Champion Thinking

As the sports reporter for BBC Radio 1 for the best part of a decade, Simon Mundie was pitch-side at some of the most high-profile sporting events in history. It was often thrilling, but when he took to the airwaves to report on what he had seen, it felt like something was missing. The emphasis always seemed to be on the result. Who had won, and by how much? Who was 'the Greatest'? How did they do it?Drawing on interviews with sporting legends from Jonny Wilkinson to Kate Richardson-Walsh, Lucy Gossage to Will Carling, along with coaches, psychologists and experts, Simon shares some of the tools and techniques that athletes have embraced to grow and develop - in both their sport and as people. From emotional intelligence to developing togetherness and avoiding burnout, he explores eight universal themes that are highlighted in sport - but that are all too easily overlooked in the favour of simpler, shallower narratives about winning, trophies, results and 'success'.What can we learn about endurance from Katherine Grainger's quest to return to the Olympics after two unsuccessful bids? What can the England hockey team teach us about the power of uniting as a team? Wise and inspiring, Champion Thinking illustrates that whether in sport, at work or in our relationships, worshipping at the altar of success isn't going to bring us happiness. The contentment we are all looking for isn't somewhere 'out there' - it's actually so close that we tend to overlook it.