The Magic Academy - podcast cover

The Magic Academy

John Fletcher, Russell Earnshaw•www.themagicacademy.co.uk
Sports
Rugby
Education
Self-Improvement
Leisure
Hobbies
Supporting coaching wizards! Rusty and Fletch love to hang with rockstars from the coaching world and get them sharing through some pretty cool questions
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Episodes

Season 11 Episode 20 Byron Green and Aaron Takel (coach development)

Byron Green, wheelchair rugby coach and player ( https://athletescan.ca/athlete-rep-spotlight-byron-green-wheelchair-rugby/ ) gets paid a visit from Taks at his provincial training camp and we chat all things coach development... geological formations, the funnel, the Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo Jump world heritage site, levels of communication and earning trust... enjoy!

Dec 07, 2025•54 min•Season 11Ep. 20

Season 11 Episode 19 - Gerard Jones (Cambodia)

Gerard and Rusty chat about his journey to coaching in the Cambodian Premier League... learning something from everyone, the reality of micropolitics and real politics, cultural differences, ST and LT thinking, presence and storytelling... enjoy!

Nov 08, 2025•56 min•Season 11Ep. 19

Season 11 Episode 17 - Aaron Takel (Developing Craft)

Taks and Rusty catch up for the 3rd time to chat all things Vancouver Island, noticing skills, the Air Canada strike, headband levels, conviction and action, triangles, the Fork of Power and noticing... enjoy!

Aug 28, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 11Ep. 17

Season 11 Episode 15 Peter Train (Pleasure and Happiness in Education)

Pete's doctorate ( https://phecanada.ca/professional-learning/journal/pleasure-and-happiness-education-alternative-form-phe-peter-train ) leads to a discussion with Rusty about teacher's experimenting, having a more open framework, attention, taking the ego away, sensible lunatics, astonishing yourself and the museum of values... enjoy!

Jun 22, 2025•56 min•Season 11Ep. 15

Season 11 Episode 14 Jeremy Holt (For the Love of the Game)

Jeremy's joins Rusty for the 2nd time on the pod following his book release to chat all things TRIBE... enjoy! For the love of the game: How to coach identity, belonging and performance in sport. Amazon https://amzn.eu/d/8hUMhxO Free chapter landing page https://mailchi.mp/cfte/for-the-love

Jun 16, 2025•47 min•Season 11Ep. 14

Season 11 Episode 13 Gary Klein (Expertise)

Gary and Rusty chat all things expertise, decision-making and intuition... Pete Sturgess, Max Caldas, Daniel Kahneman, netball, rowing, feedback, getting in the head of a team-mate, pre-morteming, shadow boxing and mild suggestions... enjoy!

Jun 13, 2025•59 min•Season 11Ep. 13

Season 11 Episode 12 - Paul McGuinness (Skilful players)

A 2nd appearance for Paul to chat all things scanning, secret codes, time-wasting, awkward finishes, going against the flow, feeding the bear and deliberately playing dead... enjoy!

May 09, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 11Ep. 12

Season 11 Episode 9 - Harry Spencer

Harry and Rusty chat all things scout mindset, qui fait quoi, expecting chaos, falling out of love with rugby (and back in love with rugby in France)... Mange tout!

Apr 07, 2025•46 min•Season 11Ep. 9

Season 11 Episode 8 Sam Leeming (Finding peace)

Ex-professional rugby player, diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma at 23 , retired due to concussion at 25 and now helping others find flow... an incredible story with so many great lessons... enjoy!

Apr 02, 2025•58 min•Season 11Ep. 8

Season 11 Episode 16 - Christian Penny

Having bumped into each other in Wellington, Rusty catches up with Christian to chat all things 'bro culture', listening and thinking, finding meaning, helping people be braver, fluidity, working out who the teachers are and putting the who before the task... enjoy!

Dec 17, 2024•56 min•Season 11Ep. 16

Season 11 Episode 15 - Greg Feek (Finding Strong)

Greg Feek, current Blues scrum coach, former All Black player and Leinster, Ireland and NZ rugby coach joins Rusty to chat all things scrums, San Fran, the Front Row Union and making them squeal... enjoy!

Nov 18, 2024•49 min•Season 11Ep. 15

Season 11 Episode 13 - Gerard Jones (Inspire-Involve-Inform)

Gerard joins from the US via York, Hull, Rochdale, Bristol. Morocco and many more chapters as a coach to chat magic moments, imposter syndrome, feedback from Fletch, his square squad and variable rewards... enjoy!

Oct 13, 2024•1 hr•Season 11Ep. 13

Season 11 Episode 12 - Craig Morris (the Olympic journey)

Craig and Rusty chat all things Olympics... being present, the most important of the non-important things, a 1st person perspective, prepared not planned, reinventing yourself and so much more... enjoy!

Sep 09, 2024•48 min•Season 11Ep. 12

Season 11 Episode 11 Will Webster (player to coach)

Will Webster... lifelong learner, international rugby coach, MLR winner x 2, player whose dreams outgrew his ability, older brother who is under pressure to get married, all round good bloke. Will and Rusty chat all things becoming a great coach without the blue tick!

Aug 26, 2024•45 min•Season 11Ep. 11

Season 11 Episode 10 Aaron Takel (if Carlsberg did coach development...)

Taks and Rusty come together to share their top 10 moments from the recent Gainline Sports Coaching x Magic Academy coach and player hangout on Vancouver Island... rethinking coach development, 33 seconds the story of SQUEEZE, cooks and chefs, wishing you were 30 years younger, the Allenby Coffee Bar, player coaches, running a game tag and what is fun? ENJOY!

Aug 22, 2024•53 min•Season 11Ep. 10

Season 11 Episode 8 - Jess Bunyard (Coach Learning)

Jess and Rusty chat all things fist bumping heroes, being a female coach, coach feedback, the rhythm of the game and travelling from Huddersfield to Christchurch to learn as much as you can... enjoy!

Jun 24, 2024•54 min•Season 11Ep. 8

Season 11 Episode 5 - Paul Chequer (Practicing challenging conversations)

Rusty spends even more time with the man he has spent most of the last month with helping coaches navigate challenging conversations in football (shout out to Danny Newcombe!)... forum theatre, status, noticing skills, statement of intent and 'can I take this back?' Enjoy!

Apr 24, 2024•40 min

Series 11 Episode 4 - Tom Farrow (Solving Problems)

Tom Farrow... performance coach, owner at Arete and the best wrestler I know chats all things solving performance problems. On the way, we chat connected conversations, why tackles are missed, 2 leg takedowns and lessons from football... enjoy! Tom can be found at http://www.arete-performance.com/

Apr 01, 2024•51 min•Season 11Ep. 4

Series 11 Episode 3 - Sean Graham (Developing yourself and others)

Sean and Rusty chat all things from the U13F's, being excited to come to training, reflecting in the moment, Laurie Fisher as Bruce Springsteen, re-imagining a coaching skills carousel, saving bullets, Ben Ryan in 2009 and John Quinn's grenades... enjoy!

Feb 04, 2024•53 min•Season 11Ep. 3

Season 11 Episode 2 - Mike Porteous (Confidence)

Mike and Rusty chat all things confidence... What gives you a buzz? When is it hard for you? How does it feel? What milestones might we pass on the way? How can we be mischievous? Who owns the right way? Who do you want to be? Enjoy...

Jan 25, 2024•55 min•Season 11Ep. 2
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