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
Special Episode- Embrace the Virus! Leading Through COVID-19.
S2E6- Mitchell Martin – The Next Ed Sheeran! But Better(er)
S2E5- Alec Torelli: Life Lessons Learned from High Stakes Poker
S2E4- Mark Wales: SAS Journeyman- Beyond Survivor to Tough Luxury......
S2E3 – Placing Explosive Charges on Glass Ceilings - Monika Georgieva
S2E2- Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Gently Across the Pacific! - Heather Taylor
S2E1- SAS Tactics to Fight the Apocalypse - with Mick Neven from the Apocalypse Comedy Podcast
@RV14 - The Season 1 Finale! On Heard Island & the last 12 months, the co-host's Performance Appraisal Report & Season 2 planning
S1E34- Climbing Active Volcanos in the Sub Antarctic - A Unique SAS Mission
@RV13- On Jimmy McKeown, Melina Mellino, Chris Huet and our Recommended Reading List
S1E33- Chris Huet- The Precision of a Fighter Pilot and the Passion of a Poet
S1E32- Go Run Trails! Melina Mellino on trail running and embracing fun, nature & life
S1E31 – Jimmy McKeown- Master Distiller of the Year; The Young Whipper Snapper
@RV12- On Richard Baker, RSL, Alyssa Azar, SAS Selection as an Everest and Climbing Active Volcanos
S1E30- Alyssa Azar- With the World at Her Feet. The youngest Australian to climb Everest
Special Episode- On 'Mateship'. Ben and Tim are interviewed by Maxine Brown from the RSL
S1E29- Richard Baker- Journalistic Royalty- Proving the pen is mightier than the PONG SU!
@RV11- On Jim Molan, the MV Tampa, English Channel Swimming, Aviation Business and ‘Cheek-sent-me-high’
S1E28 – Jack Moshovis – Building High Performance Aircraft in the Sky!
S1E27- Sam Penny: English Channel Swimmer- 'I didn't come this far to only come this far'
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