BCAB Coaching Podcast

britishcanoeingcoaching

The British Canoeing Awarding Body Coaching Podcast is an opportunity to explore different topics around coaching with the team and a wide range of expert guests from the paddling community, all with a wealth of knowledge to share.

  1. S7 Ep7 Women's Health with Dr. Jagruti Amin

    5 MAR

    S7 Ep7 Women's Health with Dr. Jagruti Amin

    Happy International Women’s Day 2026! In this special episode of the Coaching Podcast, Georgina talks all things Women’s Health with a focus on paddling with her guest Dr Jagruti Amin (Jag) who has been a white water kayaker since 2013 and is a member of Paddle UK. It’s an almost hour long whirlwind tour from the teenage years through to the menopause, with something in it for everyone. There’s a crib sheet with resources and links available so you don’t have to scribble them down. Jag is a GMC registered Dr (4645311) who qualified and started seeing patients in 1999 but had to give up her Licence to Practise in 2018 because of psoriatic arthritis. After studying medicine at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford she started her career in hospitals training in medicine. She started specialist training in Haematology before deciding to move to the world of General Practice in 2006 which included a 6 month training post in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. As a fully fledged GP she had an interest in Women’s Health, Contraception, Sexual Health and Safeguarding. For several years she also held separate roles as a Contraception and Sexual health Dr and a Named GP for Safeguarding Children. She was involved in medical politics as a representative on her Local Medical Council. Despite no longer seeing patients she’s remained passionate about Women’s Health and women advocating for themselves. A special thanks goes to Dr Kaye Brennan who is a GP, a Specialist Sports & Exercise Medicine Dr, a Council Member of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine and also works for the Ministry of Defence for her help and guidance in some of the more specialist areas in this podcast. The information provided in this podcast and the associated resources are current as of 26th February 2026. A reminder that the information is not individual medical advice and that any personal medical issues that come to light should be discussed with your own healthcare professional (such as a GP, Consultant, Specialist Nurse, Midwife, or Health Visitor). Dr Amin has not received any payment for this podcast, and is not sponsored by any organisation or company. All resources and links are current as of 26th February 2026 and are NOT to be used independently of the podcast. They do not constitute medical advice. All personal medical issues must be discussed with your own healthcare professional. To download the transcript for this episode click here. NHS Website: www.nhs.uk as a start for everything Women & Sport Women in Sport ‘Reframing Sport for Teenage Girls Tackling Teenage Disengagement’ 2022 https://womeninsport.org/ wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-Reframing-Sport-for-Teenage-Girls-Tackling-Teenage-Disengagement.pdf Call it What it is Period https://thewell-hq.com/menstrual-cycle/calling-it-a-period-and-only-a-period-matters/ The Red Box Project https://redboxproject.org/ Also look at the British Rowing & British Swimming websites Nutrition Project RED-S red-s.com BEAT https://www.beateatiorg.uk/ UK Sports Institute Nutrition Guidelines https://uksportsinstico.uk/resource/sports-nutrition-fundamentals-to-improve-performance/ The British Dietetic Association https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/sport-exercise-nutritihtml NHS Vitamin D Guidance https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ All things Period, Contraception & Sexual Health Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists https://www.rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/browse-our-patient-information/ Brook https://www.brook.org.uk/ Women’s Health Concern https://www.womens-health-concern.org/ National Association for Premenstrual Syndromes https://www.pms.org.uk/ A Young Person’s Guide to Premenstrual Syndromes https://www.pms.org.uk/app/uploads/2021/09/A-Young-Persons-Guide-to-Premenstrual-Syndromes-8.pdf Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome https://www.verity-pcos.org.uk/ Endometriosis https://www.endometriosis-uk.org Contraception & Sexual Health COSRH https://www.contraceptiorg/ Sexual Health Clinic Information https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/ Menstrual Cycle Training & Injuries British Journal of Sports Medicine Blog 2025 https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2025/11/03/can-the-menstrual-cycle-phase-impact-sports-performance/ UEFA Consensus Statement on Menstrual Cycle Tracking in Football 21st September 2025 https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/ content/11/3/e002769 Teenagers & Exercise Models used: The “Control–Capacity–Sport” model, The 4-Stage Youth Return-to-Sport Framework, The IOC “Youth Athlete Development Model”, Graduated loading principles (10% rule, staged impact progression) A non UK article from Sport New Zealand https://balanceisbettorg.nz/how-much-is-too-much-when-it-comes-to-youth-sport/ Pelvic Floor Pelvic Obstetrics & Gynaecology Physiotherapy https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/pelvic_health_advice.aspx Squeezy App £2.99 https://squeezyapp.com/women/about-squeezy-for-women/ Commercial devices with feedback Perifit & Elvie Pregnancy (In partnership with your healthcare professionals) International Olympic Committee https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Athletes/Medical-Scientific/ Consensus-Statements/BJSM-Exercise-and-pregnancy-in-recreational-and-elite-athletes-Part-5-recommendations-for-health-professionals-and-active-women.pdf Pregnancy Continued (In partnership with your healthcare professionals) NHS Website https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/ UK Guidelines for Activity in Pregnancy https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/620a28288fa8f54916f45dfc/ physical-activity-for-pregnant-women.pdf & https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/exercise/   Faculty of Sports & Exercise Medicine (FSEM) Moving Medicine Patient Information https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Pregnancy_Patipdf Active Pregnancy Foundation Questionnaire ‘Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy’ https:// activepregnancyfoundation.org/_files/ugd/4c66ce_88e9ebbdad8748e7ab75d67815c76dcc.pdf Pelvic Obstetric & Gynaecological Physiotherapy https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/ pregnancy_and_early_postnatal.aspx Tommy’s The Pregnancy & Baby Charity https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/calculators-tools-resources UK Sport Pregnancy Guidance and Support for UK Sport Funded Athletes see the risk assessment for funded athletes https://www.uksport.gov.uk/resources/pregnancy-guidance The advice in this guidance is NOT for recreational athletes Maternal Mental Health NHS Advice https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/mental-health-and-pregnancy/ https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/about-maternal-mental-health/ Post Partum (In partnership with your healthcare professionals) NHS postpartum Exercise Information https://www.nhs.uk/baby/support-and-services/keeping-fit-and-healthy-with-a-baby/ Pelvic Obstetric & Gynaecological Physiotherapy https://thepogp.co.uk/patient_information/ pregnancy_and_early_postnatal.aspx FSEM Moving Medicine Post Partum Patient Information Leaflet https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/ 2025/06/Post-partum_Patient_info_leaflet_2020-v2-1.pdf FSEM Moving Medicine Patient Information https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Physical-activity-recommendations-post-natal.pdf FSEM Moving Medicine Patient Workbook https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Patient-workbook-170925.pdf FSEM Moving Medicine Post Natal Pre Screening for Readiness Flowchart https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2025/06/Flowchart.pdf Menopause National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines 2024 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/ informationforpublic The British Menopause Society https://thebms.org.uk/education/principles-practice-of-menopause-care/bms-ppmc-resources-toolkit/where-can-i-find-trusted-information-for-women-and-their-partners/ Women’s Health Concern https://www.womens-health-concern.org/ Royal Osteoporosis Society https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/bone-health/exercise-for-bones/how-to-build-up-exercise-for-your-bone-strength/ NHS Guidance for Exercise https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise Diet & The Menopause https://www.womens-health-concern.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/31-WHC-FACTSHEET-Weight-Gain-and-menopause-JUNE2023-A.pdf Coaches Sport Scotland Free Learning Resources https://learning.sportscotland.org.uk/catalog?pagename=Work-with-female- athletes   Covering many of the subjects talked about in the podcast Women in Sport Podcasts https://womeninsport.org/explore-the-issues/podcast/ British Association of Sports & Exercise Medicine (BASEM) Podcasts & Female Athlete Health Page https://basem.co.uk/spotlight-on-sem-podcast-series/ Podcasts from Faculty of Sport & Exercise Medicine RED-S (2025) https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-em4tt-17c642c   Sports Nutrition (2024) https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ba993-15b5940   Version 1. 26th February 2026 Dr Jagruti Amin GMC 4645311

    56 min
  2. S7 Ep4 All Things Coaching with Lowri Davies

    02/12/2025

    S7 Ep4 All Things Coaching with Lowri Davies

    In this episode of the Coaching Podcast, your host Georgina Maxwell discusses All Things Coaching with Lowri Davies.  Lowri has been working at the cutting edge of white water coaching and guiding around the world for almost 20 years. Her North Wales-based company, FlowFree, runs the full spectrum of white water and freestyle courses as well as some exciting overseas trips to places such as the Zambezi and Norway. Lowri's passion for helping each paddler to unlock the most joy from their paddling experiences has led to a strong reputation for her work on mindset and confidence, as well as in the fields of advanced white water and freestyle. She combines all of these aspects on FlowFree's renowned "Grade 3 shenanigans" and "Play the River" courses. She's also the lead organiser for DeeFest - a festival that focuses on inclusivity, community, silliness and above all good fun!  In this episode, Lowri and Georgina discuss the evolution of coaching, emphasising the need to move beyond rigid rules towards a more progressive culture that encourages confidence in learners. Lowri advocates for teaching concepts and variables rather than fixed strategies, allowing paddlers to explore and adapt to dynamic water conditions. She highlights a key element of performance and confidence is connectivity and proper boat outfitting, stressing the importance of maximizing body-to-kayak contact to ensure comfort, control, and effective power transfer. Lowri’s current focus is on maintaining a playful mindset in kayaking and enjoying the learning curve of her new venture into surf kayaking. To download the transcript for this episode click here.

    41 min
  3. S7 Ep3 All Things Wilderness Expeditions with Richard Harpham

    04/11/2025

    S7 Ep3 All Things Wilderness Expeditions with Richard Harpham

    Richard and Georgina discuss the importance of personal experience in coaching and leading expeditions, as well as risk management in remote locations and the necessity of contingency and repair kits due to the increased probability of equipment failure over time. Richard also distinguishes between the roles of a leader and a guide, and introduces the 1, 2, 3 Mentoring model to foster growth and shared knowledge.  Richard Harpham is an Adventurer, Author, Speaker and Social Entrepreneur.  His lifetime of adventures include over 15,000 miles of expeditions in wilderness locations by ski, bike, kayak, canoe and SUP.   His adventures include canoeing the Yukon, sea kayaking 1,000 miles from Vancouver to Alaska, London to Marrakech by bike and kayak, as well as sea kayaking the channel 3 times. The New York Spare Seat Kayak Expedition won the international travel marketing award valued at 1 million dollar PR campaign and was shared with over 200 million people.  Richard has paddled over 100 UK destinations to research and compile a new book, Great British Paddling Adventures. His latest adventure has been to build an off-grid farm house and farm to restore orchards. Richard has featured on regional TV and BBC1 on many occasions covering his adventure exploits and speaks regularly to schools and national shows about building adventure and the great outdoors into their lives. Richard has explored much of the UK hiking, biking and paddling, seeking out hidden gems and forgotten trails in his spare time, whether wild camping or embracing van life, he is often found well off the beaten track with his four dogs in tow. Rich and his wife Ash run Canoe Trail, A Paddle UK Delivery Partner, watersports, expeditions and adventure business with 20 instructors and coaches. Canoe Trail has several staff who are providers of Paddle UK qualifications including Paddle Sports Instructor, PSRC, PSL, Touring Leader, SUP Instructor and the Guide Modules. Canoe Trail run 14 expeditions a year plus the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme . See more here www.canoetrail.co.uk  www.richadventure.com To download the transcript for this episode click here.

    43 min
  4. S7 Ep2 Master your Kayak and the Environment with Doug Cooper!

    06/10/2025

    S7 Ep2 Master your Kayak and the Environment with Doug Cooper!

    Doug Cooper has worked as an instructor, coaching and guiding for over 35 years, with a passion for sharing knowledge in a way that empowers others to develop their skills, experience and confidence to achieve their outdoor goals. For the last 25 years, a focus of Doug’s coaching has been paddlesport coach/leadership development where he provides training/assessment courses to support future instructors. His specialism is sea kayaking and in this he has published Sea Kayak Handling and Rough Water Sea Kayak Handling, both books designed to support paddlers to develop their skills; this to hopefully take them on trips they aspire to achieve. Doug’s passion is sharing knowledge and doing this by taking people to good places, to do good things when sea kayaking! https://scottishseakayaking.co.uk/ Paddling smart – the technical and tactical consideration for working with your kayak and the environment to make life easier. This podcast conversation will use turning in the wind as the basis to explore the concept of how if we ‘listen to our kayak’ and ‘feel what our kayak’ wants to do and how it is interacting with the environment, it will help us become more efficient in our paddling. This, done by considering how things like speed, trim and timing can be used as tactics to make turning in the wind easier by helping the kayak do what it naturally wants to do in the wind; then considering which technical strokes we can then add to aid this further. Having explored this as a concept, we finish the conversation by considering how this can then be taken into other environments, perhaps rock hopping, tide or surf; and maybe adding further tactical considerations of angle, positioning and edge while always listening and feeling what the kayak wants to do and then adding technical strokes to help it. It’s all about understanding what works and then ‘paddling smart’ to hopefully make life easier! To download the transcript for this episode click here.

    34 min

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The British Canoeing Awarding Body Coaching Podcast is an opportunity to explore different topics around coaching with the team and a wide range of expert guests from the paddling community, all with a wealth of knowledge to share.

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