Ep44 - James Nolan Stumbles - "My energy caught the better of me"

In this Stumbles episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined again by James Nolan to explore the mistakes and learning experiences that have shaped his approach as a coach in high performance sport.

Following on from our previous conversation around in-season strength and power development, this episode shifts the focus to the realities of professional growth — the moments where things went wrong, and what James has taken from them.

James shares honest reflections from his time in Ireland and with the Welsh Rugby Union — from communication breakdowns and administrative errors to the gradual realisation of how much active listening and self-awareness matter in a coaching environment. He talks about the tension between being an energetic, engaging presence and staying true to the core principles of a programme, and why understanding how you come across to the people around you is just as important as what you know.

Ultimately, this episode is about recognising that mistakes are part of the process — and that growth comes from how we reflect, adapt, and improve.

If this episode has made you reflect on your own practice, our Collaborate Sports performance mentorship programmes are designed to support exactly that kind of development — you can find all the details here: https://collaboratesports.com/groupmentorship

A big thanks to our sponsor once again, the IUSCA. Check out what they do HERE