Thrive, Don’t Just Survive 2021
Dr John Perry is Head of Psychology at Mary Immaculate College in Ireland. For several years John has been a core member of the AQR International team which has continued the development of the mental toughness concept and has been central to the work carried out establishing the reliability of the concept. John has published many papers on Mental Toughness often in collaboration with Peter Clough and Kostas Papageorgiou.
John has also led the exploration of specific aspects of Mental Toughness and a variety of applications – including new insights into understanding stress management all of which have direct implication for practitioners.

Today we talk about an extremely important topic, dealing with stress so that we don’t simply survive but move forwards more positively. I’m joined by Dr John Perry who has led the exploration of specific aspects of Mental Toughness and a variety of applications – including new insights into understanding stress management all of which have direct implication for practitioners.
Key Takeaways:
- Motivation is a complex phenomenon.
- How people respond to pressure situations.
- Sport teaches you that failure and disappointment is a consistency in life.
- Developing your skills through reflection and self-awareness can improve your mental toughness.
- Counselling skills are important to help people who struggle to learn from their mistakes and don’t enjoy reflecting.
- When we’re in a flow state or are present minded it’s a feeling. It’s a skill transitioning from a cognitive to affective state.
- People performing at the very top of their fields are able to access affective states more easily.
Connect with Dr John Perry:
Twitter: @johnperry81
Email: [email protected]
Connect with David
Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub
Useful Resources
Other Useful Podcast Episodes
Doug Strycharczyk: The Importance of Mental Toughness
David Charlton: How the Mentally Tough Deal with Lockdown
IF YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW PLEASE SHARE
SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE AUDIO PLATFORM
Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and we read every single one of them!

Best Wishes
David Charlton
Global Sports Psychologist located near Durham and willing to travel Internationally. Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence. With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly.
T: +44 7734 697769
Search Our Sports Psychology Website
Popular Categories
Join Our Online Community Now!
"The Mental Edge"
Are you an athlete, coach or parent that would like to learn how to create sustainable high performance?
Receive my free fortnightly email, where I share proven Sports Psychology and High Performance tips and strategies.
If you want some support and motivation straight to your inbox, then fill in your details below.