What if the biggest obstacle to performing under pressure isn't the situation itself, but the way we think about it? In this episode, Martin talks to fellow psychologist and world-leading expert on pressure and adversity, Dr. Andrew Wood, about the strategies and philosophies that can help you take control of the irrational beliefs that often hold us back.
We discuss rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) and how irrational core beliefs fuel pressure, anxiety, and maladaptive behaviour. Andrew explains REBT’s focus on flexible, rational beliefs, distinguishing helpful vs unhelpful responses rather than positive vs negative thinking, and introduces concepts like awfulizing & low frustration tolerance. He describes tools such as the “badness scale,” 10-10-10 perspective taking, humour, and testing beliefs through controlled exposure to feared situations. Andrew also discusses leadership climates that normalise all-or-nothing thinking, and shares his own long COVID experience, bedbound for a year, identity loss, and using rationality, values and symptom-tracking to cope, ending with reflections on reconciling fear of death to reduce everyday fears.
Guest, Cast & Crew
Dr. Andrew Wood is a Performance Psychologist, keynote speaker, and published researcher specialising in rational thinking under pressure. Drawing on over a decade working with elite athletes, emergency services, corporate leaders, and his own lived experience navigating life-changing disability, Andrew's work sits at the intersection of science, story, and practicality. He doesn't just teach people how to think more clearly and perform at their best when faced with setbacks, he's also had to do it himself, when it mattered the most.
Hosted by Martin Jones https://www.ophp.co.uk
Produced & edited by Bess Manley
Resources
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Chapters
02:20 REBT Explained
05:09 Irrational Beliefs In Action
05:53 Awfulizing
07:44 Badness Scale Perspective
11:14 When Identity Collapses
14:39 Culture And Leadership Climate
18:06 Resilience Myths And Language
22:00 Building Robustness And Tolerance
25:48 Reframing Pain And Discomfort
27:33 Bedbound After COVID
28:09 Finding Your Why
29:06 Meaning Without Extremes
31:07 Testing Beliefs Safely
34:26 Tools Without The App
36:49 Imagery And Perspective
38:37 Reframing Setbacks
41:24 No One Is Perfectly Rational
43:39 Long COVID Lived Experience
47:16 Acceptance And New Normal
49:45 Keynote Plans And Contact
50:44 Making Peace With Death
51:50 Final Wrap Up
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