The Crafted Conversation

#27 - Simon Woodward - What is the real purpose of physical education? And why so many get it wrong.

In this deeply grounded conversation, Marcus speaks with Simon Woodward, Head of Sport Sciences & Curriculum PE at Oakham School, about the role of emotionally intelligent leadership in shaping high-expectation, high-safety environments.
 
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Marcus and Simon explore everything from classroom routines to coaching identity, to philosophical stance of core physical education curriculum design.
This episode is a masterclass in professional presence, where compassion doesn’t compromise standards, and care is expressed through consistency, not convenience.
🔑 Key Messages:
Leadership is love and clarity: Young people thrive when they feel both emotionally held and consistently challenged.
Professionalism is a tone, not a title: The way we speak, behave, and show up daily defines our culture far more than our position.
Predictability builds safety: Routines aren’t rigid—they’re freeing. They allow young people to learn, risk, and reflect without fear.
Coaching is relational accountability: It's not about control. It's about partnership, trust, and shared standards.
Lived experience is expertise: What we’ve walked through carries weight. Theory is enhanced—not replaced—by real-world leadership.
“Human development > performance outcomes: Long-term impact is found in who they become, not just what they achieve.”

#26 Adam Clark - What is Coaching? Is football overcomplicating itself?

In this episode, Marcus speaks with Adam Clark—coach developer, grassroots advocate, and National League South assistant manager with Slough Town FC, about the purpose of coaching, and the evolution of football thinking.
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From defining what the “game” truly is, to the value of simplicity over jargon, this is a conversation about doing the work that matters, without fanfare. Together, they reflect on player-centred coaching, learning identity, and how coaches grow through honest, humble practice.

Episode #25 - Dr Craig Harrison - What coaches are not acknowledging in developing young athletes!?

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Episode Summary
In this expansive conversation, Dr Craig Harrison invites us to rethink the purpose and practice of youth development. It’s not about designing perfect athletes, but about crafting safe, playful, expressive environments where young people can explore who they are, not just what they can do.
Marcus and Craig explore the ecological complexity of performance, the importance of letting go of control, and the centrality of coaching the person before the plan.
From storytelling and psychological safety to mentorship and emotional literacy, this episode is a masterclass in compassionate, curious leadership.
Key Concepts:
Environments shape behaviour – Coaching doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We must understand the child’s world, not just their session.
Performance is personal – Narrative identity, not outcome identity, should guide the athlete journey.
Belonging matters as much as skill – Every athlete needs to feel safe to explore, question, and grow.
Mentorship is not a programme — it’s a culture – It lives in every conversation, check-in, and reflective pause.
Freedom and structure are not opposites – The best coaching holds both gently, in balance.
Reflection over reaction – True development invites athletes to think, not just comply.

#24 Steve Morison - Manager - Sutton United FC

Episode Summary:
Steve Morison's insight is forged in the lived experiences of dressing rooms, personal reinvention, and the acute awareness that what you model matters more than what you say.
This conversation with Marcus goes beyond tactics and into the human science of performance. The CRAFT of performance. It’s a masterclass in leading from the inside-out.
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🔁 Core Principles:
1. Freedom is Built, Not GivenSteve reframes freedom not as lack of structure, but as something earned through clarity, automation, and trust.
“If they know what they’re doing, and why—it frees them.”
2. Language Drives IdentitySimple phrases like “belief, focus, freedom” have become more than semantics but defining features of the environment Steve has cultivated at Sutton United. 
3. Safety, Not EgoSteve draws a line between love and performance: “It’s not about me—it’s about making sure they’re okay.” The ego gets parked to make room for growth.
4. Redefining SuccessHe speaks to players in setbacks with honesty and empathy: “You didn’t fail. You grew. Now take that into your next move.” Development is the win.

#23 Dr Sally Needham - The Intersection Between Performance & Neurochemistry

🧠 Episode Summary
Dr Sally Needham brings a lens rarely discussed in high-performance coaching: phsyco-social-emotional state for performance.
From early years to elite teams, her philosophy is grounded in polyvagal theory, neuroception, and somatic coherence — or, as she puts it,
“getting the nervous system in the room before the thinking.”
 
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Throughout the conversation, she and Marcus explore:
How breath, tone, posture, and presence shape safety and readiness
The role of co-regulation in learning, leadership, and change
Why learning environments must be emotionally and physiologically safe before cognition can thrive
How performance habits are shaped by state awareness, not just repetition
Dr Sally reframes feedback as an act of care, body language as instruction, and voice as a regulatory tool.
🔁 Key Themes:
Regulation drives performance
Language and tone are coaching tools
Consistency and co-regulation build trust
Behaviour is communication
Somatic awareness creates readiness to learn
State affects access to cognition and memory

Episode #22 John Mackenzie - Assistant Head of Cocurriculum - The Grammar School at Leeds

John Mackenzie - Assistant Head of Cocurriculum - The Grammar School at Leeds
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"To build performance, we have to start with the person."
This conversation with John McKenzie offers more than insight into coaching; it's a portrait of character-led leadership.
 
✨ Crafted Concept Takeaway
This episode reminds us that great coaching starts with curiosity, not control. That growth is about relationship, not routine. And that in elite performance, the margins aren’t always technical – they’re human.
"Crafted performance is the product of deliberate, relational coaching. This isn’t theory. It’s lived practice."

Episode #21 - Martyn Bowles - Head of Coaching Walsall FC

Martyn Bowles is the Head of Coaching at Walsall FC, a League Two professional football team who lost in the Playoff Final this summer, narrowly missing a chance to head into League One.
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Martyn believes in coaching like a great teacher believes in teaching — with structure, warmth, and a deep understanding of people.
His approach reveals a blueprint for coaching beyond instruction. It’s not ability and coaching experience that drives his values at Walsall FC, but predictable routines, reflective questions, and the courage to build from care.
If you're a teacher, coach, or leader trying to turn trust into traction — this episode is your playbook.
“Crafting feedback and performance without ego is hard. But as Martyn models, it’s also teachable.”

Episode #20 Joe Quinn - Head of Rugby - Dulwich College

"If you're not coaching character, you're just running drills."
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In this episode, Marcus sits down with Joe Quinn, Head of Rugby at Dulwich College, to explore the tension and alignment between teaching, coaching, and leadership in school sport. The conversation is loaded with real-world wisdom, reflecting how performance coaching can be both technically excellent and deeply human.
Joe makes it clear: great coaching doesn’t pick between developing the player or the person. It does both—at once. Marcus opens space to explore how purposeful session design builds not just technical proficiency but the resilience, adaptability, and values that last far beyond the pitch.
"You can develop character and skill at the same time. It’s about designing sessions that reveal both."

Sports Coaches: Two Easy Instructional Strategies To Change Your Coaching

Marcus discusses the processes of "Think, Pair, Share" and "Checking for Understanding" as two instructional strategies which can transform player/athlete engagement and a coach's live feedback on player/athlete learning.
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Storytelling for Performance

Storytelling is an art and not one just for authors and television writers! 
Discover how drawing on story and narrative structure can help form performance identities in your environment...
 
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