S12 Ep 5: From helping young people to Wrexham United, Sports Psychologist: Sam Katodia

Sam has always loved both Sport and psychology. It’s his passion to bring the best out of everyone he works with – and where better to test psychology, he says, than in sport? Because if it fails - well, the results are clear. Since he made a phone call to Colchester United after leaving university – he’s worked with all different footballers over the years, he even wrote a book and Cristiano Ronaldo wrote the foreword… (I know!) Today he works with the first team at Wrexham United – yes, that one – the club owned by Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and also the subject of the Disney+ documentary, Welcome to Wrexham. But Sam has also created the programmes for our charitable partner, the boxing charity, Empire Fighting Chance. He works with young people who are struggling and is helping to transform so many lives. He says he uses exactly the same methods with a young person in trouble at school as he does with a first team footballer at Wrexham. But Sam’s method is different to what I’ve ever come across (and I’ve been researching mental health for years). We discussed so much in this conversation including… The best way, he believes, we can encourage our children How, when it comes to our own mental health, he believes we’re getting it wrong. The real reason we’re struggling to move forward with our Next Chapters What it’s really like to have a Hollywood superstar as your boss. I know I’m biased, but I found this conversation fascinating and I cannot recommend it enough for you, your family or for anyone around you. Sam’s is a different approach. It’s brought great results for world-famous football teams, it’s changed lives at Empire and now I’m really hoping it will help you too. To learn more about Sam you can find him at: https://samkotadia.com/ To learn more about our charitable partners Empire Fighting Chance you can find them here: https://empirefightingchance.org/ And my books which are 'fiction therapy' as they feature a therapist in everyone are just here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/