The Instructor

Hosted by Terry Cook

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275

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Holding a mirror up the the driver training industry, to help driving instructors run better and more profitable businesses as well as improving as instructors. I talk with a variety of experts, leaders, innovators and game changers to harness their knowledge and see how we can apply that to our business. If you share the same passion for personal and professional development as me and my guests, then this podcast can help you make the changes you need to become a better instructor and business owner. To accompany the podcast there's also a premium subscription feed: https://www.patreon.com/theinstructor Here you can find weekly bonus shows, excluive discounts to CPD and all the show are early and ad free. The perfect place to start or enhance your CPD as a driving instructor.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 17, 202643 min

From the Vault: Was the practice area suitable?

In this remastered From the Vault session, Terry Cook is joined by trainer Chris Bensted to explore the third standards check competency: was the practice area suitable? They examine why suitability is less about finding the “perfect” location and more about matching the environment to the pupil’s needs, ability and goals in the moment. Chris explains how to choose a reliable pupil, plan around test-centre constraints, adapt when circumstances change and communicate openly with the enforcement officer. It’s a practical, refreshingly straightforward conversation for ADIs and PDIs who want to simplify the 17 competencies and deliver a responsive, effective lesson under pressure. 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

July 31, 20261 hr 19 min

Why Young Drivers Need More Support

Sharon Huddleston and Dr Ian Greenwood share the heartbreaking stories behind their campaigns for safer roads. They discuss graduated driving licensing, why inexperience rather than deliberate law-breaking can place young drivers and their passengers at risk, and the continued reluctance of successive governments to act despite decades of evidence. The conversation also explores the wider impact of road death, the importance of language, the support provided by Forget Me Not Families Uniting, and how campaigning has helped Sharon and Ian keep their daughters’ memories alive. Crucially, they consider the role driving instructors can play right now, helping young drivers and their families understand risks involving passengers, night-time driving, rural roads and the difficult first months after passing. 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

July 5, 20261 hr 6 min

Are We Using AI Wrong

AI is everywhere right now, writing posts, creating images, answering questions, and promising to save us time. But is it actually helping… or are we creating a whole new set of problems? In this episode, I’m joined by AI educator Colette Mason to dig into the growing world of “AI slop”, low-quality, inaccurate, AI-generated content that’s flooding social media and beyond. We explore the dangers of blindly trusting AI, from misinformation and privacy concerns to losing our own critical thinking and creativity. We also discuss where AI can genuinely help, where it absolutely shouldn’t replace human judgment, and how driving instructors can use it responsibly. This isn’t an anti-AI episode. Use AI as a tool, just don’t let it do your thinking for you. Colette has also created a 'Privacy Pack', driving instructors, discounted to £1.50 for 50 people - access it here And visit Clever Clogs AI here 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

June 30, 20261 hr 22 min

Solving the Problem...

What happens when you take five specific problems from the driver training world and try to solve each one in just 15 minutes? In this episode, five mystery guests bring five very different challenges to the table. Some are practical, some are bigger-picture, and some may just send us down a few unexpected rabbit holes. Who are the guests? What are the problems? And do we actually solve any of them? You’ll have to listen to find out. It’s a slightly different format, but one packed with ideas, challenge, reflection and practical takeaways for ADIs who want to think a little deeper about what they do. 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

June 21, 20265 hr 56 min

From the Vault: The Instructor Podcast Extravaganza

Travel back to 2021 for a remastered edition of The Instructor Podcast Extravaganza: six hours of live conversations with six brilliant guests. Terry is joined by San Harper, Emma Morgan, Lee Spary, Keir Wotherspoon, Robin Bates and Chris Bensted to explore mindfulness, instructor development, coaching, business, confidence and the realities of life as a driving instructor. It is also a fascinating snapshot of the podcast in its early days—and a chance to hear how the conversations, the industry and Terry’s own presenting style have evolved over the past five years. Six guests. Six conversations. One enormous episode. 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

June 8, 20269 min

The Shameless Plug: Why You Should Be at the IPP Summit

Sign up here This episode is exactly what it says on the tin — a shameless plug. Terry explains why he’s launching the first-ever IPP Summit on Sunday, 2nd August, what makes it more than “just another webinar”, and why driving instructors should consider being in the room live. The Summit features separate live CPD sessions across the day, with Stewart Lochrie, Adil Amarsi, Emma Cottington, Bob Morton, and a Road Safety Panel including Dr Elizabeth Box, Dr Lisa Dorn, Prof Gemma Briggs and Prof David Crundall.

May 31, 20261 hr 16 min

The State of the Industry: Bots, Regulations, and DVSA

Terry is joined by Peter Harvey, vice chair of the Motor Schools Association GB, to discuss the current state of the driving instructor industry. They unpack a massive list of challenges facing approved driving instructors, including skyrocketing test waiting times. Peter provides essential clarity on the controversial regulation changes that restrict instructors from booking tests directly for pupils. The conversation also dives deep into upcoming measures to stop "test tourism," the future of ORDIT and instructor training standards, and the recent leadership transition at the DVSA. Finally, Peter shares insights on maintaining industry professionalism and how trade associations support instructors. Find more from the MSA 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

May 24, 20261 hr 37 min

From the Vault: How Driving Instructors Impact Road Safety

Donate to Brake In this special "From the Vault" episode, originally recorded in 2024 and newly remastered for 2026, Terry Cook sits down with Stewart Lochrie of Bright Coaching to look at road safety and instructor responsibility. Terry and Stewart tackle the tough topics that many in the industry turn away from. They dive deep into poignant lessons from road safety campaigners and bereaved parents, challenging the emotional detachment that can easily creep into daily instruction. This conversation shifts the focus from merely getting a student to pass a test to actively shaping post-test driving behaviour. You’ll explore: The critical difference between fault and taking professional responsibility. The stark reality of teaching "safe daytime driving" versus true safe driving for life. The psychological impact of smartphones and attention theft on young drivers. Practical, high-standard habits you can introduce immediately, from multi-pupil distraction exercises to parent integration. As Stewart and Terry remind us throughout this episode, you might not change all 40,000 instructors overnight, but you can choose to do something today that prevents road harm. 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

April 30, 202649 min

Six 4 Sixty #9: Mastering Mindset and the 'I Don't Know' Pupil

Six top trainers. Six questions. Sixty seconds each. This Six 4 Sixty brings together a powerful panel to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing driving instructors right now, from test booking chaos and managing “I don’t know,” to CPD that actually changes how you teach. Expect honest takes on training PDIs in a broken system, practical tips for instructors stepping into training roles, and real insight into what makes great coaching work in the car. There’s a clear theme throughout: collaboration, honesty, and raising standards. Premium members also get downloadable cheat sheets to turn these ideas into action between lessons. If you’re serious about improving how you teach and how you think, this one’s worth your time. 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

April 19, 202653 min

From the Vault: Mastering the GROW Model with The Coaching Crowd

This From the Vault episode features Joe Wheatley and Zoe Hawkins from The Coaching Crowd , exploring the transformative shift from traditional instruction to a coaching-led approach. Discover the power of "Coaching the Gap" , the psychological space between a pupil's current ability and their goal, and learn why mastering emotions and limiting beliefs is as critical as technical skill. Terry and his guests break down the GROW model , the importance of "Adult-to-Adult" dynamics, and how "Contracting" for permission can eliminate conflict in the car. Whether you’re a coaching champion or a sceptic, this session provides a practical blueprint for igniting your pupil's "inner coach" and reclaiming your professional freedom. Despite a power cut, it's another cracking episode and you can find Jo and Zoe in the following places: Podcast Website 🔥 Get More Than Just Test Passes - Join the Premium Membership If you're a driving instructor who wants to teach better, earn more, and stand out from the crowd, the Premium membership is where it happens. With exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, from expert sessions to confidence coaching, business building, and beyond, this is the stuff no one else is giving you. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial now: Sign up here Get the Workbook for selected Episode When you join the email list, you’ll get a custom workbook to help you reflect, take action, and apply each episode’s message to your real-world lessons. Plus, weekly tips that actually make a difference. Sign up for The Instructor email 📲 Stay Connected via WhatsApp Quick insight, links to key industry documents, and a prize giveaway on Mondays. Join the channel: whatsapp-link.com The Instructor Podcast uses a variety of social media channels, including a Facebook group. You can join the group or follow us on the following platforms: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram YouTube