Sports coaching is not easy, especially at the community level. This podcast is a collection of interviews and stories of everyday coaches, the people in the deep end of their own coaching journey, wayfinding their way through practice and pedagogy.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/16/6/c6ef7a37-7dce-41aa-898c-6436a3253556_acls_and_uncertainty.mp3

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&#39;ll hear our uncertainty as we grasp what we witnessed, what we noticed, and the emerging narratives that surrounded that moment and beyond - zooming out from &#39;the knee&#39; and exploring what these moments mean for whole people. Complemented by a brilliant recent paper by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1357034X251413522" rel="nofollow">Charlie Corsby and colleagues (2026)</a>, we have no definitive answers, only questions, and that is okay. No apologies for the giggly mess at the end of this episode, it&#39;s a little reminder that we are just everyday people, thinking out loud together.

ACLs and Uncertainty in Conversation

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/b2bdde27-f6ce-4e58-bfba-bec161419626_g_2F2026-0-7_2F415638541-44100-2-dc132b2421be9.m4a

Recently, Lúcás Ó&#39;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&#39;s so much to take from this episode!

Messy Mondays and Flexecution

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/abac16fe-178a-45c6-b3e8-3b97e231d6ae_026-0-5_2F73eb9ad9-14c5-d1a0-35b0-eff36a5c6e76.mp3

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.

Starting with a question

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/3488c7fe-4977-4781-ad6c-8fd6e1f1956a_25-9-18_2Fcf6a7563-c13b-f8d9-f7b6-37e8a05b790c.mp3

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&#39;s worth knowing, and how do we balance &#34;what they need to know&#34; with &#34;what they want to know&#34;. Thank you again to George Robinson and Liam Mulcahy for their time to record this, and their ongoing friendship 🙏🏻

Go fast alone or slow together

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/bf0b64c7-0513-4a14-aa78-6d5e6a5f4bb3_25-0-24_2F229f0e69-58fa-977e-0505-a3649192ed42.mp3

In this episode, I am joined by the kind of coach that I&#39;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 winds down this road and many more, I hope you enjoy! 
You can find the original post in The Thought Garden newsletter (and many more editions!) here: <a href="https://skillacqlascu.substack.com/p/you-write-like-you-have-nothing-and" rel="nofollow">&#39;you write like you have nothing and everything to lose&#39;</a>

If in doubt, get the goals out!

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/d2b61224-d719-4d10-8786-55758003f31f_24-9-19_2F51ec8e4e-e956-8f3c-7574-029002a463dd.mp3

This is our longest episode yet, but I couldn&#39;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&#39;d say! As we weave through the things that capture our attention while we&#39;re always not/working, I would love to hear how these topics manifest in your world.

False dichotomies and verbing your nouns

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/d52bd636-f5d6-4af3-82c9-3c58929e817b_24-8-21_2Fae1c07ff-e621-84ab-9ca9-3c87b7dff1b9.mp3

In this episode, I think Seb Wilson surprises himself as to why he&#39;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 &#34;gardening our thinking&#34; to find meaningful ways to connect with research and real people. You&#39;ll love it even more than I enjoyed hosting it! 
 
Listen out for my favourite quote: &#34;the rules of the game [of basketball] are not fundamental.&#34;

Doing the doing first

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/9182f809-0eec-4c54-96e5-f129c8b2183c_024-7-6_2Fd6567e6b-ee8e-d4b6-2a5e-e1e6f73da1d9.mp3

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!

The Art of Noticing

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/b67d0c10-4157-4c78-aa2c-e14cf8760e23_24-5-16_2F8e84e194-4ede-1aa2-f85e-079c64416fe0.mp3

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 show you care, if you really take the time to connect with your learners, you don&#39;t need to manufacture buy-in.. they&#39;ll trust you enough to try it. And don&#39;t forget to admit that you&#39;re learning too!
 
 
 
 
Music credit: Balynt - Chase the Sundown on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/balyntmusic/balynt-chase-the-sundown-buy-free-download-no-copyright-petit-biscuit-style" rel="nofollow">Soundcloud</a>

Coaching with Love

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/37ee6f9c-c447-4745-b017-d79b41fce7e6__2F83647889_2Fd5db461a921cbe1650888cc636287354.m4a

Adrian, better known as @<a href="https://twitter.com/eco_hoops" rel="nofollow">ecohoops</a>, is the kind of coach that every kid deserves. Led by his curiosity, he&#39;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! 
 
 
Music credit: Balynt - Chase the Sundown on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/balyntmusic/balynt-chase-the-sundown-buy-free-download-no-copyright-petit-biscuit-style" rel="nofollow">Soundcloud</a>

It's just not playing anymore

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/a7a30724-c337-4659-ade0-34d2f0615182__2F79777442_2F0e6538908bc7c6f2f142257a2c7187b5.m4a

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. 


Coaching as a bad love language

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/da5b60a7-1006-4327-8237-cccb4573319c__2F79783123_2F7dd7cd3c3e8d82441e8679eb82001a0e.m4a

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 practice, I hope you enjoy our journey too. 


Flavour of the week

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/30a419de-56e3-444c-a0f7-6c85be4da306__2F78878955_2F36149bc35ea5ea5e52183797289f307f.m4a

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&#39;t sure he had much to offer, but as you listen to the richness of our emerging correspondence, you&#39;ll come to realise that this is never true. 
I loved Ben&#39;s openness and dedication to making sure sport loves you back.

Transparency is the best currency

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/741e39ae-d012-42f1-a9dc-4659acfc47ec__2F76801943_2F2e62d5cb3455e8a14bd9efbae1ae12f1.m4a

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.

Turning the Tables: Guest interviews Host

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/4fdec830-58c5-4fd2-991b-5f86e46f1531__2F76661811_2F5ec1e09f2b4fd012212006fcf1d7cd3d.m4a

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&#39;re doing things differently - and its working. One of my favourite lines from this episode: &#34;they got to do something they didn&#39;t think was possible, and they&#39;ve never had someone crazy enough to encourage them to try.&#34;
This is Part 1 of a 2 part series because we chatted for 2.5 hours! 
Trigger warnings: vomit, light swearing, and some loud sections because we&#39;re very passionate people and got carried away.

Extremes, potential and designing your room

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/91415165-7907-4886-89f1-21b6c8594e07__2F73710748_2F2ce8f2026728efc582c1310a0d02e3d6.m4a

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&#39;t have much to say, this episode was an absolute joy to record (as you will no doubt hear in our voices!).

Science my way out of this

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/5003d59b-990a-43f8-9773-d32578493ce1__2F72758606_2Fd44c2d3a68b5a98b8e7e3077af19c161.m4a

Coach Yleia has started their journey with an U11&#39;s hockey team and throughout the season, we&#39;ll be catching up to record how they&#39;re treading water in this new deep end 🏑

Slice of the Season 1

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/e89ef858-fa7b-47f1-9a80-02f48058cfd0__2F72255123_2F1978c3466bd2c6768835975f6a276a03.m4a

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 &#34;good game coach&#34;//&#34;but I didn&#39;t do anything!&#34;
 
You&#39;ll find him on Twitter at @nrg51628

There is no secret sauce

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/0d33eb2f-c4d6-43cf-ba23-38290721e158__2F69910307_2F46cc3362c448e94b6feba55e9fec6794.m4a

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 <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PxeAm7EtXxdazAzUa2Qga?si=01ee848a03b74e85" rel="nofollow">Paper by Paper podcast</a>, Darcey Johnson.
This episode is titled &#39;competere&#39; after the latin root of the word &#39;competition&#39;: the meaning of strive together is often forgotten in youth sport, where competition is often driven (by others) as winning or losing. There are some heartwarming stories of players stopping the game to check on the opposition and other lovely events that community sport often brings.

Competere - Strive Together

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/7/7/2f7222e5-6dac-4f91-884a-ab2e2c6c9ee4__2F69643209_2Fcdcf9e22116d3d3328dab5bbc3324c23.m4a

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&#39;s YouTube channel about tactical analysis in football <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@liammurphy9584/" rel="nofollow">⁠here⁠</a>.