Conversations for those navigating performance in their sport whilst balancing work & life
You may hear from a fellow athlete, a coach, an expert, a researcher or someone else - but I have conversations with individuals you can learn from or relate to through shared experience.
Thanks for listening,
Harrison
Dan Buchanan - What Elite Rehab Actually Looks Like (And How Amateurs Can Access It)
Dan Buchanan has spent over 20 years working at the sharp end of elite sport — Reading FC, Derby County, Argentina Rugby team, and even a stint helping Diversity dance group.
Now co-founder of Go Perform, one of the South East's leading sports rehab centres, he's building the same environment professional athletes rely on, for every kind of athlete.
In this episode, Dan explains:
why rest is often the worst thing you can do for a tendon injury;
how context, not diagnosis, defines good rehabilitation;
why elite sport is waking up to mental health and emotional wellness
and the growing wave of serious Amateur Athletes who are demanding — and deserving — pro-level care.
We also cover: myofascial release and when the flashy tools on your social feed are actually just noise; the anti-gravity treadmill that helped the likes of Ledley King recover; the overlooked role of loading in recovery; and Dan's honest take on ice baths, peptides, and the wellness trends that separate signal from placebo.
Whether you're managing a long-term niggle, returning from surgery, or simply trying to train harder without breaking down - this one's essential listening.
And if you're looking for a performance gym, full of expertise to help you stay at the top of your game, recover and be part of a community as well - check out Go Perform here: https://www.go-perform.co.uk
18 May 2026
What Elite Athletes Understand About Recovery That Most People Miss | Dr. Peter Tierney
As an Amateur Athletes you might recovery is something you do after training.Ice baths. Stretching. Massage guns. Sleep trackers.
But according to Dr. Peter Tierney — a PhD in Applied Sports Science who has spent 14+ years working across elite sport with Chelsea FC, the English FA, Leinster Rugby and lululemon — people often miss the point entirely.
In this episode, we break down the science behind performance, recovery, training load, wearables, consistency and what the elite athletes actually do... it might just surprise you.
Why do some athletes continue improving while others plateau?
Why are so many people relying on recovery tools… but still feeling exhausted?
And what happens when your body says one thing, but your data says another?
This conversation dives into hacks and optimisation trends, but more importantly, Peter goes beyond that to explore;- the hidden cost of inconsistency- the psychology behind performance- and why “recovery” may have far less to do with what happens after training than you think.
This episode may just completely change how you think about performance and recovery.
Because as Peter explains: “Recovery in reality is everything outside of training.”
Find out more about Peter
Peter's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpetertierney/
S.H.I.T Framework: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWUKV_1DDQs/
Resisted Sled Sprints Research: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334708151_Momentum_for_resisted_sled_sprints_Momentum_a_practical_solution_to_calculate_the_optimal_load_for_resisted_sled_sprint_training
Wearable Health Metrics: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU-66nYDHq7/
4 May 2026
No Funding. No Guarantees | The Relentless Pursuit of Elite Performance as a Heptathlete & Architect
What does it really take to chase elite performance while living the busy life of a Architect?
In this episode of The Amateur Athlete Diaries, I sit down with heptathlete and full-time architect Lucy Woodward. An athlete balancing one of the most demanding disciplines in sport with a seven-year professional career pathway to becoming a qualified architect.
What stood out from our conversation was Lucy's dedication to structure and prioritisation.
Sacrifice in a sport that offers little guarantees. The reality is that in athletics, you’re not doing it for money, Lucy and many athletes alike do it for pure passion and the drive to improve.
Lucy opens up about:
- Training six days a week around a full-time job
- The resilience required when progress stalls for multiple years
- Overcoming a crippling high jump mental block that nearly ended her career
- Rebuilding her love for the sport
- What it means to be one performance away from the Commonwealth Games
This episode explores a fundamental question:
What keeps you going when the outcome is uncertain?
Because being an Amateur Athlete is far from about being perfect. That can be the target...
But it’s more about showing up, again and again, day after day, with that goal of progress, not perfection, always front of mind.
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