Over the summer Scotland winger Shona Campbell launched her own business off the field.
And, with WXV Global Series action beginning this coming weekend, the 25-year-old is now ready to do the business on the field too.
Campbell has a psychology degree from Edinburgh University and has recently been working on a performance psychology masters via Bangor University.
She has always been interested in the mental side of sport while her own varied experiences with Montrose and District Rugby Club, Lathallan School, the High School of Dundee and Edinburgh University that have seen her earn international XVs and sevens caps, Touch caps and GB honours give her a unique perspective on things.
A few weeks ago, Campbell launched Kraft Performance, a company that specialises in performance psychology for athletes and is designed for those who are ready to build their mental game.
Campbell said: “Those who know me know how passionate I am about the power of the mental game in sport and, after years of studying and living it, being able to help other athletes build their mental game feels so aligned.
“I think the mental side of sport is as much a muscle as anything else, you have to practice and you have to rep it for it to improve.
“Having that awareness for me personally has been huge. I’m kind of lucky, anything I read about or learn about I can just use myself as a guinea pig and that’s kind of the way that I try to do it.
“Via Kraft, primarily I am working with youth age athletes coming through that are in performance pathways.
“To be able to go on a journey with them is super exciting and it’s what I wish I’d had at that age.
“I’ve targeted that young age group to help them develop that self awareness and sense of self. And then, as the ups and downs of elite sport come in as they naturally do for everyone, they will have that stronger sense of self that will hopefully stand them in good stead.
“I’ve worked with rugby players, hockey players, cricketers and netballers and, for me, part of my philosophy is ‘built not found’.
“Everything must be built, whether that’s high performance, whether that’s confidence or whether that’s something else and it’s about consistently built.
“I think there’s a bit of a misperception that confidence is something you either have or you don’t have, but, actually, it needs to be built.
“And the more that you spend time building it, the longer that it will last and the more resilient you will become.
“The other thing is ‘trust the timing’.
“As an athlete, there’s so much you cannot control and it’s so easy to spend your energy on those things that you can’t control.
“But, actually, so much of your power and your strength comes from understanding what you can control and understanding what you offer.”
Right now Campbell the rugby player offers a lot to the Scotland team because she was on fire for Sale Sharks down south in the English top flight last year and she bagged her first try for her country back in April.
In 2021 and 2022 she earned nine Scotland caps – including playing at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand – before time spent with GB Sevens with whom she just missed out on selection for the Olympics in Paris in 2024.
Having returned to XVs last summer, she earned a place back in the Scotland squad ahead of the Women’s Six Nations earlier in 2026 and now has 14 caps to her name.
“I think, when you don’t have something and you have been there before, you know what you’re missing,” she stated.
“[Playing for Scotland and then being away from the environment] it gives you a sense of perspective.
“It’s not something I’ll ever take for granted and I don’t think I did take it for granted. Having those years where I didn’t have those opportunities, it’s so special every single time I am in camp now.
“I think that’s the thing, there’s nothing like representing Scotland and especially for my family as well they love seeing me playing for Scotland.
“The coaches want us to play fast rugby so hopefully we’ll see that come to life during WXV.”
Fast rugby – of the league variety – can be seen in Super League and that is where Campbell’s partner Ky Rodwell plies his trade for Wakefield Trinity.
Asked if she has taken any tips from watching rugby league up close that she can use in hr own game, the 2022 Team Scotland Commonwealth Games sevens player concluded: “Yeah, I have.
“I think the way that rugby league players see the game is very different and I know that both codes have taken stuff from each other in the past.
We’re [her and Rodwell] very different positions, he’s a prop in rugby league so I think our skill sets are a little bit different!
“But, seriously, the way the rugby league players manipulate space is definitely something that hopefully I can start to put into my game some more.”
The upcoming home Vodafone Scotland WXV Series campaign – part of the wider WXV Global Series presented by Mitsubishi Electric featuring the top sides in the world – begins for Scotland, as mentioned, against Canada on Saturday at the Hive before welcoming New Zealand to these shores the following weekend on September 19 and then hosting Australia on September 26.
Scotland’s away WXV Global Series fixtures will take place against Australia on October 17 and October 23.
Shona Campbell is pictured – thanks to Peter Watt Photography
It is shaping up to be an exciting 2026/27 season for women’s rugby in Scotland and GH Media will be covering it in detail – if any companies are keen to support this content please send an email to gary@gh-media.co.uk