A Bit About Who You Will Be Working With...

My Story

From the Rugby Pitch to Performance Psychology

I played rugby for sixteen years consistently. I have also participated in athletics, boxing, ultra endurance running, mixed martial arts, and brazilian jiu-jitsu. 

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Through my engagement in sport, I was able to obtain a scholarship to a very decent college which ultimately changed the trajectory of my career, and my life as a whole. Something which I was then able to pursue, was university. I was the first person in my family to attend. That opportunity then later led to a Master’s degree, professional accreditation (in progress), and ultimately a career helping others achieve their potential, even when they believe they have already reached their limits. I tell you this, because if I have learnt anything so far, it is that there are always more options and opportunities than we think.

So essentially what I am saying, is that sport did not just shape the way I perform. It shaped the course of my life.

During my playing career with Rugby, I toured Argentina with Sussex County Rugby, toured San Diego with Leeds Beckett University, and competed in both BUCS Super Rugby and National League competitions. Alongside those experiences grew a fascination with performance, and more specifically, the mental side of performance. I became increasingly interested in how the mind could both enhance and hinder performance, not only in myself, but in athletes around me.

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Lived Experience...

As a hooker, the lineout throw was my responsibility.

I took that responsibility seriously. Looking back, perhaps too seriously.

I would spend hours in local parks throwing rugby balls at basketball hoops, refusing to leave until I had achieved ten, fifteen, twenty, - or more - perfect throws in succession. If I missed one at nineteen, I started again. I stayed until it felt not just right... but perfect.

By most measures, I should have been performing at my best, surely? The hours were invested, the repetition was there, and my commitment could not be questioned.

Yet when match day arrived, everything changed.

Under pressure, in front of teammates, coaches, supporters, and opponents, my accuracy often dropped dramatically. At the time, I could not understand why.

Now I can.

What I was experiencing was performance anxiety, and perhaps some perfectionistic tendencies that were helping me in some situations while harming me in others. I had discovered the gap between performing in training and performing when it matters most.

That gap is something many athletes continue to struggle with today. It is also one of the reasons I became so passionate about performance psychology.

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The Turning Point

When I began studying at Hartpury University, my ambition was simple: play rugby at the highest level possible.

A career in sport psychology was not part of the plan.

Somewhere between my studies and my experiences in sport, however, my interests began to change. I found myself becoming increasingly curious about why athletes perform the way they do. I became more interested in understanding performance than simply pursuing my own.

I graduated with First Class Honours before moving to Leeds to complete an MSc in Psychology of Sport and Exercise. I cannot begin to make you understand how unexpected this was for me. This was never part of the plan.

Alongside my studies, I competed in BUCS Super Rugby and National League rugby while working as an assistant teacher and rugby analyst, supporting teams competing across Premiership, National League, and Super Rugby environments.

By the time I completed my Master’s degree, I knew exactly where I wanted to focus my career.

Today, I work as a Psychological Performance Coach and am a Sport and Exercise Psychologist in Training progressing towards HCPC registration as a Sport and Exercise Psychologist through the CASES SEPAR pathway.

I have worked with athletes and performers across rugby, endurance sports, combat sports, CrossFit, hockey, cricket, and a range of other disciplines including corporate clients, supporting individuals from grassroots and academy settings through to national-level performers.