The Talent Equation Podcast

The Talent Equation Podcast

The Talent Equation podcast is an 'exploration in human advancement'... mostly (but not exclusively) through the lens of sport and physical activity. Each episode is an 'emergent conversation' with practitioners, parents, researchers, authors (or some combination of all three) taking a deep dive into the ways that people can help others to enhance their developmental journey in whatever field they are committed to. These conversations are not mainstream - you will not hear ideas that are provided on standard education courses - they often fly in the face of convention - they will sometimes be controversial and provocative - the show is about doing things differently and doing different things. The people who come on the show are innovators - they are trying to break new ground or swim against the tide of what they see as a broken culture or an ineffective system - what they say will prompt new thinking or new ideas. All that is asked of the listener is to embrace the conversation with an open mind. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Episodes

"Leadership is a practice...not a position" - a conversation with Hayley Lever

December 3, 2025 • 81 mins
In this episode, I sit down with Hayley Lever, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Moving, to explore what authentic leadership really looks like when you're trying to create systemic change. Hayley has been one of the biggest influences on how I think about leadership, culture, and the power of creating environments where people can truly thrive. We dive deep into Hayley's newly published book on leadership, 'Leading from the Ba...
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What coaches can learn from locksmiths - a conversation with Scott Benbow

November 26, 2025 • 90 mins
In this episode, I sit down with Scott Benbow, a Football Fun Factory franchise owner in West Cumbria who's on a mission to transform grassroots coaching through learning science. After an 11-year break from coaching and a deep dive into neuroscience and learning development, Scott returned to football with a radically different approach—one that prioritises how children learn over traditional coaching methods. We explore his journ...
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Dog Walk Diary: Fix the system…not the coaches

November 21, 2025 • 16 mins
In this episode, I dive into a subject that's been weighing heavily on my mind, sparked by the writing of fellow ecological explorer, Steve Whelan and observations across the coaching landscape. I explore why coach education systems continue to default to instructional, directive models when we know that contextual, experiential learning can be far more effective—and why this has huge bearing on workforce diversity especially for g...
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"You can take a pick and mix approach to theory - but not if you want to be evidence based" - A conversation with the Constraints Collective

October 7, 2025 • 93 mins
In this fascinating conversation, I joined Keith Davids and Ian Renshaw, two of the 'founding fathers' of Ecological Dynamics and the Constraints Led Approach in sport to explore the critical challenges facing coach education and athlete development. We dive deep into why the traditional cognitive-information processing approach still dominates coaching practice, despite decades of research suggesting more effective alternatives.

3...
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"Menschenfenger" - exploring the way that Germany approaches coach development - a conversation with Jonathan Harding

July 24, 2025 • 97 mins
Jonathan Harding joins me to discuss his amazing book 'Mensch' which goes into a deep dive around the way that the German nation views coaches and their approch to coach development. 

This book is really powerful and I really enjoyed this insightful conversation. 




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 Ec...
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"Confidence Doesn't Exist" (And How to Coach It Anyway) - a conversation with Mike Porteous

June 20, 2025 • 72 mins
In this conversation, I sit down with Mike Porteous, triathlon coach and author of the brillliant book 'Beyond Belief' - the art of confidence-centred coaching. Mike's journey from academic to civil servant to failed mountain bike business owner to successful triathlon coach reveals fascinating insights about what really matters in developing both athletes and coaches. We explore Mike's approach to confidence-centred coaching, whic...
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"Talent development is like a flock of hungry seagulls" - a conversation with Andy Kirkland

May 21, 2025 • 117 mins
In this episode of The Talent Equation, I reconnect with Andy Kirkland from the University of Stirling to explore how our sporting systems both help and hinder talent development. Andy shares insights from his chapter in "Reimagining Talent Development in Sport" and introduces the concept of 'salutogenesis' - focusing on what creates health and well being rather than what causes harm.

Three key takeaways:
  1. Our current talent deve...
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"Transfer is in the overlap between the human and the information" - a conversation with Dr Andrew Wilson

May 15, 2025 • 92 mins
In this episode I reconnect with Dr. Andrew Wilson, Reader in Psychology at Leeds Beckett University and a leading voice in ecological psychology in sport. We delve into the fascinating world of affordances, skill development, and the complex challenge of transfer of learning in sport. Andrew brilliantly explains how our traditional understanding of skill acquisition often misses the mark, and why an ecological approach offers a mo...
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Beware of the 3 word slogan in coaching research

April 26, 2025 • 36 mins
In this ‘Dog Walk Diary’ episode, I dive deep into how narratives and slogans shape coaching approaches and talent development, particularly examining how research concepts like the "10,000-hour rule" and "talent needs trauma" get oversimplified and sometimes misapplied in practice. I explore the tension between evidence-informed practice and harmful performance narratives, advocating for a more nuanced "talent needs turbulence" a...
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"Drillers are killers (they just don't realise they are killing themselves!)" a conversation with Bren Veziroglu

April 18, 2025 • 96 mins
I had a fascinating conversation with Bren Veziroglu about ecological dynamics and how it's transforming coaching and movement practice. Bren's journey from a self-described "skinny, unathletic" teen to becoming an influential voice in movement education reveals powerful insights about skill development and learning.

Three key takeaways from our conversation:
  1. Traditional drilling approaches develop technique but not true skill. ...
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"We Don't Need to Copy the World in Our Head to Interact With It" - a conversation with Julia Blau and Jeffrey Wagman

April 5, 2025 • 104 mins
I recently had the absolute pleasure of recording a conversation with Dr. Julia Blau and Dr. Jeffrey Wagman, authors of "An Introduction to Ecological Psychology: A Lawful Approach to Perceiving, Acting, and Cognising." Our conversation explored how humans actually perceive and interact with the world around them and question the traditional assumptions about psychology which suggests that we need to create mental representations o...
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The dilemmas of talented children - a conversation with Paddy McQueen

March 22, 2025 • 78 mins
I recently had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Paddy McQueen from Swansea University to discuss a fascinating paper he had authored exploring the ethical dilemmas of supporting talented children. Our conversation explored the philosophical questions about childhood, talent development, and the responsibilities we have as parents, coaches and policy makers. 

Paddy introduced me to three different views of childhood - 'the sapling ...
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A conversation with PDS Ninja Alan Keane - PBNO 9

March 14, 2025 • 84 mins
Mark and I welcome Alan Keane to the show for an in depth discussion around the intersection of PDS and Ecological Dynamics, how Alan builds an unique open and trusting relationship between him and his assistant coach and also whether we have absolutes more objective moral rules guiding our practice.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready to explore the...
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"We coach like we train ballet dancers - but tennis is an MMA fight" - a conversation with Steve Whelan

February 27, 2025 • 90 mins
In this episode I speak with tennis coach Steve Whelan about his transformative journey from traditional technical coaching to an ecological, constraints-led approach. Coming from a football and multi sport coaching background, Steve describes how his unorthodox path led him to question conventional coaching wisdom. After 18 years of frustration trying to conform to rigid technical models, Steve discovered the power of game-based l...
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Dog Walk Diary - The Eighth Waste

February 2, 2025 • 34 mins
Out on my morning dog walk (yes, the one where I have to put the flashing collar on my black dog ‘Flo’ so we can be seen in the dark!), I found myself reflecting on what I call the "eighth waste" in organisations - the waste of human potential.

Drawing on Toyota's management principles, I explore why so many of us in workforce development struggle to make our case to leadership, despite knowing just how vital our work is.

If you'r...
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"Parenting is often 'undisciplined squads of emotion' - a conversation with Richard Shorter

January 22, 2025 • 49 mins
In today's episode, I'm thrilled to welcome back Richard Shorter, also known as 'Non-Perfect Dad', for a deep-dive conversation that every sports parent needs to hear. Rich brings his unique perspective as both a Baptist minister and a "conversation architect" who works with sports organisations, schools, and families to navigate the complex world of sports parenting.

We explore the challenging emotional landscape parents face when...
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The quiet secret of performance... 'ARP' - PBNO Episode 5

January 14, 2025 • 74 mins
Mark shares the PDS Action Review process and we discuss how coaches and leaders an use it to review performance but also how it is used for athletes, employees, etc can use it to self review.

This then becomes a foundational aspect of the way that organisations communicate leading to a shared dialogue about performance that becomes part of the normal fabric of organisational life.

To enter our competition to win 1 to 1 coaching wi...
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"They ought to be ashamed of themselves" - a conversation with Shawn Myszka and Tyler Yearby

January 11, 2025 • 79 mins
In this special New Year's Eve episode, I welcomed back Shawn Myszka and Tyler Yearby from Emergence to discuss a recent academic paper criticising ecological dynamics and many of researchers and practitioners working in the space. The article is called "Ecological Dynamics as an Accurate and Parsimonious Contributor to Applied Practice: A Critical Appraisal" by Dave Collins, Howie Carson, Par Rylander and Ray Bobrownicki. 

I invite...
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The 'Excellence' Christmas Episode - PBNO - Episode 4

December 24, 2024 • 66 mins
Mark and I get together before Christmas to talk about how this time of year offers the opportunity to recharge and replenish ourselves in order to embody excellence for others going forward. We talk about how being 'selfless' requires us to be 'selfish'. Also Mark makes an announcement about our New Year giveaway.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-talent-equation-podcast--2186775/support.

Ready...
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"I kept winning but realised that I had failed all those that I left behind..." - PBNO Episode 3

December 13, 2024 • 52 mins
Mark and I talk about the origins of PDS from his time in the military and how we came together to embed the principles of PDS across the sporting landscape.

We also discuss my own commitments and some conversations we have had about honouring my own journey of change.

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...
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