Olympic Athlete. Speaker. Coach. Woman of Faith.
Who else is someone who, in general, catastrophises? For instance, you have a bad competition opener and immediately your thoughts spiral into how this will be your worst season ever and maybe it’s time to throw in the towel and I’m clearly hanging on too long and oh dear, what if I never jump far… Continue reading This is a catastrophe! Or is it…?
In mid-April, I spent a few days in Portugal - my first time abroad all year. It’s crazy to type that, as my ‘past’ life feels like I spent more time OUT of the country than in the country. ‘The country’ meaning the UK - Manchester, England to be precise - for those who are… Continue reading Familiarity Breeds Content: How to Find Joy in Familiar Places
18 athletes, coaches and their high performance team consultants feature in this latest episode of the Define Your Success podcast that was released on Tuesday 10th January 2023. The aim is weekly releases each Tuesday, featuring in-depth conversations with Britain's best athletes - Olympians, Paralympians and their High Performance Teams. I also have guests that… Continue reading How Britain’s Best Athletes Define Success
I'm going to let you in on a little secret... But before that, let me remind you of the first two parts in this series - In Part 1 of my 2022 season debrief, I remind myself and you guys of the victories I’ve achieved in this second wind of my athletics’ career, culminating in… Continue reading 2022 Part 3 (Finale): A little secret…
I've been in the room for a fair few memorable team captain speeches. But, perhaps for the pure simplicity of it, Jodie Williams' 2021 European Indoor Champs speech is the stickiest. Two words: Back yourself. It sticks all the more because of what I know (who really knows what someone has or is going through?)… Continue reading 2022 Part 2: Three Questions to ask for a better shot next time!
This second wind of my athletics career was supposed to be smooth sailing, but 2022 has proven that expected truth to be a complete fallacy. In 2018 (my first comeback year post-achilles tendon rupture and mini retirement) I jumped 6.60m+ to qualify by distance for the European Championships in Berlin that year. Unfortunately, at the… Continue reading 2022 Part 1: Disappointment and Shame
I first competed at the Commonwealth Games (albeit the youth version) in 2008. Fourteen years later, I've been selected to represent Team England at my first (real) Commonwealth Games (the Commonwealth Youth Games doesn't count at the Senior performance level). If I'm honest, this one has taken longer to achieve than my Olympic dream. In… Continue reading 14 Years Later… I’m Going to The Commonwealth Games!
Hi! I've created a podcast - Define Your Success - available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Have you listened to any episodes yet? You can also watch one of the episodes on YouTube about the power of conviction and commitment to accomplish the hard, but important and valuable things in your life. https://youtu.be/fmSI-SHOBFE That's one… Continue reading 2021 Reflections – How to Review & Reflect for a Better Tomorrow
But that's not what I want to share with you in this post; I want to give you the insider's view of the Olympic experience, including shadowing my steps from my arrival at Heathrow airport, Terminal 5 to the Team GB holding camp in Yokohama, Japan to entering the Olympic village filled with athletes from countless sports and nations across the world and my first look at the incredible stadium - devoid of people, but filled with the weight of expectation and thick with the anticipation of competitors, coaches and citizens of Japan, volunteering to guide, encourage and cheer us on. Are you ready? It's a long read...
When finishing 11th in the world feels like failure. That’s what I originally wanted to title this blog in the immediate aftermath of my Olympic final. But thankfully I’ve had a week to reflect. (I drafted this blog on 10th August!) With friends, family and fans of the sport sending encouraging messages and celebrating my… Continue reading My Olympic Debrief: I’m An Olympic Finalist + BONUS Coaching Tips!