New book distils lessons on performing under pressure from elite athletes and coaches

A new book by performance psychologists at the University of Staffordshire sets out how elite athletes and other high achievers deliver when the stakes are highest. Performing Under Pressure: Conversations With Those That Know, written by Dr Paul Mansell and Professor Matt Slater, is published by Hawksmoor Publishing on 30 October 2026.

The book draws on more than 80 hours of interviews recorded for the authors’ popular podcast of the same name. Rather than presenting a single theory of performance, the authors distil conversations with dozens of elite performers into 17 core themes, ranging from mindset, preparation, belief and self-compassion through to leadership, teamwork and recovery.

The contributors span sport and beyond. The authors say they have spoken with Olympic gold medallists, England international footballers, a Major General from the British Army and inspirational local leaders. Among those featured are sport psychologist Chris Shambrook, who pushes back on the familiar idea that “pressure is a privilege”; Kate Richardson-Walsh, captain of Team GB’s gold medal-winning Rio 2016 hockey team, who reflects on leadership as something a whole team shares rather than the property of the armband-wearer; Premier League footballer and England international Conor Coady, who explains how a group of individuals can forge a sense of togetherness; and former football international Matilde Fidalgo, who considers how a mistake becomes a downward spiral only if you let it define you.

Dr Mansell, a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology and co-creator of the podcast, describes the structure of the book as deliberately conversational rather than academic. “Rather than reading like an academic textbook, Matt and I take quotes from our guests, organise them into specific chapters, such as ‘Leading’ and ‘Rationalising’, and offer some commentary on their quotes and stories from a theory and research perspective,” he said.

That commentary is where the academic grounding enters. The authors’ stories sit alongside the research and applied practice that explain why particular approaches work, and what readers outside elite sport might learn from them. Each chapter closes with a “Try this now” section offering three techniques that readers can put into practice themselves.

Dr Mansell’s own research explores how athletes respond to pressure and adversity, including stress mindset and mentoring. Professor Slater specialises in leadership and team dynamics, using the social identity approach to understand how people work together in high-performance environments. Between them, the two authors have worked with athletes, coaches and performers across a range of high-performance settings, bringing together academic research and real-world experience.

The podcast that seeded the book began nearly three years ago, and Dr Mansell acknowledges the writing process was a long one. “We released our first episode of the podcast nearly three years ago and the book has taken a long time to write, but we feel proud to be able to draw together the great ideas of our guests,” he said.

The authors are keen to stress that the psychology of performing under pressure is not the preserve of professional sport. “The psychology of performing under pressure belongs to everyone facing expectation, novelty and uncertainty, not just elite athletes,” Dr Mansell said. “We feel the book has wide appeal, with practical advice that will interest so many people.”

For readers, the promise of the book is a curated set of perspectives: what a hockey captain learned about shared leadership at an Olympic Games, how a Premier League footballer thinks about building togetherness within a squad, and how a professional footballer frames recovery from error, each paired with the psychological theory and applied practice the authors use to make sense of those accounts. The Performing Under Pressure podcast remains available on Spotify for listeners who want to hear the full conversations behind the book.

Subject of Research: Psychology of performing under pressure in elite athletes and high achievers

Article Title: Secrets of performing under pressure explored in new book

Article References: Secrets of performing under pressure explored in new book. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: performance psychology, pressure, elite athletes, leadership, teamwork, sport psychology, podcast, Staffordshire University, Paul Mansell, Matt Slater, book announcement, high performance