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!

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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. 

David is also a keynote speaker and 'Entrepreneur in Residence' at Portsmouth University, where he shares his expertise on sales, business transformation, and digital learning. 

David joined me to talk about how I think Suada could become a major part of the solution to bringing, flexible, dynamic, non-linear, on-demand learning and development to the world at scale. In this conversation we discuss the extreme challenges in David's upringing, how this provided a catapult to a career in the Army followed by working in a shoe factory and then into the world of finance before finding his passion helping people learn. 

I am delighted to announce that Suada has now become a channel partner of the podcast - my first channel partner because I am so passionate about the potential of this platform. 

Find out more at https://www.suada.com/

If you would like to set up a call with David and the team to see how Suada could integrate into your organisation's learning goals then drop me a line and we can get it set up. 

Want to have more conversations like these with like minded practitioners?
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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 for multi-sport participation, and delves into the philosophy of coaching with an emphasis on 'why' we coach and building life skills through sports. We talk about the balance between high expectations and support, the power of resilience, and the significance of 'soft skills' in coaching. Additionally, discover concepts like the Finnish notion of 'Sisu' (which roughly translates into 'never giving up'), allyship in sports and Troy's thoughts on the universal value of creating a culture that prioritises relationships over winning.

Hope you enjoy. 

Want to learn with me and a global network of committed individuals that come together to sense make and wayfind together....Join 'The Guild' - a learning community of ecological explorers 

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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 we discuss Stuart's experiences working in multi disciplinary teams and uncovers some of the toxicity that surrounds some of these environments. Stuart also shares his experiences of working as a Performance Director and how he has uncovered coaches that have very little understanding of their approach and how he encourages players to be more questioning of their coaches to avoid path dependency. 

We discuss the latest state of skill acquisition and also get into a deep dive around the way that he field has emerged and the lack of awareness among the vast majority of coaches. 

It's a really fascinating conversation that I am sure you will enjoy. 

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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 new suite of professional standards in the UK that bring flexibility and transferability in qualifications. The discussion also touches on the necessity of continuous professional development and how adopting a deconstructed, individualized approach can transform the sports workforce and improve outcomes for participants.

01:36 What does 'learner centred' even mean? 
03:50 Why don't people do this already? 
05:18 Barriers to change
08:08 How professional standards open up new opportunities for a more dynamic, learner centred model
11:50 Deconstructed Learning: A New Approach
13:56 RIP CPD

If you would like to discuss any of the content in this episode or any of the other episodes please get in touch through LinkedIn or at [email protected]

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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 coaching in prisons and internationally. We discuss some of his coaching influences and also expore some of the creative ways that he develops coaches. 


01:38 Career journey
17:37 The role of a coach developer - 'having someone hold onto you while you lean over the edge'
45:30 Creative coach development - 'jelly beans and cocktail sticks'
49:45 How we can support community coaches to 'collect memories rather than medals'
01:04:50 Designing effective individual development plans
01:13:48 Parents as a 'multi-disciplinary team'
01:16:41 Conclusion and future conversations

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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 we want to engage those working in community settings with individuals that experience social and/or economic disadvantage.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this and would be keen to help any organisations that are looking to tackle some of these challenges. 

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
01:57 Understanding the Linear Coach Development Journey
04:43 Challenges in Recognizing Expertise in Youth Coaching
09:52 The Need for Non-Linear Coach Development 
12:03 Addressing Diversity and Inclusion in Coach Education
16:21 Reforming Curriculum Design for Coaches
19:34 Conclusion and Call to Action

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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 some of the 'system shifts' that I have been covering and how they manifest into her work within cricket. We look at some of the practical solutions that are being implemented and how they seek to address the need to reducce the burden on coaches through enhanced support. 

I hope you enjoy...




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Reposting a classic episode! 

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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 was able to glean some insights from those interactions that I think are relevant to the success that the team are currently enjoying and would be useful for any coach.

Hope you enjoy!

*GB actually won 1 gold medal in Atlanta (not 1 bronze as I said in the recording) among a total medal haul of 15.

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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, skills and attributes of coaches from within that local community.

Through a compelling story of a martial arts club in a deprived area, I showcase the importance of localised, bottom-up approaches to coaching and education and the impact it can have on the lives of young people. 

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
00:23 Understanding Workforce Diversity
01:55 The Importance of Local Community Coaches
05:19 Challenges Faced by Unqualified Coaches
11:27 Decentralising Education for Greater Impact
14:44 Call to Action and Conclusion

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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 instead of focussing on how we support and retain the skilled practitioners that we already have. 


01:50 - The Problem with Coach Education insights
02:44 - Understanding Coach Supply and Demand
07:00 - Retention Challenges in Coaching
08:55 - Shifting Focus to Retention and Support


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