Pretty Psyched

Episode 19: Dr. Sofie Kent | Sport Psychology, "WAGs", Football

In this week’s episode, Dr. Phoebe is joined by her colleague Dr. Sofie Kent. Sofie is a licensed Sports Psychologist currently lecturing at Leeds Beckett University, practicing in professional sports organizations, and researching about the romantic partners of elite professional athletes. Sofie and Phoebe hope that you walk away from this episode with a better understanding of the key distinctions between sports psychology, counselling + clinical psychology, and player care at professional sport clubs. The two discuss the importance of sports teams catering deserved support to romantic partners of professional athletes, both for the aim of athletes performing to the best of their ability and in the best interest of the well-being of the second person in this two-person career. “Two on a tightrope: The stress experiences of the romantic partners of professional athletes” [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10413200.2024.2428656⁠] Kent et al., 2025

Episode 18: Research Chat | "WAGs" experiences, Systematic Review, For Partners and Club Staff

This week Dr. Phoebe talks through her published research- a review of the existing academic literature about the experiences of romantic partners of professional athletes across different countries and sporting affiliations. The hope is that partners may feel some comfort in the reflection of their experiences in this research, being acknowledged and heard by academics in research. Also for sport club staff, this paper justifies the need for support to be catered for partners of professional athletes and can potentially spark ideas for what that support could look like. The number of commonalities drawn in this review show that “WAGs” experiences are more similar than different, regardless of sport or home country. Professionals could look to other leagues and sports for resources in how to best support athletes’ families, seeing that the academic research in this area is so sparse. Some personal stories and examples are also told throughout. See the link below to read more: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16138171.2025.2475659#abstract [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16138171.2025.2475659#abstract]

Episode 17: Dr. Phoebe | Catching up, Working, Off-season, and Season 2

With the formal return of Pretty Psyched and the start of Season 2, Dr. Phoebe sits down to catch everyone up on the past year and update on what’s to come with the podcast. She speaks about her positive experience in the family lounge at TFC this season, as well as the challenges faced when her husband picked up an injury near the end of the season. Dr. Phoebe also explains the work she has been doing with both the Premier League and MLS, as well as where she hopes player care is moving toward in the near future. To round off the episode, she candidly talks about her struggles in the off-season as her husband is now a free agent.

Episode 16: Bec Westwood | Life in Football, Health, Moving, Q&A, Player Care

Dr. Phoebe sits down with her friend, Bec Westwood. As funny as it can feel to sit down and do an interview with a best friend, the two cover numerous important topics within their chat. Bec details how she and her husband, Charlotte FC captain Ashley Westwood, first met and built their life together in the EFL’s league one. Life in football is a rollercoaster, and the pair quickly found themselves within the Premier League at Aston Villa and Burnley FC. Bec then leads a very important conversation about her journey with her health and recovery during COVID (please see relevant resources below). The Westwood family is now rooted in the club and culture in Charlotte. They both reminisce on their experiences moving internationally amidst their partners’ careers in elite football. Dr. Phoebe and Bec answer some of your questions, and Bec leaves us with some words of wisdom to other partners of professional footballers. Resources in the UK: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-in-women/symptoms-of-breast-cancer-in-women/ https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/how-to-check-your-breasts-or-chest/ Resources in the USA: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/breast-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20352470 https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-resources/

Episode 15: Shannon Horlock + Danika Hutton | Best Friends, Football, Highs and Lows

Shannon Horlock (long-term partner of Nick Pope) and Danika Hutton (long-term partner of Charlie Taylor) join Dr. Phoebe in this week’s episode, and the final episode of Pretty Psyched’s first season. They speak about making friends in football, as the two became best friends during their time at Burnley Football Club. Even though both have moved from Burnley since, Shannon to Newcastle and Danika to Southampton, they discuss how they maintain their long-distance friendship. Both of the guests mention their struggles with a sense of identity while living amidst Premier League football, even though they both emphasize how important it is for them to be independent and grounded. They also note the pressures and struggles that come with negativity on social media- how footballers are supported to cope with these elements of the lifestyle within elite football, while their partners unfortunately are not. Lots of laughs, honesty, chitchat, and stories in this episode.