#23 Dr Sally Needham - The Intersection Between Performance & Neurochemistry

🧠 Episode Summary

Dr Sally Needham brings a lens rarely discussed in high-performance coaching: phsyco-social-emotional state for performance.

From early years to elite teams, her philosophy is grounded in polyvagal theory, neuroception, and somatic coherence — or, as she puts it,

“getting the nervous system in the room before the thinking.”

 

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Throughout the conversation, she and Marcus explore:

• How breath, tone, posture, and presence shape safety and readiness

• The role of co-regulation in learning, leadership, and change

• Why learning environments must be emotionally and physiologically safe before cognition can thrive

• How performance habits are shaped by state awareness, not just repetition

Dr Sally reframes feedback as an act of care, body language as instruction, and voice as a regulatory tool.

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🔁 Key Themes:

• Regulation drives performance

• Language and tone are coaching tools

• Consistency and co-regulation build trust

• Behaviour is communication

• Somatic awareness creates readiness to learn

• State affects access to cognition and memory