You can spot a coach on the sideline in seconds. What’s harder to see is everything they carry home afterward: the player who’s struggling, the conversation they should have handled better, the pressure from parents or committees, the fear of judgment, and the constant need to stay calm for everyone else. That hidden weight has a name, and once you name it, you can finally do something about it.
We’re joined by Stu Edwards, newly appointed Finland head coach and author of The Invisible Load, based on his first-class honors research into stress factors and mental health support systems for rugby union coaches. We talk about why the emotional experience of coaching looks surprisingly similar from grassroots to the professional game, and why “just be tougher” misses the real issue. Stu breaks down emotional labor, the coaching swirl that distorts your lens, and why coach wellbeing is not separate from performance but sits underneath it.
We also get practical about solutions that don’t require massive budgets: intentional support systems, clearer expectations, mentoring, peer support, and a trusted sounding board you can use before things hit crisis mode. A huge thread running through this conversation is confidentiality and psychological safety, because if coaches don’t feel safe, they won’t speak honestly and support arrives too late.
If you coach, lead, or support people who do, this one will change how you see the job. Subscribe, share this with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.
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