S2 Ep4: Kate Kirby

TritonLake, as title sponsors of the Ireland Sevens programme, brings you TritonLake Perform – a podcast series that will explore the intersection of sport and business, and in particular, the necessary ingredients when it comes to creating and maintaining a dynamic high-performance culture. Hosted by TritonLake founder and CEO, Conor Smyth, guests on TritonLake Perform will come from the worlds of sport and business, with particular focus on businesses operating in the countries where HSBC Sevens World Series Events take place - many of which are key markets for TritonLake. In this episode, Conor sits down with the head of performance psychology at the Sport Ireland Institute, Dr. Kate Kirby, who speaks to Conor about her journey in Performance Psychology. Kate reflects on her time studying in the UK and Ireland and looks at just how far Performance Psychology has come in Ireland. Kirby looks back at her time and success with Team Ireland at the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympics. She is set to travel to the 2024 Olympics taking place in Paris.  Kirby highlights the important role that psychology plays in performance and how it can assist athletes in reaching their full potential on the big stages. She looks at how mental health can affect performance and how this has come more to the forefront in recent times. Some of the challenges around the mental side of being in a team environment vs being an individual are also visited. Kate speaks about control and the pressures that can come with being a leader.  On the corporate performance side, which Kirby has experience with, she stresses the importance of values and visions of the individual being in line with the team and company. She believes that businesses can take a leaf out of the book of sports with regards to reviews and how having a systematic approach here can be hugely helpful. Kirby helped the Women’s Hockey team in an external review prior to their 2020 World Cup silver medal which helped the team in their preparations. Finally, Kate gives the advice that being clear on your values and who you are should not be drastically compromised to be in any environment. Knowing what you stand for and what you can offer is key.