The Drive Phase Podcast

In today's episode, James speaks to Mitchell Harvie, the General Manager at MBA Sports Coaching. Mitchell’s love for sports and passion for HPE and leadership is worth noting. He has held many positions in the physical education sphere and has won several awards that recognize his contribution to Health and Physical Education in Australia before joining MBA Sports Coaching. 

Founded by Director Mark Bailey, MBA Sports Coaching is passionate about providing a fun, healthy and inclusive environment in which to develop both the physical and mental health of children. Working closely with families, a range of private and public sector pre-kindergartens, kindergartens, pre-primaries, and primary schools, they deliver a variety of engaging and innovative sports and recreational programs for kids.

Tune in as James and Mitchell speak about:

• The fond memories of sports Mitchell has while growing up in Perth

• How primary school physical education was like in terms of provision during his childhood

• Mitchell's role as a PE specialist teacher in primary schools

• The amazing story behind the Origin of MBA Sports Coaching

• Details of the different interesting programs and courses for kids that are offered at MBA Sports Coaching

• Their funding model and recruitment strategy

• How their brand-building project looks like

• Habits that keep Mitchell at the top Performance as a leader

… and so much more! 

Check out MBA Sports Coaching:

Website: https://mbasportscoaching.com

Instagram: @mbasportscoaching

Facebook: MBA Sports Coaching 

Email: [email protected] 

Connect With Mitchell Harvie:

LinkedIn: Mitchell Harvie 

Instagram: @harvie_mitchell

Twitter: @Mr_Harvie

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In today's episode, James speaks to Guin Batten, a British rower, consultant for British Rowing & World Rowing, international speaker, and the deputy CEO of Volleyball England. Guin has over 20 years of experience within the sports and talent development sectors having worked with Sport England, the Youth Sport Trust, British Canoeing, and now Volleyball England.

Volleyball England is the home of English Indoor, Beach, and Sitting. With the zeal to help players and volunteers feel more engaged. Guin is working within the sport to build a People Plan that will guide how they recruit, upskill and value coaches, officials, and volunteers.

Tune in as James and Guin speak about:

• Her journey, success, and accolades in rowing
• Guin's real desire and efforts to give back to the youths and sports community
• Their fascinating rowing adventure across the English Channel
• The Impact sports have had on her life and why she has the zeal to spread the vibration
• Biggest challenges in volleyball today
• The kind of key pillars sought after by the current crop of recruiters
• How to use the strong vision and emotional side of your team is a recipe for a successful business and effective team

… and so much more!

Check out Volleyball England:

Website: www.volleyballengland.org

LinkedIn: Volleyball England LinkedIn  

Instagram: @volleyballengland

Connect with Guin:

LinkedIn: Guin Batten 

Twitter: @guinbatten

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In this episode, James speaks to Ollie Phillips, a former English pro rugby union player named ‘the most successful England Rugby Sevens captain'. Ollie's exceptional leadership led his team to three world series Cup Victories, solidifying his place among rugby's greats.

Beyond his illustrious rugby career, Ollie is the founder of Optimist Performance, an organization dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses in areas such as Teamwork, Leadership, Resilience, and Change. Through speaking engagements and consulting services, Ollie shares his expertise and inspires others to unlock their full potential. Additionally, Ollie serves as a Director at PWC in London, leveraging his skills and experience to make a meaningful impact in the corporate world. With his unwavering commitment to excellence and his passion for making a difference, Ollie continues to leave a lasting legacy on and off the field.

Join James and Ollie as they delve into Ollie Phillips' remarkable journey, exploring his triumphs in rugby, his dedication to empowering others, and his inspiring endeavors in the corporate realm.

Tune in as James and Phillips speak about:

• Phillips's early sporting memories and his transition to elite sports

• How he won his first official professional contract with Newcastle

• The dawn and journey of his career as England's international player

• His unexpected early retirement from elite sports and how he picked himself from this difficult period

• Why desperation shouldn't be your drive to innovation

• How he regained control of his life after losing his source of validation, dependency, and identity

• Phillips's accolades, world records, and adventures

• Mantras that keep him on track and at his  peak performance 

… and so much more!

Check out Optimist Performance:

Website: www.optimistperformance.com 

LinkedIn: Optimist Performance 

Instagram: @optimistperformance

Connect With Phillips:

LinkedIn: Ollie Phillips 

Instagram: @olliephillips11

Twitter: @OlliePhillips11

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In today's episode, James speaks to Adam Rowles and Ash Greenhalgh, the managing directors at Edstart Sports Coaching. The duo took over the franchise recently from our previous guest, Chris Irwin who founded the organization. The organization has evolved so much over the last year, and we talk more about it in this episode.

Edstart is the leading sports provider in delivering quality sessions, creating peace of mind and trust among parents and schools. They believe that every child deserves an Edstart, and sport is a great way to nurture and develop fitness, social skills, and positivity in every child while encouraging them every step of the way.

Tune in as they speak about:

• The time they got involved with Edstart before taking over

• When did the idea of wanting to buy Chris out and move into a leadership position come up

• The process of the management buyout of a leading company like Edstart

• Challenges the duo has encountered in stepping up above the franchise network

• The most impactful programs they're in partnership with

• How they differentiate themselves from competitors

• Big trends from when they started to now

• Their plan for the next three to five years

• Leadership philosophies they've developed as they lead above the franchise

… and so much more! 

Check out Edstart:

LinkedIn: Edstart Sports Coaching 

Website: www.edstart.org.uk 

Facebook: Edstart Sports Coaching  

Connect with Adam & Ash:

LinkedIn: Adam Rowles

               Ash Greenhalgh

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In today's episode, James speaks to James Cutting, an experienced children’s football coach and franchising novice. Cutting is the founder and head coach at Football Fun Factory; the company striving to become the world’s leading children’s football coaching organization. He founded Football Fun Factory in 2017 and was joined by Jonny Martin two years later as they set out to franchise. 

The organization was created to provide incredible childhood football experiences for boys and girls of all ages and ability levels. Their mission has been to use the nation’s passion for football as a vehicle for child development. Football Fun Factory believes that the focus should not be simply on development or progression but on having fun. 

Tune in as James and Cutting speak about:

• How Cutting opted not to join University but leave for America to coach football 

• His experience coaching in Cambridge and the impact it had on his future adventure

• Cutting’s passion to make football a fun lifelong participation for kids

• Stepping from his career in football to work for a charity

• Challenges he faced pitching his inflatable idea of his program

• How his model has been building lifelong participation in sports in children

• What franchising looks like initially and how he dived into it

• What their territory size equates to and how it works

• One of the biggest barriers someone diving into franchising is likely to encounter 

… and so much more! 

Check out Football Fun Factory:

Website:www.thefootballfunfactory.co.uk 

Twitter: @FballFunFactory

Instagram: @_footballfunfactory

Connect with James Cutting:

LinkedIn: James Cutting 

TikTok: @jamescuttingfff

Instagram: @jc_football_fun_factory

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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Today’s episode is unique. James invites a panel of professionals within the children's swimming activities sector; Jo Stone, the co-founder of Puddle Ducks, Paul Thompson, an entrepreneur, founder, and executive chairman of Water Babies, and the swimming industry pioneer, Julie -ann James of Aqua Babies Global. They have a great conversation debating current issues in the baby swimming industry, ranging from the difficulties in recruitment and training of apprentice swim instructors, to energy bills and how they're affecting kids' access to swimming pools. If you’re looking for information on how to navigate this unique niche as a startup, tune in! 

Tune in as the panel speaks about:

• Biggest challenges they're facing in the baby swimming Industry at the moment 

• How they are going around huge demand for their services from parents

• The most innovative solutions they've seen

• The struggle in recruitment and training of  apprentice teachers into the industry and the approaches they're taking

• Their reasoning behind the huge contrast in terms of employment after the Covids economic downturn

• How they're using technology in their practice and business (AI swimming tutor)

• Challenges in infrastructure technology (pools) more around the UK

• The one thing they'll pick to solve most of these challenges

• Golden nuggets for independent providers and startups around the swimming niche

… and so much more! 

Check out their Companies:

Aqua Babies: www.aquababies.com 

Puddle Ducks: www.puddleducks.com 

Water Babies: www.waterbabies.co.uk 

Connect with them:

Paul's LinkedIn: Paul Thompson

Jo's LinkedIn:      Jo Stone

Julie's LinkedIn:  Julie-ann James

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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Resources:

UK Active: www.ukactive.com 

Swim Coach Asia SCA: www.swimlifeinternational.com 

Swimming Australia:www.swimming.org.au

Swimming Teachers Association: www.sta.co.uk 

In today's episode, James speaks to Matthew Barrett, the co-founder of Goal Click, who for over a decade has had his focus on the relationship between sports, politics, and war. Goal Click, which is the brainchild of Matthew and his co-founder Edward Jones, took off in 2014 by mailing a disposable camera to Sierre Leone with no expectation of its return. That resulted in one of their iconic photos, and since then they have shared more than 400 stories from all over the world.

Goal Click is a global football storytelling platform that aims to inspire understanding of people’s lives through the common language of football. Told through the eyes and voices of their storytellers, they bring these stories to life through inspirational imagery and stories - using analogue and digital photography, written word, short film, and exhibitions; sharing untold stories from the grassroots to the elite.

Tune in as Matt and James speak about:

• What drove him to explore football and sports in the context of politics and history

• Why doing what feels right rather than building narratives around the effort has been his track to success

• His pathway to connecting sports and history as his career

• How his grounding in the agency world as an intern …..

• The simple yet impressive debut of his company to their first exhibition

• Challenges they face as great people and guide them through telling their stories

• How do they balance between meaningful, intimate, their long time vision of authentic stories and the demand of their projects 

• His approaches and habits put him in top form

• Making it up as you go along

… and so much more! 

Check out Goal Click:

Website:www.goal-click.com   

LinkedIn: Goal Click

Instagram: @goalclick

Connect with Matt:

LinkedIn: Matthew Barrett

Twitter: @matthewlbarrett 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In today's episode, James speaks to Alejandro García Jiménez, the founder and CEO of Sportmadness. Starting as a football coach at summer camps as a youngster, sport has always been Alejandro’s passion. And it is based on the passion that he founded his company in 2012 and expanded the business with digital franchising in 2017. At the time of this interview, García’s company was already working in nine countries across the world and still growing rapidly.

Sportmadness is a sports event and school management company that helps works with public administrations, educational centers, clubs, companies and sports facilities to offer the best sports services. They empower sports lovers to become entrepreneurs and run their sport management businesses based on their "business in a box" solution.

Tune in as James and Alejandro speak about:

• García's early sports memories and how impactful the sporting and coaching environment of Spain has had on his career 

• The trigger milestone that led to the birth of Sportmadness 

• Their main focus and the strategies put in place to best facilitate them

• How do they standardize everything across the board to make sure they're getting the same kind of experience in all territories

• Why recruitment is their most difficult challenge and how they work through it

• Who they are looking for when fishing for a franchisee

• Challenges in digital adoption and how they combat them

• How to manage changes in using socials to generate good leads

• García's philosophies for being a good CEO

… and so much more! 

Check out SportMadness:

Website: https://sportmadness.club/en/ 

LinkedIn: SportMadness 

Connect with Alejandro:

LinkedIn: Alejandro García Jiménez 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In today's episode, James speaks to Max Webb, the founder and CEO of Rugbytots.  Rugbytots is a global play program that was born out of the need for a children's Rugby class. 16 years ago, as Max was looking for engaging activities for his three young sons in a park, he and other dads mused on why there wasn’t a rugby equivalent of the popular soccer programs. 

Based on the need to fill this gap, Max founded a play program that has impacted the lives of so many children and toddlers across the world. Rugbytots is now the world's favorite rugby play program that is driven by the company's ethos ‘to make everything more fun'. The program delivers fun and exciting classes to over 85,000 children in 22 countries across 5 continents.  

In a nutshell, James and Max speak about:

• The amazing story behind the founding of Rugbytots 

• How he moved from one informal class to a global franchise

• Rugbytots operations in terms of recruitment, training, team building, and figures of their growth since inception 

• The impact Rugbytots has on children and toddlers around the world 

• Max's thought process for the franchising route and the beauty in it

• How they standardize the passion for their programs and the content that comes with it

• The day-to-day challenges and how they overcame them

• The importance of developing a thick skin around rejection and failure 

… and so much more! 

Check out Rugbytots:

Website: www.rugbytots.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Rugbytots Ltd

Instagram: @rugbytotsuk 

Connect with Max:

LinkedIn: Max Webb  

Twitter: @webbooldcat

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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Welcome to episode 100, it's time for our wrap-up series that brings together the best insights from episodes 91 to 99 and is a great way to jump in and sample the Drive Phase content.

We’ve picked out some of the best clips and tips from our conversations across the last 9 episodes.

We also want to take the opportunity to thank all of our listeners for your support and ask that you subscribe and leave a review on Apple podcast or follow us on Spotify. 

Welcome to this week’s episode of The Drive Phase Podcast and part 10 of the Lessons From Leaders series.