Badminton champion
Gail Emms was at the top of her game when she started hating it. But she saw talking about that ‘as a weakness’. Coming from a sporty family, Emms had started playing badminton aged four. When the former badminton World Champion and Olympic silver medallist eventually retired in 2008, she spiralled into bouts of depression. Yet having her two sons ‘saved her life’. Emms is now a spirited speaker, commentator, and avid ambassador for the positive impact of sports on children.
Team GB Olympic Athlete When 20-year old Jack Green stumbled over a hurdle during the 2012 London Olympics, his dream and his mind exploded. ‘I couldn’t do one run without feeling awful.’ Green descended into depression, contemplating suicide. During an 18-month break he learned to control his self-destructive perfectionism. ‘I never fell out of love […]
Psychotherapist – ‘Dare to be You’ Depression is not an illness, says Sharon Eden, it is part of the human condition. And Eden knows, having worked as a psychotherapist for 30 years, as well as having her own depressive and suicidal episodes. ‘If you act with it, it can be the most precious time in […]
Sport Psychologist and Mind Coach Dubbed the ‘Mind Magician’, Jamil Qureshi has coached numerous sport stars, helping six of them reach number one rankings. ‘Most of us are entrenched in negative thoughts.’ Overcoming a few bad choices of his own, even resulting in homelessness, Qureshi is now a renowned performance psychologist. Clients include premier league footballers and golfers, […]
Entertainer, Mental Health Activist, Author of “Frazzled” Having suffered bouts of depression from age 13, it wasn’t until after the birth of her first daughter that world-famous comedian Ruby Wax realized it was ‘not a virus’. Multiple institutionalizations, an MA in Mindfulness, and two books later, Wax now tours with her searingly funny and personal account […]
Leading psychologist and high-performance coach Basketball giant John Amaechi OBE was for a long time widely known as the highest paid British sports star in the US. Born in the US and brought up in England, as a child he always felt different with ‘no one to turn to’. Braving a homophobic backlash, this self-described ‘extreme introvert’, courageously […]
