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The Active Code
The Active Code
Author: Paul Griffiths and Luke Johnson
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© 2025 The Active Code
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Through this podcast series, Paul Griffiths and Luke Johnson from Aspire Active Partnerships aim to discover The Active Code. What is takes to be a successful leader and leading organisations towards combatting inactivity to help more children, be more active, more often. We are not alone through this journey – we are joined by business owners and leaders from in and outside of the sports coaching and children's activity sector who share what physical activity means to them, how they lead their organisation to achieve their company mission, and what they believe is The Active Code.
60 Episodes
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We’re excited to welcome Stuart Armstrong, a strategic sports development professional, to The Active Code. Stuart has been involved with some of the biggest names in the industry. Some of which include The Golf Foundation, UK Coaching, The RFU as Head of Player Pathways, and Development & Rugby Growth. Stuart’s most recent role with Sport England as Head of Coaching & Strategic Lead for Workforce Transformation. Using his extensive experience within the industry, S...
Last week we welcomed Craig Brennan, founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group, to The Active Code. This episode is the best bits! Drawing on his extensive experience in the sports, education, and childcare industries, Craig shared his expertise and insights in this must-listen episode. Who is Craig Brennan? Craig Brennan is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in sports, education and childcare. Craig is founder and CEO of The Little...
We’re excited to welcome Craig Brennan, founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group, to The Active Code. Drawing on his extensive experience in the sports, education, and childcare industries, Craig shares his expertise and insights in this must-listen episode. Who is Craig Brennan? Craig Brennan is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in sports, education and childcare. Craig is founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group, a group of companies that provide edu...
We’re excited to welcome Chris Sharman, co-founder of Topodium, to The Active Code. Chris has been at the forefront of innovation in the sports, health and wellbeing industries and has a wealth of experience and insights to share. Through Topodium, Chris aims to transform these industries and make a positive impact on people's lives. Who is Chris Sharman? Chris co-founded Topodium Group in 2020 with a single mission; to transform the sports, health and wellbeing industries. &nbs...
Last week we has Sporting Communities’ Ben Rigby join us on The Active Code. Here are some of the best bits of the episode for you to enjoy. Who is Ben Rigby? Ben Rigby is Managing Director at Sporting Communities. Sporting Communities is an ethical, not-for-profit community interest company who are committed to delivering cost-effective, timely and professional services. What do we chat about in the full episode? You’ll get to hear: · How Ben and...
We’re excited to have Sporting Communities’ Ben Rigby joining us on The Active Code. Who is Ben Rigby? Ben Rigby is Managing Director at Sporting Communities. Sporting Communities is an ethical, not-for-profit community interest company who are committed to delivering cost-effective, timely and professional services. What do we chat about? During this episode you’ll get to hear: · How Ben and his team have engaged over 30,000 people in regular physical activity...
Are you a rugby fan? Then you will not want to miss the next episode of The Active Code. We’re thrilled to announce our guest this week is Chris Jones, ex-international England rugby player. Who is Chris Jones? On the pitch, Chris was a senior player and key decision-maker. Chris was a key member of successful Premiership-winning squads and capped for England. Following his playing days, Chris is still involved in coaching and mentoring younger players. In his professional career, Chri...
We’re thrilled to announce Hockey star Tess Howard is joining us on The Active Code! Who is Tess Howard? Tess Howard is a Great Britain and England Hockey player. Since recording the episode, Tess has gone on to extraordinary heights in her Hockey career, including scoring a winning goal against Australia in the gold medal match of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In addition to Tess’s Commonwealth successes, she’s also a public speaker, guest writer and podcast host. What do we chat about? Durin...
The wait is over. The Active Code is back. And not just as audio, but video too! That’s right, not only can you listen to us, you also have the option to see us on our YouTube channel, by clicking here. We’ve got a whole new host of experts joining us to explore how we can boost leadership and get more children active. And what a first guest we have. Who is our guest? We’re delighted to be joined by Tara Dillon, CEO of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical A...
The wait is over. The Active Code is back. And not just as audio, but video too! That’s right, not only can you listen to us, you also have the option to see us on our YouTube channel, by clicking here. We’ve got a whole new host of experts joining us to explore how we can boost leadership and get more children active. And what a first guest we have. Who is our guest? We’re delighted to be joined by Tara Dillon, CEO of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical A...
The series finale of The Active Code is here and what a series it’s been! To say farewell (for now), we’re looking back on series 3 and bringing you the very best bits in this final episode. Who’s joined us on the podcast this series? We’ve welcomed a whole host of exceptional business owners and experts from both inside and outside of the sports coaching and children's activity sector: Episode 1: Chris Brindley - Non-Executive Director, International Speaker, Executive Coach and Consultant i...
This week on the podcast we chat to Hannah Crane, Director of Development at StreetGames. Who is Hannah Crane? Hannah is Director of Development at StreetGames, an organisation creating positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people through the power of sport. Hannah joined StreetGames in 2011 as Partnership Manager, heading up the organisation’s legacy building strategy for London 2012. Now, as Director of Development, Hannah manages the design, writing and delivery...
This week on the podcast we’re joined by Mitchell Quirke, Business Development Manager at Progressive Sports. Who is Mitchell Quirke? Mitchell Quirke is in his eighth year at Progressive Sports. As Business Development Manager, Mitchell develops meaningful partnerships with primary schools and community projects in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire region. Why? To engage and inspire children to lead active and healthy lives. What’s discussed in the episode? The importance of a healthy bod...
This week’s guest brings with him years of experience in the children’s activities sector. Joining Paul and Luke for a chat is Director of Research, Policy and Communications for ukactive, Jack Shakespeare. Who is Jack Shakespeare? Starting his career with Fit for Sport in 2007, he helped the organisation become one of the country’s most well-known children’s activity organisations. In a 10-year journey Jack helped develop hundreds of people to operate in the sector and became Hea...
This week on the podcast we welcome Dennis Kennedy, founder of Inspire Activity Limited. Who is Dennis Kennedy? “It takes a village to raise a child" is a proverb that really resonates with this week’s guest. Dennis Kennedy is the founder of Inspire Activity Limited, a West Midlands based organisation that connects people with activity providers through the Community Games project. Swapping life in the corporate world to work with a core voluntary team and provid...
This week on The Active Code we welcome tech entrepreneur Edwyn van Rooyen who’s using science, tech and real-time data to help organisations, schools and individuals find their own perfect blend of health, happiness and success. Who is Edwyn van Rooyen? Ed is a successful tech entrepreneur, having set up and run multiple organisations. With a background in legal and financial services and a keen interest in sport and physical activity, Ed is passionate about creating successful ...
Who is Adam Lakeland? Adam Lakeland is founder and director of Pro Sport Coaching Ltd . Dedicated to raising children’s activity levels, Adam launched Pro Sport Coaching in 2006, growing a team of like-minded individuals who deliver quality physical activity provision in Lancashire schools and nurseries. Alongside his role as director, Adam is a committed First Team Manager at Curzon Ashton FC. He joined as manager in November 2021, prior to which he was manager of Farsley Celtic ...
Who is Chris Brindley? Chris Brindley is a Non-Executive Director, International Speaker, Executive Coach and Consultant in business and sport. Chris’ career prior to his current portfolio of roles spanned two different industries, having been an Executive Director in both. After four years as MD at the UK’s leading challenger bank, Metro Bank, Chris decided to make the move that has seen him recognised with an MBE for services to sport and awarded winner of the Institute of Direc...
In the series finale, hosts Paul Griffiths and Luke Johnson are joined by Steve Mitchell. Who is Steve Mitchell? Mitch is a Skills and Sport Consultant and retired rugby player who believes that sport can change lives. Mitch’s parents ingrained in him the importance of physical activity from a young age, and this led him to taking a gap year coaching in primary schools in Johannesburg, followed by a degree in PE and Sport Science at Loughborough University. After graduating, Mitch...
In the penultimate episode of this series, hosts Paul Griffiths and Luke Johnson are joined by Anderson Hirst. Who is Anderson Hirst? Anderson is the Founder and Director at Selling Interactions, an international sales consulting and training organisation based in Birmingham. He is a passionate researcher of sales best practice, splitting his time between sales research and hands-on delivery. After switching from an initial career as a brewer, Anderson started out in front line technical sale...























