Boarding School, Stress & Performance: England Cricket, Trauma & Leadership

Here is the link to reach out to your MP for the screening in the House of Commons: https://seenheard.org.uk/boarding-on-insanity-parliamentary-screening/In this New Year reflection episode, I share an update on the upcoming House of Commons screening of Boarding on Insanity and explore a powerful insight that emerged for me over Christmas while watching the Ashes series.Why does England’s cricket team — full of talent — so often struggle under pressure?Drawing on research from the Sutton Trust, Nick Duffell’s Wounded Leaders, and trauma experts including Judith Herman, Peter Levine, and Bessel van der Kolk, I explore how early boarding school experiences shape the nervous system — particularly our ability to regulate stress.We discuss:why many former boarders struggle to access the parasympathetic “rest and digest” statehow dissociation works under pressure — and why it eventually failswhy England’s performance improved once the pressure of winning was removedhow unresolved childhood stress shows up in leadership, sport, and public lifeI also share a simple nervous system regulation practice I use personally and with clients — helping leaders move from chronic stress into safety, embodiment, and clarity.This episode connects leadership, sport, trauma, and child development — and asks what might be possible if we became a trauma-informed society.📌 House of Commons Screening – 19 January Please contact your MP and support the call for mandatory reporting and improved child protection.Thank you for listening, and for being part of this movement.---Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems. He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man. He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1 For more videos please visit: http://youtube.com/pierscross For FB: https://www.facebook.com/pierscrosspublic For Piers' website and a free training How To Find Peace In Everyday Life: https://www.piers-cross.com/community Many blessings, Piers Cross http://piers-cross.com/