Skiing, Anxiety & the Power of Mindset — with Louise Pode, Ski Mindset Coach

Jo sits down with Louise Pode, a ski mindset coach based in the UK, for a frank and funny conversation about why so many women over 45 quietly stop doing the things they love and what it actually takes to get back out there. Louise shares her own journey from chronically anxious skier with two replaced hips to leading an international coaching practice and explains how psychology plays a far bigger role on the slopes than most people realise. If skiing has ever terrified you, made you feel like the oldest, slowest person on the mountain or left you questioning why you even bothered, this one's for you.

• Your 'why' is everything. Before technique or training, Louise asks every client why they want to ski. That emotional anchor is what gets you through fear on the mountain.

• Women over 45 are more likely to step back than step forward and it's not just about menopause. Decades of prioritising others, cultural expectations and internalised self-doubt all play a role.

• Anxiety physically changes how you ski. Rigidity, leaning back, bracing; fear creates the very instability you're trying to avoid.

• Learning to ski as an adult is genuinely hard. Expecting to crack it in a week sets you up to feel like a failure. Feeling comfortable on skis after a few days is already a win.

• Environment matters enormously. Busy Christmas resorts with packed slopes are the worst place to learn or relearn. A quiet Italian resort beats Courchevel every time.

• Men have anxiety too, they're just less likely to ask for help. Louise's one-to-one clients are almost exclusively women, but men do turn up at group masterclasses.

• Overcoming anxiety is liberating beyond the slopes. Being able to look at a scary run and walk away with your head held high…that's the real goal.

00:57 Louise's background: physiotherapy, hip replacements and a love-hate relationship with skiing

02:06 The accident that changed everything and the sliding doors moment that followed

04:31 Why women 45+ tend to step back, not forward

06:52 Male-dominated slopes and the intimidation factor

08:57 How anxiety physically distorts your skiing

11:24 What good learning actually looks like and why your instructor matters, it’s less stressful

12:56 The coaching process; finding your 'why' before anything else

15:45 Louise's own moment of panic at the top of Mont Vallon and how she talked herself down

17:43 The hybrid skiing model for families of mixed abilities

20:06 Do men seek coaching? (Spoiler: sort of)

22:53 What Louise offers - five-session programmes, power-hours and a new online course

25:08 Masterclasses at Tamworth and Hemel Hempstead and what a full day looks like

27:28 Jo's experience and the best advice for anyone thinking of going back

• Website: www.louisepode.com

• Instagram: @coachingwithlou

• Masterclasses coming soon in Hemel Hempstead