The Talent Equation Podcast

In this conversation Mark and I discuss the challenge of establishing real clarity of the objectives that a person or group wants to set for themselves. We then discuss how easy it is for the leader to fall into the trap of letting them off the hook. We discuss ways that leaders can lean into the discomfort of the difficult conversation by reframing the awkwardness as a 'duty' and an act of care r...

Andrea Andrews is a swimming instructor with a specialist research interest in drowning prevention. Andrea describes herself like this... "My aim is to improve the lived human experience in water by helping all ages make sense of the water through natural learner-led approaches that trigger the amazing hidden skills we are all born with. I am in effect focused upon panic prevention by helping ever...

A new collaboration between Mark Bennett MBE and Stuart Armstrong that looks at topical news items and explore how they impact people in sport, education, business and life through the lens of the PDS philosophy and the principles of Ecological Dynamics.  Mark and I got cut off by our recording software crashing but we thought we would publish the rough cut anyway! Become a supporter of this podca...

David Thomson is an ex army veteran who became a leading financial advisor turned education technology entrepreneur. David is the Founder and CEO of 'Suada' a game changing learning platform that combines the 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵-𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗔𝗜-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀, and 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸, creating an interactive and engaging learning environment that transforms knowledge into practical skills.  Da...

Troy Urdahl is an award winning high school athletic director, a hall of fame coach and a college professor with more than twenty years experience in leadership and coaching. He is now an accomplished author of a fantastic book called 'Chasing Influence' which uses storytelling as a means to put forward lessons about leadership.  Troy shares his journey from a sports-filled childhood to advocating...

Stuart Morgan is a high performance coach and performance director working with elite golfers and aspiring players across Europe. Stuart makes a welcome return to the podcast for another frank and forthright conversation about the state of coaching and athlete development. He is also a co host on the brillient 'Practice Thinker' podcast alongside Ian Renshaw and Peter Arnott.  In this conversation...

In this episode, I discuss the changing nature of coach education, particularly focusing on the concept of 'deconstructed delivery.' As we move towards more learner-centered models in education, it's crucial to rethink the delivery methods to tailor them to individual needs. I explore the challenges of implementing these models at scale, the limitations of traditional education systems, and the ne...

Tom Hartley is the Coaching Lead at UK Coaching and Foundation Phase Lead Coach at Oxford United women. In this very overdue episode (aren't they all!) I sit down with Tom Hartley to explore his extensive background in coaching and player development. Tom discusses his journey in coaching including pivotal career moments at clubs like Swindon Town and Arsenal, and unique experiences such as coachi...

In Episode 6 of the Coach Education is Broken series, I discuss the need for a significant shift in the way we think about and approach coach education by embracing the natural complexity that comes with people operating in a range of contexts. I represent the views of coach educators, system builders and coaches themselves that we need to move beyond linear development pathways, particularly if w...

Alex Lascu is a cricket coach that has doen in depth acadmeic study in coaching and skill development before turning her attention to coach development. She now works for one of the major state sports associations in Australia.  Alex joined me to discuss all things coach educationa and development having listened to my recent 'Coach Education is broken series'. Through the discussion we explore so...

Reposting a classic episode!  ------- This was recorded to reflect on the journey of the England Football Team during the previous European Championships but it still feels apt today in the wake of another final appearance and Gareth Southgate’s tenure as Head Coach coming to an end. I have been fortunate to spend time with Gareth Southgate, the England Head Coach on a couple of occasions and I wa...

In Episode 5 of the 'Coach Education is Broken' series,' I explore the importance of addressing systemic barriers in the sports workforce that mean that the worksforce continues to lack diversity. This episode delves into real-world examples of how local community engagement can drive participation, social impact, and talent development but how this can only happen by utilising the qualities, skil...

In episode 4 of the 'Coach Education is Broken' series, titled 'Fixing the Leaky Bucket,' I delve into the systemic and mindset shifts required to change and modernise the way that the sport sector develops it's frontline workforce. I call for better insight and data collection to inform decision making into coach education and I challenge the isector's over emphasis on recruiting new coaches inst...

Mauro van de Looij is a sports coach and performance psychologist from the Netherlands. He has worked as a youth coach at PSV Eindhoven and Willem II Tilburg and he teaches Performance Psychology at Fontys University of Applied Psychology. Mauro coaches athletes, trainers, students and teachers and also supports sports clubs, schools and companies in coaching and talent development. Mauro joins me...

Alex Sarama makes a welcome return to the podcast to discuss his fantastic new book 'Transforming Basketball' and to unpack some of the ideas that are within it.  Although Alex is a basketball coach and the book is based on Basketball, it is actually a briliiant read for coaches of any sport, especially team sports. This conversation explores many of these ideas including: Why '2 ball dribbling' i...

In this episode, I talk about the necessity for a system shift from a coach education system that is almost completely dominated by 'qualifications', which are no more than a demonstration of competence in a moment in time to a more development and progressive model that recognises the expertise of the practitioner along their developmental journey.  A significant majority of coaches want the indu...

Mark Bennett makes a welcome return to the podcast. This time to help me out with some challenges that I have experienced during my last season of coaching.  How to establish an agreed set of performance behaviours with a group that is equally spilt between wanting to be recreational and wanting to be driven by performance goals. We also explore how you deal with people who are self deluded and th...

Richard Burcuson and Dean Holden are the hosts of the Grass Roots Minor Hockey Podcast. A show dedicated to all things grass roots ice hockey in Canada and beyond... As they describe it... "A provocative, in-depth podcast that examines the world of minor hockey, from coaching to program development to the myriad of issues faced by everyone in the game." The guys reached out to me following my late...

In this episode I call for a complete rethink about the way that we think about support for coaches. I suggest that we need to 'turn the telescope around' and start to consider the skills, knowledge, and understanding that coaches already possess, rather than forcing everybody to obtain formal qualifications through coach education courses.  I share a story about a brilliant coach I know who hasn’...

Episode 1 of 'Coach Education is broken' - 'Transformation not transaction' I take a hard look at the nature of coach education courses as a machanism to provide coaches with the kind of support they need. I criticise the thinking behind this approach and the 'culturally resient practices and beliefs' that fosters their continued use.  This focus on efficiency means that coaches often get their qu...

A new dog walk diary where I begin a new multi part series talking about all of the ways that coach education and development needs to change to meet the needs of a new generation of learners. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support . Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community...

Scott Young makes an extremely welcome return to the podcast having written a new book about learning that follows up on the smash hit ' Ultralearning '. 'Get Better at Anything' has a different flavour as it takes us on a more practical journey to explore the development of skill in multiple domains.  I was gripped by this conversation as we explored:  What Tetris players can teach us about getti...

In this episode I am joined by Josh Peacock from 'Combat Learning' and the 'Combat Learning Podcast'. Combat Learning is about radically improving teachers and learners of martial arts using the ecological approach to training. They explore the little-known frontiers of skill adaptation, perceptual-motor learning, and human performance science for combat sports. As Josh says...."After teaching mar...

This episode features guest Kevin Mulcahy from Cork, Ireland, who is an S&C coach with experience coaching Gaelic Football and Hurling.  The episode explores...  The historical context of these sports and their contemporary changes, including rule standardisation and the impact of lighter balls on game dynamics. Challenges in youth sports development, such as facility access and the influence...

Reflecting on my conversation with Mike Jagacki and some of the thoughts it threw up!! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support . Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led app...