In this episode, Martin and JP discuss addiction with addiction specialist nurse, Pam Diamond, a seasoned mental health nurse with a privileged career dedicated to addiction and trauma, particularly within the military environment. Pam shares her unique insights from years working with the Royal Marines and other services, revealing the hidden struggles faced by high-performing individuals. We explore: The invisible battle: Why addiction, especially to alcohol, becomes a sneaky and often encoura...
Jun 25, 2025•42 min•Season 2Ep. 19
In this episode, Martin and JP talk with Tim Boughton, whose own personal experiences with PTSD led him to become a trailblazer in the world of mental health, with a particular expertise in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and trauma. They explore the misconceptions around mindfulness, the stigma associated with mental health, and how understanding the mind-body connection challenges existing military practices. Tim also introduces a simple mindfulness practice for listeners and offers...
Jun 11, 2025•56 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Episode 4 : Movement and Skill Acquisition with Dr Chris Connaboy In this episode, Martin and JP talk to Dr Chris Connaboy, an expert in movement, coordination and skill acquisition. They discuss motor control, perception-action coupling and Chris’ ground-breaking new research into gait analysis. The episode also includes practical advice on training for load carriage, the importance of individualised strength conditioning, and investigating rate limiters. Guest, Cast & Crew Dr Chris Connabo...
May 28, 2025•46 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Episode 3 Unlocking Expertise: The Science Behind Skill Acquisition and Decision Making In this episode, Martin talks to Professor Mark Williams, a leading authority on the acquisition and development of expertise. They discuss skill acquisition, the role of experience and purposeful practice. They also explore the use of simulators, the unique challenges of maintaining skills in high-stress environments and the importance of evidence-based practices in improving performance. Guest, Cast & C...
May 14, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Episode 2 - Concussion in High Performance Environments Martin and Jonpaul talk to award-winning author and sports journalist Sam Peters about concussion. They discuss the role of emerging technologies in diagnosing concussion in both sport and military contexts and the potentially devastating impacts of asymptomatic sub-concussive blows. Guest, Cast & Crew Sam Peters’ work has transformed sport’s attitude towards head injuries. He was the driving force behind the Mail on Sunday’s concussion...
Apr 30, 2025•47 min•Season 2Ep. 15
EPISODE 1: Innovations in Performance Tech with Dr David Putrino Martin and Jonpaul talk to neuroscientist Dr David Putrino, whose job it is to find innovative human performance technologies and roadtest them. From brain stimulation to mitochondrial supplements, David takes us through the tech that works and the stuff that doesn’t live up to the hype. He also shares insights from his work with high-performance athletes at Red Bull. Guest, Cast & Crew Dr David Putrino is the Director of Rehab...
Apr 16, 2025•51 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Martin Jones and Jonpaul Nevin, hosts of the Optimising Human Performance Podcast share their story, why they have produced this podcast and why it is important to the community of individuals and teams working in high-stress and high stakes environments. Thanks for reading this week's show notes For more information about the podcast please visit our website: www.ophp.co.uk Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ophp/ and on Instagram: @ophumanperformance Finally, please subscr...
Aug 05, 2024•8 min•Season 1Ep. 13
EPISODE 12: The Chimp Paradox with Professor Steve Peters In this episode, Martin and Jonpaul talk to renowned psychiatrist Professor Steve Peters , who specialises in the functioning of the human mind. They discuss his famous ‘ Chimp Model’ and its application in high-stress environments. They explore imposter syndrome and the antecedents of high performance. Guest, Cast & Crew Professor Steve Peters is a medical doctor specialising in mental health and the functioning of the human mind. Hi...
Jul 31, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 12
EPISODE 11: Sleep, Circadian Neuroscience & Human Performance In this episode, Martin and Jonpaul talk to Professor Russell Foster , a world-renowned expert on sleep and circadian rhythms. They discuss the importance of sleep and circadian rhythms for human performance, how the circadian system provides the time structure for life, optimising physiology and behavior, and highlight some evidence-based strategies for enhancing sleep quality and quantity. Guest, Cast & Crew Russell Foster i...
Jul 24, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 11
EPISODE 10: Mastering Sleep for High-Stakes Environments In this episode, Martin and Jonpaul talk to Professor Colin Espie , a world-leading expert on sleep and treating sleep disorders, particularly using cognitive behavioural therapeutics (CBTI) to treat insomnia disorder. They discuss how sleep contributes to physical and mental health, the five principles of sleep health and the treatment options for insomnia. They debunk myths such as a 'sleepless elite’ & explore the intricate relation...
Jul 17, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 10
EPISODE 9 : Maximizing Mental Fitness with Outdoor Wellbeing Coaching Martin and Jonpaul are joined by Emma Higginson-Smith and Martin Brennan from The Green Room, which provides outdoor well-being coaching, leadership, and organisational development to maximise mental fitness and prevent burnout. They discuss the importance of mental fitness and the role of wellbeing coaching and introduce the concept of the ‘green room’. Guest, Cast & Crew Martin Brennan was a police officer for 30 years a...
Jul 10, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 9
EPISODE 8: Feeding the Force: A Tactical Dietitian’s Guide to Optimal Health & Performance In this episode, Martin and Jonpaul talk to tactical dietician Dr. Will Conkright about the role of a dietitian in the military and the challenges he faces. We dive into the basics of optimal nutrition and examine how people working in high-stress, high-stakes environments can leverage good nutritional habits to positively influence physical and cognitive performance, rest, recovery and sleep. Guest, C...
Jul 03, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 8
EPISODE 7: Navigating Uncertainty - Insights from Mission Critical Teams Martin and Jonpaul speak with Dr. Preston Cline , co-founder and principal of the Mission Critical Team Institute. They discuss the characteristics of effective mission-critical teams, how to improve cohesion and facilitate within-career transitions, both into and out of these high-stress roles. Guest, Cast & Crew Preston is the co-founder and principal at the Mission Critical Team Institute, where he also serves as the...
Jun 26, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 7
EPISODE 6: Resilience and Mental Toughness Martin Jones and Jonpaul are joined by human performance expert Professor Daniel Gucciardi to explore resilience as an emergent outcome in high-performance settings. Guest, Cast & Crew Daniel Gucciardi is a professor at Curtin University. He is a distinguished expert on stress, resilience and mental toughness and has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles. His research focuses on personal and contextual factors related to high performance, h...
Jun 19, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 6
EPISODE 5: Optimising Tactical Physical Training for Peak Performance In this episode, Martin & Jonpaul are joined by Professor Rob Orr , director of the Tactical Research Unit at Bond University. They discuss optimising training for physically demanding tasks as well as sedentary working, the relationship between physical fitness and cognitive performance, and the value of an individualised approach to training. Guest, Cast & Crew Professor Rob Orr served in the Australian Army for over...
Jun 12, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 5
EPISODE 4: The Perfection Trap This week, Martin & Jonpaul are joined by Dr Thomas Curran , a world-leading expert on perfectionism. They break down perfectionism to understand what it really is and challenge some of the myths that link perfectionism with high performance. How we can prevent perfectionism from hindering our health, wellbeing, productivity and performance? Guest, Cast & Crew Dr Thomas Curran is an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics. He's a world-leading...
Jun 05, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 4
EPISODE 3 Leadership and Wellbeing: Lessons and Insights from a Policing Career In this episode, Martin & Jonpaul are joined by Tim Jacques - former Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the UK’s Counterterrorism Policing HQ. They discuss health and wellbeing in high-stress positions and the role of senior leaders in optimising wellbeing and performance. Guest, Cast & Crew Tim Jacques retired in February 2024 after 37 years in policing. He completed his service as a Deputy Assistant Commissio...
May 29, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 3
EPISODE 2: Next Generation Mindfulness: the New Frontier for Peak Performance In this episode, Martin & Jonpaul are joined by social psychologist Dr Jutta Tobias-Mortlock to discuss the role that mindfulness training can play in high-performance settings. Guest, Cast & Crew Jutta Tobias-Mortlock is a reader in organisational psychology at City University and is the co-director of its Centre for Excellence in Mindfulness Research. Hosted by Martin Jones & Jonpaul Nevin https://www.oph...
May 22, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 2
EPISODE 1: The Role of Psychology in Human Performance Optimization This week, Martin & Jonpaul talk to eminent psychologist Professor Michael Matthews . Mike shares insights from his extensive career across a wide-range of topics including the importance of non-cognitive factors such as grit, developing character traits and the role of organisational culture. Guest, Cast & Crew Michael Matthews is professor of engineering psychology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadershi...
May 15, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 1
1 week before the launch of the optimising human performance podcast, Martin introduces the first episode due in May 2024. To find out more about the podcast and the hosts, go.wavellroom.com/ophpwr Thanks for reading this week's show notes For more information about the podcast please visit our website: www.ophp.co.uk Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ophp/ and on Instagram: @ophumanperformance Finally, please subscribe, share, and leave a review! Thanks! Hosted on Acast. S...
May 08, 2024•1 min
Hear from Martin Jones and Jonpaul Nevin in this trailer for the Optimising Human Performance Podcast. Thanks for reading this week's show notes For more information about the podcast please visit our website: www.ophp.co.uk Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ophp/ and on Instagram: @ophumanperformance Finally, please subscribe, share, and leave a review! Thanks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 07, 2024•3 min
