Lucinda is a "legend" - her uni friends say that to her, and they are right - a SportsAid athlete who came to CASS & Friends, and we have loved supporting her, watching her steely determination and desire to succeed in whatever she sets her mind to. She loves her sport, telling us about her shooting "family" with the friends she has made since she was talent spotted as a young girl. Now a student studying veterinary science, she is focusing on her career and academics while slotting in as...

Ellie is one of our fabulous alumni athletes who achieved the qualifying time for the U20 European Championships. Lockdown prevented her from competing and she never quite found her form after that due to injury. This episode is an honest and open conversation about Ellie's journey; through competing as a teenager, the joy and passion she had for sprinting and then the impact of covid, starting university and being affected by anxiety. Ellie managed to balance her school work with...

Ella is a 100m and 200m sprinter - she's ranked in the top 10 in Great Britain and has been a fantastic CASS & Friends athlete. Ella shares her experience of competing and managing her confidence over the years and explains the process of applying to university on a sports scholarship. She is off to a Division One university in the USA and is excited to be on the next step of her sporting journey! I hope you enjoy Ella's energy and enthusiasm in this podcast. If you would like to find out...

Claire is a huge inspiration to me. She tackles one huge challenge after another and leaps into the unknown without hesitation. A double-deca Ironman athlete, she is now training for the immense challenge of the Arch to Arc triathlon. As the business owner of this event, she has many reasons why it's important to her to complete it. So, she will be running from Dover, swimming across the channel, and then cycling to the Arc de Triomphe!! Bonkers!! If you would like to find out more please vis...

In this episode Adam talks about combining two sports as a child, going to the Olympics aged 18, dealing with injury and setbacks and using the Chimp Paradox to help him work with his mind. He continues to train at the highest level as well as coaching and bringing the best out of his athletes. He was the first British man to run under 10 seconds for 100m and 20 seconds for 200m. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed interviewing Adam. If you would like to find out...

In this episode, Fi explores the world of art and sport and how the two have merged beautifully for Gavin an international javelin thrower and artist who combines his passion for sport and art to keep his life in balance and his identity true to himself. It's a great episode to help all athletes think about themselves as someone other than "an athlete" or sports person. If you would like to find out more please visit www.cassandfriends.org Instagram @cassandfriends

I loved interviewing Josie! She has a wealth of experience in sports psychology and has written several books which are all well worth reading. We have such a good discussion about the most common reasons she works with young athletes and she shares many strategies to help deal with many of the common issues facing athletes concerning their mindset. Amongst other things, we talk about motivation and pressure and there is so much advice for parents in this episode too. If you would...

In this episode Neive chats with Fi about the joy of mentoring CASS & Friends athletes. Neive has so much advice to share with her years of competitive rowing at the elite level and now as an age group multi sport athlete. Neive has helped many CASS & Friends athletes work on the mental side of their performance and we are lucky to be working alongside her. If you would like to find out more please visit www.cassandfriends.org Instagram @cassandfriends

What an authentic episode. Fi chats with Vickie Pullin who qualified for the Olympics in Snowboard Cross when she was 18 and now races sled dogs at the elite level. We talk a lot about funding in sport and how athletes are performing at incredible levels. We talk about the sled dogs and the complexity of training herself and her dogs and fitting it all into a busy life managing her own business and being the mum of 3 year old Prin, who also entertains us on the podcast! If you would lik...

In this brilliant episode, Claire shares her wealth of knowledge surrounding fuelling young athletes. One of the key messages is the importance of meeting energy needs and getting nutrition requirements from food before supplements. There are many tips on what young athletes can do to help themselves prepare quick and easy snacks and meals. We also touch on nutrition myths and how to unpick facts from fiction. If you would like to find out more please visit www.cassandfriends.org Instag...

In this episode, we talk about Jess's dream of becoming an Olympic athlete and her journey from heptathlon to 100m hurdles, representing Team GB and her plans for the future including going to Birmingham University and continuing to work closely with her wonderful coach. If you would like to find out more please visit www.cassandfriends.org Instagram @cassandfriends

In this episode, Dan talks about his junior days as an elite-level swimmer, attending two Olympic trials and going to an American University on a scholarship programme. We touch on his mindset and motivation as an individual swimmer versus swimming for his university team. Finally, we talk about how Dan has made a very successful business out of his love for swimming and triathlon and now helps many like-minded athletes of all levels achieve their goals, through his business Swim ...

In this episode, Nikki brings her zest for life and talks about how she absolutely loves her career as a professional athlete. She gives so many golden nuggets of advice to our young athletes from getting the balance right with sport and life, finding out what is important and what makes you happy, how to handle bad training sessions or races, handling injuries and setbacks, managing social media and sponsors and finding the right coach and developing a great relationship with them. If ...

In this episode, Tom and Fi chat with middle-distance runner Kaitlyn Sheppard who joined CASS & Friends in 2019. She is now studying and training in the USA at Bradley University. She talks about her experience of transferring to an American university, the ups and downs of the transition and how she loves life and training in the USA. There are many learning points for any of our athletes considering going on a scholarship to an American university. If you would like to find ...

In this episode, Laura shares her passion for helping young athletes, especially females, how she believes finding an identity outside being an athlete is important, her many tips for developing a strong sporting mindset and how good communication with a coach is key to successful performance. If you would like to find out more please visit www.cassandfriends.org Instagram @cassandfriends

In this episode Tom, an alumni athelte and Fi the founder, chat about CASS & Friends; how and when it was started, what need it set out to address and what makes this charity different from other sports clubs/charities. If you would like to find out more please visit www.cassandfriends.org Instagram @cassandfriends