🎙️ Episode 360 – Fishbowling & Unlocking Coaching Potential with Russell Earnshaw

Welcome back to The Coaches Network Podcast! In this special episode, Coach Yas is joined once again by the ever-insightful Russell Earnshaw – known to many as Rusty – for a rich conversation exploring what it truly means to coach with purpose, flexibility, and curiosity.

🔑 What’s Inside This Episode?

Rusty and Yas dive into:

• 🧠 The lock and key analogy for coaching – why no coach holds all the keys and how collaboration opens more doors for players.
• 📋 The critical importance of intentional session planning – and what happens when coaches aren’t aligned.
• 🔄 How self-awareness and honesty about your coaching preferences (e.g., not enjoying 1:1 coaching) can enhance player outcomes.
• 🧩 The value of understanding your own coaching strengths and blind spots – and when to hand the reins to someone better suited.
• 🗺️ Why identifying team values (like confidence, decision-making, or self-organisation) must shape your planning.
• 🤝 How involving players in the planning process can foster autonomy and resilience.

This episode is packed with golden takeaways for coaches at all levels who are keen to reflect on:

• Their intention behind planning
• How to design environments that reflect core values
• And how to collaborate better with co-coaches to unlock collective potential.

📌 Whether you’re a coach developer, grassroots leader or elite performance coach, this episode will get you thinking differently about how and why you plan.

🔗 Connect with Rusty:

Twitter/X: @_RustyEarnshaw

Website: The Magic Academy

🗣️ Let us know your thoughts and biggest takeaways by tagging us on social media or using the hashtag #TheCoachesNetwork.

🎙 Episode 359: Creating Coaching Cultures That Care – with Temisan Williams (Coach Accelerator)

In this episode, CoachYas is joined by Temisan Williams, founder of Coach Accelerator and a seasoned academy coach with over 15 years of experience across clubs like Tottenham, Southend United, and Fulham. Temisan shares his powerful journey from aspiring footballer to coach, diving into the personal moments and pivotal lessons that shaped his mission to support coaches and players with care, empathy, and intention.

💬 In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Temisan left a Biomedical Science degree to pursue coaching
• The importance of creating player-first environments in academies
• Supporting coaches globally through the Coach Accelerator community
• The reality of player experiences beyond the pitch – including a powerful story of loss and resilience
• Learning from transitions between elite and grassroots environments
• How coach adaptability and awareness can transform development journeys

🧠 Whether you're working in grassroots or the academy system, this episode unpacks the human side of coaching and reminds us of the bigger picture behind player development.

🔗 Connect with Temisan & Coach Accelerator:

Instagram: @coach_temisan

Website: www.coach-accelerator.com

🎧 Listen now on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more.

Episode #358 of The Coaches Network Podcast.

The guest for this episode is Adam Kelly.

Adam is an Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise and Course Leader for Professional Doctorate in Sport (DSport) at Birmingham City University, United Kingdom. I am also Leader of the newly established BCU Research for Athlete and Youth Sport Development (RAYSD) Lab. Alongside completing a PhD at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist (BASES CSci), and FA UEFA A Licenced Coach. Join us as Adam shares his thoughts on how talent can be better identified and practitioners and organisations can implement more robust, effective and nurturing talent development systems and environments. Enjoy!

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