Podcasts

Since December 2019, I have discussed some of the ideas and experiences I outline on this site on various podcasts. They are collated here for those who would care to listen; it might provide more detail to some of my musings…

January 2023 – The Coaching Knife: Rugby Coach Weekly

This was the shortest, most intensive and daunting podcasting experience I have ever had! With only 20 minutes to work with, Dan Cottrell cuts to the root of the issues (in my case, themeing) that coaches want to know about. Have a listen to see how I got on and whether I survived Dan’s grilling!

November 2022 – The Sports Initiative Podcast

This was a fun discussion to explore how groups in business and sport create a values-based environment and how stories and themes might help support the overall aims they want to achieve.

October 2022 – The Off-Field Rugby Pod

A big thank you to Brian Moylett for having me on his Off-Field Rugby Pod. Here we talked about how I helped Stade Rochelais with their themeing that ultimately ended in them lifting their first trophy: the Champions Cup in May 2022.

April 2022 – The Big Breakdown Podcast

It was great to chat with Harrison and Kris on their Big Breakdown Podcast about how I have implemented themeing with groups I coach and consult with. They put some great questions to me about how coaches might go about taking a theme and build it from scratch.

August 2021 – The Magic Academy Podcast

I can safely say that my car is the place I listen to podcasts the most so it was weird to record one in it! Due to some Wifi issues at Team Architecture Ltd headquarters, I spoke to Rusty about some of the work I have been doing since he and I last spoke in December 2019.

It was great to reflect with him and to discuss where I have gotten to with my ideas around using themes and also to give some insight into how I found myself designing a theme for a Top 14 club and trying to learn French along the way…c’est bizarre!

June 2021 – The Rugby Coach’s Corner Podcast with Andy Plimer – Episode 94: Using Themes and Empathy in Coaching

I have been listening to Andy’s podcast for years and it has played a huge role in my own development and thinking in how I coach. He has had on some incredible guests over the years and I was delighted that he asked me to speak on his show.

It was fun to chat to Andy about some of the writing I have doing about my coaching the last few years and it was great to hear his take on some articles that stood out to him.

December 2020 – Reviewing Doug Lemov’s ‘The Coach’s Guide to Teaching’ with Dan Cottrell at Rugby Coach Weekly

I could not have been happier to help review a book that I have been awaiting for quite some time. Doug Lemov has been a great voice in the development of teaching the past few years. He has also made some ventures into the world of sports coaching with Practice Perfect which I loved a few years ago. Discuss his latest work with Edd Conway, Ged Hall and Dan Cottrell was a great way to inspire some ideas into my own coaching and teaching.

November 2020 – Breaking the Pane: The Jess Bunyard Podcast on Rugby Coach Weekly: Themes and Storytelling for all Levels

This chat was all about how you might go about using themes across a range of levels in sports coaching. Both Andy Stevens and Jess Bunyard had tried some ideas around themes and storytelling as I had so it was wonderful to discuss our different approaches to this area.

August 2020 – All Chats Pod – Episode 6 – The Teacher Chat

The two men who run this pod are one of the main reasons I am so proud to be a part of the HAC rugby club. The fact that they are exploring their own mental health together through conversations with others is the very content we need in our lives right now. So pleased to have been asked on and delighted to have spoken about mental health in schools, working with Shout as a Crisis Volunteer and how sports teams should be places where people can open up – if they want.

August 2020 – Golden Nuggets – Episode 14 – Al Lydon chats with Dave Sharkey

This podcast tries to capture some key reflections from each of the guests who have included: Stuart Lancaster, Damian Hughes and Amy Price amongst others. Delighted for Al to have me on to discuss how you could using themes in a school context and we get to the bottom of general misunderstandings of what ‘Empathy’ actually means…

July 2020 – Swancast – ‘Swan Lake, Rockets and Irish Rebels?’ with Nick Allso

I thoroughly enjoyed what was a really fun chat with Nick Allso who is the Director or Rugby at Staines Rugby Club. In it, I chat about the use of themes and story-telling in sports coaching; I touch on Project Apollo with a schoolboy team and; the Ernest Shackleton theme we used with the men’s team I coach, the HAC. Nick also asked my take on possible theme for Staines so keep an ear out for those gems!

June 2020 – Rugby Coach Weekly – Roundup Rodeo with Phil Llewelyn

This podcast was a discussion about some of the coaching content that has been produced over the course of the lockdown. The show is a really useful way to sift through the ‘infodemic’ and I was delighted to be asked to take part. I review a webinar from UK Coaching which looked at ‘reflection‘ and it was both great to partake in the webinar but also then to distill it as best I could and present my findings on this podcast. Other guests- Andy Brownhill and Mark Rees- review an area of their choice so if my dulcet tones are beginning to bore you, they come in with areas of their own to discuss!

December 2019 – The Magic Academy with Russell Earnshaw

Rusty was very kind to listen me talk about some of the work I had done on character coaching with ‘Redefining Masculinity’ and then how this helped to shape my works on the use of themes in ‘Project Apollo’. Rusty was a useful sounding-board when I was first eager to explore a way to support young men both on and off the pitch so it was good to reflect and chat with him about all of this. We also talked about my first foray into adult coaching with the HAC and the differences between it and coaching teenagers.

6 Nations Apollo Cambridge Character Coaching Coaching Themes Crusaders Emotional Well-Being Endurance Farrell Garry Ringrose Gender Dynamics HAC Honorable Artillery Company Ireland Ireland Vs England ireland vs scotland Ireland vs Wales IRFU Irish Rugby JFK Joe Schmidt Language Masculinity Media Mental Health Murray NASA Neil Armstrong Oxford Project Apollo Reflections Rucking Rugby Rugby Coaching Rugby Themes Sexton Shackleton Space sport Story Team Themes Varsity Women's Rugby