Sport and Life: Recent Episodes
Ed Draper
Ed Draper, UK-based sports broadcaster, chats to people from the world of sport, health and fitness, business and more.
Hello! Teddy here. Thank you for your support listening to Sport and Life all these years! I have now started a new fitness and healthy lifestyle podcast - Training with Teddy - to complement my work as a Fitness and Lifestyle Coach.
You can find the new pod here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4akKJ3Dfube0mwtGpDntXt
On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/training-with-teddy/id1742737023
To Follow me on X: @teddydraper
Inst: @teddydrapersport
For details of my remote fitness and lifestyle coaching - I'd love to work with you: https://drapermedia.co.uk/training-with-teddy
In light of the sad passing of Andreas Brehme, Sports broadcasters Tom and Teddy run through their top 5 German players since 1990.Ballack, Voller, Klinsmann, Klose, Lahm, Ozil and more are discussed.#podcast #football #soccer #germanfootballers #germanfootball #bundesliga
Sports broadcasters Teddy (a Man United fan) and Tom ( a Sunderland fan) run through their top 5 Manchester United players since 1990.
Hughes, Cantona, Rooney, Cole and Ferdinand all get a mention.
Remember for 35% off D-Rock clothing, use the discount code SAL35 at https://d-rock.uk/
football #soccer #manchesterunited #mufc #cantona #ronaldo #rooney
Rory Macfadyen is co-founder of Reflo - the sustainable performancewear brand that turns single-use plastics destined for landfill and discarded coffee grounds into technical sports apparel.In this episode, Rory chats to Teddy and Tom about the brand and how the England captain Harry Kane has come on board as a brand ambassador. Rory is also a huge Southampton fan and he runs his through his top-5 Saints players of all-time. Messrs Le Tissier and Benali obviously feature, but some surprises too. **#football #90sfootball #reflo #sustainability #sustainableclothing
After a relatively quiet January Transfer Window, Teddy and Tom reminisce about some of the shock transfers of yesteryear. As ever, big focus on 90s football.
The 'White Feather,' Figo and 'The Bald Eagle' feature as does Tino Asprilla's move to a black-and-white-wearing NE club that DIDN'T happen.
The fellas are pleased to announce this week that the podcast has begun a collaboration with the d-rock clothing brand. Big thank you to Rumni and his team for offering listeners 35 % off with the discount code SAL35 at https://d-rock.uk/
transfers #football #90sfootball #shocktransfers #middlesbroughfc #crystalpalace
Sports Broadcasters reflect on 21 years of the January Transfer Window - and pick their best January signings.
football #podcast #transferwindow #transfers #90sfootball
Michael Bridge is a longstanding sports reporter on Sky Sports News, covering transfers on the channel for more than a decade.
Michael has also written books on Tottenham Hotspur and works as a presenter of darts on Sky Sports too.
In this episode we run through his top 5 Spurs' players of his era, beginning with Paul Gascoigne.
To follow Michael on X: @MichaelBridge_
Tottenham #spurs #football #sport #90sfootball #Gazza
With Christmas in the air, Sports broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White run through their favourite football-related presents.Pencil cases, shirts, shell suits, Subbuteo and more discussed.****To sign up to Teddy's FREE health and fitness newsletter for the new year: https://drapermedia.co.uk/training-with-teddy
Teddy talks about SMART goals, particularly the specific element. Vital for athletes but do everyday people need them just to get fitter and stronger? Is not incorporating regular exercise into their lives not the key?
Looking to optimise your immunity? For 30% off your first purchase and 10% discount ongoing with Cytoplan’s food-based supplements use the discount code DRAPER10R at https://www.cytoplan.co.uk/
For Teddy's FREE health and fitness newsletter starting Jan 2024: https://drapermedia.co.uk/training-with-teddy
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Sports Broadcasters Tom and Teddy discuss footballers and managers who've represented Manchester United and Sunderland over the past 30 years.
Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke, John O'Shea and more!
To join the conversation on X: @teddydraper & @tomwhitemedia
As we enter the season of giving - and receiving - stuff, Teddy runs through new research revealing the health benefits of de-cluttering.
Teddy is releasing a FREE health and fitness newsletter in 2024 and will be available for remote personal training for busy men - sign up here: https://drapermedia.co.uk/training-with-teddy
Sports Broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White run through their World 5aside teams - selecting global players from 1990 onwards.To join the conversation on X: @teddydraper @tomwhitemedia
In this short solo edition Teddy talks about research into the health and relaxation boosting effects of laughter. Teddy also explains how his schedule as a sports broadcaster sometimes prevents him 'having a laugh' with mates and that's when he turns to comedy.
Teddy will be releasing a FREE newsletter for busy men looking to get fitter and healthier in 2024 - sign up here: https://drapermedia.co.uk/
And he'll also be offering a remote personal training service to a small group of gents. Email hello@drapermedia.co.uk to find out more.
Tony Wrighton is a TV and radio broadcaster, podcaster and author specialising in NLP and health and wellbeing.
Tony worked with Teddy and Tom at Sky Sports for many years and in this episode the men talk: swimming in the sea, sleep, burnout and social connection. PLUS Tony runs through his 5 Queens Park Rangers heroes.
To find out more about Tony's books, podcast and courses: https://www.tonywrighton.com/
Tom and Teddy talk football - past and present - with former England, West Brom, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Coventry midfielder Carlton Palmer.
As well being a sports broadcaster, co-host of the pod Teddy is a also a sports science graduate and qualified personal trainer.
In this episode he runs through his tips on sleep after 20 years of shift work on radio and TV.
To follow Teddy and/or to contact him about his remote personal training service: @teddydrapersport on Instagram or email hello@drapermedia.co.uk
sleep #caffeine #daylight #exercise
Sports Broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White discuss their top 5 dribblers with contributions from viewers/listeners.
Messi, Maradona, Ronaldo (both), Romario, Kinkladze and more are mentioned!
To join the conversation online follow the lads on X: @TeddyDraper and @tomwhitemedia
Sports broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White pick their all-time Premier League 11s.
To join the conversation, comment here or head to @TeddyDraper and @tomwhitemedia on Twitter.
football #podcast #premierleague #footballhistory
Sports Broadcasters Tom White and Teddy Draper run through their favourite goalkeepers.
Schmeichel, Campos, Higuita and many goalkeeping greats discussed!
To join the conversation on X: @tomwhitemedia &
@TeddyDraper
Scott and Steven Founded The Fitness Group in 2018. It's now become the UK’s leading personal training course provider and they’ve most recently racked up an impressive £1.3m in turnover, following consistent year-on-year growth. See https://www.thefitnessgrp.co.uk for more on the company.The pair met playing football at school and have been best friends ever since, sharing a deep-rooted passion for sport and fitness. They launched the business whilst Scott was playing professional football in Scottish League One for Stranraer, as an attacking midfielder. Scott is now manager of Stranraer.The gents chat to Tom and Teddy about the business, but also Scottish Football and Scott and Steven share their all-time favourite players.
Sports Broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White discuss their top 5 English footballers with superb contributions from listeners.
To join the discussion online on X/Twitter: @teddydraper @tomwhitemedia
Sports broadcaster Pete Graves chats to Tom and Teddy about his new Newcastle-United-themed book Here to Compete. The book is out at the end of October. Pete also runs through his top 5 Newcastle heroes - who are all strikers! Tom asks a quiz question about the opening of the new Wembley too and the boys discuss a Newcastle 'football scenario.'
To follow on X/Twitter and join the conversation: @petegravestv @tomwhitemedia @teddydraper
Sports broadcasters Tom White and Teddy Draper run thru their top 5 hardest footballers - the fair but tough men past and present.
To contribute to the conversation on X (Twitter) @tomwhitemedia @TeddyDraper
Sports Broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White discuss the biggest surprises they've seen in football - including shock trophy winners, managerial moves, transfers and goals.
To follow and contribute on Twitter/X: @teddydraper @tomwhitemedia
Sports Broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White discuss their top 5 Goal Poachers and run through listeners' contributions. Teddy also asks a quiz question about a teenager who moved to the Champions of England in 1991.
Sports Broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White run through their top 5 'Forgotten Premier League players' with fantastic contributions from listeners.
From William Prunier to Maicon expect to be reminded of some PL stars and some forgotten support acts.
To add to the discussion, comment below or contact Tom and Teddy on Twitter: @tomwhitemedia @TeddyDraper
It's deadline day week in the UK - football's summer transfer window crashes shut Friday night. To mark it, Tom and Teddy talk through their most significant signings - an eclectic range of players discussed, including a traditional right winger from Middlesbrough, a flamboyant Frenchman and a charismatic German.
Charlie first made a name for himself on the well-known reality TV series The Only Way is Essex, before going on to set up his own talent management agency HUGE, which represents elite boxers such as John Ryder, Conor Benn, Joe Cordina and Maisey Rose Courtney.
Most recently, Charlie co-produced and co-starred in his family's first ever own reality TV series 'House of Sims', which documents the Sims family's life as they try and make it out in LA.
Follow Charlie on Instagram: @charlessims_
Teddy Draper and Tom White discuss their top five central midfielders of all time. Messrs Gascoigne, Keane, Modric and many more are mentioned and debated!
Patrick Sword is founder of Alchemy 16, a luxury fitness studio in the heart of Cheltenham. Patrick was a sport and exercise graduate from Exeter University where he captained the water polo team. Patrick has two decades of success in business, but as a qualified personal trainer has created Alchemy 16 to 'create a unique experience, which will elevate your mind, body and soul.'
Instagram: @alchemy.16
Sports Broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White run through their top 5 football wingers. They run through another football scenario and talk about a quiz question set by Teddy.
To follow Tom @tomwhitemedia
Teddy: @teddydrapersport (Insta) @drapersport on X (Twitter).
Sports broadcasters Teddy Draper and Tom White run through their favourite strike partnerships - drawn from English, Scottish and international football - and Tom poses a quiz question.
Tom White has been a Sky Sports presenter for well over a decade. Tom is joining the podcast as a cohost and to kick off the weekly chats with Teddy, he runs through his top 5 Sunderland heroes of all time.
Tia Norton, from Leamington Spa, was the first female professional padel player in the UK and is currently British number 1. She won the inaugural Pro Padel League for 'Las Vegas' in Tampa, Florida this summer.
Tia spoke to Teddy as she was preparing to head to Italy for her next tournament.
To follow Tia on Instagram: @tianortonx
James Golden has worked in the fitness and health and wellbeing industry for more than two decades and currently works as a fitness coach, consultant and speaker.
Here we talk about James' experience suffering a serious case of melanoma skin cancer in his mid 20s and the lessons he took from it.
James is now working as an ambassador for The Melanoma Fund: https://www.melanoma-fund.co.uk/james-golden/
For information about James' work as a trainer: https://www.thefitnesspro.co.uk/
For consultancy info: https://www.jgoldenconsultancy.co.uk/
James' Instagram: @aka_thefitnesspro
Teddy reflects on the news this week that Romelu Lukaku is willing to take a £ 1 million pay cut to permanently move to Inter Milan. Is it a rare example of a person choosing happiness over financial reward in an era where more money is often presented as the key factor in ever decision - above happiness and even morals/ideals. Teddy also announces details of a cohost joining the podcast.
Wayne Barton is a football journalist and author, writing a growing list of commended books on Manchester United and the key figures in the club's history.
Here we discuss the differing football landscape of when United won the treble in 1999 versus Manchester City's recent matching of that achievement.
For more on Wayne's books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Wayne-Barton/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AWayne+Barton
Follow Wayne on twitter: @WayneSBarton
Luke is the London-based founder of T2Fit, has a decade of experience in the fitness industry and runs a Personal Training qualification through the Elite Coaching Alliance.
Luke has also completed numerous challenges, such as an ultra-marathon in 2021, 12 marathons in 12 months in 2022, and he recently completed a transformation photoshoot that he documented on his youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtsjU4VSk2I&t=16s
Follow Luke on Instagram: @lukeaturn
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Valerio Zuddas is currently Assistant Manager of Sheriff Tiraspol, helping the team to the double in Moldova in 2022/23.
He has previously worked across Europe, including time at Hibernian FC, HNK Hajduk Split, Pafos FC, Honved and Reggina.
In addition to working as a technical and tactical coach, Valerio has worked as a strength and conditioning coach in football.
For more about Valerio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerio-zuddas-432024149/details/experience/
With his friends, Matt Siely and and Cutu Serruys, Luca Feser forms Team HODL (Hold On for Dear Life). They are attempting to row across the Pacific Ocean, from California to Hawaii to raise donations for The Ocean Cleanup Charity (https://theoceancleanup.com)
Setting off in June 2023, they hope to complete the 2,800mile journey in less than 60 days, which would also make it a World Record for the fastest crossing and the first ever male-trio to take on the challenge.
To follow the team:
Instagram @Team_HODL
Facebook @HODL.Team
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-feser/
Website https://hodl-team.com/
Donations GoFundMe
Oli Mell is a drama school graduate, ex Marine (machine gun specialist), a personal trainer who runs an outdoor gym in Cheshire (@wolfpackfitnesscheshire on Instagram) and multiple world kettlebell champion for Team England:
6 X IKMF WORLD CHAMPION
Current WKSF WORLD CHAMPION (80-87kg 32kg 30 min long cycle)
World record holder for 2hour super marathon 24kg long cycle 1,227 reps
World record holder 40kg world games IKMF half snatch (92 reps)
In this podcast we also talk kickboxing and basketball.
Keith has been a Personal Trainer for more than a decade, currently working out of Super Training Gym in Bishops Cleeve.
He's a nutritional therapist and has competed in CrossFit events. He's also taken part in body building, boxing and weight lifting.
Teddy is employing Keith - who's qualified as an Olympic Lifting Instructor - to hone his technique.
For more about Keith - or to book a session: https://keithirvinept.co.uk/
Katie Brighton Jones, based in Cheltenham, England, has been a personal trainer for more than 15 years and is also a sports therapist.
For more information about Katie: https://www.kbjwellness.co.uk/
Katie is also a triathlete and at the end of June is competing in her first Iron Man in Nice, France.
In the event Katie will be raising money for The Little Princess Trust - which provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or to other conditions such as Alopecia.
The charity is also one of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the UK.
To support Katie's efforts for The Little Princess Trust: https://tinyurl.com/3wh37mva
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Jack Duncan spent five years in The Royal Marines, including a spell as a sniper, before becoming a Personal Trainer in the Cheltenham area of The UK. Jack uses a nutrition-lead approach with clients. He also has an exercise clothing brand - Front Line Fitwear - which donates a percentage of its profits to help ex military personnel who are suffering from mental health issues: http://www.frontlinefitwear.co.uk @frontlinefitwear on Instagram.
Chat with Padel Shift Founder Jack Chaplin at the company's new courts at Elkstone Studios in Gloucestershire (near Cheltenham).
Padel is a hybrid tennis/squash game that's very popular in Spain and Latin America and is starting to generate a following in The UK.
For more about Padel Shift: https://www.padelshift.com/
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Darren Wilson help individuals level up their physique, performance & overall health, unleashing confidence & creating incredible physical & mental shape.
boxing coach to Bellator number 8 ranked MMA Fighter Brett Johns.
Instagram - darrenwilson_coaching
Twitter - @darrenwilson30
Facebook - Darren Wilson coaching
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Aaron Radin moved to the BBL in December 2022. Before that he held increasingly senior-level positions at a multitude of sports, media and tech organisations such as the NBA, The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Meta.
I addition to his professional career, Aaron has been significantly involved in his community for over 20 years through volunteering as a basketball coach and helping to lead a grassroots program which helped generate opportunities for hundreds of inner-city youth to expand their educational and professional opportunities through the sport.
For more about BBL and basketball in the UK: https://www.bbl.org.uk/
Emma Jones is a Sports Therapist based at Kingsbridge Health and Sports Therapy centre in Devon. She is trained in Deep Tissue Massage, Swedish Massage, Kinesiology Taping, Touch for Health Kinesiology and Manual Lymphatic Drainage treatments, along with specific knowledge of sporting injuries. In this conversation we focus on Manual Lymphatic Drainage.
Ben Wilkinson was a keen track and field athlete, semi-pro rugby player and yachtsman before training as an Osteopath. In his spare time he's now a competitive rower. With his twin brother, Dan, Ben has set up The Origin Health Clinic in Elkstone, near Cheltenham where they also work with physiotherapists, personal trainers and other health practitioners. Ben is also an official osteopath to Gloucester Rugby Club. For more info: https://originhealthgroup.com/
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Mark Weir was a pioneer of MMA in the UK and won with a 10-second KO on his UFC debut in 2002. He also won titles in Tae Kwon Do and Kickboxing. Weir is now a coach and preparing his fighter - Gloucester's Christian Leroy Duncan, https://www.instagram.com/christianleroyduncan/ - for his UFC debut in London on March 18th 2023.
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Chris Billingham, founder and CEO of MuscleSquad – https://musclesquad.com/ - an online fitness equipment store and community. Chris left school at 15 and worked his way up as a buyer for large UK retailers before setting up his own company in 2017 with savings of just £7k, going on to achieve revenue of £4.5m in 2022.
Max is a GP in North East England. Following testicular cancer and viral meningitis, Max suffered significant and progressive mental and physical challenges, which were eventually connected to low testosterone. Here we talk in depth about testosterone: what is is, what a symptoms manifest from low testosterone and how to get levels checked/adjusted.
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Mike Nicholson taught secondary school English in The UK for nearly two decades. During this time he worked as a mentor for many troubled boys and young men. These experiences prompted him to launch Progressive Masculinity in 2021: The program is Mike’s effort to give young men the freedom and confidence to remove a stereotypical masculinity mask and, through open dialogue and practical activities, reconstruct a healthier and more open-minded understanding of what it can mean to be ‘a man’. Mike works with schools, young offenders institutes and football clubs. For more information: http://progressivemasculinity.co.uk/
Cornelius Carr is a former British Boxing Champion from Middlesbrough. He also won a version of a world title in 1999, claiming the WBF belt. Arguably his most famous night came in a narrow defeat to Steve Collins in a world title fight in Dublin in 1995 - a fight Carr took at short notice. Carr continues to train boxers and members of the public in Swansea. He is a qualified personal trainer. Carr's autobiography ' WARRIOR IN WELLINGTON BOOTS' is out now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Warrior-Wellington-Boots-Autobigraphy-Cornelius-ebook/dp/B0BP2TSGKZ
For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Dr Mark Draper is GP and Nutritionist specialising in micro nutrition. In this conversation we talk about the function/important of Vitamin B12 and Magnesium, what symptoms of any deficiency might be be and how to make our levels replete once again. The Vitamin B12 conversation is of particular relevance to vegans and vegetarians.
Mark Hopkins was a pioneer in The UK, and played professionally in The USA for a spell. As well as being as elite Offensive Lineman (he's in the British Gridiron American Football Hall of Fame), Mark worked for four decades as a highly respected bricklayer in his home town of Cheltenham - this after spending his formative years in Singapore.
Mark has written a great book about his story - An ordinary life a little less ordinary - which we hope to see published in 2023!
Lorien Holiday is a health and wellbeing professional who aggregates the fields of physical and mental coaching to create simple, effective and sustainable solutions for his clients. He is passionate about accessible mental and physical health solutions for all and regularly shares practical advice through his social media accounts, focusing primarily on the field of mental health.
For more about Lorien: https://www.lorienholiday.com/
For free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Richard Graves is a sports broadcaster and journalist with more than 25 years experience as a reporter and presenter - across radio, TV and digital. This included a 17-year spell as a reporter for Sky Sports. Since leaving Sky Sports in 2021, he's worked for a raft of outlets including SUTV (Sheffield United), IMG, The NFL Network and has worked as an events host.
Richard has reported on Premier League football for decades and has reported on location at eight Super Bowls.
For more about Richard - or to book him for a gig - please visit https://rdgmedia.uk/
(For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy please visit - https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy)
Dr Mark Draper is a former anaesthetist who's been a General Practitioner for more than 30 years. He's also trained as a nutritionist and has run courses in nutrition with a special focus on micronutrition.
Here we discuss the importance of Vitamin D3 and supplementation in the UK during winter (and possibly all year around) relative to variables like lifestyle, skin pigmentation, amount of clothing an individual wears etc. Relative to seasonality we talk about the possibility of banking vitamin D3, but the dance between getting enough sunlight without suffering sunburn and/or skin damage.
We also touch on selenium and zinc too and discuss the varying quality of soil in the western world and how this may affect differing requirements of supplementation (e..g. Canadians and Americans consume food grown in more replete soil than British people).
Charlie is a central defender for Cheltenham Town. His previous clubs: Port Vale, Hinckley United, Nantwich Town, FC United of Manchester, Chesterfield and Oxford United. **** For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Wholeman Academy: https:go.one.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Teddy sits down to run through some of the lessons he learned in 2022 from the podcast guests - from health and fitness, to finance, to courage development through BMXing, to digital etiquette and lots more.
Thank you for all who appeared on the podcast and to all of you who listened.
Happy New Year.
For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Wholeman Academy: https:go.one.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Ross Mitchell is an experienced personal trainer, a mentor of personal trainers, fitness educator and jiu jitsu enthusiast. Here we talk about the balance between setting health and fitness goals that bring needed discomfort but seem achievable and how exercise goals have to complement career, family goals etc to be realised. **** For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https:go.one.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Tim flourished in a journalism, a 25-year career in the national press that saw him (among other things) deputy-edit The Sunday Telegraph and be Sports Editor of The Daily Mail. Tim joined PHA in 2014 – to lead the firm's reputation work. He utilises his unique experiences in the field to advise clients including a Premier League football club (Crystal Palace), and he also works with businesses facing reputational issues.For more about The PHA Group: https://thephagroup.com **** For a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https:go.one hub.com/wholemanacademy
Finding 5 seconds of courage. Mike Mullen, former World and UK Halfpipe Champion, shares his passion for freestyle BMX. A life spent finding the courage to go through the fear connected to each BMX trick, helped him to develop a growth mindset which he has found essential to success in life and business.Mike runs BMX Academy which offers school BMX experiences across the UK. School visits designed to empower children via inspirational assemblies and BMX workshops. Children are guided through the learning process and how to tackle mental challenges around each BMX challenge. Learning to grow from failure, take control of limiting 'I can’t’ self talk. Use growth mindset thinking strategies to find courage, confidence and achieve each trick. Life skills which can transfer into the classroom and beyond.Find out more about Mike’s BMX Academy at www.bmxacademy.com More on him in action: ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVRHuLsGpXw. **** For your complimentary session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Acadeny: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
David was appointed York City Manager last week. He has worked in football coaching and talent identification for more than 20 years. He’s worked for Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Millwall, Southampton, Bournemouth, Östersunds FK and Huddersfield Town. David has a Master’s in Sports Psychology from St Mary’s University. In this episode, he also recalls how he helped discover Wilfried Zaha. **** For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Adam is a former English Champion boxer. He now coaches boxing to children around Gloucestershire and has recently work his manager’s license and is looking to help steer the careers of young fighters.
Jon is a highly treasured local journalist who’s been covering Gloucestershire sport, in particular Cheltenham Town Football Club, for decades. He is also a journalism lecturer at The University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham. **** For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.once.hub.com/wholemanacademy
Chris Skudder is a distinguished broadcast journalist reporting and presenting for Sky for the best part of three decades. He’s also reported from every World Cup since 1994 and we caught up with head ahead of flying out to Qatar. We also discuss Chris’ book, which covers his World Cup globetrotting - Underdogs and Newshounds. ** NB: for free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.one hub.com/wholemanacademy
Tim Abraham is a distinguished sports journalist, working in broadcasting across radio and TV for three decades. He is arguably best known for 24 years as a reporter for Sky Sports and nearly two decades as Sky Sports News Cricket Correspondent covering the England team. He followed England on 27 Test tours. Tim is now a Senior Lecturer in Journalism/Sports Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University. ** For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Wade Elliott rose from non-league football to play professionally for Bournemouth, Burnley, Birmingham City and Bristol City. After coaching in the academies at Bristol City and Stoke City, he became Cheltenham Town manager in the summer of 2022.* For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Matthew Mansell was a keen cricketer before becoming an academy player at Bath Rugby Club. He went to play professionally in France and then pursued a career in finance. He left that career to pursue a life as an entrepreneur in the health and fitness industry.
Matt is the founder of Athlo app: this app that allows gym-members and class package holders to rent out their membership to other gym-goers for cash when they’re not using it, earning back on their membership fee or class pack in return. On the other side of the membership, people can access gyms without taking up a permanent membership. Matt believes the app will reduce membership churn and thus benefit gym owners - improving the retention of customers.
For more on the app, follow @athloapp on Instagram.
Gloucester’s Christian Leroy Duncan defends his Cage Warriors Middleweight title November 12th in Manchester. Twelve days out from fight night, Christian came to my house in Cheltenham to chat through his training camp, his youth dream of being a pro basketball player and where he is on the road to becoming a UFC fighter. Follow Christian on Instagram ( and DM him for tickets): @christianleroyduncan ** For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury from The Wholeman Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Thought-provoking chat with respected Personal Trainer and Fitness Educator Ross Mitchell. Ross talks about his perspective that people often limit their fitness and health horizons out of fear of receiving negative opinions from their (unfit) peers. This lead to a broader conversation of how we approach and use other people’s opinions constructively without being overly emotional and reactive * NB: For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Ash is the founder and editor of The Stroud Times and has been a reporter in Gloucestershire for several decades, covering, in particular, Forest Green Rovers. He commentates on the club for BBC radio too. **** NB: for your complimentary session with The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Kate is a former presenter colleague of mine at Sky Sports News. She’s also a host of The Football Ramble podcast and has contributed to Talk Sport Radio and BBC 5 Live radio. Kate writes for The Metro newspaper. Kate used to be a presenter for beINSports in Doha, Qatar and here we talk -among other things - about an upcoming documentary Kate is working on ahead of the World Cup including the related topic of human rights. To follow Kate @kvlmason.
*** NB: for free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
As a former Sports Journalist and TV Producer, Anna enjoyed a 17-year career at Sky Sports in varying senior roles. The most prominent position with the broadcaster was founding and producing the Sportswomen programme. An industry leader in women’s sport journalism, she also has broad and deep experience of the corporate world as Sky’s former Head of Internal Communications. Anna is a Non-Executive Director for London Hockey. Anna has since left Sky to set up her own business as an Executive Coach, specialising in Perimenopause and Menopause. She knows first-hand what impact Perimneopause can have on a career. Research suggests that up to 1 million women have changed their roles or quit their jobs because of symptoms. Too much is lost to Perimenopause and Menopause and Anna is deeply passionate to do what she can to support women and their employers during this time to raise awareness, education and encourage collaborative conversation in the workplace. For more information : www.allertoncoaching.com or @allertoncoaching on Instagram. ***. NB: for free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Shane played professional football for Cheltenham Town and Bradford City before injury abruptly curtailed his career. Shane is now a property developer and coaches other developers through his company @leckhamptonpropertygroup Here we talk about the anxiety in the UK economy at the moment and how that might affect house prices etc. **NB: for the complimentary session with The Whole Man Academy: http://go.one hub.com/wholemanacademy
David was a fine youth footballer and was at West Ham up until U16s, but opted to go the academic route. David played football (with podcast host Ed) and studied at Loughborough University before working as a Marco Sales Trader at several top tier investment banks. He is currently Director of Institutional Sales at Crypto Tech Start-Up Paradigm. ** NB: for complimentary session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Martin St Quinton is a highly successful entrepreneur and is Chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse and Gloucester Rugby Club. In this conversation we discuss the contrasting fortunes of rugby and horse racing during the pandemic and why Martin is bullish about rugby’s prospects despite the recent financial challenges. NB: for the complimentary mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: http://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Phil came up through the West Ham United academy and played for Bournemouth (in the team that knocked Man United out of the FA Cup in 1984), Wrexham, Cardiff City, and Newport County. Since retiring from football at the age of 27, Phil has worked as a self-employed businessman and is the Principal at @go2mortgages, a family-run business in Cheltenham. **** NB: for the complimentary mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy: http://go.one hub.com/wholemanacademy
After studying and playing rugby at Oxford University, Luke played professional rugby for Harlequins and Nottingham before founding ProverbSkin & PINKS BOUTIQUE with his wife, Kirsty. We talk health, sustainability, transitioning from rugby into full-time entrepreneurship, building a business alongside his wife, and how Luke’s studies into human evolution informs how he understands people and the world. ** NB: To take up your complimentary mentoring session with the Whole Man Academy, click here: http://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Mark Allene was an all-rounder who played for England and captained Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He later became head coach at Gloucestershire becoming the first Black British head coach in the county game. Mark continues to work as professional coach - currently for Welsh Fire in The Hundred - and also works at Marlborough College. *. For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy please visit: http://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Andy Tucker played professional and semi-professional football, including spells at Cheltenham Town and Gloucester City. For three decades he has also built a successful football coaching business in Gloucestershire and beyond through Andy Tucker Soccer Camps. He also franchises his toddler training programme - Supa Strikers - to coaches around the UK. Website: https://www.atsoccercamps.co.uk/pages/andy-tucker * NB for a complimentary mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy - limited availability - follow this link: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Gérard Jones is the current Director of Coaching at MLS Sporting Kansas City. He is a UEFA A Licensed Coach with over 14 years experience working in professional football as a former Academy Coach at Rochdale, U21 Assistant at Bradford, Head of Coaching at Bristol Rovers and most recently an Elite Coach Educator with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. Gérard is the founder of ULearnbly, digital coach education platform http://ulearnbly.com Follow Gérard on Twitter: @gerard_jones
NB for a complimentary mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Whole Man Academy - limited availability - follow this link: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Curtis Woodhouse played Premier League football for Birmingham City and played for a number of big clubs including Sheffield United, Peterborough United and Hull City.
But in his mid 20s Curtis left professional football to become a professional boxer - and on the 22nd of February 2014 he became British Super Lightweight Champion.
Curtis has continued to work in football and boxing coaching and has set up a coaching company - physical, spiritual and psychological development - open to members of the public: https://www.itstartsmonday.co.uk/
Follow Curtis on Twitter: @curtiswoodhous8
NB: for the free mentoring session for Anthony Astbury of the Whole Man Academy: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Chris Coley, former head of marketing at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and all around Gloucestershire Sports Aficionado talks about the 150th anniversary of Gloucestershire playing games at Cheltenham College.
Todd Gleave, 27, has played professional rugby union for London Irish, Gloucester, Ospreys and, most recently, The Dallas Jackals in The USA.
From his Cheltenham base he has also founded The Stubborn Rhino Coffee company, which delivers high-quality coffee to events around the UK.
To follow Todd on Instagram @todd_gleave and, for more on the coffee company: https://www.stubbornrhino.com/
NB: To book a free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Wholeman Academy:https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Eric is a Bostonian based in London and is Co-Founder & CEO of Rival, the ex CMO of 11:FS and MD of VaynerMedia.
See more of Eric's bio here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericfulwiler/?originalSubdomain=uk
Here we talk about:
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Daily routines - the need for a structure, but also flexibility.
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Being an introverted leader and how Eric manages his time and energy with that in mind.
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Lessons from Sport and Eric's favourite NFL team The New England Patriots.
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Quality versus quantity in marketing and in other areas of life.
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Believing in the value of products you help market/sell.
NB: For the free mentoring session with Anthony Astbury of The Wholeman Academy, sign up here: https://go.oncehub.com/wholemanacademy
Carlton Palmer had a long and distinguished playing career as a midfielder and sometime defender in the Premier League, notably for Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds. He also played for England and has worked as a manager.
Here we discuss:
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Carlton's experience of moving back to the UK after working and living in Dubai and China.
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The cost of living in the UK.
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The balance between fitness and fun.
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The importance of fulfilling commitments and personal accountability.
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Why Carlton believes Man City will miss Raheem Sterling more than is widely acknowledged.
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Why Carlton believes Anthony Joshua beats Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch.
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Sheffield Wednesday and the club's manager Darren Moore.
Follow Carlton on Twitter: @CarltonPalmer
Lyle Weir is a strength and conditioning coach, specialising in training MMA fighters at his father (former UFC fighter) Mark Weir's gym in Gloucester.
He is also a pilot and is raising money for mental health charity The Mix ( https://www.themix.org.uk/) by flying around the UK and surrounding isles in a single engine plane from September 1st 2022 - 4000nm and 40 hours of flight time in total.
To sponsor Lyle: https://gofund.me/f24f2de4
To Follow his journey: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNRd9XqH/
Luke Varney had a long and distinguished playing career - from non league to The Premier League and is now in the early stages of a career in fitness.
In this conversation:
* We reflect on a summer of change at Cheltenham Town FC
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Some of the big transfers in The Premier
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Training clients who are looking for fat loss and the lifestyle/holistic advice required to help them achieve the goal.
Adam Lloyd works as a nutritionist for the academy footballers at Cheltenham Town FC, as well as a nutritionist to a wider client base.
In this conversation we talk about Adam's passion for encouraging parents to understand the nutrition requirements for young athletes and why some popular dietary philosophies might be counterproductive to an athlete's performance (including a cultural condemnation of carbohydrate).
To follow Adam on Instagram see @adamlloydwellbeing or Twitter @alloydwellbeing
Mark Halliwell is Sports Editor of The Citizen: Gloucestershire and commentates on Cheltenham Town FC for BBC radio.
He has been an esteemed sports journalist for several decades.
Here we talk about Cheltenham Town manager's Michael Duff decision to leave the club - among other things!
Ross Mitchell is an experienced Personal Trainer and fitness educator.
Here we talk about the importance of strength training for health and longevity and how strength development and maintenance can be achieved through big compound movements in relatively short gym sessions.
If you'd like to contact Ross for fitness advice or to hire as a trainer (in person or online) you can get in touch on Instagram: @rossfitpt10
As a distinguished fighter and analyst in the UFC for nearly two decades, Dan Hardy is contesting a boxing match against Diego Sanchez on the undercard of Ricky Hatton's comeback bout against Marco Antonio Barrera on July 2nd 2022.
This is a conversation first recorded for Sky Sports.
An esteemed journalist for several decades, Ash Loveridge is founder and editor of the Stroudtimes.com - an online paper, which is soon launching a physical (free to customers) version.
He also works as co-commentator on Forest Green FC's games for BBC Radio.
Striker Jay Bothroyd enjoyed a storied football career - playing professionally for more than two decades, including spells in The Premier League and playing overseas in Italy, Thailand and Japan.
Jay was capped by England in 2010.
Jay is now forging a career as a football analyst (pundit) in the media: @jaybothroyd
Host Ed Draper chat to Cheat Heat Productions Podcast presenter Maurice Shortall about his career in sports journalism and TV presenting - including living and working in Ohio, USA.
Check out Maurice's podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8EcTHHscSQTStezxpyjtqg
Shane Duff played professional football for Cheltenham Town and Bradford before injury prematurely ended his career.
He's now a property developer and coaches other property developers. He's based in Cheltenham: https://www.facebook.com/leckhamptonpropertygroup/
Spoke to Justin ( 23-3-0) ahead of his UFC Lightweight title challenge to Charles Oliveira this weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.
Adnan is an entrepreneur with a background in running fast-paced VC backed companies. He observed his team members challenges and a lack of investment in helping Millennials manage their mental health through a medium they'd become accustomed to - videos on their mobile phones.
And so Adnan co-founded Mind Labs - an app that focuses on live video classes to help people build mental resilience and overcome stress, anxiety and low mood.
More information: https://wearemindlabs.com/about
Follow Adnan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adnanebrahim/
Jon Palmer is a seasoned sports journalist and lecturer - he's covered Cheltenham Town FC for decades and followed the club since boyhood. In this episode - with one game to go - we reflect on the club's best ever league finish. We also touch on Jon's job as a lecturer and the jobs market for sports journalists new to the career.
Luke Varney had a sensational football (soccer) career playing from non-league to the premier league.
Here we talk about:
** His new career as a personal trainer including working with children, group work and comparing working with the general public and elite athletes.
** Knee injuries, the pros and cons of running and rehabilitation.
** Reflections on Cheltenham Town FC's successful season.
Anthony Astbury, a former financial trader in London, created The Whole Man Academy to 'give men the tools to live an epic life of fun, freedom and adventure.'
Great conversation here on:
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Morning routines
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Adapting and processing life-style advice to match YOUR life.
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Foundations of feeling good.
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Growing your own food (amidst possible food shortages)
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Homeschooling
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Why it might be better for men to share their problems with friends rather than their partners and wives.
Christian, from Gloucester, UK is unbeaten in the pro ranks of MMA - 5-0 at the time of recording - and takes on Djati Melan for the Cage Warriors Middleweight Title on April 2nd in Manchester.
Christian is trained by former UFC fighter Mark 'The Wizard' Weir.
Phil Hanson, 22, races for United Autosports in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series.
He's been the youngest driver to be crowned World Endurance Champion and the youngest British driver to win Le Mans 24 Hour Race.
In 2020, he became the first driver to win the FIA World Endurance Championship (LMP2), European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours (LMP2) in the same year.
Adam is a former Personal Trainer with nearly two decades of experience working in the fitness industry.
In 2019, Adam co-founded Prevayl Sportswear with David Newns. Prevayl makes smart exercise clothing that provide the wearer/exerciser data on a wide range of health and fitness metrics.
In this episode, we talk about the task of building the company and making smart sportswear - a project that fused sports science, computer science and fashion - and why Adam believes smart wear provides exercisers with the most accurate data.
For more information: https://www.prevayl.com/
Follow Adam on Instagram: @adamcrofts
Johnathan Phipps had a long professional rugby career, including spells playing abroad in New Zealand and Spain.
He now works as a personal trainer, rugby coach and is currently a student of Osteopathy.
Follow Johnathan: https://www.facebook.com/JPPTraisingthebar
Website: www.jppthealth.com
Dr Chidi is one of the world’s leading Lifestyle Doctors.
He trained in surgery, general practice & lifestyle medicine at Cambridge, UCL &Johns Hopkins USA and is a founding director of the European Society of Lifestyle Medicine (now ELMO).
He has lectured at Columbia, Johns Hopkins, & Cambridge universities.
He is the director & founder of a Lifestyle Medicine Clinic on Harley Street, London.
For more information on Dr Chidi please visit: https://drchidi.com/ or follow him on Instagram @drchidimd
David Fulton played for 15 seasons as a professional cricketer for Kent County Cricket Club, primarily as a batter. He also captained the side.
Since then 'Fults' has worked as a broadcaster, for Sky Sports among other outlets, a journalist and an events host. He's currently studying sports psychology.
Follow David: @DaveTavFulton
Grant Holt enjoyed a near 20-year professional football career working his way up from non league to The Premier League and representing big clubs such as Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa on the journey.
Grant now works as a scout for West Ham United and is Director of Football at Langley School.
Faisal 'The Mastermind' Malik makes his Cage Warriors debut March 18 against Rory Evans.
Faisal, from Luton, England here talks about his ambition to be the first British-Asian world champion in mixed martial arts, his Pakistani heritage and the role his religion, Islam plays in his life.
Follow Faisal on Instagram: @fmalik145
Seb Hutchinson is a football commentator working on the Premier League games and other elite competitions for broadcasters including Sky Sports and The BBC.
He has a background in sports production and sports journalism and has worked on some of the world's biggest events.
Follow Seb on Twitter: @Seb_Hutch
John Hudson is the British Military's chief SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Extraction) instructor and has been a resident survival expert on two series of Discovery's prime-time show Survive That, a.k.a Dude You're Screwed in the USA, putting his own resilience to the test on camera in front of millions.
In How to Survive a Pandemic – a free eBook which also appeared as an appendix to the UK paperback edition in May 2020 – John provided a guide for coping with the COVID-19 crisis, exploring how to come out of self-isolation stronger and wiser.
For more on John or to contact him: https://www.johnhudsonsurvival.com/
Kimberley Pena MA RDMP is a Registered Dance Movement Psychotherapist, Specialist Mental Health Practitioner and Dance Artist. She is registered with ADMPUK and UKCP.
Kimberely joins the podcast to discuss how movement and dance, in particular, can be used alongside traditional talk-based psychotherapy to improve mental health. We also discuss the importance of dance in connecting people and how stigma and fear of judgement prevent us dancing despite its health benefits.
Kimberley is also a Wellbeing presenter and host.
To find out more about Kimberley and her work: https://www.movingthroughlife.co.uk/ or Instagram @kimberleydmp
Wales' Enzo Maccarinelli is a former World, European and British boxing champion at Cruiserweight. He now trains boxers and MMA fighters and has a background in martial arts in his childhood.
In this conversation - originally recorded for Sky Sports - we reflect on the upcoming UFC Heavyweight Title fight between Francis N'Gannou and Ciryl Gane and N'Gannou's interest in boxing elite world champions like Tyson Fury.
Aaron McLean is a retired professional footballer who played at many levels of the pro game, from non-league to the Premier League. His former clubs include Aldershot Town, Peterborough United, Hull City and Bradford City. Since retiring from football Aaron has worked as a coach and football analyst and pundit in the media. Aaron is launching a new podcast, coming soon. To follow Aaron and discover his podcast: @aaronmcleanofficial on Instagram & @A9Mac on Twitter.
With new year resolutions abound, I spoke to James Golden - a fitness professional with more than two decades of experience training and advising athletes and regular people - about where to start in adopting healthy habits.
Do we need to start with one habit, or can we work on multiple areas of our life - like sleep, diet and movement - at the same time?
James has been a gym owner in the past and currently consults on the development of health and fitness facilities. Follow James on Instagram: aka_thefitnesspro
Oli Mell won the IKMF title in the middleweight category in 2021 - a marathon kettlebell event.
Oli is a former commando in the Royal Marines and runs his own outdoor gym in Nantwich Cheshire (UK), Wolfpack Fitness.
Follow Oli and the gym: @wolfpackfitnesscheshire & www.wolfpackgym.co.uk
Matt had an 18 year career in professional football playing for Gillingham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, Norwich City and Woking. He also played international football for England.
He retired in the summer of 2021 and is working as football analyst/pundit for media companies, including Sky Sports.
Follow Matt on Instagram: @matt_jarvis_official
Ross Mitchell has worked in health and fitness for decades, as a personal trainer to the public and athletes. He also works as a teacher and mentor to aspiring personal trainers and takes part in MMA training as a hobby. In this conversation we speak about the pillars of health, what people who want to adopt more healthy habits should focus on in 2022 and why new routines must be realistic to an individual's life commitments - work, family, stress, sleep strains etc. Ross also reflects on how Personal Trainers need to factor in the nuance of each person's stressors into a fitness program for a client. You can read blogs from Ross here: https://rossfitpt.wordpress.com/ and follow him @rossfitpt10 on Instagram.
In his first job as a football manager, Michael Duff led Cheltenham Town FC to the League 2 title (fourth tier of English football) for the first time in the club's history.
The team were mid-table at the time of recording this conversation in League 1 (third tier).
As a player, Michael played in the top 8 levels of English football, in ascending order, culminating in time in the Premier League with Burnley FC.
He also played international football for Northern Ireland.
Chris is a retired sports marketer and successful businessman and also a race horse owner.
But here we talk about his 60-year-long membership of the nomadic sports institution, The Gloucestershire Gipsies Cricket Club and the fine new book that Chris has pulled together to celebrate the club's centenary: Gloucestershire Gipsies 100 NOT OUT.
For more info on the club and the book: https://www.glosgipsiescc.co.uk/
Luke Watkins, from Swindon in the UK, is a former Commonwealth Cruiserweight Champion.
He currently holds a 15-2 record.
Here we talk about his story, his background in ice hockey before finding boxing at the age of 19 and his future ambitions.
Optometrist Dhruvin Patel developed the blue-light-blocking Ocushield products and has seen the business grow exponentially in recent years - during which time he appeared on the Dragons' Den TV show, receiving investment in the company.
Here Dhruvin expains the danger of blue light and how ubiquitous it is in modern life - from laptops and phones to street lighting and car headlights.
For more information on Dhruvin and Occushield head to: https://www.ocushield.com/pages/meet-your-maker and to follow him
Ed Gates joins the podcast to talk about Creaffeine Creatine Coffee - a pre-workout drink that combines high levels of caffeine with creatine.
We discuss the scientifically-proven benefits of creatine and caffeine on exercise performance and different types of exercise (as well as everyday work/life performance) - and the process of making a coffee and bringing it to market.
For more info: https://creaffeine.com/
Jon Palmer is a sports writer for Gloucestershire Live and has more than two decades experience in sports journalism.
He is a sports journalism lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire and rejoins the podcast to discuss his new book - All Your Dreams Are Made - that documents Cheltenham Town Football Club's historic 2020/21 title-winning season.
Follow Jon @JonPalmerSport .
Juggy Sidhu is an online coach specializing in transforming the health and fitness of people from Indian backgrounds.
Juggy takes a holistic approach to well-being - his clients have input from psychologists and doctors in the service provided, as well as his fitness and nutrition expertise.
For more information: https://www.juggysidhu.com/ and follow Juggy on Instagram for great tips applicable to all: @theindianbodycoach.
To book Juggy for a talk, please contact @abstract.pr .
George Groves was a hugely successful boxer - World, European, British and Commonwealth Champion - in a storied and high profile career. He retired at the age of 30, having last fought in 2018.
It was also a career born out of adversity and an underdog mindset - George missed out on selection for the 2008 Olympics, but charted a path to the summit of the sport without the huge profile push the Olympics can bring.
George talks candidly about how his rise to prominence wasn't accidental - he visualised and planned each step along the way, including crafting huge rivalries with childhood-friend-turned-nemesis James Degale and established champion Carl Froch. Everything was considered - right down to the clothes he wore to press conferences.
George runs us through his Seven Traits Of a Champion that can be easily transferred from professional boxing to everyday life.
Mark Hudson had a long and distinguished professional football career at clubs including Fulham, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town. He has also worked as a coach and was twice interim manager of Huddersfield Town.
Steve Kean was a professional footballer, who know has more than two decades coaching experience including being assistant coach at Fulham and manager at Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.
He's also coached/managed in Brunei, Singapore and Australia and currently is working training coaches for the Scottish Football Association.
Phil Denton is the Headteacher of St. Bede's Catholic High School in the north west of England.
He is also the co-author of 'The First 100 Days: Lessons in Leadership From The Football Bosses.' Phil wrote the book with former footballer, now manager of Tranmere Rovers, Micky Mellon.
To complete the book, Phil and Micky spent the last three years meeting with Premier League managers, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Sam Allardyce, to elucidate their leadership philosophies - particularly when starting a new role. The book then illustrates how these insights and tactics can be applied to businesses and walks of life outside of professional football.
Follow Phil: @phildenton81
Luke Varney has enjoyed a fairy-tale football career - from non league he played all the way up to the Premier League with Blackpool.
His former clubs also include Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and my local club Cheltenham Town.
He's now back with his local non-league club Quorn where his journey began and he's focusing on building new career in fitness training.
He's also looking for media work as an analyst.
To reach/follow Luke: https://www.instagram.com/reggy_v/?hl=en
Dr. Radha is a practising NHS GP, broadcaster & campaigner for wellbeing.
Radha is the medical expert for BBC Radio 1’s daytime show, Life Hacks and the co-presenter of their weekly Life Hacks Podcast. For more, see http://drradha.co.uk/.
This interview is on making positive change to improve our health - including seeing more of loved ones - and was originally recorded for the @cheltenhamwellbeingfestival, so thank you to them for sharing the audio.
JJ Draper is a singer/song writer.
He's playing this Saturday, October 2nd at The Camden Assembly in London.
JJ's music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7ee7dtYPnmTZDPdqgeBbhC
Social media: @iamjjdraper
Tony Wrighton has been a broadcaster in the UK for more than 20 years, including 15 years at Sky Sports. He also produces and hosts a health podcast called Zestology, which is focussed on discovering the lifestyle habits key to maximising energy - this after Tony was left devoid of energy following a virus he picked up in a jungle. (listen to pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zestology-energy-vitality-and-motivation/id9705974120). He's written multiple books including his latest, When Life is a Bit Meh, You Need Energy (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/57676756-when-life-is-a-bit-meh-you-need-energy)
Ady Britton guided Bath City - a semi-professional football club - to the fifth tier of English football (a largely professional league).
He also combined coaching in football with building a successful business as a day job.
He continues to work in the south west of England as a football scout.
Ran is a GP (doctor) in England working for The NHS, but also runs a private practice helping people optimise their health and performance taking a pre-emptive approach.
Here we cover sleep, movement, nutrition, supplements, stress and more as vehicles to maximise the strength of our immune systems.
Follow Ran on Twitter: @CotswoldOptimal
Mark Neilson is a boxing promoter in the west of England with over a decade of experience putting on shows.
He's a former amateur himself and the son of former pro heavyweight boxer Eddie Nielson who fought Joe Bugner and Frank Bruno in a long career - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/2592
More details on Mark's upcoming shows here: http://www.neilsonboxing.co.uk/
A talk about mental and physical health for men - and tactics for living in the opaque modern world where roles like being a dad are fluid and open to interpretation.
Anthony Astbury used to work in finance in London, but left that lucrative life to pursue a more fulfilling career, becoming a life and fitness coach before co-founding The Whole Man Academy, which aims to help men 'live life better.'
We talk here about some practical tips to approach life that can help men feel more productive, more resilient and less likely to succumb to the biggest danger to most young and middle-aged men - depression and suicide.
Anthony Taylor has a 7-5 record in MMA, but is boxing Britain's Tommy Fury - half-brother of Tyson Fury - on August 29th on the undercard
of Jake Paul v Tyron Woodley.
Caroline Williams studied biology before forging a career in science writing. She is a consultant and write for New Scientist.
Here we talk about her new book: MOVE! The New Science of Body Over Mind.
Follow Caroline here: https://www.instagram.com/carolinewilliams_science/?hl=en
James Golden has been a fitness trainer for decades training pro athletes and regular civilians towards a variety of goals.
But in this podcast we talk about trying to incorporate movement into all aspects of our life - throughout the day - to avoid the negative consequences of being sedentary (sitting down) for too long.
Ash Loveridge is an esteemed sports journalist in Gloucestershire, covering sport for decades in the county.
He currently commentates on Forest Green Rovers for BBC Radio, writes for The Press Association and editor and founder of https://stroudtimes.com/.
Follow Ash: @AshLoveridge10 on Twitter.
Kayla won gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016 in Judo and has made a spectacular transition to MMA, becoming the PFL's Lightweight Champion in 2019 and is on course to repeat that feat in 2021.
This interview was originally recorded for Sky Sports - full video at Sky Sports' Youtube page.
Follow Kayla: https://www.instagram.com/judokayla/?hl=en
Jon Palmer is a sports journalist who covers Cheltenham Town FC for Gloucestershire Live - Jon has covered the club and other local sports for decades.
Jon is a sports journalism lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham.
Michael Duff is the manager of Cheltenham Town and became the only manager to lead the club to the League Two title last season.
He's a former Cheltenham player - scoring the winning goal that got the club promoted to the football league for the first time in 1999.
Michael is also the only man to play in the top eight leagues of English football, culminating in the Premier League with Burnley. He also represented Northern Ireland in international football.
Immediate reflections after England lost on penalties to Italy in the final of Euro 2021 amidst reports of fans breaking into the stadium without tickets.
Preview of England v Italy with my colleague and friend, Sky Sports presenter Tom White.
Preview of Conor McGregor v Dustin Poirier 3, originally filmed for Sky Sports, with UFC commentator John Gooden & Sky Sports MMA reporter Nik Hobbs.
Sports journalist Tom White has been a presenter at Sky Sports for over a decade.
He joins the podcast - from Wembley - to preview the semifinals of Euro 2020 & reminisce about past tournaments following England.
This is a conversation I - sports broadcaster Ed Draper - had with The Whole Man Academy about my career, from a newspaper in the US to Sky Sports in the UK and also my approach to health and wellbeing. Hope you enjoy! Video of this chat here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQL6dCO7Eeg
Steve Guinan played for 15 football professional clubs including Nottingham Forest, Burnley, Cheltenham Town, Cambridge United, Hereford United and Forest Green Rovers.
He's now a highly respected football coach working for the Football Association to help other footballers transition into coaching/management.
Nathias Frederick, from Birmingham in the UK is Cage Warriors' Middleweight Champion.
Here he talks about his mixed martial arts saved him from a frustrating childhood when autism and a stutter made conventional education and career pathways near to impossible for him.
Follow Nathias - @NathiasMMA.
Reflections with national journalist and author Tom McDermott on England's progression to the last 16 of Euro 2020 and the tournament as a whole.
Little riff on some themes of Euro 2020 so far - has the joy of being allowed into stadiums dimmed football's tribalism problem and did we mistake profile for quality in the build-up to England v Scotland.
Few immediate reflections on England's 1-0 win over Croatia at Euro 2020.
Plus Wales 1-1 draw with Switzerland.
Akeem - aka Riiddy Riiddy Rival - is the British and Commonwealth Super Lightweight Champion. He trains in Gloucester at the Fight Factory. Follow him here: https://www.instagram.com/akeemennisbrown/?hl=en-gb
Ross Mitchell has decades of experience as a PT and is a tutor and mentor of other PTs.
Ross also a has a background in combat sports, MMA and boxing.
Above all else, he is a very well-read human being!
Tris is the former editor of Boxing News magazine, a boxing journalist, author and the producer and host of Boxing Life Stories podcast.
In this edition of the podcast we discuss Tris' new book - Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing. https://www.waterstones.com/book/damage/tris-dixon/9781949590210
Former UFC fighter and current MMA coach, Mark Weir reflects on the mastery of the new UFC Champ, Charles Oliveira, how to decide when is the right time to retire (in the context of Tony Ferguson's third straight loss) and the prudence of Conor McGregor separating from his children in the build-up to his trilogy match v Dustin Poirier.
Don McRae has written a number of sports books, including the seminal Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing.
Don also writes sports features for The Guardian newspaper in the UK.
Here we talk about the conflict we feel covering such an inspiring but brutal sport, his recent experiences of a long interview with Sir Alex Ferguson and his childhood as a white boy in South Africa in the 1960s, growing up amid apartheid.
Chris Hussey is a professional footballer for Cheltenham Town FC, formerly of Coventry City and Sheffield United (among other clubs).
Chris scored the goal to seal Cheltenham's promotion to League 1 last month.
Chris has also set up a company and app to help shoppers support their local businesses in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire - https://www.localandloyal.co.uk/
David Karasek competed for Switzerland, as a swimmer at the London 2012 Olympics.
He know works as a mindset coach with elite athletes from across the world.
To check out some of his philosophies around setting and achieving goals, in particular, head to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHiydPfAy9ZJbyg8ekehR6A
Mark Britton is Co-founder of Soccer Supplement - a range of nutritional supplements specifically designed for people who play football, professional or amateur: www.soccersupplement.com
Soccer Supplement works with an array of elite professional football clubs and players, including the England captain Harry Kane.
Anthony Ogogo won a bronze medal in boxing at the London 2012 Olympics.
He was forced to retire from professional boxing due to an injury that left him with 22% vision is his left eye.
Anthony is now pursuing a wrestling career in the United States with All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson is a former wrestler turned MMA star - the UFC and now Bellator.
Anthony boasts of record of 22-6 (16 kos) and takes on Jose Augusto Azevedo in the quarterfinals of Bellator's Light Heavyweight Grand Prix on May 7th 2021 in Connecticut.
Anthony was adopted by his grandparents at the age of 2 and credits them, particularly his grandma, for steering him into professional sports.
Mark Halliwell is long serving and highly respected sports journalist who has covered Cheltenham Town FC for many decades and commentates on the club's games for BBC Gloucestershire.
Michael 'Venom' Page is a welterweight contender in Bellator MMA with an 18-1 record.
Michael, from London, also has a background in kickboxing and has boxed professionally.
Longstanding sports journalist and lecturer Jon Palmer covers Cheltenham Town FC for Gloucestershire Live and speaks to the podcast about the club's - seemingly impending - promotion to League 1, the third level of English football.
Follow Jon on Twitter @JonPalmerSport
Anthony Smith is an American UFC contender in the light heavyweight division and he takes on Australian Jimmy Crute in Florida this weekend.
A year ago he deployed his MMA skills to subdue a home intruder until Police arrived.
Here Anthony talks candidly about the PTSD he, his wife and three daughters have suffered from the incident and his belief that all people would benefit from learning self-defence techniques.
Manchester's Brendan Loughnane is featherweight contender in the Professional Fighters League.
He makes his season debut in Atlantic City, Friday April 23.
James Golden has worked as a fitness professional for 20 years, training athletes, celebrities and people from every walk of life.
He's also ran gyms in the past and consults on gym design and construction.
Here we talk about factors to consider as people return to gyms post lockdown - using equipment and maybe lifting heavier weights, in particular.
Plus with summer in the UK looming, we discuss the concept of 'beach bodies.'
Follow James here: https://www.instagram.com/aka_thefitnesspro/?hl=en
Run through answers to the below football scenario posted on Twitter March 26, 2021:
"Footballers In the Mind's Eye
Striker pulls into hole & then turns and slides a pass down the side of the left-centre half for their fellow forward to run onto and score. Who's the striker in the hole?
For me, Teddy Sheringham."
Leah McCourt, from Belfast, is a featherweight MMA contender in Bellator with a 4-1 record.
She's working her way back to fitness after shoulder surgery.
Ash Loveridge is a journalist who's been covering news and, in particular, sport in the Stroud area for decades.
He covers and commentates on Forest Green Rovers' games week in and week out and has recently launched a news website: https://stroudtimes.com/
Tom McDermott is a journalist who supports Manchester United and has covered the team for decades for the national press in the UK.
You can follow Tom here: https://twitter.com/MrTomMcDermott
Conversation with The Daily Telegraph's Gareth A Davies about the big heavyweight rematches in boxing (Povetkin-Whyte 2) and MMA (Miocic-N'Gannou 2) this weekend.
If N'Gannou prevails could we see crossover bouts with boxing's champions, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury?
Conversation originally filmed for Sky Sports - video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuKZ4A9hev4
Aimee Fuller is a two-time Winter Olympian in snowboarding for Great Britain.
In 2019 Aimee the ran the Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea.
She is a fitness fanatic and has worked as a broadcaster for the BBC and Eurosport and has a brand new podcast - Monday Mile with Aimee Fuller:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/monday-mile-with-aimee-fuller/id1557746590#episodeGuid=tag%3Aaudioboom.com%2C2021-03-20%3A%2Fposts%2F7826946
Dave Coldwell is a former professional boxer and highly acclaimed trainer, working with world champions like Tony Bellew and Jamie McDonnell among a flotilla of elite fighters.
Dave talks candidly here about how the sport - beginning as a boy in Brendan Ingle's gym in Sheffield, England - has helped him forge self-respect and confidence and the interplay between fatherhood and coaching.
Colin Hendry is a former professional footballer for Dundee, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Rangers and Bolton Wanderers among other clubs.
He won the Premier League title with Blackburn in 1995.
He also won 51 caps for Scotland and represented his country at Euro 96 and the 98 World Cup.
Experienced and talented football broadcaster Jon Driscoll - known maybe most well for commentating on La Liga for Sky Sports - joins the podcast to discuss his new history book, The 50: Football's Most Influential Players (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Footballs-Most-Influential-Players/dp/1785316907).
Fabian, from Birmingham in the UK is a middleweight contender in Bellator. His brother, Leon competes in the welterweight division of The UFC. Interview originally recorded for Sky Sports and you can see the interview on Sky Sports Youtube page.
Very cool conversation with Johnny Nelson, former Cruiserweight World Champion about the teachings of his boxing trainer and life mentor Brendan Ingle.
Brendan's opening question when educating people through boxing: "Who are you?"
James Gemmell is a very experienced sports broadcaster, mainly presenting rugby union live coverage, including 12 years at Sky Sports in the UK.
He's now pivoted into a role as Executive Lead Australasia for Whisper TV.
He's a husband and father of two - and the family are preparing to return to James' native New Zealand for his new job.
Jo Wilson is a presenter for Sky Sports News and has also presented basketball for Sky Sports. She's worked as a producer at Sky too. She's presented in-house coverage of the men’s Scotland rugby union team at Murrayfield and is a keen basketball and netball player. She's been unable to work on site since the pandemic began as she discovered he was pregnant in the spring of 2020 and became a mother in September to the beautiful Mabel.
James Golden - distinguished fitness professional and friend of the podcast - is putting on fitness session for kids in association with the Bamford Wellness group over the UK half-term.
Sessions are at 10:45AM Feb 15 - Feb 17.
Sign up at James' Instagram Page: aka_thefitnesspro
Here we chat about what he's got in store for the kids in the sessions, the importance of fun in any exercise plan, homeschooling mayhem and more.
Adventurer Paula Reid is part of a team planning to row non-stop from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean in December 2021 - in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.
The Mothership team is raising money for the Noah's Ark Children Hospice and The Felix Fund (the bomb disposal charity). To lean more and contribute: https://www.facebook.com/MOTHERSHIPTWAC/
It's the latest adventure for Paula, who's also an adventure psychologist and expert on maintaining a positive mindset.
Previously, she's ski'd, sailed and cycled on several awe-inspiring expeditions, but she's new to rowing. That said, she recently warmed up for the atlantic row, by rowing a marathon in her living room to support Eddie Izzard's latest running challenge.
For more about Paula: https://www.paulareid.com/adventures
Running through answers to the following football hypothetical posted on social media on February 3rd 2021:
"Footballers In the Mind's Eye:
Picture a player scoring with a wedged chip - bags of backspin, floating over a flat-footed keeper and dropping just under the crossbar into the net.
Who'd you see? Glen Hoddle, for me."
To join the conversation, I post these scenarios on Twitter (eddraper81) and Instagram (ed_draper81)
Alex Payne was a presenter at Sky Sports for nearly 15 years - for Sky Sports News and then covering rugby.
He's the host of a fantastic podcast - The Good, The Bad and The Rugby with James Haskell and Mike Tindall: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-good-the-bad-the-rugby/id1524156217
He's also co-founder of a connection technology business that puts brands together with people of influence - The Room.
You can follow Alex here: @AlexPayneTV
Review of Conor MCGregor’s loss to Dustin Poirier. If MCGregor’s motivation was success does he have to recalibrate his goals now he’s achieved multi millionaire status? Do we all have to shift our ‘why’ to stay hungry and purposeful? Interview originally filmed for Sky Sports. Mark Weir runs MMA fitness classes in Gloucester and ie hosting them online during the pandemic.
Jon Palmer is a lifelong Cheltenham Town fan. He's also covered them for decades in his career as a sports journalist. He was one of the lucky few to get into the stadium, Whaddon Road to watch Cheltenham push mighty Manchester City all the way in the FA Cup on Jan 23, 2020. Jon lectures in sports journalism at the University of Gloucestershire and you can follow him here: @JonPalmerSport
Mark Halliwell has covered Cheltenham Town for decades and he makes the upcoming FA Cup match v Manchester City the biggest in the club's history. We had a chat about that and the chances of Cheltenham pulling off a legendary upset. Mark will be commentating on the game for local radio and you can follow him here: @MarkHalliwell1
Cheltenham Town footballer (former Sheffield United and AFC Wimbledon player among others) on facing Manchester City (six times winners of the cup) in the FA Cup this weekend.
Chris is battling injury to be fit for the game and, as someone who's studied sports psychology, talks about the mindset required to pull off an upset.
Nick Gazzard played professional football for Cheltenham Town and Forest Green Rovers.
In the aftermath of his daughter, Hollie's murder in 2014, he set up the Holly Gazzard Trust to help reduce domestic violence.
Nick suffered a stroke in May 2020, but, as you can hear here, is recovering well.
Johnny Nelson was the longest running Cruiserweight Champion of all time, holding the WBO title between 1999 and 2005.
Here we talk about the life and times of Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber, who was Heavyweight Champion of the World between 1937 and 1949.
Shane Duff is a former professional footballer for Cheltenham Town and Bradford City.
His career was ended prematurely by injury and he now works as a property developer with his company @leckhamptonpropertygroup.
Shane's brother, Michael is the current manager of Chelteham and we discuss the club's FA Cup draw against the mighty Manchester City.
Jon covers Cheltenham Town FC week in, week out and we also talk here about other local football clubs Forest Green and Gloucester City.
Touch upon Gloucester Rugby Club and Jon's other job as a journalism lecturer at The University of Gloucestershire.
Big John McCarthy is a commentator and analyst for Bellator MMA and co-host of the Weighing In podcast.
Before that he was a referee a big name associated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship from its inception. Here he reflects on the UFC's top moments of the year 2020.
John is the British Military's chief SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Extraction) instructor and has been a resident survival expert on two series of Discovery's prime-time show 'Survive That', a.k.a 'Dude You're Screwed' in the USA, putting his own resilience to the test on camera in front of millions. He's also an avid student and speaker on stoicism - particularly, the ability to psychologically 'survive' stressful environments. John applies that learning to the mental strain of the pandemic and how we can develop resilience. John has a book out for people in the USA: https://www.johnhudsonsurvival.com/how-to-survive-selfreliance-in-extreme-circumstances You can follow John here: @JHSurvival
Spencer Fearon is a former boxer, who's worked as a promoter, manager, trainer, analyst and historian.
Here we discuss the life and times of Rocky Marciano, the great undefeated Heavyweight Champion of the World, who retired with a 49-0 record and whose story inspired the Rocky movies.
You can follow Spencer on Twitter - @Spencer_Fearon.
Run through social media suggestions for the below football scenario, posted December 11 on @eddraper81 on Twitter and @ed_draper81 on Instagram:
"Picture a 'box-to-box midfielder.'
Who'd you see? "
Danny Sangha is a clarity, alignment and confidence coach who works with high performing public-facing professionals, celebrities and sports stars.
Danny's website: https://www.dannysangha.com/private-coaching/
Danny is also going to appearing on celebrity chef Greg Wallace's well-being platform: https://showme.fit/
Linton Vassell (19-8) is a former UCMMA Light Heavyweight Champion. A British fighter based in Florida.
He's now competing at heavyweight and takes on Brazilian Ronny Markes at Bellator 254 in the early hours of December 11 (UK time) live on Sky Sports. It's live in the USA on CBS Sports on December 10.
Illima-Lei Macfarlane is Bellator's undefeated women's champion at Flyweight. She defends her title against Juliana Velasquez -also undefeated - on December 10 (early hours of December 11 in the UK, live on Sky Sports.)
More than a year on since his commendable world-title challenge to Callum Smith, Super Middleweight contender John Ryder (28-5) returns to the ring December 18th.
He's fighting American Mike Guy (12-5) in Florida.
Running through suggestions for players to complete the following football scenario posted on my Twitter @eddraper81 on December 3 2020.
Picture a 'luxury player.'
Who'd you see?
Matthew Le Tissier, for me.
Carlton Palmer had a long and distinguished playing career with a host of top football clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Coventry.
He won 18 caps for England and also was Mansfield Manager.
He's currently living in Shanghai where he's Director of Sport at Wellington International College and his wife, Lucy works as a teacher.
Sarah Shephard covers boxing and football for The Athletic.
She has previously written for The Coaches Voice, Sport Magazine and The Times.
The book she co-authored, Born Fighter has been shortlisted for William Hill Sports Book of The Year.
You can follow her @SarahShepSport
Sarah supports Arsenal Football Club.
James Golden has been a fitness professional working with elite athletes and regular citizens for 15 years. He's run gyms in that time and is now based primarily in the Bamford Haybarn, being the resident fitness professional at the Daylesford Organic Farm in the Cotswolds, England.
He also has private clients and offers health and fitness insight on his Instagram page @aka_thefitnesspro
Chris Hussey is currently playing left wing-back for Cheltenham Town FC. He's previously played for AFC Wimbedon, Coventry City, Burton Albion, Bury, Sheffield United and Swindon Town.
Chris left school with just one GCSE, but has recently qualified with a first class degree in Sports Science and plans to train to be a sports psychologist.
Here Chris talks about his career and how he's learned to cope with severe anxiety and insomnia.
Running through suggestions to the following scenario, which was posted on my Twitter page @eddraper81 on Friday November 20th.
" Picture a player punching a volleyed flick down the line for a teammate to run onto. Who'd you see?"
Combat sports journalist Gareth A Davies and Conor McGregor's return to UFC and hopes of the Irishman tempting Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement for a rematch.
Lee Hendrie played professional football for his home-city club Aston Villa, Stoke City, Sheffield United and Derby County among other clubs.
He represented England at under 21 and senior level.
Lee currently works as a commentator and analyst for Sky Sports. As someone who has survived two suicide attempts, Lee is also an insightful and inspirational speaker on mental health.
Chatting to Chael Sonnen, the man considered by many as one of the greatest mixed martial artists not to win a world title.
Talk about the upcoming fights this week, but also what New York is like - he's been staying in Manhattan between shows - and his first encounter with The Naked Cowboy.
Lawrence Okolie has boxed for 8 years.
In that time, he's become an Olympian and amassed a 14-0 record in the professional ranks.
As a current European Champion, he challenges for the WBO World Cruiserweight title against Krzysztof Glowacki in London on December 12.
Leigh Alliss is a Gloucestershire-based actor who has appeared in This County and Casualty among other programs. He also played the role of his father, Tony in a short film, Cowardice - which chronicled his father being shot dead in 1990. Leigh (then 14) was also shot in the incident.
Leigh was a professional boxer (challenging for an English title) and a professional MMA fighter before pursuing a career in acting. He keeps a small holding in rural Gloucestershire.
Discuss suggestions for the hypothetical scenario below, which was posted on my twitter account - @eddraper81 - November 9th.
"Picture a player whipping a cross into 'the corridor of uncertainty.' Who'd you see?"
Pedro Carvalho (11-3) challenges a legend of MMA, Pitbull for the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix on Thursay night (Friday morning in the UK).
The clash is live on Sky Sports in the UK, CBS Sports in the US.
Mark Halliwell has been a sports journalist for more than 30 years and for nearly a quarter of a century he's been covering Gloucestershire sport - including football clubs Cheltenham Town FC and Forest Green Rovers.
Mark has changed roles regularly in recent years as the effect of the internet has taken its toll on local papers' turnover and profit.
Here we discuss what measures papers could have taken to prevent the existential threat of free online content (namely, start charging for access) and why the rise of subscription platforms like The Athletic perhaps offers hope for local journalism.
Mark also commentates for BBC Gloucestershire on Cheltenham Town. You can follow him on Twitter @MarkHalliwell1 .
Running through answers to my football scenario posted Nov 2 2020 on my Twitter account @edddraper81.
" Picture a player riding a tackle and accelerating away. Who'd you see? For me, it's Diego Maradona. And I'd also throw Marta in there too."
Spencer Fearon is a former boxer, a former promoter, a trainer, and current Boxing historian and analyst. Here Spencer talks about the life and times of American boxer Jack Johnson (1878-1946) - who became the first black Heavyweight Champion of the World (in 1908). Johnson was the son of slaves and remains a seismic figure in boxing history and American society.
Corey Anderson is a former UFC fighter at light-heavyweight who makes his Bellator debut this week against Melvin Manhoef.
Scott Lindsey is a former professional football player for a long list of clubs including Gillingham, He's now working as a coach/manager.
As Assistant Manager at Forest Green Rovers, Scott helped steer the club into the football league.
He had to leave the job and return home to Kent when his wife, Hayley became terminally ill.
He is now manager of Chatham Town, but is also caring for his three daughters following his wife's passing.
Leah McCourt is a rising featherweight in Bellator MMA. She lives in Belfast and trains in Dublin. She's also a mother to Isabella.
Here she reviews Gegard Mousasi's win over Douglas Lima to claim Bellator's Middleweight title and updates me on her situation.
Full Youtube video of conversation at Sky Sports Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppoQOQTTQek
Douglas Lima is a Brazilian MMA fighter, based in Georgia, USA. He is Bellator's Welterweight Champion and fights Gegard Mousasi for the vacant Middleweight title early Friday morning (UK time) on Sky Sports.
Gegard Mousasi is a five-time mixed martial arts champion across different organisations.
He goes up against Douglas Lima this Thursday night in Connecticut for the vacant Bellator Middleweight Title.
The show is broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports in the early hours of Friday morning.
Former UFC fighter reviews Khabib's victory and retirement from MMA with a 29-0 record. Is he the greatest MMA/UFC fighter of al time?
Video of chat available on Sky Sports Youtube channel.
Franny Benali played for Southampton Football Club between 1998 and 2004, making 389 appearances for the club - and scored one goal! A Premier League icon.
He grew up a Southampton fan and remains one today. He has completed formidable tests of endurance for the club's foundation and other charities.
Franny currently works as an analyst for Sky Sports and other media outlets and works as a keynote speaker.
He can be reached at http://www.francisbenali.com/
Mark, former UFC fighter and current MMA coach (based in Gloucester, England) previews Khabib Nurmagomedov's Lightweight Title defence against Justin Gaethje.
Preview video can be seen on Sky Sports Youtube page along with other MMA content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7-pYEPOwPU
Frank Smith rise from 'tea boy' at 16 to CEO of Matchroom Boxing Global is, for me, one of the most inspiring stories in British boxing - and business. He's still only 28. Frank's rise has coincided with Matchroom's stratospheric acceleration in boxing promotion over the past decade - the company (even in the pandemic) organises boxing shows around the world. Here, we have a chat about Frank and the business' story. And the importance of hard work and repetition to achievement.
Ash Loveridge is the former sports editor of the Stroud News and Journal and has covered sport in Gloucestershire for more than two decades.
In particular, he's long covered football team Forest Green Rovers.
He can currently be heard on BBC Gloucestershire commentating on FGR's games and his match reports for the Press Association are published across national press and online, including Sky Sports.
You can connect with Ash on Twitter: @AshLoveridge10
Jon Pitman runs the boxing gym, The Fight Factory in Gloucester, England.
Jon is the long-time trainer of Commonwealth and British Super Lightweight Champion Riiddy Riiddy Riival (aka Akeem Ennis-Brown).
Jon also trains a plethora of amateur and professional boxers and runs boxing-based fitness classes for members of the public of all ages.
Remembering the life and times of Charles L. (Sonny) Liston, former World Heavyweight Champion with former Cruiserweight World Champion Johnny Nelson. Also talk about how Johnny (and his doctors) believe he's recovering from Covd-19 - despite negative test results - and how unwell he has felt with it. Talk about Johnny's new boxing-based fitness programme too, 'Get On It.' More details: https://getonit.johnnynelson.co.uk/sales-page1599225225113
Run through social media suggestions for 'forgotten Premier League player.'
Discussion held on my twitter - @eddraper81 - on September 5 2020.
Born Cristiane Justino Venâncio, but known professionally as Cris 'Cyborg'.
The Brazilian fighter has world world titles across four MMA organisations, including The UFC and is currently Bellator's Featherweight Champion.
We talk up about her upcoming fight with Arlene Blencowe (live on Sky Sports in The UK) and longer term plans to try professional boxing - possibly against Ireland's two-weight World Champ Katie Taylor.
Cath Bishop is a three-time Olympian, a World Champion and Olympic silver medalist in rowing.
She's also worked as a diplomat, and a coach and a consultant. She teaches on Executive Education programmes at the Judge Business School, Cambridge University.
Here we discuss Cath's new book: The Long Win: The search for a better way to succeed.
MVP is a professional English MMA fighter with a record of 17-1. He has also competed in Boxing and Kickboxing.
He headlines the first ever major MMA event this week to take place in France, taking on Scotland's Ross Houston.
We also follow up on a conversation we had on Black Lives Matter in the summer and explore Michael's sense that maybe the push for equality has lost momentum.
This interview was recorded initially (as a video) for Sky Sports' Youtube and lots more MMA interviews like this are available there.
Paul Godfrey is a director, Club Secretary and historian of Cheltenham Town Football Club.
Here we talk about the financial pressures on the club and others in the lower leagues with the ongoing ban on supporters attending matches.
Tom McDermott covers Manchester United for newspapers, online and has his own podcast.
For more information on Tom's work check out of his Twitter account - @MrTomMcDermott.
Off the back of Manchester United's 6-1 home loss to Tottenham, we discuss - on Deadline Day - whether transfer signings are the answer or whether deeper holistic and structural work needs to be done to restore the club to one that contends for Premier League titles.
Dr Ranulf Crooke is a GP in Gloucestershire and co-founder of the Cotswold Optimal Health Clinic in Cheltenham.
Craig Paterson is a PHD researcher and Physiologist, a Sports Science expert, at The University of Gloucestershire.
Here the Ran and Craig put me through a VO2 Max test and metabolite analysis and we discuss the importance of cardiovascular health
- in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also all-round well-being and longevity.
James Gallagher is an Irish MMA fighter with a 10-1 record of his fight Saturday night in Milan.
I shared this interview here, that I recently conducted for Sky Sports, as felt it may help people struggling with uncertainty at this time.
This is the fourth time James has been slated to fight his opponent - Sunderland's Cal Ellenor - and offers some powerful insight into how he'd adapted mentally to cope with uncertainty and control the controllable both before and since the pandemic began.
Gareth A Davies is a British sports journalist for the Daily Telegraph and several international broadcasters, covering boxing and MMA.
Here I catch up with him - for Sky Sports - after Paul Daley, previous guest on the podcast, fails to make weight and is taken to hospital in Italy.
Gareth was live on the spot in Milan and we spoke about the dangers of weight cutting and the broader issues facing boxing and MMA in the pandemic era (where fans aren't allowed into events).
You can follow Gareth and his journalism on Twitter @GarethADaviesDT
Paul Daley has been a professional MMA fighter since 2003.
At the time of recording, he'd won 42 of 61 professional fights, 31 by knockout.
Dr Mark Draper - my father - is a GP in the Cotswolds.
He was previously an an anaesthetist and has worked in nutrition with a focus on micro-nutrition and trace elements like selenium and zinc.
Here we discuss antibody research in the British Medical Journal that indicates more Europeans may have been exposed to coronavirus than was previously thought.
And we discuss ways to optimise our immune systems to stave off not only covid but regular seasonal coughs and colds. On the note we discuss a new supplement from Cytoplan.co.uk, Immune Complete. (10% off supplements from the company with the code DRAPER10).
Ryan Lamb retired from playing pro rugby in the spring after a distinguished career for Gloucester, London Irish, Northampton, Leicester Tigers, Worcester, La Rochelle and Scarlets.
He also earned international recognition for England Saxons.
He's now back living in Gloucestershire (Cheltenham) with his family and is beginning his coaching career at Hartpury College.
Ryan talks about his fears for professional rugby amid the pandemic that's resulted in fans not being allowed into games.
Fabian Edwards is an undefeated MMA fighter from Birmingham, UK who currently competes in Bellator.
His brother, Leon competes in the UFC.
He's due to fight Costello van Steenis in Milan, Italy on Saturday September 26.
Ben Markall was a highly courted youth footballer and at the age of 13 moved from Cheltenham Town to then-Premier-League Stoke City.
But as his stellar rise stalled and when Ben returned to the lower leagues with Burton, his football career fell by the wayside as a gambling addiction took hold.
Ben, 24, is now preparing to play for Bracknell Town as a semi pro, but his focus is working to help guide and mentor young players away from the pitfalls of addiction and help them cope with the mental strain of 'trying to make it.'
You can reach him on Twitter: @BenMarkall
Tris is a longtime journalist and a former editor of Boxing News. He's also boxing Author with a new book Damage out next year.
Tris reflects on the return of the sport in the UK amid the pandemic, the passing of former World Champion Alan Minter and the importance of structure - and napping.
Tris has a fantastic in-podcast of his own, Boxing Life Stories: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/boxing-life-stories/id1436759230
My brother, JJ Draper talking about the complexities of the modern music industry and the destructive effect of the pandemic on artists' ability to make a living.
JJ also had COVID-19 in February/March and talks about the post viral fatigue he's had since.
He's got a new song out too: https://open.spotify.com/album/5rIxCeDUks5RoqBRbu9iGR?si=vNiUpbv1TJurCwJY_MEnPw
Chat to Jon Palmer who covers Cheltenham Town FC and other clubs for Gloucestershire Live.
We chat about about the health of the professional and semi-professional sports scene in the county amid the pandemic.
Jon also lectures in sport journalism at the University of Gloucestershire and we touch on the logistics of getting students back on site.
Jamie is a graphic designer from Gloucestershire who nearly died in a horror car crash in 2018.
The experience fueled him with his friend, Chris Boulton, a photographer, to create Soul Kind magazine:
The pair traveled across the UK and the USA interviewing and photographing inspiring and insightful men and women to get a sense of how to make the most of life.
The magazine is out - please order via the website: https://www.soulkindpeople.co.uk/
Running through a Footballers In The Mind's Eye scenario with one of my best friends, Everton fan, Dan Kidd aka Pughie Wannabager.
The scenario was posted on my twitter - @eddraper81 - on August 24 if you want the visual reference.
People's contributions lead us on a mazy conversation about 90s footballers and teams.
Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte lost to Alexander Povetkin at the weekend.
Just a few thoughts here on why I still believe Dillian's life story and boxing success remains inspirational irrespective of the result.
Also a nod to a friend of the podcast Isaac Chamberlain's return to the ring after nearly two years out.
If you enjoy these style pods, please let me know - @eddraper81 on Twitter or @ed_draper81 on Instagram.
Ryan Bader is Bellator MMA's Light-heavyweight AND Heavyweight Champion.
He defends his light-heavy title on Saturday 3AM in the UK on Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports Mix.
Ryan was formerly an elite wrestler and and competed for Arizona State University.
Spencer - aka Master Knowledge online - is a former boxing, boxing trainer, promoter, historian and analyst.
He's also a motivational speaker.
He co-hosts a boxing podcast called The Fight is Right.
We worked together co-hosting Sky Sports' boxing podcast, Toe-2-Toe for nearly three years, 2014 to the end of 2016.
Below is a football scenario I posted on twitter - @eddraper81 - on July 30 2020. On this podcast I run through my social media friend's suggestion to the hypothetical. Please let me know if you enjoy this. I'm reviving it as a friend, who's a similar age to me, said it fired up his imagination thinking of current players and former stars.
Footballers In The Mind's Eye:
Picture a two-footed player?
Who'd you see?
For me, it's still David Ginola. But Mason Greenwood pops up in the brain a close second.
(listen to podcast for other suggestions to the scenario).
Josh Thomson was a longtime contender in the UFC and Bellator in mixed martial arts.
He was a lightweight champion in Strikeforce.
He's now an analyst and commentator and speaks here about his experiences at Bellator's comeback card (in the Bubble) at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut, USA.
As an amateur boxer, Anthony Fowler won Commonwealth Gold, World Championship bronze and competed at the Rio Olympics.
As a pro his record - at the time of recording - stands at 12-1. He's set to fight Adam Harper at the 'Matchroom Square Garden' on August 7 2020.
Outside of boxing, Anthony has a property business and promotes CBD Oil, which he credits for a huge boost in his well-being.
Riiddy Riidy Riival (birth name Akeem Ennis-Brown) goes for the British and Commonwealth Boxing titles on September 1 - broadcast free to air on IFL TV Youtube channel for UK viewers. It will be on ESPN in the USA.
Riidy is 24 and has an undefeated record of 13-0. You can follow him on Twitter @RiidyRiival
Scott has been the President of Bellator since 2014. Previously he founded and ran Strikeforce. He has a background in Taekwondo.
Bellator returns for its first show since the pandemic began this Friday night (Saturday AM) in the UK. And this is an interview with Scott for Sky Sports talking about the logistical complexities involved.
Nick is a youth football coach at Cheltenham Town and is head of Talent ID at the club. He is also a Bridge Football Academy Director, which works with young players who’ve been released from pro clubs and tries to earn them a second chance.
Former English Super Welterweight Champion Adam Harper, from Tewkesbury, who's returning to boxing after a 23-month layoff.
Adam's brain scans were reviewed and he's been allowed to box again. He takes on former Commonwealth amateur champion Anthony Fowler live
on Sky Sports on August 8th.
James Golden has 20 years experience in the fitness business, including training professional athletes and running his own gyms.
Now he has personal clients and mainly works out of Daylesford Organic Farm in the Cotswolds. His areas of specialism are in weight management and performance training.
James' website: www.thefitnesspro.co.uk
Jaydee is a national sports broadcaster in the UK, currently reporting for Sky Sports News and presenting Sky's NBA basketball coverage.
He helps communities in the Caribbean and Africa through his own philanthropic organization: https://thejaydeedyerfoundation.org.uk/about-us.
He's a passionate campaigner for equality and a public supporter of the global Black Lives Matter movement.
Like me, Jaydee's first TV job was in small-town America - Arizona, in his case.
Lianne has won 50 England caps, scoring 15 goals for her country. She's had a storied club career in football that so far has included time at Arsenal making her debut at 14), Chelsea, Espanyol, DC United and Juventus. She's also a Manchester United fan and we talk about her hero, Eric Cantona in this episode. Lianne was the first openly gay player in the England's Women team and has a strong advocate for equality for all - particularly in relation to sexuality and skin colour.
Tania specialises in Early Years Physical Development of children and Health and Wellbeing. She's the author of Learning through Movements. You can find out more about her work and upcoming publications at www.binspireduk.co.uk. In this conversation Tania shares her thoughts on how parents should approach the new challenge of becoming pseudo-teachers during the pandemic.
Michael competes in Bellator and has a 17-1 record at the time of the interview. He also has background in kick boxing and boxing and supports Manchester United in football.
Here we also talk about the Black Lives Matter movement and the quest for equality for all.
Heather Hardy is a former WBO Feather weight champion boxer and is also an MMA Fighter. She’s a mother and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Lekan holds a degree in a Mechanical Engineering and a prospering career as a Software Test Analyst at Sky.
But in his spare time, he’s been working towards his dream of becoming a professional boxer and was on the verge of getting his license when the global pandemic put his plans on hold.
Lekan was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria before moving to Glasgow, Scotland at the age of 13. He talks candidly about the racism he’s faced and his thoughts on the surge in public support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Paul Godrey is Club Secretary of Cheltenham Town Football Club. He's also a historian of the club. Here we talk about the financial and logistical challenges of lockdown and Cheltenham's involvement in the impending League Two playoffs. Also discuss the feasibility of lower league football being played next season if the coronavirus pandemic still prevents fans from attending.
Dr Mark Draper - my father - is a GP in England and has been a medical doctor for 40+ years. He's also a qualified nutritionist and helps design supplements.
His keen area of focus are trace elements - particularly selenium, which he believes is detrimentally low in UK soil.
Here we talk about ways we can optimize our immune system at this time of a pandemic and in the future.
Spencer Fearon an ex boxer, promoter and historian and is also a motivational speaker. Spencer was early supporter of the BlackLivesMatter movement and a campaigner for equality.
Dan Lawrence, @Perform365 on social media, has worked with a raft of elite athletes including boxers and NFL Players.
He's Head Of Performance for Matchroom Boxing working with fighters including John Ryder and Conor Benn.
Here we talk about the challenges of coaching boxers and everyday civilians remotely during lockdown. Talk about the importance of creating discipline around a daily routine during lockdown including switching off from devices and protecting sleep. Also, discuss whether the coranvirus crisis will spark a sustained interest in health and wellbeing in the UK public.
James Pope is a former headteacher, who's now working as a positive psychology coach with education professionals, the police, military and others
Here we talk about the philosophy of positive psychology and how taking a proactive approach to having good mental health can help us all perform well - in sport and life. That's opposed to the reactive approach of waiting until we have an issue or reach a breakdown point. A key focus is how we recover from past trauma and deal with memories that may be impeding us, consciously or subconsciously.
For more information: Innerarmour.org and InspiredEDucate.co.uk/inner-armoured.html. James is @popejames on Twitter.
NB I lost James for around 40 seconds, 21 minutes into the podcast, but we pick up the conversation from there so apologies for the clunky section.
Tony Bellew won a world title at cruiserweight. contended and light-heavyweight and twice beat David Haye at heavyweight.
Here he talks about his love of MMA and the potential for boxers and MMA fighters to compete against each other.
Paula was the 3rd British and 14th International Woman to Ski Full Distance from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole - a 1000 KM trek - and has completed an impressive list of other challenges.
She is also an expert and consultant in the field of adventure psychology.
Here we talk about how the concept of 'going knowingly into the unknown' can be useful in everyday life right now as we encounter the uncertainty brought on by the global pandemic.
To find out more about Paula and her work head to https://www.paulareid.com/
Ran is a GP in Gloucestershire and co-founder of the Cotswold Optimal Health Clinic. Talk about the situation he’s facing currently with coronavirus and his tips for maximising health and immunity.
Interview with retired elite level mixed martial arts fighter Chael Sonnen who contended at Middleweight, Light heavyweight and heavyweight. He was a prominent athlete in both the UFC and Bellator.
Throw back episode - interviewing actor Danny Dyer in my radio days in 2009. Danny is now best known for acting in East Enders, but has also been in loads of films including cult classic Human Traffic. Danny's from East London and supports local football club West Ham United.
Six months on from John’s contentious defeat in his world title loss to Callum Smith, catch up with him to see how he’s handling lockdown. Talk about homeschooling his daughter, trying to stay fit and fighting in empty arenas when boxing resumes.
An interview with former UFC referee John McCarthy who currently works as a host and analyst for Bellator.
It was recorded for Sky Sports (thanks to my employers for the use of the audio) ahead of UFC 249, which was the first big sports event to go ahead in the western world in weeks. Will this be a template for all sports going forward?
Talk about how that event could set a precedent for combat sports and the practical considerations for fighters seeking to cross over from MMA into boxing - or vice versa.
Johnny ( born Ivanson Ranny) Nelson is the longest reigning World Cruiserweight Champion of all time. He held the WBO title from 1999 to 2005. This after losing his first three professional fights. Johnny is now a presenter and analyst for Sky Sports. Here he provides an inspiring account of how the sport and his trainer, Brendan Ingle changed his life.
Enzo Maccarinelli held the WBO World Cruiser Title from 2006 to 2008 and is a former European Champion. He also contended at light heavyweight and remains determined to have a 50th and final pro fight.
Tris is the former editor of Boxing News and has covered the sport for print, online and broadcast media. He’s written several books on the sport and its stars. In particular, we discuss his book Road To Nowhere. Tris also competes in CrossFit.
Jon Palmer is a sports journalist for Gloucestershire Live and other outlets. He also teaches journalism at the University of Gloucestershire. Here we talk about the financial impact of the coronavirus lockdown on local sports clubs, small businesses and on students’ futures.
John has produced an e-book out called How To Survive a Pandemic. Here we talk about how we can all draw on the lessons of those who’ve survived extreme isolation in the past to remain healthy in body and mind during the coronavirus lockdown.
James Golden is a fitness and lifestyle coach with vast experience of working with athletes and non-athletes to achieve their bespoke goals. He’s found online under the moniker @aka_thefitnesspro. He’s also the father of four and interesting talk here about the positives - those of us not physically affected by coronavirus - we can take health wise around more sleep, rest and exercise.
Michael is Cheltenham Town football manager and a former Premier League player with Burnley. Here we talk about the effect of the coronavirus on players psyche ( isolation and uncertainty) and the financial impact on football. Apologies for connection quality at this time.
My father, Dr Mark Draper is a medical doctor (GP) in the UK and researcher into micro nutrition. Here we answer general questions ( from social media) about Coronavirus and discuss the importance of selenium in bolstering our immune systems.
Chris is one of my best and longest friends. But we usually just joke around so haven’t previously taken the time to explore a condition that really stretched him to his mental limits. Here we talk about his struggles with tinnitus and how mindfulness not medication helped him get a handle on the condition. We also talk about his current isolation due to Coronavirus - he lives on his own in Dubai and hadn’t spoke to anyone in person for 14 days.
Adam Harper has had a rollercoaster 18 months. In September 2018 he won an English title in his 10th professional fight and felt on the cusp of huge nights to come. But then a brain scan led to all plans being ripped up and Adam announced his retirement. Then his mother’s illness led to a review of all his career brain scans and opened up the chance of a comeback. It was set for April. But then the Coronavirus came...Apologies for audio issues, having to record remotely on phone during the Coronavirus crisis in the UK.
Trip down memory lane with fellow Manchester United fan and journalist who covers the club to this day - Tom McDermott. Looking at the 90s glory days and our favourite players of boyhood and beyond. Apologies for drop out midway thru - recording through phones due to Coronavirus.
Chat with Dr Ranulf Crook on the Coronavirus Crisis in the UK ( and wider world). He’s a GP and also runs the Cotswold Optimal Health clinic in Cheltenham.
My father, Dr Mark Draper has been a medical doctor 40 years and currently works as a GP in the Cotswolds. He’s also qualified in nutrition and has helped design supplements. Here we talk about what the medical service in the UK is experiencing during the Coronavirus outbreak, symptoms, boosting immunity, considerations for who does childcare and how we might know when ‘normal’ life can resume.
Chat with Paul and John about the financial picture facing lower league football clubs like Cheltenham Town FC in the current postponement of fixtures due to Coronavirus. John played for Cheltenham, Lincoln and Nottingham Forest too so offers a player’s perspective.
Sarah Townsend has been a freelance copywriter and editor for 20 years. She’s used that experience to write a book to guide people into the fundamentals of entering the freelance world and the psychological differences to being an employee. Interesting conversation on the process of dealing with uncertainty, which is pertinent to freelancers and, indeed, everyone affected by corona virus at the moment. More about Sarah’s book can be found here http://survivalskillsforfreelancers.com/.
Jon Palmer has covered Cheltenham Town Football Club for 20 years, including a spell working for the club. He’s also a journalism lecturer at The University of Gloucestershire. Cool conversation about lower league football and the evolution of journalism in the internet age.
Cheltenham-based singer song writer Vince Freeman has been a professional musician for 20 years. He’s had top 10 hits across Europe and starred on TV show The Voice. He’s also a tennis coach! Cool chat on the music industry, how tennis informed his career and how fatherhood changed his outlook to business.
Will Boyle is now Cheltenham’s longest serving outfield player - he’s been there just three years. Good catch up with Will who’s playing as an attacking centre half in Cheltenham’s brave and positive system. Also talk about the tricky aspect of planning a personal life in such an uncertain profession.
Joe Ballinger is a Cheltenham-based body builder, former powerlifting world champion and rugby player. He’s also available to train other bodybuilders through his Instagram @joeballingerfitness
Cheltenham nurse Jen is co-founder of the Kambia District Foundation, a charity aimed at improving the health and education of children in the Kambia region of Sierra Leone. As part of this, they support a football team - Cheltenham Town FC. Thought provoking conversation about the toughness of life in the African country and the related mental resilience and ‘happiness’ of the residents.
Gloucester’s Johnny Melfah is a former British title contender who fought some legendary names in boxing including Herol Graham, Chris Eubank and Steve Collins. Despite his prestigious CV, Johnny had to work fulltime for much of his fighting career as a brick layer. Really candid look at the tough financial reality of the sport. Johnny’s a father of seven - four boys, three girls - and talks about the importance of teaching self defence to children.
Former Cheltenham Town and Bradford footballer turned property developer Shane Duff. Shane recently celebrated two years full time in property and has a multi millionaire project coming to the market in Cheltenham currently. He’s also the father of two children under the age of 3. Good chat on using the resilient psychology Shane developed in becoming a footballer to facing fears and calculating risk in his new career.
Mark Weir, ‘The Wizard’, from Gloucester, won world titles in Tae Kwon Do before moving on to mixed martial arts and playing an instrumental role in bringing the UFC to the UK 🇬🇧. Mark also fought in the WEC, PRIDE, Cage Rage and more. He’s a qualified engineer, but since retiring in 2014 ( aged 45) he’s focussed on coaching combat sports in Gloucester. Mark also talks about growing up in a Jamaican household in rural England in the 1970s.
Nick set up the Hollie Gazzard Trust In memory of his daughter who was murdered at the age of 20. The Trust is aimed at helping young people in numerous ways from reducing domestic abuse, teenage dating violence and knife crime. Nick is a former Cheltenham Town footballer and the club has adopted The Hollie Gazzard Trust as its official charity this season. On February 15 the club is hosting a special day to promote the Trust at the match versus Leyton Orient.
Sat down with Fitness expert James Golden and Anthony Astbury from The Wholeman Academy to talk about men’s health. Talking on a raft of topics including exercise, the importance of socialising, sleep, fatherhood, daylight work stress, anxiety, stepping away from digital devices and much more. We’re hosting an event this Saturday January 11, 9AM at Daylesford Organic Farm ( in the Cotswolds) to discuss these matters further in a relaxed setting. Tickets can be purchased on the Daylesford website.
Tim Treloar is a survival expert who teachers Outdoor Adventure at Hartpury College. He also teaches survival privately - @ttadventuresltd.com - and runs ultramarathons in extreme conditions in his spare time. Tim has also worked on TV shows with Bear Grylls.
Cheltenham resident Mark Hopkins played as offensive lineman for the Swindon Steelers, The Manchester Spartans, the GB Lions and several other teams as a pioneer of American football in the UK. He went onto coach with some distinction for the Bristol Aztecs among other roles. In 2007 Mark was inducted into the British Gridiron American Football Hall of fame. Also, a husband, father, grandfather and for 41 years worked as a bricklayer.
Run through responses to the following scenario ( get involved @eddraper81 on Twitter):
Picture a player 'skinning' an opponent down the line.
Who'd you see?
Ryan Giggs circa 1994, for me.
Jack Deaman is a former Wrexham, Birmingham City, Cheltenham Town, Salford City, Hereford United and Gloucester City player. Jack retired at 25 to pursue a business career with Gloucester company Nutrition X that supplies supplements to lots of sports clubs, including Premier League teams.
Run through people’s selections to the hypothetical sequence below - conversation housed on my Twitter @eddraper81
‘Striker pulls into the channel between centre half and full back, takes a touch and scoops the ⚽️ over the outrushing goalkeeper.
Who’d you see?
For me, Robbie Fowler.
Charlie co-writes and co-stars in This Country - a cult BBC mokumentary set in the Cotswolds in rural England. He plays Lee ‘Kurtan’ Mucklowe. He also loves football - big Fulham fan and played youth football for Cirencester Town!
Run through people’s suggestions on twitter (@eddraper81) for the following hypothetical: Footballers In the Mind's Eye 👁️
Player runs along the six yard line to meet a near post cross and scores past the goalkeeper with a glancing header.
Who'd you see?
For me, David Platt.
Loads of alternative suggestions run through from my twitter friends here - let me know if you enjoy it!
Chatting to my mate and fellow Sky Sports Presenter Pete Graves about football fandom. Pete’s a Newcastle United fan and has a passionate social media following of people devoted to the club. Is being a fan good for us though?
Spin off of popular hypotheticals posted on Twitter - running through football fans’s suggestions for the below scenario: Footballers in the mind’s eye 👁:
Player powers onto loose ball. With first touch, bursts past an opponent and then unleashes a piledriver into the bottom corner from 25 yards.
Who’d you see?
Steven Gerrard, for me.
David Brear played 11 sports to county level and basketball to a high level. David is also a Norwich City FC season ticket holder. Here we talk about how sport has inspired his approach to being CEO of 11FS, a company going from strength to strength in the Fintech world. Lengthy chat on Michael Jordan as an exemplar in sport and business and styles of leadership in football, including Pep Guardiola’s.
Thoughts on a powerful and compelling night of boxing at the O2 arena. Made my commentary debut as Josh Taylor beat Regis Prograis in the main event to win the World Boxing Super Series Super Lightweight title & several other baubles.
Lucy Shepherd at 27 is a highly experienced adventurer, specialising in Arctic and mountainous conditions. She also leads expeditions to the Artic, which are open to members of the public. Next up she’s revisiting the Amazon jungle in Guyana on an unprecedented trek - last time she had a close encounter with a jaguar. @lucysheps is the handle to follow Lucy on social media.
Martin St Quinton has had a prolific and hugely successful business career, buying and selling more than 70 companies. Now, while still active in business, he is Chairman of Gloucester Rugby and The Cheltenham Racecourse. Cracking chat about sport, business and life.
Danny talks through his distinguished career that included spells at West Brom, Cardiff City, West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers & the Wales national team. Great chat about football and life!
Miles heads up the hugely successful Cheltenham business, SLG, which works with brands like Superdry & Zoella.
SLG was also headline sponsor for the inaugural Cheltenham Wellbeing Festival. A desire to keep staff well and happy, spurred Miles to create SLG's incredible new multimillon-pound office in the heart of Cheltenham - complete with tropical plants and bleachers!
Cracking conversation about how sport can help prepare people for business (rugby, hockey and football) and the dynamics of working with family members - in the office and on the sports field.
John Hudson- originally an RAF pilot - trains members of the UK 🇬🇧 military to survive in extreme situations. He’s written a book on how those survival principles can be adapted to help people function & perform better in their day to day. The book’s called ‘How to Survive: Lessons For Everyday Life From the Extreme World. Also talk about the importance of getting outdoors and chat surfing 🏄♂️ & rugby 🏉.
Two Irish footballing friends, Sean & Kevin - now either side of a Gloucestershire football ⚽️ rivalry - talk about their recent inspirational trip to coach the game in Sierra Leone. Jen David orchestrated the trip and has long since helped communities in the country, having originally worked as a nurse there. Jen’s a trustee of Kambia District Foundation.
Sport, health and fitness chat with hugely experienced trainer James Golden. From working with elite footballers ⚽️ to high flying corporate clients fascinating to hear how James help people improve performance and feel better. James is a resident trainer at Daylesford Organic Farm in the Cotswolds - where we recorded a co conversation. We’ll do a longer, more specific chat on training soon!
Cheltenham Town striker Luke Varney talks about his long & exciting career in football ⚽️ - he’s played non league, league two, league one, Championship & Premier League. Cool chat about life lessons & experiences of playing at historic clubs like Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday & more.
I hosted five events at the inaugural Cheltenham Wellbeing Festival - here are a few takeaways from the experts I spoke to on health, fitness, architecture, parenthood & loneliness.
Chris Coley has been involved with and supported Cheltenham Town ⚽️ FC, Gloucestershire Cricket 🏏 Club, The Cheltenham Horse Racing 🏇 Festival & organised clay pigeon shooting events. This alongside careers in teaching & then building his own very successful hospitality business around sport. Now in his 70s, he still owns horses & is heavily involved in sport.
Chat with trainer Fergal O’Brien about his lifelong dedication to horses 🐎 & what how the sport has taught him life lessons. Fergal is on Twitter & is always keen to have people up to his yard in Gloucestershire (20 minutes outside of Cheltenham) to watch the horses in action.
Very fortunate to be ringside to see Vasili Lomachenko beat Luke Campbell in a boxing 🥊 match of high class and compelling exchanges. Reflections here on watching true mastery at work.
I’m hosting a series of fitness & health talks at the Cheltenham Wellbeing Festival. Run through them here.
Paul Cooper plays Martin Mucklowe in the BBC comedy This Country. But he’s also been a football ⚽️ fan & youth coach for decades - and organises ‘peace games’ to bring divided groups of people together.
Will Boyle is a 23 yo player for Cheltenham Town - formerly Huddersfield Town, Kilmarnock FC & Kiddderminster Harriers. Fascinating chat with Will about the psychological resilience needed to ‘make it’ & using/dealing with feedback.
Fun and inspirational chat with West Country boxer Joe Hughes. Joe won a European title despite effectively being one handed due to Erb’s Palsy ( paralysis of his right arm). Cracking tale about belief & focus. Let me know what you think.
Lot of talented young kids & teenagers get lost to football after ‘missing the cut’ for a variety of sporting & life reasons. Nick & others from the Bridge Football Academy are trying to create a second chance for youngsters in Gloucestershire ( and South West of England, generally). Working with clubs like Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers, Yeovil Town, Bristol Rovers and more. Cool chat too about the anxiety of trials and why we have to understand what young athletes are dealing with in their life when trying to identity elite talent. Let me know what you think!
After a great 👍 weekend of boxing in London, disappointed by the vitriol and judgement of Dave Allen. Think it’s unhealthy on all sides - especially when directed towards a man who’s shown bravery in abundance, in & out of the ring. Analysis over condemnation perhaps healthier. Love to know what you think - I’m on Twitter, Insta & LinkedIn etc.
Great to talking boxing 🥊- and it’s role in his general life - with Olympic medalist, British Champ and uni graduate - Mr Joshua Buatsi.
Further thoughts on what being a football ⚽️ fan adds - or takes away from our lives. Talking to my bro about the changing experience of being a Man U supporter since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Former Cheltenham Town footballer, turned coach and entrepreneur, Andy Tucker's story is an impressive tale of transformation.
Andy started his coaching company in the the afternoons after training sessions and now Andy Tucker Soccer Camps provide football coaching to more than 50 schools in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
Really enjoyed this chat about the life of lower league/non league football players and the challenge for sports men and women of finding a second career when their playing days are done.
Also cool on how to scale a small business that's built on your 'personal brand', keeping up standards of service and reputation.
Let me know if you like this - @eddraper81 - and please rate on Itunes. Thanks for
Four years into pro boxing 🥊 career, Adam Harper from Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire won the English Super Welterweight title in September 2018. The big time beckoned. But an adverse brain scan in January brought an abrupt end to his fighting career. He’s now training as a boxing referee and transitioning into a new career. Also talk about the mentors and discipline boxing has given Adam - he’s never met his real dad and left home at 16. Powerful chat and an inspirational character.
Michael Duff’s story is a corker - the only man ( we think) to play in all of the top eight football ⚽️ leagues in England. A journey that began with Carterton Town and reached the dizzying heights of the Premier League with Burnley. He’s now manager of the club where his career really kicked off as a player - Cheltenham Town. Talks about what he’s learnt from the managers he played for - particularly, Sean Dyche, who rang while I was with Michael and has been a consistent mentor. Really enjoyed this chat about life, ambitions, levels, the ego versus team unity, money and its effects and much, much more. Let me know what you think @eddraper81 on Twitter. Cheltenham Town is my local club so hoping it’s a good year ahead for Michael.
The Cheltenham Wellbeing Festival is coming to town in September! Great time talking exercise, health & technology with Lottie & Alex who are incredibly passionate about spreading helpful knowledge. cheltenhamwellbeingfestival.com for all the details. Love to know your feedback and appreciate you rating the podcast on iTunes etc.
Really enjoyed this chat with former Cheltenham captain & Bradford defender Shane Duff. We talk about his switch of mindset that allowed him to become a professional footballer and the same mindset that allowed him to pivot when injury curtailed his career at 28. Fascinating to hear how the life skills learned in football have allowed him to prosper in the world of property development. Also talk about the psychological experience of being compared to his older brother former PL player Michael Duff - now manager of Cheltenham. @eddraper81 for your feedback - hope you enjoy it. Pls review and share, if so. Thanks, Ed
Issac Chamberlain is a talented 25 yo Cruiserweight boxer, rebuilding after his first career loss. He’s also wise beyond his years. His mother cajoled him into boxing 🥊 after his cousin was stabbed to death. Isaac suspects gang life may have been his future were it not for the sport. From a tough neighbourhood in south London, he talks realistically and inspirationally about how kids in similar situations can avoid getting embroiled in street violence. He also talks candidly about a family member stealing money from him and how he dealt with it. We also go into the mental challenges of boxing politics and uncertainty over the next opponent. Let me know what you think @eddraper81
Fascinating chat with Racing car 🏎 driver Clayton Kingman - a man who made it from self promotion on twitter to race some of the world’s best cars on some of the most illustrious tracks in the world. From the almighty challenge of getting sponsorship and a car in the first place to the huge psychological and physical toll of competing at high speed. Good talk on nutrition & visualisation too. Hope you like it - let me know what you think on social media.
Great fun taking fitness and health with boxing 🥊 strength and conditioning coach Dan Lawrence. As Head Of Performance at Matchroom Boxing gym, Dan’s worked with elite boxers John Ryder, Conor Benn and many more. He’s also helped NFL Super Bowl winner Jay Ajayi and England 🏴 & Southampton footballer ⚽️ Ryan Bertrand. We cover the challenges of working with elite athletes and also health and fitness tips for the general public. Also talk about the connection between physical and mental health and current issues facing Uk 🇬🇧 society. Let me know what you think!
Great career/football chat with ‘Finners.’ Covering his time as a youth player at Nottingham Forest to Lincoln, to Cheltenham Town and his transition into a new career - he’s now commercial manager at the club. Let me know your thoughts. Loved this conversation.
Really fun and candid chat with pro rugby union player Gareth Evans. The uncertainty of the career, the injuries, the highs, the business side. Fascinating on the psychology of pro sport and also the consideration of the career to come.
Long chat with John about his potential world title shot in 2019 after eight years in professional boxing 🥊 - cover the ups and downs of his career and how he deals with the uncertainty as he awaits the magic phone call to say the World title shot - potentially against David Lemieux is on. Talk about life lessons of boxing too and how the lifestyle style and its pressures work (or don’t) with fatherhood. Touch a little on judgement from social media critics and the general health of Boxing 🥊- and why its popularity is on the rise. Let me know how you like it guys.
Thoughts on the subjectivity of judging Boxing 🥊 Matches - in the wake of UK 🇬🇧 outrage following draw in Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury.
Few thoughts on Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury. And the magical appeal of uncertainty, unknowns and ?s I’m Boxing 🥊 and in life.
Fascinating chat with the first pro boxer with type 1 diabetes to awarded a pro license. Muhammad Ali had to fight for it though. Compelling and courageous young man who boxes next in Manchester November 17. You send now he’s won his right to fight, the boxing will be an easier part of the journey. Let me know what you think.
Had a long phone conversation with Tony Bellew ahead of his challenge to Oleksandr Usyk, the Cruiserweight king, this weekend. Few thoughts here. Wrote a piece, which you can read here too: https://www.givemesport.com/1412429-tony-bellew-exclusive-i-can-shock-the-world-against-oleksandr-usyk
Seen a fair bit of vitriolic judgement flying around re Amir Khan after his WIN v Samuel Vargas. People getting very dismissive of Khan after a knock down and angry about his possibly choosing NOT to fight Kell Brook next. Thoughts on whether this is A) respectful and B) healthy to hold others in this righteous fury - particularly a former Olympic silver medalist and World Champion.
I really enjoyed talking boxing & life with Tony Bange. Tony had to put his blossoming boxing career on hold due to illness in his family. Some insight into the mindset required to make it in Sport plus also the life enhancing skills Tony has gained from competing. His return comes September 8th, York Hall, London.
Few thoughts on the PL opening weekend. The clamour for new players but the reality & complexity of fitting a new team. Does Football’s fascination with buying, and a sense of not having enough, reflect society? Get in touch with your thoughts - @eddraper81 on twitter.
Huddersfield and USA player Danny Williams talking football, life and the need for a relaxed, optimistic mindset in both.
Kiko Rodriguez had a lifelong career in the motor industry, but after shocked by what he witnessed his footballing son, Jay Rodriguez ( England international player) decided to open up an ethical agency. Interesting service station chat on some of the practices he’s seen and what he believes an agent/intermediary’s role should be.
Review chat with Chris Skudder in Kazan (joined by his tour guide Vasili) + journalist Tom McDermott. Thoughts on the tournament as a whole, the revitalisation of international football, England 🏴 and what could come next. Get in touch with us on social media with your thoughts.
England win on penalties for the first time at a World Cup. Discussing the seminal event and what it says about Gareth Southgate’s preparation of his players - tactically, physically and psychologically.
England finally win a penalty shoot out! Second in 8 total shoot outs! No accident though. Vindication of Gareth Southgate’s holistic approach to coaching - conditioning bodies and minds. My thoughts here - ping me your’s @eddraper81
Talking the surreality of England v Belgium & the World Cup so far with Chris (briefly before his phone drops out) & Tom in Manchester - before we lose him abruptly too! Apologies for roughhouse ending, but lots covered here. Get in touch with us on social media to have your say!
Historic day for the England football team - biggest ever win at the World Cup and thru to the last. Meanwhile the England cricket team whitewashed Australia for the first time EVER. Could the connection be in the emphasis on psychology and carefree - live-in-the-moment philosophies in both camps? All in the mind? Don’t fear, don’t overthink? Hit me up with your thoughts on twitter - @eddraper81
Shakespeare wrote ‘there is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.’ Just wonder if Lionel Messi’s strained expression for toiling Argentina offers a different view. What do you think? @eddraper81 on twitter - love to hear from you.
Thoughts on England’s win v Tunisia after an enjoyable watch in a pub in Ealing, West London. @eddraper81 on twitter - like to hear your thoughts.
Is there a sport that offers such hope and opportunity to the underdog as football? Not judging by the World Cup so far - where powerhouse nations Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Spain all failed to win on the opening weekend. Is there also a life lesson in there - don’t over-respect or be daunted by people with prestigious CVs. Get your tactics rights - who knows what can happen!
The World Cup is here! Talking tournaments & players past & present. England bent - as we’re English and - but cover loads of subjects. Also talk about going into a World Cup as parents - 28 years after we were both dragged into World Cup mania at Italia 90. Let us know your memories and predictions for Russia 2018.
Chatting to my mate, former boxer, promoter, current pundit & motivational speaker Spencer Fearon. Talking boxing & Life - how they reflect & inform each other
Great to have Tyson Fury boxing again - a skilful and characterful addition to the current heavyweight scene. Here though run through people extremely dissatisfied with the ‘contest’ v Sefer Seferi. Perhaps - following depression and dark days of addiction - this was a psychological feat, just getting into the ring. Maybe that was the point. And Fury prevailed. What do you think? Get in touch -@eddraper81 on twitter.
Talkkng about the power of football nostalgia with Sky Sports Presenter Adam Leventhal on his second career commissioning books that trade on football nostalgia. Is there a sweet spot for nostalgia - a time and age we romanticise in our minds? Adam's nostalgic club books are called 'Tales From'.
It’s the time when we’re all overwhelmed by football nostalgia - World Cup time. Few thoughts on the phenomenon and how pegged the emotion is to summertime. Will that affect our enjoyment of Qatar, watching from a shivering 🇬🇧?
Interview with West Ham and England u17 footballer Aji Alese. Insight into the psychological challenges young players 'trying to make it' face. And the importance of self belief in a world where external opinions vary. Also, the discipline required by a young player versus 'regular' teenagers.
Few thoughts about how a national debate over a footballer’s right to sport a certain tattoo evokes memories of 1950s USA and court cases about freedom of (symbolic) speech. When can we limit that freedom - do we need need detailed criteria. Also, few thoughts on fans’ furious attachment to their opinions and ‘being right.’
Real Madrid win a 4th CL in 5 seasons displaying once again an uncanny ability to relax and deliver in the big moments. To be in the Zone. To filter out the noise. In contrast, Liverpool’s keeper made mistakes he’d never make outside of ‘the occasion’. Few thoughts here - have a listen and let me know your thoughts.
Thoughts on Adonis Stevenson v Badou Jack. And, in particular, 40 yearold Stevenson’s ability to counter the effects of age to rally to a positive result. Also reflects the trend of boxers biggest paydays coming when their bodies are ebbing - mid to late 30s. Love to know your thoughts.
Sky Sports New Presenter Tom White is a passionate Sunderland fan. He’s had to read news of the team’s relegation out live on Air for the past two seasons. So is being a football fan good for our emotional health? How do we manage it? He says we can’t! @tomwhitemedia
Recorded some thoughts on #Bellew-Haye2, the undercard and the vibe at the o2. Night of nostalgia, the inevitability of ageing and the promise of coming stars. Very much like the emotions in life!
Talking Sport & Life with former world champion boxer Darren Barker. Talk about how the Sport helped him in life and the importance of being present in life & the ring. Please share!
Going thru your tweets/predictions on Haye v Bellew 2 - the heavyweight boxing rematch. Focus on the role of Father Time. My prediction here too for those who’ve asked!
Sky Sports fellow presenter @TonyWrighton on Sport, Life & Energy. Check out his podcast @Zestology too! RTs appreciated!
My wife’s known me for 15 years ( well - knew for 25 all in). During that time I’ve built a career in live radio & tv. But she says she’s never seen me as nervous as last night preparing to play football with Paul Scholes & other ex pros. Played & loved it. Put me in mind of Eleanor Roosevelt fabled advice to do something every day that that scares us. How do we achieve that though? My thoughts here - love to hear your take. RTs etc appreciated.
Had some great tweets about managing the emotional fallout when our football teams fail. Can we develop a mindset to keep on an even keel? Stay invested while dropping the mood swings?
Recorded a few thoughts on how the timing of free-thinking, imaginative Arsène Wenger’s arrival at Arsenal in the autumn of 96 was incredible timing. He married with a group of disciplines, dogged and defensively attuned winners who needed liberating. How vital is timing in Sport & Life?
Big fan of self-awareness as a key platform for achievement in sport and life. But @matthewsyed identifies resilience as paramount. Run through some thoughtful tweets here.
Had some thoughtful tweets this week - @eddraper81 - on potential matchups in heavyweight boxing involving Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder & Anthony Joshua. Connect those to concept of self-awareness and maximising strengths and minimises weaknesses here. #boxing
Gary Johnson, Cheltenham Town manager. Talk about his life in football and what we can learn from sport. Let me know your thoughts - @eddraper81 on twitter
Jurgen Klopp’s teams have beaten Pep Guardiola’s teams more than any other manager’s. So, despite Pep’s stunning success over the big sample (league) should he tweak his style and tactics next season when he faces Klopp’s Liverpool? Are football ‘principles’ really analogous to principles of how we live life? Thoughts here...
An incredibly successful football player and coach. But I found Ray Wilkins inspirational for how he was a person. His warmth, humility, grace and enthusiasm for life. Recorded some thoughts.
Some people in some countries don’t have the choice of doing what they enjoy. But when you have the choice, what if you chose something you don’t love? If it’s a sport like Boxing, surely a big risk? Thoughts on brave David Price’s defeat.
Why I enjoyed the fight and incredibly, inexplicably, it went similar to how I thought it might. Kudos to Joshua for skill demonstration to back up the physical and Joseph Parker for his bravery and cleverness. Few thoughts. Like to know your’s.
Asked for gameplans for Jospeh Parker as he aims to topple the ever formidable Anthony Joshua. Some crackers!
Had a lot of insightful tweets after Dillian Whyte’s win over Lucas Browne - run through them here with most in consensus that Whyte’s skill set and mindset is improving. Please listen and give your thoughts. Ed
Dillian Whyte aiming to continue his less prominent, but dogged subplot to the Anthony Joshua brightly lit story Saturday night v big punching Lucas Browne. Going thru a few of your tweets and discussing Dillian's determination to stay in the mix for a big moment.
Boxing is buzzing right now. Can’t turn on the radio, tv or social media without hearing the Sport talked about. Is it second to football now in terms of popularity? Or is it a peak attached to one man - Anthony Joshua. If not, what is number 2? Few thoughts recorded on the topic...
Why has Football captured the world’s imagination? (Bar a few countries) same Same origins as rugby but spread has been so much more all encompassing.
Few tales from Cheltenham and thoughts on the booze culture around Sport. Love to know your take!
Lionel Messi mastered the key moments to help Barcelona beat Chelsea in the Champions League. Thoughts on how is ability to be zoned into the moment is part of greatness and why an intellectual/statistical comparison between Messi + Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t reflect the magic factor. Also point out how underpriced and undervalued goalkeepers are - DeGea may well have denied Messi!
Man United exit the CL with a whimper - but even if they’d won through would the W justify the lack of verve and passion. Should we be offensive unless forced to be defensive - like v Man City or Roberto Duran in boxing? Do wins in life count irrespective of how they’re gained? Look at boxing and how Ws can be down to vagaries of judges opinions, so surely the process and performance is where the lessons are gained if a W is necessary as the goal. Thoughts appreciated!
Man City have great individual players but surely collective performance is greater than the sum of their parts. Look at Muhammad Ali, boxing, horse racing too in thoughts on SYNERGY
What boxers bouncing back from losses and failures can teach us in life. Few thoughts here re James Degale and Scott Quigg
Not a Liverpool football club fan. But Klopp brings joy and apparent gratitude to his job as Liverpool manager. Despite operating in a world beset by talk of ‘Football’. Pretty inspirational.
Saddened by stories of pitch invasions at West Ham United. Keen to get an understand of this specific situation and also the pros and cons of being fans in our lives. How much emotional investment should we make? And do we not think players, coaches and owners share the goal of winning? How important is patience for long term success? Thoughts here on the audio blog. #westham #pitchinvasion #fananger
Deontay Wilder put me in mind of the Fosbury Flop with his performance Saturday night. He shifts the Boxing paradigm with his unorthodoxy leaving it hard for analysts to assess his potency or make any kind of prediction on Joshua-Wilder. Love it!
Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey from tricky, pacy, sometimes fanciful winger to a prolific forward who scores with both feet and is as good in the air as a traditional ‘target man ‘ striker is an inspiration. Take a look at some of the developments in his career that’s still going strong at 33 - and why I feel we can all learn from it.
Was asked recently to give thoughts on whether skill level is enough to ‘achieve’ in Boxing? Thoughts here...
A cosmopolitan Frenchman and the storied romance with an old English lady - destined to end in divorce? An imperfect metaphor perhaps, but let me know your thoughts!
Some of my favourite images from Sport are two boxers embracing, unified in mutual respect and understanding of each other. Or footballers shaking hands after a gruelling encounter and praising their opponents. This unifying vision can maybe aid western society right now where online acrimony would have you believe we’re different. My thought, debate Brexit etc but avoid the sense that we’re all separate and diametrically opposed. Hi
A few years ago when I hosted the no 1 boxing podcast in the world, analysts would tell me Luis Ortiz was the best heavyweight in the world. Now few give up a chance in the world title fight v Deontay Wilder Saturday night. Why? His motivation has gone as he has money? Father Time? Familiarity exploded the myth? Thoughts here - please listen and message me on Twitter @eddraper81 or instagram ed_draper81.
Is it about entertaining or winning? Or both? Look at the history and consider what Sport means to fans.
About winning or entertaining? Both? Heated debate this week after #ManchesterUnited’s scoreless and attritional draw in Seville. My thoughts on footballs history as escapist entertainment, but also people’s emotional investment in the result.
Thoughts on how and why boxers and comedians have always inspired me. Primarily because of their raw ability to face down fear to enter the arena. Inspirational to all of us in life.
In the FA Cup, players from the third tier of English football collaborate to beat multimillionaire super stars from the premier league. How? Powerful lessons in synchronicity, teamwork and belief. The fluidity of English football where Premier League teams can tumble down the divisions also contains powerful life lessons.
George Groves beat Chris Eubank JR in the big boxing match Saturday night in Manchester, England with a skilful,well-planned is a performance. Here are some thoughts on life lessons that lie within it - in my opinion.
Do we double down on strengths or work on improving our weaknesses? Considering this theme in connection with huge boxing match In Manchester on Saturday night - Groves V Eubank JR. a fast starter v a fast finisher. Do they tweak plan to accommodate weaknesses or focus on their strengths. What’s best in Sport & life?
New Zealand heavyweight boxer, Joseph Parker imparted some great wisdom this week as he prepares to fight Anthony Joshua in a world title unification fight. What he said and my take on it here...
As a national broadcaster yesterday was a tough day - having to break live news re the jury returning verdicts of guilty for paedophilic coach Barry Bennell. Tough to retain composure on air, tough as a parent to be swamped with fear about the world. But as a former youth Football also saddening as a fear that that vital endeavour is tarnished. As a kid, I learned a fantastic array of physical, mental, emotional and social skills from being coached and more still from being a coach. Here I reflect on how vital it isn’t that good men and women aren’t deterred from youth coaching. Thanks - Ed
England beat Wales at the weekend in rugby 12-6. But rather than focus on the positive aspects of his side’s performance the England coach was most verbose when railing against opinions expressed in the media about one of his players. I ask can we be fulfilled in life and Sport if our emotions rise and fall according to the vagaries of others’ opinions and comments?
Harry Kane is a footballer for Tottenham Hotspur who has scored 23 PL goals this season. I’ve presented coverage of his exploits for the last 3/4 years on Sky Sports News. His rise to prominence has been rapid but the objective improvement in his skill set is something I believe we can all use as inspiration in everyday life - every moment.