A while ago I burnt out. I don't talk about it much, but it's part of why I'm doing this now. The thing I learned: young people don't just need adults who care. They need adults who are okay. If you're running on empty, they feel it. On the touchline, at training, in the car. So if you give up your evenings and weekends for this, look after yourself too. It's not selfish. It's part of the job. No question this week. Just reply if this lands. Paul

You see it every weekend. The parent on the touchline who means well and makes it harder. The car journey home that starts before the seatbelt clicks. I've built something for them. The First Thirty Seconds is a short course for grassroots parents: four sessions, done at their own pace. The car journey. Mistakes and effort. What they actually need from you. Being their secure base. The first 20 parents get it for £20 (it'll be £35 after). Every place also helps fund free Hold Up The Mirror assemblies in local schools. You're the best route to the parents who need it, so one ask: reply YES and I'll send you a short message you can paste straight into your parents' WhatsApp group. No pressure if it's not right for your club. Paul

Why it's been quiet and what happens now It's been a while since I posted on here and I'd rather be honest about why than quietly start again as if there wasn't a gap. The truth is I was burnt out. I spent over 15 years in education, and I gave it everything I had. Eventually that caught up with me. Burnout isn't about caring less, it's usually the opposite. It's what happens when you keep giving long after there's anything left to give, and it took a genuine toll on my health before I recognised what was happening. I've since made the decision to leave and do something different. Not because the work didn't matter anymore because I wanted to do it in a way that felt like mine. So over the last few weeks I've been building exactly that: a proper framework for improving culture in grassroots football and youth settings. Pilots with real clubs. Codes of conduct. A culture audit. Programmes for schools. Testing whether any of it holds up outside my own head. It does. And it's the most alive I've felt about work in a long time. Why I'm telling you this? Because this community is about the environments adults create for young people and adults are people too. Burnt out coaches don't coach well. Exhausted teachers don't teach well. Volunteers running on fumes don't build good clubs. If we're serious about culture, we have to be serious about the state of the people carrying it and they culture they are setting. So this isn't a tidy comeback post. It's just where I actually am: starting something, slightly terrified, and committed to doing it properly. What changes from here? Regular posts. Real conversations. The work as I'm doing it including the bits that don't go to plan. Thanks for being here. Let's go. Paul

Evening everyone, Just keep your eyes peeled tomorrow as something exciting is coming. I hope everyone's had an amazing weekend and ready for the new week ahead. New week means new opportunities...let's go!!!!

So on Monday, I had the absolute joy and privilege to share a masterclass with the wonderful career coach @Lydia Newell. You can find the session and the description she gave it below. I really wonder if you would share your thoughts on this too. Where can you spot signs of toxic culture in job descriptions, interviews etc? Job searching with confidence: How to spot good culture (and avoid the bad) with If you’re thinking about your next career move, or just want to make sure you’re in the right environment, this masterclass is a must-watch. You’ll learn: ✨ How to spot the red flags (and the subtle signs) of poor leadership and toxic culture ✨ What to do if you find yourself in an unhealthy workplace ✨ The key questions to ask at interview to check if their values align with yours ✨ Why the perfect workplace doesn’t exist, but how you can absolutely find one where you feel valued, respected, and supported Paul brings years of leadership and culture expertise, with practical, real-world insight you can use straight away. 📘 Check out Paul’s ebook “Leading Culture (Because Leadership Is Not a Position)” here