Simon Cusden — Professional Cricketer and Wellbeing Coach on Overcoming Alcohol Abuse and Mental Health Struggles

The Learning Bridge with Richard Gerver

Simon Cusden is a former professional cricketer, who now helps high performing individuals and teams prevent and treat wellbeing and performance crisis.

Born in Thanet in Kent, Cusden played for Kent County Cricket Club between 2004 and 2006. After being released by Kent at the end of the 2006 season he joined Derbyshire but was in turn released by them after making only one first-class appearance during 2007. He played a total of seven first-class matches and six List A matches in his playing career. He represented England Under-19's touring Australia in 2002–2003. In the Under-19s test against Bangladesh in July 2004, Cusden claimed four wickets and was top wicket taker in the test and one day series.

After playing for club cricket in Derbyshire for two seasons following his release by Derbyshire, Cusden moved to Australia. He set up his own cricket coaching company.

Cusden has spoken of the mental health issues he faced whilst playing and after leaving the professional game. For a time he abused alcohol and attempted to commit suicide on one occasion. The Professional Cricketers' Association Benevolent Fund provided assistance to him after the attempt and he was admitted to a rehabilitation centre to aid his recovery.

Nearly a decade later, Cusden now works as a private coach for senior leaders and high performers who are suffering silently from depression, addiction and suicidal ideation.

In this powerful and at times raw episode we talk about success and failure, addiction, suicide, mental health and resilience. Simon talks about coaching and leadership and what we need to consider as we prepare future generations for the complex world they will be inheriting.

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About the host

Richard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, world-renowned thinker, and bestselling author of books including Change and Simple Thinking. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years.

Now regarded as one of the world's leading thinkers on human leadership and organisational transformation, Richard has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s most recognised stages, including TED, the RSA and the BBC.

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