How to Strive - with Nick Adkins

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What if the biggest opportunity to improve your coaching isn't another qualification, another session plan or another coaching course?
What if it's learning to understand yourself?
In this episode of How to Strive, I'm joined by Tom Hartley, an experienced coach, coach developer and leader who has spent more than 20 years working across football, professional sport and coach development.
Tom's journey has taken him from coaching in grassroots and professional football, into coach development across Olympic and motorsport.
We explore a question that sits at the heart of sustainable development:
Who's coaching the coach?
We talk about reflection, self-awareness, curiosity and the importance of having people around you who can challenge your thinking rather than simply tell you what to do.
🪞 Why coaches need people who can hold up a mirror rather than provide all the answers.
🧠 How reflection can change your coaching practice.
❓ Why asking better questions may be more powerful than having better answers.
🤝 The importance of relationships, trust and connection in coach development.
🌱 How coaches can continue to grow when they are already experienced.
⚽ What football can learn from coaching across different sports.
And perhaps most importantly:
How do we create the conditions that allow coaches to strive?
This is a conversation for coaches who are ambitious, curious and willing to challenge themselves.
Whether you're coaching grassroots football, working in an academy, leading a team, developing other coaches or simply trying to become better at what you do, there will be something here for you.
Because becoming a better coach isn't about arriving at a destination.
It's about staying curious enough to keep moving.
Keep Striving.

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www.strive25.co.uk/

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In this episode of How To Strive, I’m joined by Dr Jamie Taylor, a leading coach developer, researcher and educator whose work sits at the intersection of coaching, skill acquisition, talent development and expertise.
Jamie has coached at the highest levels of sport, worked extensively in coach development and now researches what actually makes expert coaches different. His work has included collaboration with organisations across elite sport, including the Premier League, professional rugby and Olympic sport.
And this conversation goes much deeper than simply asking:
"How do we become better coaches?"
We explore what it really means to develop expertise.
How do we create environments where coaches and athletes can continue to learn, adapt and strive?
This is a conversation for coaches, coach developers, athletes, leaders, teachers and anyone interested in how humans develop expertise.
If you've ever wondered:
"What could I do differently to become better at what I do?"
This episode is for you.
🎧 Listen now.
And as always...
Keep Striving.

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www.strive25.co.uk/

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In a world where we are constantly moving, achieving, reacting and rushing into the next challenge, one of the most powerful skills we can develop is the ability to pause, reflect and intentionally choose our next step.
Welcome to the Sunday Strive, a guided weekly practice designed to help you look back with curiosity, learn from your experiences and create intentional action for the week ahead.
In this episode, we explore how reflection transforms everyday experiences into meaningful learning and how taking time to notice the small moments can create significant change over time.
Together, we will explore:
📝 Reflecting without judgement
Looking back over your week with curiosity rather than criticism, noticing the moments, conversations and experiences that shaped you.
🏆 Recognising your wins and progress
Learning to acknowledge the steps you have taken towards the person you are striving to become and connecting your progress to your Striver Table — your foundations of health, relationships, skills and contribution.
🧠 Turning experiences into learning
Understanding the challenges, setbacks and successes of the week and asking what they can teach you moving forward.
🧭 Creating direction for the week ahead
Identifying what matters, understanding the moments that may challenge you and planning how you can create the conditions for success.
⚡ Building behaviours that support your goals
Creating simple, sustainable habits and actions that you can return to when life becomes busy, unpredictable and challenging.
Because striving is not about creating a perfect life.
It is about creating awareness.
It is about making intentional choices.
It is about becoming slightly better, consistently.
The most successful people and teams do not simply experience life — they learn from it.
So grab your journal, find a quiet moment and give yourself the opportunity to reflect, reset and refocus.
Ask yourself:
Where am I going?
Do my behaviours align with what matters?
What is my next step?
Because:
Direction + Alignment + Effort = Striving
🎧 Join this weekly reflection practice and take one intentional step towards becoming the person you are capable of becoming.
Start Striving at 

www.strive25.co.uk/

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In this episode of How to Strive, I sit down with Nigel Adkins to explore the leadership, culture and human behaviours behind sustained success in elite sport.
Nigel shares the lessons and principles that helped him guide Southampton FC from League One to the Premier League with back-to-back promotions, stabilise Hull City after relegation, and achieve promotions and play-off success with Scunthorpe United F.C.
Together, we dive into:
How to create cultures aligned to a shared vision and common goal
Why developing individuals is the foundation of developing great teams
The leadership behaviours that create trust, belief and accountability
How elite environments balance challenge, care and standards
The importance of communication, alignment and consistency
Why great teams are built through people, not just tactics
This conversation is packed with insight for:
coaches
leaders
athletes
teachers
business professionals
and anyone striving to create high-performing environments
Nigel’s humility, clarity and leadership shine throughout this episode, offering a rare look into the human side of elite performance and team development.
If you want to understand what truly drives successful teams, not just for moments, but sustainably over time, this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen now and discover how ownership, culture and leadership shape teams capable of striving together towards meaningful success.
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www.strive25.co.uk/

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Why do some people grow through challenge… while others shrink from it?
In this episode of How to Strive, we explore the powerful concept of mindset, inspired by the work of Dr Carol Dweck, and how it quietly shapes your performance, progress and potential.
We break down the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, and more importantly, how both show up in your everyday life, often without you even realising it.
This isn’t just theory.
You’ll learn how to:
 Recognise when you’re slipping into a fixed mindset 
 Reframe challenges, setbacks, and failure 
 Build behaviours that support continuous growth 
 Use reflection to turn experience into progress 
 Apply a growth mindset across your Striver Table—health, relationships, skills, and career 
Because striving isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being willing to learn, adapt, and grow, again and again.
If you’ve ever avoided a challenge, doubted yourself, or felt stuck in your progress…
This episode will help you shift your thinking and more importantly, your actions.
The mindset you choose today… shapes the life you build tomorrow.
Start Striving at 

www.strive25.co.uk/