Cody Royle | Coach of Head Coaches | "Coaching is the greatest accelerator of human performance."
Today I’m joined by Cody Royle who spends his days coaching some of the top head coaches in elite sport.Cody is a former head coach of Canada’s men’s AFL national team. He’s the author of three books (Where Others Won’t, The Tough Stuff, and Second Set of Eyes) and previously hosted the leadership podcast Where Others Won’t, where he explored how great teams and leaders actually thrive. In this conversation, Cody pulls back the curtain on the emotional reality of coaching at the highest level. He shares a story of a terrible tragedy that reshaped his understanding of leadership and was the catalyst for him to write The Tough Stuff. We talk about why the real burden on modern coaches isn’t “expectations” but the weight of caring. Cody also walks through his four-part “Coach Craft” model and introduces the idea of “coaching free” as the coach’s version of flow. Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:[6:27] — How Tragedy Led to "The Tough Stuff" Book[8:56] — The Emotional Gap in Coaching[11:34] — Asking For Help[16:30] — Becoming a Coach for Head Coaches[20:58] — The Real Weight of Leadership[25:03] — Distributing the Weight of Leadership[27:20] — Reframing Time Away from Kids[30:59] — From Playing Free to "Coaching Free"[35:25] — Three Questions Every Coach Should Answer[39:36] — Short-Term Results and Long-Term Transformation[43:44] — The Four Crafts of Coaching[50:15] — Why Coaching is Still in Third Gear[57:16] — Learning From Other Environments[1:06:51] — Coaching is for Elite Leaders TooMore Resources from Cody:To learn more about Cody's coaching, email newsletter, and books, I'd encourage you to check out his website here: https://www.codyroyle.com/More Resources from Zach:For more practical tools and mindset stories, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to reach out anytime to see how I can best serve you: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-brandon-40169573/
--------
1:16:07
--------
1:16:07
Surround Yourself With Greatness: Lessons From Training With 5 NFL Legends
This episode explores how one of the NFL's all-time best wide receivers, Larry Fitzgerald, extended his greatness by inviting some of his top competitors to train with him one offseason. We'll discuss the curiosity that helped him excel and his proactive approach to learning, even while at the top of the NFL. This episode is a guide for anyone who wants to stay hungry after success. For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to reach out anytime to see how I can best serve you: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-brandon-40169573/
--------
6:14
--------
6:14
The Law of the Lid: Why Your Leadership Sets Your Team’s Ceiling
Some teams are overflowing with talent yet never reach their ceiling. S today's episode explores John Maxwell’s “Law of the Lid” principle and how a leader’s personal growth directly shapes the ceiling of their team’s potential. Through stories like Mike Norvell’s developmental approach at Memphis University and coaching trees from legends like Tara VanDerveer and Nick Saban, we break down how leaders either raise or restrict the impact of those around them. For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to reach out anytime to see how I can best serve you: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-brandon-40169573/
--------
6:34
--------
6:34
How to Win Without Chasing the Gold: Lessons from The Gold Rush's First Millionaire
Most people chase success by running faster toward the same goal. Sam Brannan became the first millionaire of the Gold Rush by slowing down and seeing differently. In this episode, we explore what his story teaches about anticipation, leverage, and finding hidden advantages.For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to reach out anytime to see how I can best serve you: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-brandon-40169573/
--------
7:18
--------
7:18
Operation Starfish: An Exercise to Lead Amidst Adversity and Losing
What do you do when your team is falling apart and belief feels out of reach? This episode offers a playbook for leading through adversity, drawn from a Major League Baseball story called Operation Starfish and an NBA staff’s relationship audit. Zach explains how narrowing your focus and deepening connection can transform culture, one relationship at a time. For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to reach out anytime to see how I can best serve you: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-brandon-40169573/
The Threshold Lab is where “aha” moments and insights go to lift weights. Each episode cracks open a fundamental principle from the world of high performance and aims to transform how you think, work, and lead. Think of it like unlocking a door you’ve passed a hundred times, only to find it opens into a whole new way of thinking. If you're into mindset, growth, and the occasional mental mic drop, you're in the right lab.Zach Brandon is a coach, speaker, and thought leader blending principles from psychology, coaching, and high performance to empower others toward personal and professional excellence.
New Zealand