The Deep End

Sparked by seeing Lindsey Vonn go down in the final of the Downhill Skiing, I jumped on a call with one of my favourite people in the world in Martijn Lips - someone who will forget more about ACL rehab than I will ever know. In this episode, you'll hear our uncertainty as we grasp what we witnessed, what we noticed, and the emerging narratives that surrounded that moment and beyond - zooming...

Recently, Lúcás Ó'Ceallacháin put out a call on LinkedIn to engage in more podcasts and I selfishly obliged. A brilliant thinker, playful soul and multi-linguist with some incredible stories and rich life experiences - there's so much to take from this episode!

In this episode, I am joined by the kind of budding athlete, coach and scientist that brings me hope for the future. Andreas Weickhardt joins me this time to wander/wonder through questions of technology, coaching, feedback, learning and performance with wisdom beyond his years.

This is the kind of episode that we joked about for weeks in the group chat we made to keep each other sane. Here, two of my favourite Kiwis in coach education and development join me to ponder some of the questions we face in our daily work: how do we co-design with community coaches, who gets to decide what's worth knowing, and how do we balance "what they need to know" with "wha...

In this episode, I am joined by the kind of coach that I'm sure every kid wishes they had. Craig Stone from Nordic Soccer Club in Burlington, Vermont reached out after I wrote a heartfelt edition of my newsletter, where he quoted this line: The only thing we should be maximising is a sense of wanting to be there, of belonging, of psychological safety and joy and laughter. Our conversation wind...

This is our longest episode yet, but I couldn't bring myself to artificially split it in two. Join me in this wonderfully open, curious and pondering adventure through expertise, learning, thinking, knowledging and science as inquiry. I am joined by Martin Camiré and Carl Woods for this correspondence, something I never thought I'd say! As we weave through the things that capture our atten...

In this episode, I think Seb Wilson surprises himself as to why he's on the podcast. As a thoughtful, intentional basketball coach on his own learning journey, the podcast reflects what our coffee catch ups often sound like: meandering through topics until we forget how we got here, and "gardening our thinking" to find meaningful ways to connect with research and real people. You'l...

In this episode, Jenny Coe indulges me in a wandering discussion about the intersection of performance analysis and sport psychology, how we often leave wellbeing for last, and the wonders of movies like Inside Out 2 to help us connect with ourselves. I have had many years of these correspondences that make my heart sing, and I love that I can share one with you!

In this episode, I am joined by Aslan Odev - a coach that is not only going against the grain in an unforgiving football/soccer landscape, but doing so with an admirable amount of humility and integrity. Ever wondered how to get buy-in from your players? Coach with love. This is a sentiment I have felt but never expressed in these words, and hearing Aslan say them was somewhat liberating. If you s...

Adrian, better known as @ ecohoops , is the kind of coach that every kid deserves. Led by his curiosity, he's dedicated to creating environments that inspire fun and enjoyment. We cover so many topics in this episode, including playfulness, designing training for skill development, and who really has the answers (quick tip: nobody does!). Hope you enjoy half as much as I enjoyed recording! Mus...

We have our first return guest with coach Liam Murphy, inspired by a question about session plans and the role they play, which quickly dissolved into motivating young people, coaching through hard seasons, nobody intends to do harm (but it still happens) and exploring our own coaching canon events.

Aaron Holt has been picking my brain over the last few months, and this time around we decided to think out loud together and record it. This conversation was sparked by a staff meeting about the physical education topics Aaron would like to cover next year, and coordination is often featured, but rarely explored. We had so much fun stumbling through what we each know and have noticed in our pract...

In this episode, I had the pleasure of meeting Ben Matthews, a futsal coach in New Zealand who reached out to thank me for being a guest on another podcast. Like most coaches I interview, he wasn't sure he had much to offer, but as you listen to the richness of our emerging correspondence, you'll come to realise that this is never true. I loved Ben's openness and dedication to making s...

This is Part 2 with Ricky Pachon, where about halfway through our 2.5 hour chat, he turned the tables and started interviewing me! This is a great episode filled with exploration, pondering how we make sense of the world and how our coaching philosophies and practices evolve.

Ricky Pachon is an untapped energy source who is ready to change the game when it comes to Brazilian Jiujitsu. At Gracie Barra in Bondi (Sydney, AUS), they're doing things differently - and its working. One of my favourite lines from this episode: "they got to do something they didn't think was possible, and they've never had someone crazy enough to encourage them to try." This...

In this episode, I meet hockey coach Helen Weston who was kind enough to reach out and send a message of support after hearing one of our earlier episodes. Despite adamantly suggesting that she didn't have much to say, this episode was an absolute joy to record (as you will no doubt hear in our voices!).

Coach Yleia has started their journey with an U11's hockey team and throughout the season, we'll be catching up to record how they're treading water in this new deep end 🏑

In this episode, I have the pleasure of meeting Neil Gray for the first time. Together, we explore his vast coaching and development experiences across sports, countries and continents. In his various roles, he has inspired change, innovation, and reflection at every turn. In particular, I loved the comment around "good game coach"//"but I didn't do anything!" You'll find h...

In this episode, I am joined by the legendary community coach Michael Duff. He is a stalwart around the northern suburbs of Brisbane and his curiosity and openness have inspired a love of sport in countless young athletes - including a recent guest of the Paper by Paper podcast , Darcey Johnson. This episode is titled 'competere' after the latin root of the word 'competition': the...

Our first episode features Liam Murphy, a football/soccer coach turned pracademic that I have had the pleasure of interacting with for the past year. Together, we explore his coaching journey in its becoming, and touch on how learning theories and frameworks has supported our development as coaches in the deep end. Check out Liam's YouTube channel about tactical analysis in football ⁠here⁠ .