Claim OwnershipHow to Strive - with Nick Adkins
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Hi I am your host and coach Nick.
With over 13 years of experience in professional sports coaching, I have dedicated my career to player and coach development across a variety of sports and industries. My expertise spans both on-field coaching and strategic development roles, where I’ve worked to enhance performance, build high-functioning teams, and foster long-term growth in athletes and coaches alike. In addition to my work in sport, I have also collaborated with businesses to transfer my coaching skills and principles into organizational development, helping teams and leaders thrive in dynamic environments through my transformational leadership approach. My commitment to continuous learning and fostering a growth mindset drives me to always pursue excellence in every aspect of my work.
57 Episodes
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Send a text What does it really take to develop elite coaches? In this episode of How to Strive, we explore the challenge and opportunity of working with expert and master practitioners. When someone already performs at a high level, traditional coaching approaches often fall short. So how do you add value? This episode dives into the shift from teaching to refining, from giving answers to deepening awareness. We explore how to become a mirror, a thinking partner, and a precise challenger, he...
Send a text Are you truly maximising the support around you? In this episode of How to Strive, we turn the lens onto the coach. Having access to a mentor or coach developer is a privilege, however the real impact comes from how you show up to that relationship. We explore how to move from being a passive recipient to an active driver of your own development. From setting clear intentions, inviting challenge and using your coach developer as a mirror… to turning reflection into meaningful acti...
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick is joined by Anthony Limbrick, who is a highly respected football coach with experience leading professional teams and developing elite footballers internationally. Anthony brings an methodical coaching identity shaped by years in high-performance environments, from working in the academies of Southampton and West Ham United and with England’s U-17s, to managing first-team squads across Europe and now taking the helm at Loudoun United FC in t...
Send a text As a new year begins, this episode of How to Strive invites you to maintain your progress and align intentions heading as we move into 2026. Using the Striver Table concept, Nick guides you through a powerful process to define a meaningful title for your year and build the habits, behaviours and routines needed to support it. You’ll identify four key areas of life that which act as the table legs that keep the table up, sturdy and strong. From here you can work out wha...
Send a text Nick is joined by Paul Holder AKA Noddy who has supported the development of many players and coaches through his energetic coaching style. This insightful episodes will be fantastic for people Striving to be better at supporting the development of people in sport and life by seeking to understand them and building trust to then create growth. Start Striving at www.strive25.co.uk/
Send a text In this final episode of How to Strive’s mini-series on Neil Mullarkey’s Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills, Nick explores the essential and often overlooked skill of leaving well. Drawing on Neil’s insights from the stage, business, and psychology, we unpack why endings matter, how the final moments of an interaction, meeting, or relationship shape how it’s remembered. From the Peak-End Rule explored by Daniel Kahneman to practical advice on closing conversations, meetings...
Send a text In this special episode of How to Strive, Nick is joined by the brilliant Neil Mullarkey; actor, author, comedian and co-founder of The Comedy Store Players, Europe’s longest-running improv troupe. Neil shares insights from his book Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills, exploring how the principles of improv, Learn, Look, Listen, Let, Link, Lighten and Leave Well can transform the way we communicate, collaborate, and lead. From the importance of listening with intent to...
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick explores Step Six of Neil Mullarkey’s Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills 'Lighten'. Humour, as Neil reminds us, is about connection. It’s a leadership tool that builds trust, creativity and resilience. A leader who can laugh at themselves invites others to do the same, creating a culture where people feel safe to grow, fail and try again. Drawing on research, stories and Neil’s decades of experience in improv and leadership develo...
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick explores the next step in Neil Mullarkey’s Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills 'Link' Link is the step that connects all the others where learning, looking, listening, and letting come together to create genuine connection. Neil reminds us that “The seven Ls are not distinct, discrete ploys, they are overlapping aspects of getting on better with people.” Through the improv principle of “Yes, and”, we explore how intentive listening, ope...
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick explores the third step in Neil Mullarkey’s Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills, Listen. Neil reminds us that hearing is automatic, but listening is a skill, one that requires attention, presence, and empathy. We look at the difference between hearing and truly listening, how to tune into both content and emotion, and why giving someone your full attention is one of the greatest gifts you can offer. Hearing + Attention = Listening...
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick explores one of his favourite chapters from Neil Mullarkey’s Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills, Let. We dive into the quiet power of pausing, creating space in conversations, and the skill of bringing out the best in others. Neil’s insights remind us that real connection often happens between the words, when we slow down, let people speak, and let them feel valued. We also explore why letting people be right builds trust, how “positiv...
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick explores the second step in Neil Mullarkey’s Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills Look. We dive into the power of presence and the art of seeing what isn’t said, the body language, energy, and nonverbal cues that shape every interaction. By learning to truly look at others (and ourselves), we can build deeper trust, stronger connections, and communicate with more impact. This episode blends Neil’s insights with real-world reflection prac...
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick dives into the first step of Neil Mullarkey’s Seven Steps to Improve Your People Skills Learn. We explore how real learning happens through doing, reflecting, and applying, and why a growth mindset is essential to becoming the person you want to be. Featuring powerful insights from Neil’s book, this episode will help you pause, reflect, and take your next step forward with purpose. Start Striving at www.strive25.co.uk/
Send a text In this episode of How to Strive, Nick guides you through a powerful weekly reflection practice designed to help you pause, reflect, and realign before stepping into a new week. Together, we: Celebrate last week’s wins and moments of pride. Acknowledge adversity and the lessons it brings without judgment. Revisit intentions using the Striver Table framework, focusing on the areas that matter most. Set clear, meaningful intentions for the week ahead, identifying that crucial...
Send a text In this episode, Nick explores how journaling can become a powerful daily tool to help you strive. Nick breaks it down into three key benefits: Clarity – Understanding yourself more deeply and spotting patterns that shape your growth.Direction – Turning reflection into clear intentions that keep you focused and accountable. The tiny steps that take you a thousand miles. Resilience – Building emotional strength, vocabulary, processing challenges, and celebrating wins.Thi...
Send a text Start Striving at www.strive25.co.uk/
Send a text You space to set great intentions for you day to help you stay accountable for your striving. Start Striving at www.strive25.co.uk/
Send a text A guided insight in to how Nick structures his Sunday Strive with reflections and intentions. Start Striving at www.strive25.co.uk/
Send a text In this powerful episode, Nick is joined by Dr. Sally Needham, a leader in human development and performance. Sally shares incredible insights from her experiences shaping performance by truly understanding the individuals you work with. Drawing on neuroscience and developmental practice, she explores how awareness, connection, and compassion can elevate both personal growth and the way we support others. Throughout her career, including her time with the English FA, working acros...
Send a text Nick guides you through your September reflection to inform your October intentions. He also shares two excellent clips from the episodes with Cody Royle and Dr Phil Hopley, relevant to performing in elite sport, dealing with external pressure and adversity. Very timely with the conclusion of the Womens Rugby World Cup and the Mens Ryder Cup. Keep Striving. Start Striving at www.strive25.co.uk/
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