Nicole Bolton | Managing Mental Health and Elite Performance

"For a number of years, success to me was operating in a really unhealthy manner. I would need to be under significant duress away from the game to then step over that white line and go perform, as it was the only time I would feel like I was in control of my life."

This episode is with Nicole Bolton - Australian opening batter and arguably one of the best Western Australian cricketers of all time. Bolts has a fascinating story, battling inner demons for the majority of her career, yet finding a way to be one of the most consistent performers in the best team in the world. 

5:10 - Why she stepped away from the game at 18 after being in the Australian set-up
10:30 - How younger players get derailed and burnout in the current professional environment and the way to change it
13:35 - How she focuses her attention in the middle irrelevant of what is happening off the field 
17:45 - The search for perfectionism and how it derailed her mental health to the point where she had to leave the game she loved
18:30 - Having an out of body experience due to being under serious distress leading into a WBBL game
26:05 - Tools Bolts uses to help manage her wellbeing
32:00 - How yoga taught her the basics of performance - simplicity, flow, presence and enjoyment 
33:10 - Her batting philosophy and how it is centred on trust, courage and freedom
34:40 - What makes batting coach Noddy so good, and how their definition of success has nothing to do with hitting cricket balls
36:30 - How she uses playing fast bowling to help face her adversities in life
41:15 - The 3 most important cricket shots 
43:20 - How returning to club cricket reignited her love of the game
47:30 - Why it is so difficult to just let go and trust yourself
49:20 - How her positive personal narrative leading into the 2019 Ashes ended up being self-destructive
52:10 - Bolts' definition of success
52:60 - Who is Nicole Bolton at her best







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Seeing sport grow in professionalism has brought so many benefits in the world of high-performance. However, this constant search for the next edge in high performance has led to more analysis, more box-ticking and more distractions than ever before.

The Inside Edge Podcast aims to explore how the best in the world navigate all the noise to consistently perform in the most rugged and high-pressure environments. The purpose? To bring back enjoyment, simplicity and connection. To help the next generation live from the inside-out, have the courage to be themselves and simply enjoy the journey.