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ACU is the proud TalkBack partner of SEN1116's The Performance Hour
The Performance Hour is a weekly one-hour program dedicated to the science of sporting performance with a focus on women in sport.
Each Sunday between 9 - 10am the on-air team explore the latest research, products and protocols designed to maximise performance and mitigate injury. Listeners will hear from renowned elite athletes, sports scientists, researchers, coaches and psychologists from across Australia.
ACU's industry leading academics and researchers from the Faculty of Health Sciences will be appearing across the season. Their contributions will showcase ACU's practical and evidence informed programs in undergraduate and postgraduate sport and exercise science.
ACU was drawn to SEN 1116's commitment to featuring women in sport. A key aim of the show is to highlight the contribution of women as authoritative voices and leaders in sport on and off the field.
With a unique all female host and producer team including Sport Australia Hall of Fame Athlete member and triathlon legend Emma Carney, the show is a pathway for women in Australian sports media. The Performance Hour promotes female participation in the sport media landscape by providing real opportunities for advancement where women's voices, expertise and achievements in sport can be heard and celebrated.
Listen to The Performance Hour podcasts below.
Jason Agosta from Jason Agosta Podiatry - footwear selection
Professor Louise Burke at ACU - Sports Nutrition and Sally Pearson - Olympic gold medallist - a winning mindset
Basketball great Lauren Jackson medicinal cannabis / managing chronic pain and Professor Michael Buckland CTE / staying safe in contact sport
Australian sporting royalty and seven time World Surfing Champion Layne Beachley - mindset /burnout and Professor Andre La Gerche, sports cardiologist from St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research - heart health
Legendary former Matilda goalkeeper Lydia Williams - the science of goalkeeping and Dr Nirav Maniar, Senior Lecturer at ACU - the prevalence of ACL injuries in women's sport
Dr Peter Larkins talks altitude training and Australian track and field Olympian runner Lauren Ryan shares insights into racing a 10km
Solo Ocean Racer and Climate Activist Lisa Blair and Associate Professor Carolyn Broderick Chief Medical Officer of Tennis Australia and The Australian Open
Lisa Weightman, Australian long distance runner and four time Olympian specialising in the marathon event. and Professor Shona Halson of Australian Catholic University’s SPRINT Research Centre, about the science of sleep.
Nicole Pratt Former Australian No 1 ranked female tennis player and Women's Coach Lead and National Teams Coach with Tennis Australia talks the science of coaching and Dr Pip Inge, Team Doctor Australian Women's Cricket Team shares insights into fertility for elite athletes.
The Performance Hour - Ep 10 Season 1 - Tammy Beaumont - England Cricketer
Julian Jones, Director Performance Services AIS - Australia's High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy and Tammy Beaumont, Batter with the English Cricket Team - insights into performance
On the show the team discuss wearable technology in sport with Customer Success Specialist and Sports Scientist Farley Scott from Catapult in the SEN ACU Studio. The technology tracks athlete performance, mitigates injury and quantifies return to play so we'll be drilling down on what that means for the athletes, high performance teams, and clubs especially with all the talk of injuries in the AFL pre-season. Also on the show Christina Matthews, a trailblazer in women’s cricket and recently inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, joins Emma and Jacs in the SEN ACU Studio sharing how to get to the top of your game and her insights into the Women's Ashes series. Christina is the 65th addition to the prestigious Australian Cricket Hall of Fame list with a record 20 Tests and 47 one-day internationals, is one of the most successful wicket keepers Australia has produced and has been instrumental in transforming cricket for women and girls.
On the show the team chat with Associate Professor Rich Johnston, ACU SPRINT Research Centre about the challenges of load intensity in the AFL pre-season and injury as well as concussion and managing the safety of athletes. AFLW Club Champion West Coast Eagles player Dana Hooker shares her success as an athlete across the AFLW from its beginning in 2017 to the 2025 season where she is in training after giving birth in December 2024. Dana outlines the support for mothers with the new policies in place, overcoming the taboo of pelvic floor talk, and the incredible career opportunities now available for new AFLW draftees.
On the show the team chat with Professor Dick Telford, Sport Australia Hall of Fame member, Australia’s most dedicated marathon running coach and the first sports scientist appointed by the Australian Institute of Sport about coaching champions and how to run a marathon. Ritchie Smith winner of Western Australia's best coach for a second time at the 2024 WA Sport Awards presented by SportWest and the man behind driving the swings of three of Australia’s golfers who competed at the Paris Olympics in 2024 shares insights into the LIV Golf tournament as well as coaching athletes to achieve success, and how to overcome tee jitters and effectively read the green.
On the show the team chat with Vanessa Caig - Chief Science Officer and Alexis Cooper - Director of Education, Sport Integrity Australia about the science behind doping in sport and athlete education roles and responsibilities.
NRLW super star athlete Tallisha Harden, Indigenous All Stars Captain and captain of the North Queensland Cowboys provides insights into the significance of the annual Indigenous v Maori – Women’s All Stars round and pursuing a career as an elite NRLW player.
On the show the team chat with Molly Taylor, Australian Rally Champion, European Ladies Champion, Peter Brock Medal Winner, winner of the Extreme E Series – the world’s first gender equal motorsport series, and the first woman to ever drive the Dakar Rally! Molly shares insights into her pioneering career literally in the driver's seat and with what makes the 33rd Race of Champions, in Sydney Australia, for the the first time so special!
Dr Jonathon Weakley, Australian Catholic University (ACU) Researcher at the Sports Performance Recovery, Injury, and New Technologies Research (SPRINT) Centre outlines a collaboration between ACU and the AIS where participants track the menstrual cycle while researchers analyse their performance, hormonal changes experienced through different phases of the cycle which can affect performance. We also learn about the science behind matching strength and conditioning exercise for maximum sporting performance.
On the show the team chat with Richmond AFLW Captain Katie Brennan about her career, what the career of an AFLW player looks like in 2025, her captaincy style, the mindset of a leader and how to fuel your body for performance. Dr Peter Larkins, Co-founder of the Epworth Sports and Exercise Medicine Group joins the show with insights into the injuries from game 1 round 1 of the 2025 AFL season between the Sydney Swans and the Hawks at the SCG and recovery techniques for maximum performance.
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