Luke Sutton: Mental health, elite athletes and finding a 'new balance'

Luke Sutton: Mental health, elite athletes and finding a 'new balance'

Rich Clarke
podcast
Luke Sutton talks to SportsContentStrategy, a podcast by @MrRichardClarke.png

Luke Sutton is trying to change the narrative around mental health and elite athletes, using lessons from his own story.

At the end of a long career in county cricket, team-mates staged an intervention over his alcohol-consumption and self-destructive behaviour. It led to in a spell in 'The Priory' and, ultimately, his recovery. 

On retirement, Sutton became an agent for one of those concerned friends, record-breaking England Test bowler Jimmy Anderson. Since then the agency has expanded, taking on footballers, boxers and Olympians.

At the end of 2019, Sutton released a book called Back from the Edge, which recounts the mental descent during his time as a wicketkeeper-batsman and how he turned his life around.

TOPICS

Why did he take such a brutally honest approach to telling his story

The early signs of his alcohol problems

Why the strength of the athletes' personality can be a problem

The imposter syndrome of being 'just good enough to survive'... so he won all the fitness tests

Replacing a legend in the Lancashire side and the pressure that created

The intervention that led to his spell in the Priory

Meeting characters like 'Lenny'

The pressurised world of the athletes and how it is not that different from the general public

The reaction inside sports and outside sports to his problem

Why sport has to do better in its reaction to mental health

Has his experience made him a better agent?

How would Luke have coped with social media in his playing days?

How did Luke's family cope with his story going public?

Writing out his problems v Talking out his problems

The worrying statistics on cricketing suicides

The particular problems of a cricketer's retirement

Could Luke leave cricket behind?

Why society has to change its story of success

Have athletes come to him about their mental health after the book

Spotting problems earlier thanks to his experience

Being prepared to 'leave money on the table' in order to look after a client's mental health

How he started his agency

The reaction of young people to his book compared to the older generations

Lessons outside of sports from Luke's story

How does sport have to change long term


LINKS

Luke Sutton Twitter | LinkedIN

Cricket career stats

Activate Management Group Website | Twitter

Cricinfo article: How Luke Sutton came back to life

Telegraph article: 'A warning to players and clubs – professional sport is a breeding ground for addiction'

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