We hear from British bobsleigh athlete, three-time champion shot putter and Olympian Adele Nicholl on decision making under pressure, resilience and why high performance is built through self-awareness, accountability and adaptability.
In this episode of Dentistry Talks, Adele explores what elite sport can teach dental professionals about handling pressure, making difficult choices and staying calm when plans change. Drawing on her Olympic career, psychology background and experience speaking to business leaders, she explains why good decision making is a skill that can be learned, practised and improved over time.
Adele reflects on the importance of taking responsibility for how we respond to setbacks, why self-belief matters when others do not understand your path, and how developing a ‘pencil plan’ can help professionals remain flexible without losing sight of long-term goals.
The conversation also explores resilience, confidence, delayed gratification and the value of knowing yourself well enough to make decisions from clarity rather than fear.
You can now watch on YouTube and listen on Spotify.
Topics include:
- Decision making under pressure
- What dentistry can learn from elite sport
- Resilience, setbacks and self-awareness
- Accountability and taking ownership
- Why adaptability matters in high-performance environments
- Trusting your gut while making considered choices.
Listen to other episodes below:
- Burnout, balance and building a brand: lessons from the Singing Dentist
- Ageing as a dental professional: how to maintain purpose and identity
- What every dentist needs to understand about trauma and dental anxiety
- From pitchside to practice: lessons from sports dentistry
- Lessons from the business guru behind Kinky Boots.
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