The Psychology of Performance Under Pressure |Andrew Whitworth

About this episode

Andrew Whitworth discusses his 16-year NFL career, the pressures of performance, and the emotional challenges he faced.

What does it really take to stay at the top for 16 years and still know who you are when it ends?  Andrew Whitworth is a Super Bowl champion, four-time Pro Bowler, and the oldest left tackle in NFL history to start a Super Bowl. He spent 16 seasons protecting the most valuable position on the field, finished his career by winning a championship at 40, and walked off in one of the most viral moments in NFL Films history, sitting in a circle with his kids, telling them “that was daddy’s last game.” In this conversation with Dr. Michael Gervais, Andrew pulls back the curtain on what made it all possible, and what almost broke him along the way. The first thing you notice about Andrew is the contradiction. 6'7", 345 pounds, built to dominate. And the engine underneath all of it is empathy. He explains how he prepared for opponents not by lifting more or running more, but by inhabiting them, studying their bodies until he could feel what they were going to do before they did it. “I'm going to study them to a point where we can dance together because I can actually feel everything they're going to try and accomplish before we do it,” he says. That is the offensive line position…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Michael Gervais

Guest: Andrew Whitworth

Topics covered

• performance psychology
• sports
• self-doubt
• anxiety
• empathy
• NFL career

Keywords

• performance under pressure
• Super Bowl champion
• NFL history
• self-punishment
• anxiety
• empathy
• football

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NFL

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