Anthony Watson: Why Perspective matters

It’s always great catching athletes at the early stage in their career and this week we had a great chat with the up and coming Louise Duncan. Just 21 years old, Louse Duncan made a thrilling breakthrough on the Women’s golf scene this year being the first scot in 24 years to win the Women’s Amateur Championship and finishing in the top 10 in her Women’s Open debut. She’s really only just getting going, however as you’ll hear from Louise she also intends to complete her university degree before going full-time professional. A great episode if you’re a university student and looking to balance your sport alongside your degree. Host: Mark Bushby Edits: Angus Strudwick Music: David Simkins

Kate Cross a right-arm medium fast bowler who plays cricket for England, Lancashire and Captains the Manchester Originals in the Hundred.  She was the first woman to be accepted into Lancashire's cricket academy. In 2006 She made her debut for the England Under-21 side in 2007. In October 2013 she was called up into the England senior squad to tour the west Indies. She made her T20 debut against the West Indies and in November 2013 made her One Day International debut, also against the West Indies. Cross was selected for the Women's Ashes Tour of Australia in 2014, during which she played in 6 matches of the 7 match winning series.  In this epiosde she opens up about her struggles with Depression and Anxiety and how she over comes her challenge. Host: Mark Bushby Edits: Angus Strudwick Music: David Simkins 

Born and brought up in Hong Kong, Alec was introduced to rugby by the Hong Kong 7s. He was an angry kid, chucked into the game by his dad to help control his anger. Soon after he fell in love with the game. His family moved to England where he attended Millfield school and continued to develop his rugby. Alec went on represent Scotland at age grade in 15 a side rugby before he decided to transfer to 7s and hasn't looked back since. Alec recently was part of the GB 7s team representing GB at Tokyo where they came 4th. In this episode Alec talks about his struggle with confidence and big egos and his move to Millfield being the start of his rugby journey where he surrounded himself with positive, likeminded people. He talks about the values within the team and how trusting his teammates from the beginning enabled a positive environment for them to buy into at Tokyo. Host: Angus Strudwick Editor: Angus Strudwick Music by David Simkins 

Adam Burgess is a British Canoe athlete who specialises in slalom. First introduced to the sport through the Scouts. It wasn't until 2012 when he was part of the Team GB's Ambition Programme in 2012 that he really took to the sport. In 2015 Adam broke onto the scene becoming Great Britain’s first-ever U23 World Champion in C1 and was a finalist at the senior World Championships. After such an incredible few years on the water, fast forward to 2021 and Adam comes just 0.16 seconds away from winning an olympic medal. In this episode, Adam gives us a huge insight into his training and how he learns to adapt through perspectives, and why they matter so much if you want to succeed. A big part of this episode is also about recovery: "You can't out-train rivals but what you can do is out recover them." 

Ed was on track, like many of the athletes we’ve had on here, to become a very successful rugby player. Playing England age grade and premiership clubs Bath, Wasps and Newport dragons . But in 2017, something happened to Ed which would change his life forever. Whilst at a BBQ, Ed dived into a pool, knocking his head in the process and ended up paralysed and in hospital. Told he might never walk again, Ed proved that it’s your mindset that can truly define you. Ed has gone on to defy the odds: climbing mountains such as the 10,000ft Mount Buet in the alps, raising funds for charity and becoming a times 'best selling author. In this episode Ed talks about mental toughness and resilience to overcome challenges. He also talks about creating opportunities to push yourself when you're down and never giving up. This is a story of a man choosing not to give up, choosing to work even harder and give everything his best shot. Host: Angus Strudwick  Edits: Angus Strudwick  Music: David Simkins

Jane Figueiredo is a former diving Olympian having dove in the Portugal 1984 Olympics. Jane was recruited to dive at the University of Houston where her coaching career began. In 1996 she coached the GB at the Olympic games. Following this, between 2000 and 2012 she coached the Russian Olympic Team, taking two of the Olympians to Olympic Gold, before returning back to the UK in 2013 where she began working with Tom Daly.  Jane now coaches at the London Aquatics Centre and has recently coached Tom Daly and Matty Lee to Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.  In this episode, Jane gives us an insight into British diving and the different techniques she used to help athletes from different backgrounds and cultures to become the best of the best. Host: Mark Bushby  Edits: Angus Strudwick  Music: David Simkins

Rebecca Adlington OBE is a British former Olympic swimmer. She won two gold medals in the 2008 Olympics where she broke a 19 year-old record in the final. In the 2012 Olympic Games she won a further two Bronze medals. After retirement, Rebecca has founded swim stars programe which focuses on giving kids ages 3-11 exposure to the water. The motto of the 2012 Olympics was to ‘inspire a generation‘, a legacy which inspired her to do exactly that. She is also an ambassador for Woman in Sport. Host: Mark Bushby Edits: Angus Strudwick  Music: David Simkins

Scott Denny Hann is an English gymnastics coach and currently the director of Gymnastics in the South Essex coaching club. Most noticeably, he is the coach to 6 time Olympic medalist Max Whitlock who has competed in three Olympics, including the recently games in Tokyo. Scott was awarded an MBE for his hard work and efforts after the London 2012 Olympics. Scott speaks very honesty. In this episode he provides a lot of inspiration and advice as a highly successful coach within areas such as development within sport, techniques for improvement and how to succeed in the sport itself. Host: Mark Bushby Editor: Angus Strudwick Music: David Simkins

Anthony Watson is a current Bath and England Rugby union player. Anthony was just 19 when he was first called into the England squad and since then has been a huge part of the England set-up. He was a vital part of the 2019 squad that reached the final of the rugby world cup against South Africa. Anthony toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2017 and 2021, playing tests in both years. ✅ Adapting to cultures  ✅ Seizing opportunities ✅ Overcoming hurdles  Host: Mark Bushby Graphics: Eleanor Trotman Edits: Angus Strudwick Music: David Simkins

Mike Ford is a Former professional rugby league footballer and English rugby union coach. Mike first joined the Premiership team Saracens in 2005 after a tour to New Zealand that summer. He then went onto coaching at Bath, Toulon, Dallas Griffins and Leicester Tigers. You may know that Mike is father to George ford who is currently in the England rugby squad. In this episode Mike talks about how if you want to achieve success you have to buy into the club culture and work as a team. Mike mentions that to go fast you go alone but to go far you have got to go together. Host: Mark Bushby Editor: Angus Strudwick Music: David Simkins