Parents in Sport Podcast Gordon Maclelland

In this episode Michelin starred chef and sports parent Tom Kitchin joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss high performance and sports parenting. Tom has lived experience as a parent going through the football academy journey and it was great to discuss how his own working life in high performance has influenced his ongoing approach with his four children.
During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:
The realities and complexities of being a sport parentKeeping as balanced as possible in our approach throughout the ups and downs of the journeyThe importance of parental role modelling in shaping key character traits in our young peopleUsing the big challenges and moments to help fire drive, desire and determinationThe art of picking the right time to have the best conversations with our childrenAdapting and changing our approach as our children get olderThe similarities between high performance sport and high performance restaurantsThe importance of helping to instil the right attitude and discipline and being honest with our childrenBuilding confidence in our young peopleThe vital role of nutrition in fuelling our young people to help them achieve their bestTom Kitchin opened his first restaurant The Kitchin, on Edinburgh’s Leith waterfront in June 2006. The Kitchin was awarded an acclaimed Michelin Star just six months after opening - an accolade that has been retained now every year since. The award-winning restaurant has been consistently voted one the UK’s best restaurants since its opening whilst Tom and his wife Michaela were also named ‘UK Restauranteurs of the Year’ in 2019 at the prestigious UK Restaurant Awards.
Tom has become a well-known face on television, having appeared on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, UKTV Food’s Market Kitchen, in BBC2’s successful series and BBC2’s Remarkable Places to Eat.
Tom has, on many occasions, joined some of the UK’s most renowned chefs on the MasterChef Final
Chef’s Table panel as a judge.

In this episode author and sports parent Catherine Baker joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss being a sports parent and the complexities of the role based on her experiences of parenting three sporting children, one of whom is currently involved in professional rugby.
During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:
The realities of being a sports parentLearning on the job and navigating the role of a sports parentThinking about our communication, our language and the messages we give our childrenReinforcing hard work and effortWorking alongside our own children's goals and motivationsThe importance of connectionThe challenge of navigating our children being injured or not being selectedPassing the baton to our teenage children and giving them a greater agency over the experiencePicking the moments to have important conversations with our teenagersThe lessons we can apply from Catherine's book 'Staying the Distance'Author, coach, and Keynote Speaker Catherine is relentless on the benefits of sport and movement. Catherine is a parent of three boys, all of whom have played sport at a high level. Through her business Sport and Beyond she has had the privilege of working with many elite athletes, elite coaches, and senior leaders across sport and business, with a focus on mindset and leadership. 
She is also a non-executive Director on various Boards, including the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. Catherine's debut book, Staying the Distance: The Lessons From Sport That Business Leaders Have Been Missing, published by Bloomsbury Business, came out on 20th March 2023.

In this episode author and founder of 'The Changing the Game Project' joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss being a champion teammate, what that actually means and how we as parents can support our children to fulfil this role.
During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:
The importance of being a teammate in life, not just in sportHow we all need to learn to connect, compete and leadMaking the choice to be a 'Champion Teammate'Recognising the strengths and weaknesses of yourself and those around you'What can I give' as opposed to 'what can I get' in a society that promotes the latterThe challenges of technology in developing key character traits in young peopleThe importance of real connection and face to face conversationsPositive team dynamics and creating environments for this to flourishBeing the parent and the adult in the room particularly during times of adversityJohn O'Sullivan is the Founder of the Changing the Game Project and Host of the Way of Champions Podcast. He is the author of three #1 Bestselling books on parenting, coaching and team culture, and consults with sporting organisations across the globe including US Soccer, USOPC, USA Swimming, US Ski and Snowboard, Ireland Rugby, Australian Rugby League, the PGA, and numerous other schools, clubs and sporting organisations. A former collegiate and professional soccer player and a coach for three decades, his work has been featured by CNN, Outside Magazine, the Boston Globe, and his 2014 TED talk on "Changing the Game in Youth Sports" been viewed nearly 500,000 times. 
In The Champion Teammate, Jerry Lynch and John O’Sullivan share wisdom accrued from decades of consultation with well over 100 conference, national, and world championship teams and dozens of Hall of Fame coaches; interviews with hundreds of athletes, coaches, and leadership experts on their Way of Champions Podcast; and hundreds of workshops on being an exceptional teammate, leader, coach, and parent.

In this episode Motivational Interviewing expert and trainer and sports parent Orla Adams joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss 'Motivational Interviewing' and how it can help us as sports parents enhance the quality of conversations and navigate some of the difficult moments we face with our young people around their sporting experience.
During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:
'Motivational Interviewing' and its place in sports parenting and the world of sportThe importance of identifying strengths, skills and abilities in our young peopleCreating space for our children to share their perspectives and points of viewHow we can become more self-aware of the moments and approach we take to have the most impactful conversationsHow instilling a fear of failure, focussing on weaknesses and making comparisons may have such negative connotationsTips and strategies for setting up the most difficult conversations that we can't avoid with our childrenHow using scaling techniques may help us communicate effectively with our children whilst encouraging self-evaluationThe importance of being able to listen well and what does that actually mean?Orla  Adams is the Dietetic Lead for Maternal Weight Management in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and she divides her time between this and delivering Motivational Interviewing (MI) training across the UK to various disciplines.  

Orla attended her first MI workshop in 2006, became a member of MINT (Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers) in 2011, and gained MINT certification as an MI Trainer in 2023.  Orla is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland and lives in Cardiff with her husband and two sons.  

She is a sports parent and has been finding value in how MI has been helpful in some of the more challenging conversations.  

In this episode educational consultant, coach and parent Larissa Mills joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss ‘Effectively managing social media and setting up positive phone routines with our sporting children’.


During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:


Helping our children to develop 'real focus' in today's tech worldWorking on creating a healthy routine around devices at homeHow the brain and nervous systems are affected by the use of devices on a physical and mental levelSetting phone rules and standards at home and positively role modelling the rules as parentsHow the random use of phones can lead to a poor work ethicEducating our children about followers and enhanced safety around their social media accountsThe negative impact of device usage on communication skills and self-worth in young peopleThe perils of running a social media account for your sporting childrenDevice usage before competition - what physical and mental changes are children making to their bodies and what is a healthy pre-competition routine?Larissa Mills is the founder and Director of the Mental Game Academy.


Leveraging a diverse educational background, Larissa is an esteemed Educational Behavioral Consultant holding a BA in Sociology, Psychology, and a Masters of Science in Education, specializing in brain functionality and learning mechanisms. With over 25 years of coaching experience across various sports, Larissa’s insights have been honed through a deep understanding of athletic dynamics.

In this episode former NFL coach, Captain of GB Women's team and Sky Sports and Talk Sport Broadcaster Phoebe Schecter joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss her varied life in sport, being a strong role model and how parents can support and inspire their daughters on their sporting journey.
During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:
Phoebe's experience of coaching in the NFLThe importance of trust and humility in any organisationTaking opportunities when doors are opened for youBody image and the importance of young girls having access to the correct equipment and clothingThe increasing challenges of technology for young females todayCoaches understanding the importance of meeting the needs of female players and creating the right environments for themSupporting our daughters to develop key building blocks including resilience and effective conversation skillsThe value of role models and allowing our children to dreamPhoebe Schecter is a former NFL coach, Britain's first female coach in the sport, captain of the GB women's team, a flag football ambassador and now a broadcaster with Sky Sports and talkSPORT.