334: How Elite Athletes Respond Under Pressure

This week, Richard Graves is joined by Dr Alicia Naser, behavioural scientist and founder of The Naser Institute for Behavioral Sports Psychology.

Dr Naser works with professional athletes and organisations across hockey, tennis, baseball, basketball and golf, helping them understand the relationship between behaviour, physiology and performance under pressure. In this episode, she explains why mental performance should not sit separately from physical preparation, and how fatigue, heart rate, self-talk and emotion can all influence an athlete’s ability to execute when it matters.

The conversation explores the practical value of becoming more aware of internal responses during competition. From using frustration constructively rather than trying to suppress it, to striking the right balance with wearable data, Dr Naser offers a behavioural-science lens on high-performance sport that will be useful for practitioners, coaches and athletes alike.

In this episode you will learn

Why mental health and mental performance are related, but not the same thing

How physical fatigue can affect clarity, decision-making and execution

The relationship between heart rate, anxiety and an athlete’s self-talk

Why emotional awareness can itself be a useful performance intervention

How frustration can be used to create focus and competitive intent

Where breathing strategies fit within performance under pressure

How to use wearable data without becoming overly dependent on it

Why mental and physical preparation should be integrated across a performance programme