the happy athlete

In this exciting episode, Rachel reconnects with her childhood friend and now Olympic champion, Grace Prendergast, for a second enlightening conversation. Together, they delve into the world of habit-building for excellence, explore the intricacies of working with your own mindset, and uncover the transformative power of self-awareness. Tune in as Rachel and Grace share invaluable insights and personal anecdotes that shed light on how to cultivate habits that drive excellence, harness the potential of your own mind, and gain a deeper understanding of yourself. Whether you're striving for success in sports, career, or life in general, this episode promises to provide you with actionable wisdom that can help you achieve your goals and unlock your true potential.    

Have you ever sturggled in your role as a coach? This episode can help with that.  On today's episode, Rachel sat down with World cup winning Coach Shane McLeod. With a distinguished title like "World Coach of the Year" and an Olympic triumph as the coach of the Belgian Men's Hockey Team, Shane's expertise is clear. In this conversation, Shane shares his profound insights on cultivating a winning mindset, empowering athletes to reach their full potential, and the key elements behind building a world-class team culture. "A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life." - John Wooden

Dave Woods trains some of the most elite athletes in the world in the art of mastering the mind to enable performance. Some of the athletes he works with include renowned UFC fighter, Israel adaysanya, professional rugby players and the New Zealand America's cup team. In this episode he imparts invaluable wisdom on navigating pressure and maintaining composure when confronted with discomforting circumstances. He delves into the significance of body awareness and control, illuminating how these elements empower athletes to conquer mental obstacles and actualize their aspirations. Throughout the episode, Dave generously shares practical tips and strategies that transcend the realm of sports, offering applicable insights for individuals from all walks of life. Whether you're an athlete or not, you'll discover how to cultivate a winning mindset, effectively manage stress and anxiety, and sustain unwavering focus and concentration, even amidst the most demanding moments.

Our featured guest in this episode is Saxon Conner, an esteemed HPB Surgeon at Christchurch Hospital in New Zealand with extensive experience in the medical field. Saxon's years of experience have given him a wealth of knowledge on high-performance, working under pressure, and building high-performing teams. In this episode, Saxon provides valuable insights on how to create high-performing teams, based on his experiences and expertise gained in the surgical theatre. He also shares his valuable insights on working under pressure and dealing with challenging events such as the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, offering a unique perspective that can be applied to sports performance and beyond. Topics covered: - Performing under pressure.  - Solving complex problems.  - Developing high performance teams.  - Managing mistakes and mindset mastery. 

Sam Dakin, Olympic cyclist and business entrepreneur, joins Rachel for an incredibly honest chat around wellbeing, mental health, success and performing under pressure. Sam speaks about his struggles with OCD and how it has changed his perspective on sport and life. An episode you dont want to miss if you are a young athlete or someone wanting to learn more about entrepreneurship. Topics covered: Success and identity formation Building a successful culture and how to influence it Mental health Entrepeneurship

Do you have fear when you step out onto the sports field? Are you free? Do you want to be? In this episode Rachel speaks with Clinical Psychologist and performance expert, David Gilbraith on how to have more authentic sports performances. Episode topics include: Working with fear Identity Mindset training and interventions An episode that will have you thinking once you listen. 

Silver Fern, Karin Burger moved from South Africa to New Zealand at the age of 18. Leaving her family behind to pursue a dream in professional netball. A decade on, she is now a world champion and an important part of the Silver Ferns.  In this podcast we talk about mindset and values. Exploring how to live an authentic life both inside and outside of sport. 

In this podcast with Olympic gold medalist, Tyla Nathan Wong we discuss: How to challenge limiting beliefs Letting go of perfectionism in order to perform Cultivating a performance mindset Working with failure in a wholesome way. Recorded last year, before Tyla added gold to her Olympic silver medal. (Apologies for the late upload, the concussion stalled things!) "A champion is willing to admit their faults, be open, be vulnerable, someone that shares their knowledge." -Tyla Nathan Wong 

In this episode Rachel welcomes All Black Ardie Savea onto The happy athlete podcast. Ardie is one of the top players in world rugby, he continues to make his mark on the rugby field but what is so incredible about him is the mark he is making off the field.   In this wide ranging and honest conversation we spoke about Ardie's mindset of coming off the bench, how his faith has played a role in his sport and what it means to have a message he wants to share. We also discuss mental skills, vulnerability and how his faith has impacted his rugby.  We connected over a mutual desire to help others become their best and live happier lives. We deep dive into spirituality, its role in sports performance and how to feel enough as a human.           

Part two with World Champion, Commonwealth Games gold medalist and legend of New Zealand Netball, Katrina Rore joins Rachel on the podcast to talk about resilience, mindset and managing setbacks. In 2018, Katrina was dropped and found herself in the incredibly tough situation of having to fight for her spot in the New Zealand team she previously captained. In this podcast Katrina shares how she overcame setbacks to once more thrive in the black dress. A true inspiration and the epitome of what it means to be resilient in the face of adversity. It is an absolute privilege to bring you World Champion netballer, Katrina Rore on the Happy athlete podcast.

Rachel is joined by legendary netball coach Dame Noelene Taurua for an episode focussed on team culture.  In this episode we deep dive into how Noelene developed a safe yet competitive environment that allowed the Silver Ferns to achieve world champion status at the 2018 world cup.   

World Champion, Commonwealth Games gold medalist and legend of New Zealand Netball, Katrina Rore joins Rachel on the podcast to talk about resilience, mindset and managing setbacks. In 2018, Katrina was dropped and found herself in the incredibly tough situation of having to fight for her spot in the New Zealand team she previously captained. In this podcast Katrina shares how she overcame setbacks to once more thrive in the black dress. A true inspiration and the epitome of what it means to be resilient in the face of adversity. It is an absolute privilege to bring you World Champion netballer, Katrina Rore on the Happy athlete podcast.

During the lockdown, Rachel spoke with Rugby Sevens star Sarah Hirini. At the young age of 21, Sarah was given the reigns to the New Zealand Sevens team. Since then she has grown into one of the top leaders and players in the international game. Her individual accolades include world champion, Olympic silver medalist and Commonwealth gold medalist.   In this podcast, you will learn how to implement tangible ways to build a thriving culture, mindset tricks and methods to perform under pressure. Sarah, alongside her leadership team and teammates has cultivated an environment that many teams around the world aspire to operate like. Tune in to hear how they have achieved this.

Rachel is joined by back to back Olympic Champion, Lisa Carrington for part 2 of the "The Journey of A Legend." In this episode, Rachel and Lisa deep dive into body image, self-acceptance and strategies to perform under pressure. Throughout her career, Lisa has faced numerous occasions where she has had to step up into pressure. In these moments she has executed, making her a master of this skill. Lisa will go down in the history of New Zealand as one of the most decorated athletes ever. 2 Olympic gold medals, 1 Olympic bronze and 7 world champion titles to her name. There is no better athlete to learn from when it comes to performing under pressure. Tune in here to learn from the best. 

Rachel is joined by back to back Olympic champion Lisa Carrington to discuss resilience, mindset and how to become the best athlete possible. A pioneer in the sport, Lisa will go down in history as one of the greatest athletes New Zealand has ever had.  Tune in to learn about how she has developed a mindset of greatness.     

Blackstick and Olympian Elizabeth Thompson is one of New Zealand's most experienced defenders. If I were to use a word to sum her up, it would be “resilient.” Extremely resilient. Winning Gold at the 2018 Commonwealth games in the Gold Coast, Thompson is a seasoned and successful veteran of the New Zealand women’s hockey team. Debuting at the age of 18 for her country, since then, the 25-year-old has accumulated 187 caps for New Zealand. Known for her silky drags and a cool head under pressure, Liz is a dynamic and lethal player on the field. In the podcast, we discuss not only the good times but the tough times too. Liz has experienced a number of setbacks in her career, and in this episode, we touch on these. Injury has been something she has had to deal with in the last four years. Tune in to hear how she has learnt to manage injuries, but more importantly, how she has cultivated and championed a mindset of resilience.

Denise Quinlan is one of the worlds leading experts in positive psychology. Armed with a Masters of Applied Positive Psychology and a PhD focussed on wellbeing in Education, she is one of the world leaders in teaching this subject. The best thing about her... she will make you laugh while you learn. Her great sense of humour is her greatest quality. She is the developer of the Awesome Us strengths programme, which has been successfully tested and implemented in New Zealand schools. Evidence-based, but practically implemented, this woman has a wonderful style of teaching practical theory that will change the way you operate on a day to day basis. In this podcast, we discuss how we can build inner resilience even when times are difficult, how we can use positive emotions to our advantage, and what we really mean by positive psychology. I'm excited to bring you this lesson in life with Denise. Thorough in her research, you can be assured you are getting the latest and greatest facts when it comes to wellbeing and the study of positive psychology.  

In 2016, Molly Meech and her sailing partner Alex Maloney achieved Olympic Glory, winning a Silver medal for New Zealand at the Rio De Janerio Games. Competing in the 49er class, they continue to strive for greatness in the water.  In this is episode Molly talks about managing expectations, pressure and how her definition of success has grown as she has developed as an athlete. Reiterating that it is about enjoying the journey, rather than focussing too much on the destination.   

With over 20 years of experience teaching mental skills to elite athletes, John Quinn is one of the most highly regarded mental skills trainers in the nation. He is currently the mental skill trainer for the three-peat super rugby champions, the Crusaders but the list is extensive for top athletes that he has helped to success. Having helped a number of New Zealand's top athletes to world titles and Olympic glory, John Quinn is an exceptionally talented person at getting the best from athletes. Helping them to unlock the potential within and form habits for success. His approach is simple yet effective.  In this podcast, he shares his knowledge and expertise in the area of performing under pressure. If you want to become a high performer, this is an incredible place to start that journey.

Recently named 2019 player of the year for the New Zealand White Ferns, Skipper Sophie Devine has found her formula for success. Tune in to hear about it and the tools she uses to help perform at her best.  In this podcast we talk about limiting beliefs, redefining success and how Soph balanced playing two sports for her country. A feat not done by many in the sports world.