On the show this week, Dave Wright rejoins me for another episode of The Curious Mind. Our conversation focuses on the skills you need to develop great young leaders.

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Suzie Muirhead is the creator of Raise My Game, a tool designed to help athletes and their coaches navigate performance planning, personal growth, and decision-making. Suzie’s journey—from New Zealand hockey player to mentor and innovator—has shaped her belief that true development starts with ownership, trust, and the right conversations.

Whether you're a coach, parent, or athlete, this episode is packed with insights to help you level up. Enjoy!

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There are two ways to affect learning and development. Direct contact with the individuals and teams in front of you, or by influencing the system of which they are part of. My guest on today’s show has spent time doing both, first as a youth team coach at Sydney Football Club and then as Academy Manager. His name is Nick Susko and he played a pivotal role in shaping one of the most successful talent development programs in Australian sport, with over 60 graduates signing professional contracts and dozens representing Australia at every level of the game.

In this conversation, we explore the evolving landscape of youth football, including how systems thinking revolutionised Nick’s coaching philosophy and transformed the way he nurtured talent.

Together, Nick and I dig deeper into:

• How collaboration with local schools reshaped player support networks at Sydney FC
• Building sustainable success through quality coaching practices
• Creating psychological safety within the academy environment
• The complexities and challenges of player selection
• Breaking away from traditional youth sport narratives
• Understanding the key elements that help players reach their potential
• The growing role of technology and AI in football development
• Finding balance in youth development
• Making the learning process both meaningful and enjoyable

I love the way Nick thinks about development and I’m super excited to share it with you.

Enjoy!

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In the ‘Best of’ collection for 2024, I’ve pulled together some of the most insightful moments from your favourite guests this year to help you revisit some powerful lessons.

In part two of this 3-part series, we hear from Head of Physical Development at West Ham United Football Academy, Dr David Johnson, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Queen Ethelburga’s School, Dr Ffion Thompson, and Lecturer in Strength and Conditioning at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Dr John Radnor.

All 3 guests can be heard in full in their respective episodes linked below:

• ADS 163 Dr David Johnson
• ADS 170 Dr Ffion Thompson
• ADS 174 Dr John Radnor

We kick off this anthology episode hearing from John about the holistic impact a great S&C coach can have on their athletes.

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In the Best Of 2024 collection, I’ve pulled together some of the most insightful moments from your favourite guests to help you revisit some powerful lessons.

In part one of this 3-part series, we hear from Founder of the Atua Matua, Dr Ihirangi Heke, People Developer, Rusty Earnshaw, and Performance Breakthrough Specialist, Dr Richard Young.

All 3 guests can be heard in full in their respective episodes linked below:

• ADS 163 Dr Ihirangi Heke
• ADS 170 Rusty Earnshaw
• ADS 174 Dr Richard Young

We kick off this anthology episode hearing from Richard about the powerful idea he calls the ‘busy middle’.

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At the age of 17, my guest on today’s show received advice from her ski coach that led to her drop out. Although well intended, is was advice lacking in awareness of female physiology.

Dr Julia Casadio is a sport physiologist and applied researcher with over 15 years of experience in elite sport. She has spent most of her career in the Performance Physiology team at High Performance Sport New Zealand.

Julia and I connected around her latest project, Her Strength, a science-based digital platform designed to educate on the unique needs of the young female athlete.

In this conversation, we learn all about Her Strength, including who’s it for, what it covers, and why Julia is so passionate about making an impact. We start off hearing about the lessons Julia is learning running her own business .

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I met Tara at the age of 14 when she first entered the sports hall at AUT Millennium to join our Athlete Development Program. Four years later she got a call from esteemed Canoe Racing New Zealand lead coach, Gordon Walker, inviting her to join the high performance world. Then, just two years after that, she teamed up with Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin and Olivia Brett to win gold in the woman’s K4 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

This is Tara’s story.

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The evidence is clear. Stronger athletes move better, get injured less and stay engaged with sport for longer.

But what should strength training look like for children?

My guest today is Dr Ben Pullen, PhD in paediatric strength and conditioning and the founder of Young Athlete Training.

Ben’s work integrates the physical and psychological considerations of development to provide novel, engaging and individualised strength training to both child and teenage athletes.

In this conversation, we learn all about Ben’s approach, including the four pillars that underpin his work, his specific methodology and why it’s so powerful for children, how he periodises his challenge-based training, new science that shows how children learn, and much more. I’m a huge fan of Ben’s mission and I’m so stoked to share it with you.

Enjoy!

For more on creating EPIC learning environments that bring out the best in your athletes and yourself, sign up for Craig's free newsletter Beyond the Game here.

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