Draft:Jonathan Rhodes

Jonathan Rhodes (born November 21, 1983) is a British psychologist, researcher and author best known for co-developing Functional Imagery Training (FIT) and his work with elite athletes, military personnel, and business leaders. He is the co-author of The Choice Point and an imagery researcher based out of the University of Plymouth.

Early life and education
Rhodes was born in Plymouth, Devon, England. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Winchester, a Masters from the University of Portsmouth and his Ph.D. in psychology from University of Plymouth, where his doctoral research focused on imagery and human performance.

Career
After his Masters degree, Rhodes worked at the University of Winchester and Portsmouth FC, then moved to London where he interned with the Lawn Tennis Association and lectured at local colleges and Universities. In 2010, Rhodes started working in Judo and Fencing where he met his wife. He then worked with multiple National sporting organisations culminating in supporting athletes and working at the London Olympic Games. After completing his Ph.D., Rhodes began working as a consultant with the British Army, helping soldiers use imagery techniques to improve performance under stress. It was through this work and the work with athletes that he co-developed Functional Imagery Training (FIT).

Rhodes has worked extensively with elite athletes across multiple sports, with Members of the British Government, business executives and leaders, helping them use FIT to enhance their mental preparation and performance. Some of the high-profile clients he has openly discussed working with include:


 * British fencer James Honeybone
 * German Red Bull High Diver Iris Schmidbauer
 * British modern pentathlete Karenza Bryson
 * American rower Dan Walsh
 * American astronaut Susan Kilrain

In addition, Rhodes has consulted for numerous companies and organisations on leadership development, culture change, and sustainability initiatives through FIT. In 2021 he partnered with American therapist turned executive coach Joanna Grover and together they founded Imagery Coaching, an organisation that measures and trains imagination using the FIT principles.

Books
Rhodes is the co-author of the book The Choice Point: The Scientifically Proven Method for Achieving Your Goals (2023), written with executive coach and therapist Joanna Grover. The book outlines how to use FIT to improve decision-making and was recognized by Malcolm Gladwell's Next Big Ideas Club.

Functional Imagery Training (FIT)
Functional Imagery Training is a psychological technique developed by Rhodes and colleagues at the University of Plymouth that uses imagery to experience and explore future goals. FIT ultilizes Motivational Interviewing techniques to examine motivation before mentally rehearsing and elaboration upon desired behaviors or mental states to alter thoughts, feelings and actions. Rhodes discussed his refined way of delivering FIT on the BBC's Instant Genius Podcast where he explained how cues such as objects can be used to activate imagery which evokes positive thinking.

FIT draws from neuroscience, cognitive psychology and mind-body practices. It has been applied in areas like:
 * Athletic performance enhancement
 * Leadership and teamwork development
 * Clinical psychology and counseling
 * Weight management
 * Sustainability and environmental behavior change

Research on FIT has shown benefits such as increased motivation, emotional regulation, resilience and desired habit formation.

Personal life
Rhodes is married to Katie Rhodes and they have one child.

Selected academic works

 * ''Rhodes, J., Nedza, K., May, J., & Clements, L. (2024). Imagery training for athletes with low imagery abilities. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2024.2337019
 * ''Rhodes, J., Blakeley-Glover, J., Miller, A., Taylor, A., & Rochmankowski, I. (2023). Inner Development Goals and the Meaning, Awareness and Purpose (MAP) Model for Climate Coaching. https://zenodo.org/records/8320461
 * ''Rhodes, J., & May, J. (2022). Applied imagery for motivation: a person-centred model. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 20(6), 1556-1575. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2021.1987959
 * ''Rhodes, J., Nedza, K., May, J., Jenkins, T., & Stone, T. (2021). From couch to ultra marathon: using functional imagery training to enhance motivation. Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/jirspa-2021-0011
 * ''Rhodes, J., May, J., & Booth, A. (2020). Penalty success in professional soccer: a randomised comparison between imagery methodologies. Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity, 15(1), 20200014. https://doi.org/10.1515/jirspa-2020-0014