Send us a text

Rachel has worked with elite athletes across many domains through her work as a sports physiotherapist, breathing specialist and her expertise in the field of performing in high pressure environments. Rach has worked with elite performers from the NBA, NRL, AFL, military and corporate to only name a few, but it’s her ability to have recreated her identity time and time again in a profession that rewards staying in once’s lane that is most fascinating. Listen as we dive into the physiology of how athletes and practitioners can better deal with high pressure situations as well as dive into her unique journey from elite gymnast to specialist in improving performance in high pressure environments.

Highlights from the episode…

• After representing New Zealand in the commonwealth games and world championships as a Gymnast, she was exposed to some exceptional physiotherapist that inspired her to choose a similar pathway post her athletic career.
• It was a chance encounter with an athlete with Hyper Ventilation Syndrome that inspired her to pursue a better understanding around breathing it’s affect on performance.
• How Rach began working with the Golden State Warriors (NBA) and how the same approach led to her being invited to contribute at an event hosted by the Vatican City.
• With an ever growing cohort of practitioners exploring avenues outside of their siloed profession we discuss how she has been able to transition beyond her title as a physiotherapist into other roles in Business, IT, Breathing, Coaching etc.
• We have a vulnerable conversation around the challenges Rach had in the early stages of recreating herself beyond her identity as a physio/”breathing lady” and what she did to navigate through this period.
• Dealing with pressure. “You can’t compartmentalise your physiology! You can compartmentalise your thoughts, but not your physiology!”
• How to balance having confidence in being an expert of your field but being humble enough in your approach to understand that you are not an expert of their sport.
• Why breathing is important and how to maximise it to enhance athletic performance both biomechanically and physiologically.
• What are the elements that define a high pressure situation and what can athletes and practitioners do to train/mask/blunt the negative effects that come with pressure.
• Rach shares a real-life case study of the breathing and performance under pressure techniques she used with an elite golfer to improve his performance.
• Specific training modalities to induce a stress response and in turn exercise the techniques around the physiological aspects of arousal state control.
• In a moment of pressure there are 3 things Rach suggests focusing on 1. Where are you looking? 2. Where are you breathing? and 3. What are you thinking about?

People mentioned:

• Paul Hodge: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulwhodges/?originalSubdomain=au
• Mark Young: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-young-b2aaa520/
• Wim Hof: https://www.wimhofmethod.com

Rachel Vickery contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelvickery/
• Website: https://rachelvickery.com/about/
• Email: rachel@rachelvickery.com

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Is it quality or quantity? What physiological and cognitive adaptations happen during sleep? What is sleep inertia? Are wearables improving sleep or can they be detrimental to the affects of sleep? We answer all the questions. Not only is Liv an expert in the field of sleep and athletic performance she has also worked directly in the trenches of elite sport having been the high performance manager for the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorne Hawks AFLW teams. In this conversation we explore how sleep effects performance and dive into Liv’s personal journey working at the top tier of women’s AFL to now applying her expertise in athletic performance to the corporate world.

Highlights from the episode…

• While completing her Sport Science undergrad, Liv shares how it was actually the things she did outside of her degree that eventualy led to her initial opportunities in sport.
• Having only being graduated for a few years and with minimal experience in AFL, how Liv was able to secure a high-performance manager role with the Western Bulldogs AFLW.
• How Liz navigated her first year with a new team, new role, dealing with new technology all while managing the overall performance of the playing group at the Bulldogs.
• What inspired Liv to do a PhD and how she used it as a unique point of difference in a highly competitive world of elite sport.
• Liv dives into what it takes to complete a PhD, considerations, how to be accepted, the costs, financial support, time commitment etc.
• What practitioners wanting to work in AFLW should expect in regards to role structure, remuneration, time commitment, expectations etc.
• How does sleep restriction affect strength training and what S&C coaches should consider when working with athletes who may be having challenges with sleep.
• What are the adaptations that occurring during sleep?
• Is it the quality or the quantity that is most important with sleep and if unable to get a good sleep what is the value of a nap? Is it more the cognitive or physical benefits to napping?
• We discuss my experiment around sleeping and waking within specific sleep cycles at the aim to avoid “Sleep Inertia”.
• Is perception stronger than reality? How you think you’ve slept may impact your performance throughout the day than how you actually slept!
• There is an abundant of research, education, monitoring devices but how did you get your athletes to actually adhere to a sleep protocols? Liv provides advices that I've never heard before.
• The practitioners challenge of balancing career ambition with the other prioritise as a parent, daughter, wife, team mate etc.
• How Liv was able to leverage her skills in sport to establish a corporate career with a real estate firm.
• What do high performance mangers get evaluated for in both sport and in corporate.

People mentioned:

• Fiona Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-jacobs-ba853124/
• Brad Aisbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-aisbett-a6333b20/?originalSubdomain=au
• Ben Walker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-walker-67874194/?originalSubdomain=au
• Shona Halson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shona-halson-627b74268/

Liv Knolwes contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-olivia-knowles/
• Website Sleep-Ed: https://fingertip.com/sleep-ed
• X: https://x.com/livknowles1

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Jason has over 30 years experience in the industry and during his time at the pinnacle of both Rugby and AFL he has taken his experience and expertise and developed a novel analytics tool to assist both medical and performance staff navigate the challenges around injury prevention, rehabilitation and return to play decision making with SpeedSig. Not only has Jason contributed to the industry through his recent technology he has also been a regular voice in the industry and assisted some of the most well known practitioners navigate their own journeys in sport. This is a unique and candid conversations filled with an abundance of technical insights and unfiltered truths around what it takes to excel in the world high performance sport.

Highlights from the episode…

• Having been exposed to the likes of strength coach Ian King, this is what led to an interest in doing one of the first sports science courses offered in NSW.
• ‘Its not for everyone and may not even be necessary!” Jason shares what to consider when deciding to do a PhD.
• Having been told he was wrong on a number of occasions this motivated Jason to seek answers for himself which was the catalyst of his PhD and in turn SpeedSig.
• The evolution of sport scientists in elite sport and the move from not just looking at WHAT athletes are doing but HOW they are doing it.
• How Jason got his foot in the door of elite sport with his first role at the QLD Reds.
• Jason and I discuss the tension between not working for free and finding a way of getting your foot in the door of a highly competitive industry.
• Jason has taken some huge risks and massive investments starting SpeedSig and the biggest investment of all is not what you think.
• Having seen abnormalities in movement through a “coaches eye”, Jason wanted to find a way to quantify this and do it at scale, which he feels SpeedSig can assist teams with.
• Why conventional off field objective measures may be missing the mark when it comes to return to play decision making.
• How do you know what you’re observing through SpeedSig is causative and not just correlative?
• “Collecting the dots vs. connecting the dots”. How SpeedSig works, what it does and how to use the information gathered to inform decision making.
• Being a high performance manager how have you managed how medical and performance staff may view things differently when it comes to return to sport decision making.
• When there is non-consensus in a performance team, how do you effectively make a collaborative decision about an athlete?

People mentioned:

• Ian King: https://kingsports.net/about-2/
• Prof Rob Newton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/profrobnewton/?originalSubdomain=au
• Chris McLellan: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5WvV4e6B5twcYl2Bw1Edwx
• Zach Higginbotham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-higginbotham-8a5862222/
• Tim McGrath: https://open.spotify.com/episode/73xkOCQlyT1RJ0u9s3ybdE
• Aaron Coutts: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Aaron.Coutts
• Linda Bennetts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-bennetts-a801542b/?originalSubdomain=au

Jason Weber contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-weber-928a0032/
• Website SPEEDSIG: https://www.speedsig.com
• Two coaches & a coffee podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cCwmakTSa25EUXVznTjCW
• X: https://x.com/JasonAWeber

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Nick Kane is an Australian sports physiotherapist and the founding director of Sports MAP. During his career he has spent over a decade in professional sport where he was the Head Physiotherapist for the Essendon Bombers FC in the AFL, all while establishing a multi site private practice physiotherapy clinic and curating some the world’s leading practitioners in the world of sports medicine into an online master classes and live events held across the globe in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. In this episode we discuss what his learnt leading the medical management of one the biggest clubs in AFL as well provide an insight into what it takes to build and deliver the premier sports medicine learning and network platform in Australia.

Highlights from the episode…

• With Nick recently stepping away from the responsibilities, pressure and expectations that come with working in professional sport. We explore why he chose to step away and how is he currently navigating the transition away from the AFL.
• What can those currently working in high performance sport do to ensure that their inevitable transition out of sport is a successful one?
• Be clear where you want to build a legacy knowing that it may come at the cost of building a legacy where you want to the most.
• Why Nick moved from Melbourne to start his physio degree on the other side of the country in Perth.
• Why Nick chose to add more stress, work, responsibilities etc. by starting a private practice all while working in professional sport.
• How Nick was able to secure a role in the AFL with the Essendon Bombers and what it was like to join the club right off the back of the well-publicised “supplements saga”.
• With Essendon having on average a new coach every 2 years. Do coaching changes influence injury rates?
• We discuss is it better to specialise in one skill set (eg pathology, rehab, orthopaedic assessment etc.) or developed a breadth of knowledge around broader topics (eg business, psychology, sales etc.) when growing as a practitioner.
• The genesis of Sports MAP and an unprecedented insight into how he puts together events, structures content, finances involved, securing world class guests etc.

People mentioned:

• Daniel Jones: https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/how-physiotherapist-turned-simple-idea-into-multimilliondollar-global-empire/news-story/0cc6b6f1efbc25a94bd5d4c59fab3e35
• Emidio Pacecca: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5unNgbm6ukafZ2VeFc7Y4r
• David Dawes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-dawes-377b0184/?originalSubdomain=au
• Meirion Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meirion-jones-aa18a637/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Cullen Ball: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xiClu3L6OFhGqeHkmz8aq
• Dr. Bruce Reid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Reid_(doctor)
• Peter Blanch: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FHpOBIanMmbQRkx9YjkUx

Nick Kane contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kane-9b8bb940/
• Sports MAP Website: https://sportsmap.com.au
• X: https://x.com/NickKanePhysio
• Sports MAP podcast: https://sportsmap.com.au/podcast/

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Andrew (Jack) Russell has worked in the sport of AFL for close to 3 decades and has been the High Performance Manager for the likes of Port Adeliade FC, Hawthorn FC and Carlton FC. During his time, he has won 6 premiership titles and is consider by many to be the best in the game when it comes to setting up and delivering a high performance environment in professional sport. Amidst his recent transition away from a stellar career in the AFL, this is a rare, honest and revealing long form conversation where we deep dive into all thing’s high performance sport and chat about how he has been able to successfully coach elite performers for over 600 games on the football field to now coaching the top echelon of elite performers across various fields.

Highlights from the episode…

• After observing and working alongside the likes of Cathy Freeman, “Oarsome Foursome” rowing team, Cadel Evans early in his career at the VIS, this inspired him to give up his own athletic pursuits to forward his career as a coach.
• How Jack was trusted to run his own AFL high performance program at the young age of 24 with the Port Adeliade FC.
• The strategies he used to build players fitness and robustness at Port Adeliade and then going on to win the club's first AFL premiership.
• “At a time when I was most experienced, I found myself being the most conservative than I’ve ever been”. Naivety and taking risk and how this may be the missing piece to a successful program.
• “You have to be brave enough to make a good decision at the chance of a bad outcome”. Decision making and whether the outcome always justify the means?
• Deciding availability of post injured players. Jack shares how his team decided, actioned and evaluated these decisions.
• In the past 3 decades how have you found you've needed to change the way you communicate to staff and players?
• A never heard before story of how and why, Jack left the success of Port Adeliade FC to move to Melb. including having an unexpected knock at the door by Alastair Clarkson, Jason Dunstall and Damien Hardwick in the early hours of the morning.
• How Jack and his wife (Leigh) have been able to forge a strong family network all while both being at the pinnacle of their respective fields.
• Is there a risk of practitioners becoming far too specialised early in their career rather than exploring a breadth and diverse base of knowledge before specialising?
• Tim Gabbett describes “Moderators” that influence how an athlete responds to load (Age, Strength, Injury history, Training history, Aerobic/anaerobic capacity. Could psychology be the missing moderator?
• What should High Performance Managers be evaluated for, are wins and losses a fair assessment of their performance?
• How Jack is now taking what he’s learnt coaching high performers in sport to now coaching high performers across various fields through the concept of “Neurophysiology”.

People mentioned:

• Mark McGrath: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mcgrath-43912837/?originalSubdomain=au
• Anthony Hogan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-hogan-19272569/?originalSubdomain=au
• Matt Whitaker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-whitaker/

Andrew Russell contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitehumans/
• Website Russell Performance Co: https://www.russellperformance.co/meetandrew

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Kate has been a physiotherapist for close to 30 years with 2 of those decades working at the pinnacle of elite women’s sport in Australia. Initially seeing a diverse range of athletes through her own sports private clinic, she has then gone on to being a part of multiple World Cups with both the Australian Women's Cricket team and Football team, the Matildas. We catch up just after the recent 2025 clean sweep Ashes series win over England where we chat not only about the wealth of experience she gained with working with some of the best athletes in high performance sport but also the personal lessons and how she has been able to successfully navigate a stellar career working at the highest level of arguably the 2 most popular sports on the planet.

Highlights from the episode…

• After dislocating her patella as a young athlete and needing to see a sports physiotherapist, this inspired her to become a physiotherapist herself which in turn led to her becoming business partners with that same physiotherapist who treated her initially.
• We discuss the benefits of clinicians, especially female clinicians, stepping outside of their comfort zone and how this can lead to incredible opportunities, including how Kate was able to acquire a role with Football Australia with no prior experience in football.
• The uniqueness of women’s football where often players as young as 16 years old are being thrusted into the highest level of world football and the challenges that this comes with.
• Although uniquely being part of multiple World Cups, Ashes series and the 2016 Rio Olympic games, what has been the cost of working in sport for over 20 years?
• Having been responsible for delivering ACL injury prevention strategies in football across the nation, we chat about where are we falling short regarding reducing incidence and burden of ACL injury?
• With no lack of research, advocacy and strategies around the importance of injury prevention, its adherence that is the challenge! How do we maximise adherence?
• Is injury prevention adherence an education issue or an incentives issue?
• How Kate was able to transition from the Matildas into another of Australia's most successful national teams.
• How Kate remotely monitors all national team players while they are away playing for their respective clubs all over the world and the tools they use to screen and keep track of players throughout the season.
• What a day in the life of a SSSM practitioner for Cricket Australia all while touring all over the globe consistently throughout the year.

People mentioned:

• Kate Mahony: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5TthNoykn5kz4El5jjZxjL
• Jason Swan: https://www.wakefieldsports.com.au/our-team/physiotherapists/jason-swan
• Mark Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbrown60/
• Carmen Colomer: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Mn5jKSrO7mgzfrW9rEURC
• David Battersby: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-battersby-facp-89a51844/?originalSubdomain=au
• Matt Whalan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-whalan-5b59a939/?originalSubdomain=au
• David Bailey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bailey-94a44b62/?originalSubdomain=au
• Peter Blanch: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FHpOBIanMmbQRkx9YjkUx

Kate Beerworth contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-beerworth-64280811a/
• X: https://x.com/kbeerworth?lang=en

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Kim is an Australian high performance coach and physiotherapist who has spent the last 8 years at the pinnacle of world motorsport. Kim has worked for the likes of Hass F1 team, Alpine Racing and one of the most famous teams in the history of F1, McLaren Racing. Kim has also worked exclusively as a personal physiotherapist and performance coach for F1 drivers Romain Grosjean and Oscar Piastri. If you are fan of the Netflix series "Drive to Survive" or have ever wondered what's involved with working as a practitioner at the highest level of motorsport in the world, Kim shares an unprecedented view of the pressures, volatility, year round travel and the glitz and glamour of what is Formula 1 racing.

Highlights from the episode…

• How the opportunities in the sport of AFL and Netball early in his career laid the foundations for skills he would later use in motorsport.
• With a desire to work in the AFL and currently working with the feeder team to North Melbourne FC, why Kim decided to give it all up and move to the UK with no job.
• How Kim secured a role with the University of Leeds working with a newly developed athletic program covering 13 different sports and athlete profiles.
• How Kim was able to get his foot in the door of Formula 1 with Hinsta having no prior experience in motorsport.
• Kim shares his time with the Hass F1 team and the steps he took to implement a performance model for the team.
• Kim describes his transition from team physio to working exclusively with F1 driver Romain Grosjean and what is entailed being directly responsible for the health and wellbeing of 1 of only 20 F1 drivers in the world.
• The risks and rewards of working exclusively with an individual athlete as oppose to working as part of a team/organisation.
• Having worked closely with 2 different F1 drivers in his career he shares the differences in the working relationship and how he had to be adaptable and bespoke in the management of the different drivers.
• Kim shares the physical demands of a F1 driver, the level of G force each driver has to endure and how they prepare drivers for these demands.
• What other sports can learn from the F1 drivers when it comes to mental preparation, state control, rapid decision making and focus that drivers need when racing F1.
• The relationship of F1 drivers and ACL injuries. How F1 drivers improve reactiveness to stimulus and what other sports could learn to improve their response to an unanticipatory event.
• Having a resume that many would dream of, what has been the cost of having such career?
• After close to a decade at the pinnacle of world motorsport why Kim chose to step away from F1 and pursue the next chapter of his career.

People mentioned:

• Callum Repper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callum-repper/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Peter Lion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterlion/
• Clare Lion: https://www.onephysiotherapy.co.uk/team-bio/clare-lion
• Dr. Luke Bennett: https://www.hintsa.com/insights/blogs/story-of-luke-bennett/
• Mark Young: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17aAXmr5EdiTtxfqs1D1Zn
• Dave O’Neil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-o-neill-60229442/
• Dr. Stuart McGill: https://www.backfitpro.com/about-us/

Kim Keedle contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimkeedle/

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Paul Devlin is a world renowned high performance manager who has been able to successfully transition from working with high performance teams in the sports world to now working with high performance teams in the corporate world. Paul has led various teams in the world of Rugby and Rugby League having worked with the likes of the Cornish Pirates, Doncaster Knights, Hull F.C., Melbourne Storm, Paramatta Eels, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Brisbane Broncos. This is an amazing conversation where Paul shares what he's learnt over the years working at the pinnacle of professional sport and then go on to recreate himself time and time again initially as a professional player, to a high performance manger in sport and now as a leader in the corporate setting with one of the biggest companies in the world, Amazon.

Highlights from the episode…

• What led to Paul being asked to be the nutritionist and rehab coach at a professional rugby club whilst he was a player.
• Paul and I discuss the thin line between having a “growth mindset” and becoming an “insecure overachiever”.
• How Paul made the decision to leave the UK and join the Melbourne Storm in the NRL.
• After decades filled with the highs and lows of professional sport, how Paul is navigating the change of working in the corporate world.
• “You need to be able to step on their toes without taking the shine off their shoes”. The differences of coaching in sport and the corporate world.
• Making the big move from the UK to Aus. What conversations and considerations did Paul have to make to ensure this was the best decision for him and his family.
• In an industry that is not always inducive to a strong family network how Paul has worked at the pinnacle of sport and corporate and have a remarkable 18 year marriage and family life.
• How do you instil an S&C/high performance culture in an organisation or a sport that has historically not had this culture?
• “The outcomes don’t justify the means”. When successful how does one look to improve a program, know what to improve and how best to improve it?
• There is no lack of robust evidence, well structured programs or exceptional practitioners in the youth athletic development, so where are we getting it wrong when it comes to developing young athletes?
• In an industry evaluated through the use of statistics, metrics, KPIs…what are the KPIs for High Performance Managers. What should High Performance Managers be evaluated against?
• Dealing with scrutiny during a challenging season. Paul shares his time at the Broncos and how he dealt with the unprecedented publicity, scrutiny and judgement that came during that period.
• What is Paul's "Why", when it comes to his journey as a high performance leader through various roles.

People mentioned:

• Kelvin Giles: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2g1eUNqD0zQXRsKWno93Ce
• Alex Natera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-natera-035a7765/
• Frank Dick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-dick-0b559630/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Dean Benton: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vtkbUw2IWpdvKLOzI7wVQ
• Phil Coles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-coles-8945803a/
• Dawn Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-scott-83000820/

Paul Devlin contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldevlin81/
• X: https://x.com/pauldevs?lang=en

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.