Peter Olusoga: The Psychologist Studying Pressure, Burnout and Performance
Peter Olusoga is a British psychologist, university lecturer, researcher and performance consultant known for his work on stress, burnout, coaching and well-being in high-performance sport.
Introduction
Peter Olusoga works where psychology meets pressure.
He studies what happens when coaches, athletes and leaders face demanding environments for long periods. Stress. Burnout. Recovery. Well-being. These are central parts of his work.
As of September 2026, Dr Peter Olusoga is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University. He is also a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
Many people also know him through Eighty Percent Mental, the psychology podcast and professional platform he founded.
And yes, there is another reason his surname looks familiar. Peter Olusoga is the younger brother of British historian and broadcaster David Olusoga.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full professional name | Dr Peter Olusoga |
| Also known as | Pete Olusoga |
| Profession | Psychologist, lecturer, researcher and consultant |
| Current role | Senior Lecturer in Psychology |
| University | Sheffield Hallam University |
| Professional status | Chartered Psychologist |
| Main research areas | Stress, burnout, coaching, well-being and performance |
| Undergraduate degree | BSc (Hons) Psychology |
| Undergraduate university | University of Sheffield |
| Master’s degree | MSc Sport & Exercise Science |
| Podcast | Eighty Percent Mental |
| Podcast launched | 2020 |
| Major award | AASP Doctoral Dissertation Award, 2012 |
| Public family connection | Younger brother of David Olusoga |
| 2025 book | Coaching Stories |
Who Is Peter Olusoga?
Peter Olusoga is a psychologist whose work mainly focuses on people performing under pressure.
That sounds broad. It is.
His research has covered elite sports coaches, stress, coping, burnout, recovery and sustainable high-performance work.
He also studies racism within sport and sport psychology.
His career mixes two sides of psychology.
One side is academic.
The other is practical.
He writes research papers and teaches students, but he also works with coaches, athletes, leaders and organisations.
Basically, his work asks a simple question: how can people perform at a high level without running themselves into the ground?
That question has shaped much of his career.
Early Life and Education
Peter Olusoga grew up in Gateshead, North East England.
He later moved to Sheffield.
In 1998, he began studying psychology at the University of Sheffield. He completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology.
His academic path then moved toward sport.
He studied Sport and Exercise Science at Sheffield Hallam University, completing master’s-level training in the subject.
That shift made sense.
Olusoga also had years of basketball experience. His professional profile says he spent around two decades playing and coaching the sport.
So psychology and sport began to meet.
His doctoral research focused on something very specific: stress and coping among elite sports coaches.
That work later became one of the strongest parts of his academic career.
Research Into Stress and Elite Coaching
Olusoga started publishing research on high-level coaching pressure during the late 2000s.
One early study examined stress in elite sports coaching.
The research looked at the pressures experienced by internationally experienced coaches. Issues included conflict, expectations, isolation and the pressure attached to elite sport.
Another study examined how world-class coaches coped with stress.
This mattered because coaches are often expected to support athletes while handling their own pressure at the same time.
Honestly, that side of sport gets less attention.
Athletes usually stand in the spotlight. Coaches often carry their own heavy workload behind it.
Olusoga’s research helped bring that part of performance psychology into clearer view.
He also co-authored work examining Olympic coaches working under pressure.
His doctoral research gained major recognition in 2012, when he received the Association for Applied Sport Psychology Doctoral Dissertation Award.
Burnout Became a Major Research Theme
Stress was only part of the story.
Burnout became another.
Olusoga later worked on research examining high-performance coaches who experienced burnout and stepped away from coaching.
The work looked at several real issues.
Work-home pressure mattered.
Role clarity mattered.
Social support mattered too.
Counselling and mentoring also appeared as possible sources of help.
This part of his research moved the discussion beyond performance alone.
The question was no longer simply, “How can a coach perform better?”
It became, “How can a coach keep working without burning out?”
That is a different question.
And a very practical one.
His more recent work has continued looking at sustainable high-performance coaching.
A 2025 paper involving Olusoga examined recommendations for creating coaching careers that can last without placing constant strain on the people doing the job.
Sheffield Hallam University Career
As of September 2026, Peter Olusoga is listed as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University.
His university profile connects him with several research areas.
These include:
- stress and coping
- burnout
- psychological well-being
- high-performance sport
- sports coaching
- mindfulness
- race and racism
- sustainable performance
He also gained Chartered Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society in 2010.
That professional recognition sits alongside his academic teaching and research work.
Eighty Percent Mental
Peter Olusoga launched the Eighty Percent Mental podcast in 2020.
The show focuses on psychology in sport, performance, health and well-being.
Guests have included researchers, psychologists, coaches and people working inside high-pressure environments.
The style is practical.
Research gets discussed, but so do real experiences.
The podcast later became closely tied to Olusoga’s wider professional work through EPM Psychology.
Through that work, he provides consulting, workshops, talks and support for people dealing with pressure in sport, leadership and other demanding settings.
The podcast also earned professional recognition.
In 2022, Olusoga received the Association for Applied Sport Psychology Distinguished Public Communication, Awareness and Outreach Award.
Then came another milestone.
In 2025, Eighty Percent Mental won bronze in the Fitness, Health and Wellbeing category at the Sports Podcast Awards.
That gave the project recognition outside academic publishing.
Work on Racism in Sport Psychology
Peter Olusoga has also researched race and racism.
This is listed among his academic interests at Sheffield Hallam University.
He worked with psychologist Leeja Carter on academic work addressing racism within sport psychology.
They were involved with a special issue of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology focused on racism and anti-racist practice.
Olusoga later contributed to research about creating and maintaining anti-racist sport and exercise organisations.
That work appeared in 2025.
So his research is not limited to performance scores or stress levels.
It also looks at the systems people work inside.
Coaching Stories Book
In 2025, Peter Olusoga became one of the editors of the book Coaching Stories: Navigating Storms, Triumphs, and Transformations in Sport.
The book was published by Routledge.
His fellow editors were Stiliani “Ani” Chroni, Kristen Dieffenbach and Göran Kenttä.
The book brings together coaching experiences, case studies and research.
Its focus fits closely with Olusoga’s long-term work.
Coaches face pressure.
They make hard choices.
They deal with setbacks.
And their well-being can affect both their work and the people around them.
The book looks at those experiences through research and real coaching situations.
Is Peter Olusoga Related to David Olusoga?
Yes.
Peter Olusoga is the younger brother of historian, author and broadcaster David Olusoga.
This relationship has been confirmed publicly by David himself.
The brothers have also appeared together in professional public discussions.
In 2023, Peter interviewed David in a conversation connected with The Psychologist and David’s BBC work.
Their professional fields are different.
David works mainly in history, broadcasting and writing.
Peter works mainly in psychology, research and performance.
Peter Olusoga and Basketball
Basketball played a real part in Peter Olusoga’s professional development.
His official professional material says he spent around 20 years playing and coaching basketball.
That background gives useful context to his academic work.
He did not approach coaching only from a research desk.
He had direct experience inside sport too.
This likely explains why much of his work stays close to practical coaching problems rather than only theoretical questions.
Current Work
Right now, Peter Olusoga’s public work sits across several areas.
He teaches psychology.
He carries out research.
He speaks about performance and well-being.
He runs psychology-focused professional work through EPM Psychology.
And he continues hosting Eighty Percent Mental.
His recent research also keeps returning to one big issue: how people can work at a high level without making burnout feel normal.
That remains a clear thread through his work.
Major Career Achievements
A few milestones stand out.
He gained Chartered Psychologist status in 2010.
His doctoral research received the AASP Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2012.
He launched Eighty Percent Mental in 2020.
He received AASP recognition for public communication in 2022.
The podcast won bronze at the Sports Podcast Awards in 2025.
He also co-edited Coaching Stories in 2025.
Alongside those milestones, he has continued publishing academic research on stress, burnout, race, coaching and well-being.
Interesting Facts About Peter Olusoga
Peter Olusoga first studied general psychology before moving deeper into sport and performance research.
He has both academic and coaching experience.
Basketball was a major part of his sporting background.
His early academic work focused heavily on elite coaches rather than athletes.
He has received AASP recognition for both doctoral research and public communication.
His podcast grew from a 2020 project into an award-winning sport psychology show.
He has also worked publicly with his older brother David Olusoga, despite the two having very different professional careers.
Final Thought
Peter Olusoga has built his work around pressure.
Not the dramatic kind.
The everyday kind.
Deadlines. Expectations. Competition. Long hours. Burnout.
His research asks what these pressures do to coaches and performers, and what can help people handle them better.
That idea runs through his academic papers, university teaching, consulting work and Eighty Percent Mental podcast.
For readers searching his name, that is the main point to know.
Peter Olusoga is a psychologist focused on the human side of high performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Peter Olusoga?
Peter Olusoga is a British psychologist, researcher, lecturer and performance consultant. He specialises in stress, burnout, coaching and well-being.
What does Peter Olusoga do now?
As of September 2026, he is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University. He also works through EPM Psychology and hosts Eighty Percent Mental.
Is Peter Olusoga a psychologist?
Yes. Sheffield Hallam University lists him as a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
Is Peter Olusoga related to David Olusoga?
Yes. Peter is the younger brother of historian and broadcaster David Olusoga.
What is Eighty Percent Mental?
Eighty Percent Mental is Peter Olusoga’s podcast about psychology, sport, performance, health and well-being. It launched in 2020.
What did Peter Olusoga study?
He studied Psychology at the University of Sheffield and later Sport and Exercise Science at Sheffield Hallam University. His doctoral research focused on stress and coping among elite sports coaches.
What does Peter Olusoga research?
His research covers stress, burnout, well-being, sports coaching, sustainable performance, mindfulness, race and racism.
Has Peter Olusoga written a book?
He is one of the editors of the 2025 Routledge book Coaching Stories: Navigating Storms, Triumphs, and Transformations in Sport.
