Four years ago, I started The Player Development Pod for one reason:

To clear my name.

After being let go and hearing things about myself that didn’t align with who I was, I made a decision…

If I showed up every week and gave real value to coaches, athletes, and professionals in this space, the truth would speak for itself.

What I didn’t expect was what this podcast would actually become.

In this 4-year anniversary episode, I take you behind the scenes of the journey from that moment… to building a global platform that has reached hundreds of thousands of people in the player development space.

We cover:

The real story behind why the podcast started

The interview that changed everything for me

How pain turned into purpose

The 4 original pillars of The Player Development Pod

What 300+ episodes have taught me

The biggest lessons from showing up consistently for 4 years

Why interviews, athletes, and high school coaches are the future of this space

How this podcast helped build Beyond The Field, books, and the Player Development Summit

We also reflect on what’s been built:

300+ episodes

600,000+ listens and views

A global audience across multiple continents

A growing movement around player development

But more than anything… this episode is about impact.

Because this was never just about a podcast.

It’s about helping people:

Develop people. Elevate programs.

If this podcast has ever helped you, challenged you, or supported your journey…

Share this episode with someone else who needs it.

And if you’ve been listening since the early days…

You already know what to do.

BOOK - Get YOUR copy of the Beyond The Field Player Development Guide: https://amzn.to/3TtnaA8

2026 Player Development Summit - https://www.btfprogram.com/pdsummit

2026 Player Development Summit Sponsorship - https://forms.gle/vPucKVKaZmTVcLDq9

Player Development Newsletter → https://substack.com/@btfprogram

🎙 About Ed Jones II:

Founder of Beyond The Field | Author of The Player Development Guide | Host of The Player Development Pod | Creator of the Player Development Summit

Follow Ed:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/edjonesii/

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/btf_program/

Twitter → https://twitter.com/BTF_Program