The Talent Equation Podcast

In this conversation, I speak with Barry Jones, an ice hockey coach based in Australia who works with the Perth Inferno Women's team. Barry shares his remarkable journey from working with people with disabilities to enbracing the principles of ecological dynamics and aplying them with an eleite level team where his team has just 45 minutes per week to train whilst competing interstate. Three Key Takeaways:Autonomy carries emotional weight: Barry discovered that when athletes transition from being controlled to becoming autonomous decision-makers, they begin to wear failure personally. This emotional shift requires coaches to understand the psychological safety needed when athletes are learning to become independent thinkers, particularly with athletes who may have been conditioned to wait for coach direction.'Environmental sports' shape how games are played: Barry introduces the concept of "environmental sports"—the idea that sports reflect the cultural and sporting environment they're played in. Ice hockey i