In this episode of Mindclickers, I’m joined by Jacqui Louder, one of Australia’s most respected sport and performance psychologists, currently working with Collingwood Football Club (AFL) and Melbourne Storm (NRL). With decades of experience in elite sports, Jacqui brings deep insight into the mental side of performance, behaviour change, team culture, and athlete identity.
We explore what it’s like to support players at the highest level, how to deal with setbacks, ego, pressure from social media, and the psychology behind building winning teams. Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or simply passionate about performance, this episode is packed with takeaways.
🗂️ Topics Covered
0:00 Intro
1:10 Jacqui's introduction to high performance
6:00 First experiences supporting athletes with no prior psych help
8:22 Multidisciplinary team involvement
9:20 Resistance to psychological support and behaviour change
11:20 Team connection in traditional sports
13:00 Team vs individualised performance plans
14:30 Dealing with personal losses in sport
17:00 Expectations and being results-focused
18:30 Overcoming underdog mindset
20:20 Performance mindset: can’t lose what you don’t have
21:00 Staying present in the moment
23:00 Placebos and belief systems in performance
25:40 Performing in front of crowds
27:00 Controlling the controllables
28:45 Navigating social media as a professional athlete
32:00 Managing ego in elite environments
32:45 Identity challenges around injury and retirement
34:30 Separating professional from personal identity
36:00 Team culture and personality trait dynamics
39:00 Two-way communication and growth
41:00 Avoiding the "yeah but" mindset
42:00 Receiving compliments with purpose
43:20 Feedback styles and effectiveness
45:30 Promoting athlete self-assessment
47:00 “What did I do wrong? Nothing.”
47:40 Timeout strategies during performance
49:00 The five types of 1-minute breaks
52:00 Recognising and preventing burnout
53:50 “Manage your moments, or they’ll manage you.”
55:00 Advice for the next generation of athletes
58:00 “Delayed doesn’t mean denied.”
🔗 Jacqui Louder Socials
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqui-louder-74680a4a/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquilouder/?hl=en
📱 Follow Mindclickers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindclickers/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mindclickers
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!