In this episode, Ben and Tim speak to Rachel Vickery. Rachel spent her formative years as a national level gymnast and Commonwealth Games representative for her native New Zealand before training as a respiratory physiotherapist. Drawing from this unique background, Rachel now works to help people increase their performance in domains ranging from NBA basketball to the boardroom. Rachel shares her thoughts on how to deal with stress, both in your daily life and at ‘go time’ and provides a unique insight into some of the pressures faced by athletes and coaches at the elite levels of sport. And to wrap it up, she gives us not just one, but four power songs!

05:11 As customary in season five, the boys bang on about how hot their podcast studio is – and ask Rachel is “Bikram Podcasting” is good for recovery?!

06:30 Rachel’s background – personal, sporting and professional, including her exploits as a national level gymnast

10:40 Good for a Girl – excellent book by US middle distance runner Lauren Fleshman

11:15 The pressure of ‘Growing Up In Lycra’ – training and competing in aesthetic sports, particularly as a female and particularly during puberty

16:00 The devastating impacts of RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)

24:24 A discussion of the importance and impacts of menstruation on female athletic development

28:30 Rachel’s work on a report into the cultural problems inside NZ gymnastics

33:30 We’ve heard of athletes being bullied, but coaches are not immune from bullying either

39:50 The importance of maximising the buffer between steady state and ‘go time’ by lowering your steady state stress – and the potential for ‘fear of success’

44:00 How do we lower both steady state pressure and ‘go time’ arousal state?

48:30 Rachel talks to the negative impacts of alcohol on athletic performance – and Tim offers a powerful counter-factual!

49:30 Shifting the narrative from fear to gratitude – and the importance of doing the common uncommonly well

51:40 Getting rid of toxins – dietary and otherwise – from your life

54:00 Rachel’s three point ‘get out of jail card’

56:20 The ‘three dickhead rule’ (…or how to check if you’re the dickhead!)

57:30 Rachel on the shortfalls on the current ‘breathwork’ fad

1:12:30 What does Rachel do for herself? Including long-distance travel thoughts

1:18:00 The importance of conducting experiments on yourself to work out what is going to help your recovery

1:20:30 Rachel’s power song(s)!!

External Links

Rachel’s website – https://rachelvickery.com/

Gymnastics New Zealand Independent Report – co-authored by Rachel

Rachel’s LinkedIn

Rachel’s Breathing Baseline Reset & Habit Breaker

Contact Us

www.unforgiving60.com

Email us at debrief@unforgiving60.com

Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60

Music …. With thanks to:

The Externals – available on Spotify