyclist (2000 and 2004 games). After the Athens games she retired and worked as a policewoman and as a performance advisor for UK Sport. We met after the 2012 Olympic games when I worked as her psych for the GB Olympic Archery team where she had taken her first Performance Director role. In 2015 she left to work in the same position for England Netball. As PD she oversaw bronze medal success in the 2015 World Cup and in 2018, the team won Gold against the favourites, Australia, in a thrilling last second victory. In 2020, Sara became the...
2019-04-271h 01
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Peter BromkaPeter Bromka is an Oregon based marathoner (with a PB 2:19:40) with the Bowerman Track elite group; an independent consultant, Dad and exponent of long-form writing (https://www.peterbromka.com/ and for Runners World). In the build-up to his second attempt at a US Olympic qualifying time at the 2019 Boston Marathon, I was keen to understand Peter's mindset and psychological strategies and what makes him tick.
This episode covers his time from inside the labs & in races for Nike, his background, history, and upbringing with running in his family. We discuss in detail his attitude, discipline, and focus...
2019-02-261h 23
The Focused Mind PodcastInterview with Ed CaesarThe Focused Mind Podcast is presented by Sport Psychologist Stu Holliday. This interview explores the psychology of human performance to understand the mindset and strategies that make up the psychological aspect of people's mastery of their skill, discipline, or domain. Ed Caesar is the author of the books Two Hours and 'The Moth and The Mountain.' In this episode he discusses his writing, training with Eliud Kipchoge and the other athletes and coaches on the Breaking2 project, as well as the life story of forgotten War hero and explorer Maurice Wilson.
2019-02-011h 06