The Great Coaches: Leadership & Life

Todays episode is on the topic of Burnout and I am joined for the discussion by Dr Gavin Weeks. Gavin is a Doctor of Psychology and Associate Fellow at Oxford Sayyid Business School and director of innovation and development at the consultancy Thompson Harrison.

And Dr Brendan Meany. Brendan Meany is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and His work focuses on implementing high-performance skills to optimize human potential in both sport and the corporate space. He is also the Chief Performance Officer of LiveFirstAI.com, he applies sport
psychology principles that manage burnout and elevate functioning.

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Our great coach on this episode is Eddie O’Sullivan

Eddie played Rugby at provincial level in Ireland and started coaching after becoming a PE teacher.

He would go on to coach Rugby for 35 years and counting across the USA, France and Ireland.

This journey has led his to coach at 5 Rugby World Cups and to win three triple crowns leading Ireland. That Irish team won 50 tests under his leadership and climbed to the #3 world ranking.

In recent years he has been Technical Advisor to Brown University and Notre Dame in recent years and currently consulting with a number of Major League Rugby franchises in the US.

Q: What role does leading innovation play in my leadership?
Q: Am I too unemotional as a leader?
Q: Is the idea of one voice at a time, the right idea for my organization?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website
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Our great coach on this episode is John Aloisi

John Aloisi is a former Australian professional soccer player and now head coach.
He enjoyed a 20-year career across top leagues in Europe and Australia, becoming the first Australian to play and score in La Liga, the Premier League, and Serie A.
Internationally, Aloisi earned 55 caps for the Socceroos, scoring 27 goals, and represented Australia at the 2006 World Cup, three Confederations Cups, and the 2004 Olympics.
After retiring in 2011, Aloisi transitioned into coaching. He managed Melbourne Heart, Brisbane Roar, and since 2021 has led Western United, guiding them to their first A-League Men Championship in 2022.

And it left me with these questions to reflect on:
Do I verbalise gratitude enough?
How can I better refine failure for my team?
What mental strength training can I instigate for the team?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com
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Our great coach on this episode is Samantha Bird.

Sam is a Netball Coach. As a player she represented England but retired at 24 after a knee injury. She then carved out a long career as a lawyer working with the London Metropolitan Police. In 2005 the United Kingdon Netball Super League was formed and Sam started as an Assistant with the London Mavericks. She became the team head coach in 2014. In 2016 she was appointed as the head coach for the new franchise the Severn Stars. In 2019 she then became the Head Coach of the London Pulse leading them to the treble of the Super League title, Super Cup, and NPL tournament in 2025.

3 questions the interview with Sam challenged me with were:
•Is my organization the type of place where people know somebody will have their back if they are having a bad day?
•Am I engaging with me mentors enough to frame challenging questions of myself
•Am I calling out example of ambition and bravery enough?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com
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Mickey Arthur is a cricket coach.

Mickey has coached 4 of the 12 test cricket playing nations in the world. South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Key highlights from his career include leading the South African team to be number one in all cricket formats. Coaching the South Africans when they scored a record 438 in a One-Day International against Australia. And Taking Pakistan to number one in the T20 and test format while also winning the Champions Trophy with them.
He was the first non-Australian to coach the Australian Test team, and has been the head coach for Jamaica in the Caribbean Premier League, the Karachi Kings in Pakistan and the Rangpur Riders in Bangldesh. He is presently the head coach of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club and the Rangpur Riders.

Q: I don’t use non-negotiables as a leader and it made me wonder whether I should?
Q: This challenged me to consider whether there are times that I overtalk as a leader?
Q: This made me reflect on who I should be challenging more in my team?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.