The Drive Phase Podcast

In today's episode, James speaks to Rowena Samarasinhe a sports lawyer and consultant who has worked on some of the largest global events in sports. Rowena was included in The 2018 Legal 500 “General Counsel Powerlist” which recognizes the most influential and innovative in-house lawyers in the world and has been identified as a “Next Generation Partner” in the private practice rankings consistently since then.     As a multifaceted sporting professional and consultant, she has a myriad of projects and roles that are creating waves in the sporting world. She is a Partner at LEVEL, a law firm with an innovative business model providing advisory support in sports, media, and entertainment.     Her wide consultancy experience includes senior roles at agencies and consultancies alike as well as working with athletes and governing bodies. And she also offers her time at the Professional Squash Association and CIMSPA, as a representative for the importance of sport and physical activity in the UK and beyond.     In a nutshell, James and Rowena speak about:

• Her early sporting journey growing up in a family with rugby heritage
• Rowena's thoughts on the state of sports and what could be done better
• Her experience of leaving her commercial law career to start her own business
• Rowena's current project of bringing back the thrill of rugby and other sports
• The secret to bringing in new audiences, especially in rugby

… and so much more!     Check out Level Law: Website: http://www.level.law LinkedIn: LEVEL     Connect with Rowena: LinkedIn: Rowena Samarasinhe Twitter @ro-samarasinhe Instagram: @rowenasamarasinhe   Eowena.samarasinhe   Check out her newest Ted Talk The 94% Club: How Sport is Changing the Boardroom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAINgkUTzcU   Connect with James: Instagram: @james_ventures Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page LinkedIn: James Moore Coordinate Cloud: The Drive Phase Podcast

In today's episode, James speaks to Kevin Currell, the director of Performance Support and Science at the English Institute of Sport since 2017. Kevin has acted as a lead nutritionist for both British Athletics and British Triathlon.

 

English Institute of Sport (EIS)  is an organization that provides sport science and medical support services to elite athletes through a nationwide network of expertise and facilities. They deliver a range of performance impacting sport science and sport medicine services to Olympic and Paralympic sports along with a select number of non-Olympic sports including England Netball, Premiership Rugby Union, Women's Rugby, and Cricket

 

In a nutshell, James and Kevin speak about:

• How Kevin's love for sports and aptitude for Sciences has shaped his career
• Kevin's research work as a performance nutritionist 
• How they support athletes in getting their 2nd wind career plus on their health and wellbeing
• His biggest highlights in human  performance 
• Kevin's transition from an expert practitioner into the world of leadership
•  Groundbreaking insights on how he keeps his mental health in check

… and so much more! 

 

Check out Performance Support and Science:

Website:www.eis2win.co.uk 

LinkedIn: English Institute Of Sports 

 

Connect with Kevin:

LinkedIn: Kevin Currell 

 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In this episode, James speaks to Stacey Dean and Kerry Goodacre, the founders of ClubsComplete. The identical twins launched clubs at the tender age of 17 years old whilst training as translators and linguists, and they have gone on to build businesses around their passion. They currently own five Education and Childcare companies. 

 

ClubsComplete is a well-known company based in Ashby in Leicestershire and offers various extracurricular activities for children from after-school clubs to fun clubs during the school holidays. They provide excellent extra-curricular services in many Primary Schools throughout the UK and have full Public and Employer's Liability Insurance and an excellent and enthusiastic team of staff.  

 

In a nutshell, James and the guests speak about:

• The origin story of their company
• What makes their sports camp different and how they bounce back and fly
• Benefits of being in business and working together as identical twins 
• Their model of expansion and advice for entrepreneurs looking to expand into the UAE
• How they've empowered their team to handle the day-to-day running of the business

…and so much more! 

 

Connect with Stacey and Kerry:

Stacey's LinkedIn: Stacey Dean

                                Kerry Goodacre 

 

Check out Clubs Complete:

Website: http://www.clubscomplete.co.uk

LinkedIn: Clubs Complete ltd

Facebook: Clubscomplete

 

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 Laura Cordingley, the CEO of Chance to Shine. From 2013-2017, she was Community Development Manager at Marylebone Cricket Club, the owner of Lord’s Cricket Ground, where she developed and delivered the Club’s inaugural community engagement strategy. Earlier in her career, she held sports development roles at Durham City School Sports Partnership and Volleyball England. Laura previously played for her country at netball.

 

Chance to shine is the national charity devoted to inspiring and educating children in and through crickets. Over 6 million children in over 16,000 state schools have benefited from over 200 community projects since 2005. The charity organization is committed to supporting children’s physical, personal and social development.

 

In a nutshell, James and Laura speak about:

• Laura’s early childhood in the sporting context and in general
• Her career path and how she got into sports.
• Chance to Shine’s vision for the next 3-5 years
• Some of her day-to-day recurring challenges in running Chance to Shine
• The key to running a successful organization

…. And so much more!

 

Check out Chance to Shine:

Website: https://www.chancetoshine.org/

Instagram: @chance_to_shine

LinkedIn: Chance to Shine

YouTube: Chance to Shine

 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In this episode, James speaks to Peter Roberts, the chairman of Gymfinity Kids. Peter is a serial entrepreneur and inspirational figure to a lot of entrepreneurs having launched, scaled, and exited multiple businesses. In addition to Gymfinity Kids, he currently holds a number of roles as an investor and executive in the hospitality and leisure sector.

Gymfinity Kids is the UK’s first and only provider of clubs and nurseries using movement, development and nourishment to enhance overall wellbeing in children. Gymfinity Kids currently has seven clubs across the UK, providing gymnastics and Ninja Knights (mixture of noncontact martial arts and parkour) classes led by expert coaches, as well as holiday camps and birthday parties. Children attending Gymfinity Kids build their strength, balance and co-ordination, develop their social skills, confidence and independence and parents have access to expert nutritional advice, which all sets children up for their next stage of growth. 

Gymfinity Kids also has three nurseries located at its clubs, which are unique in that there is a focus on movement, with children having at least 60 minutes per day on our gym floor. Nursery children receive a high standard of education, following the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, and eat nutritious food to help them grow up with a healthy attitude towards food. 

 

In a nutshell, James and Peter speak about:

• His early childhood experiences and how he was introduced to entrepreneurship
• The struggles faced by business owners that are equipped with limited knowledge in finance
• How they got and maintained cash flow in the business
• Importance of finding the real differentiator in the entrepreneurial space
• The gap that drove him into starting Gymfinity Kids and their future expansion
• The biggest challenges they've faced and how they bounced back

... and so much more!

 

Check out Gymfinity:

Website: https://www.gymfinitykids.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gymfinity-kids-limited/

 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In this episode, James speaks to Julie-ann James, swimming industry pioneer, founder, and CEO of Aquababies Global and PABS consultancy. She is also an established researcher and innovator in swim fitness, introducing PABA fitness and PABS workshops to consumers' swim schools and businesses. Julie-ann is one of the world's leading baby and toddler swimming consultants having built a global franchise network and a training and consultancy business. 

 

The Aquababies program is a self-perpetuating rolling business model that is often imitated but seldom equaled. With its thorough research and effectiveness, the program has benefited from the experience of teaching tens of thousands of children to swim. They offer franchising opportunities worldwide and the opportunity to train with Julie-ann personally.

 

In a nutshell, James and Julie-ann speak about:

• Julie-ann's amazing research in child psychology related to aquatic responses and reflexes
• Early days of baby swimming franchising in the UK vs the current work consulting franchise operators
• Challenges she faced during her fast global expansion and inception of the industry in other countries
• Key themes she has seen great businesses and organizations employ
• Great insights and tools she believes guarantee a successful business 

…and so much more! 

 

Connect with Julie -ann:

Email:[email protected] 

LinkedIn: Julie-ann James

 

Check out Aquababies Global:

Website: www.aquababiesglobal.com 

Facebook: Aquababies Global 

Twitter:@AquababiesHQ

 

Check out PABS Consulting:

Website: https://pabsconsulting.com/

 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In this episode, James speaks to Guy Rippon, the Head of Foundation Community Partnership at Aston Villa Football Club. Guy has 20 years of experience working in the sports, community, and social responsibility industry. 

 

Through its projects and initiatives, Aston Villa Football Club foundation achieves its mission of working with the community and partners to enrich lives. The club prides itself on delivering outstanding hospitality with exceptional service at their magnificent Villa park, whether it’s a matchday or non-matchday event. Their services are award-winning. 

 

In a nutshell, James and Guy speak about:

• Guy's journey from working with the local authority to the Professional football foundation
• The new style of sponsorship and the direct link the foundation has to the community 
• The impact Guy has had on the football club and its plans for expansion
• Management styles and themes he has pulled from successfully handling the foundation community 

… and so much more! 

 

Connect with Guy:

LinkedIn: Guy Rippon

Twitter: @guyrippon

 

Check out Aston Villa Football Club:

Website: http://www.avfc.co.uk/ 

Twitter: AVCFCOfficial 

LinkedIn: Aston Villa Football Club 

 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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In this episode, James speaks to Nicky Adams, the founder and director of Full of Beans Fitness. Following an extensive career experience as an Events Manager at Sony Playstation and Psygnosis, Nicky used her experience in business marketing and promotion to launch Full of Beans with a commitment to creating fun and engaging children's activity programs.

 

Full of Beans Fitness is a franchise that specializes in offering a variety of fun, engaging PE, Sport and physical activity sessions to 2–11-year-olds across Merseyside and the North East. Their fun-packed fitness and sports coaching activities increase participation, raise standards, inspire, engage and empower every child to realize the inner superhero. They believe that young children develop best through FUN, ACTIVE, PROGRESSIVE learning; as such they give them a toolbox that provides the foundation for a healthy lifestyle to serve them for many years to come. 

 

In a nutshell, James and Adams speak about:

• How passion from a teacher helped shape the sporty path she followed 
• Adam's journey from corporate life to launching her own fitness company 
• The mantra she lives by through the recurring challenges in the corporate world
• The promising art of being adaptable to whatever situation you're in 

… and so much more! 

 

Connect with Adams:

Email: [email protected] 

LinkedIn: Nicky Adams

 

Check out Philippines Fitness:

Website: www.fullofbeansfitness.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Full of Beans Children's Fitness

Twitter: @fullofbeansfit

 

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 Chris Irwin, a former professional rugby league player and experienced teacher with a PE teaching background. Chris has been passionate about sport and education and he has channeled this into a fulfilling career.  He was the founder of The EdStart Group and is currently the Founder and Director of Wellbeing Through Sport, a keen innovator of models that tackle childhood education, physical activity, and mental health. 

 

Wellbeing Through Sport is a program designed by doctors & PE experts to improve the well-being of children through fun physical activities and classroom-based reflective practice. Pupils gain core life skills that will help them become well-rounded, healthy adults. The program was founded on the belief that school shouldn’t just be about boring textbooks - it should teach every child the skills they need for life.

 

In a nutshell, James and Chris speak about:

• Chris's career as a professional rugby player
• How Chris  turned his two great passions; sports and Education into a fulfilling career
• The debut and scaling up of Wellbeing Through Sports and the great insights it holds for business owners 
• Chris's vision for Wellbeing Through Sports and how is working collaboratively to increase impact as a program

… and so much more! 

 

Connect with Chris:

LinkedIn: Chris Irwin 

Twitter: Chris Irwin 

 

Check out Well-being Through Sports:

Website:www.wellbeingthroughsport.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Wellbeing Through Sports 

Twitter: @wellbeing_sports

 

Connect with James:

Instagram: @james_ventures

Facebook: Coordinate Sports FB Page

LinkedIn: James Moore

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Part 8 of our wrap-up series brings together the best insights from episodes 71 to 79 and is a great way to jump in and sample the Drive Phase content.

 

We’ve taken the opportunity on this episode to reflect on those conversations and selected clips across 9 episodes to cover a range of key topics.

 

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.