In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.
Dr Lucy Hone has spent her career researching resilience, wellbeing and human flourishing. But when her 12-year-old daughter Abi was tragically killed in a car accident, the science she had dedicated her life to suddenly became deeply personal. In this profoundly moving conversation, Lucy shares the lessons she has learned from both decades of research and her own experience of grief. She speaks about why adversity is an unavoidable part of life, how we can become active participants in our own recovery, and the practical habits that help us navigate both death and the "living losses" that so many people face, from divorce and illness, to career setbacks and unexpected life change. She also discusses the importance of self-compassion, psychological safety, embracing struggle rather than avoiding it, and why resilience isn't about pretending everything is OK; it’s about finding hope, meaning and purpose, even when life doesn't go to plan. Find out more about Lucy's work here . … Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive. Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here . Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tom Allen has spent more than 15 years at the highest level of professional football, including leadership roles at Aston Villa and Arsenal FC, where he helped shape one of the Premier League's most admired high-performance environments. Tom shares the leadership principles that transformed Arsenal from a club in turmoil, into Premier League champions under Mikel Arteta. You’ll hear some of the creatively brilliant strategies used to deliver messages with lasting impact, and the importance of curiosity, connection and clarity in creating a club where culture, not tactics, are their biggest competitive advantage. This episode explores what leaders in every industry can learn from elite sport. From creating psychological safety to build genuine trust across teams, to embracing continuous learning that allows people to perform at their very best, there’s something here for everyone. You can listen to the live podcast in London with Mikel Arteta and Steve Kerr that Tom references in this episode here and Luke's conversation with Milwaukee Bucks' Troy Flanagan here. We’re so proud to have Tom - and many others from Arsenal’s leadership team - as part of our Aleda Connect community. … Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive. Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here: https://bit.ly/49tn4AD Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Former professional footballer and Socceroo Bruce Djite knows what it takes to perform at the highest level on the field, but his most impressive achievement may be what came AFTER football. After retiring from a sporting career that saw him play across five countries, including representing Australia on the world stage, Bruce made the successful transition from elite sport into executive leadership. In this conversation, Bruce shares the mindset that made that transition possible, and the leadership lessons he's carried from the football pitch into the boardroom, where he now serves as Executive Director of the Property Council of South Australia. Bruce reflects on the power of perseverance, resilience and preparation required to make it as a professional athlete, and how those traits become the greatest benefits former athletes bring to the workplace. He also opens up about balancing a demanding career with family life, what success looks like in this season of his life, and why making time for the people who matter most is his greatest priority. ... Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive. Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here: https://bit.ly/49tn4AD Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For more than two decades, Chris Lendrum has been immersed in the world of elite sport. A significant period of that time was spent leading the systems, culture and people behind one of the world's most successful high-performance sporting organisations, New Zealand Rugby, where he worked with the All Blacks, Black Ferns and the Olympic gold medal-winning sevens teams. In this episode of Empowering Leaders , Chris shares the leadership principles that have driven sustained success at the highest level of world sport. From building trust through connection and creating teams that thrive under pressure, to making difficult leadership decisions with empathy and integrity, he generously offers practical lessons that apply to leaders across all industries. At the heart of this conversation is the beautiful and powerful Māori concept of winning with mana, and the belief that success isn't just about the result, but about how you achieve it. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive. Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here: https://bit.ly/3IYnLrS Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As an intensive care paramedic, Sally Gould has spent over 15 years on the front lines of emergency medicine, witnessing both the chaos of life-and-death situations and the quiet resilience that defines her profession. In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Sally reveals how she stays calm in high-pressure situations, the role humour and humanity play in managing trauma, and why empathy is one of the most important skills in a crisis. She also shares her thoughts on why building trust through great leadership, camaraderie and emotional support isn’t just advised - it’s critical. Whether you lead a team, work in a high-pressure environment, or simply want to maintain composure when life gets stressful, this episode is packed with practical insights and advice you’ll want to add to your life skills tool kit. You can learn more about Sally’s life and career in her brilliant memoir, Frog: The Secret Diary of a Paramedic. Find out more here . Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today with Aleda Connect, our signature, cross industry collaboration program. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect really is the learning experience of a life-time. Curious about what makes us so different? Head here and we'd love to tell you more. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What happens to our relationships when the most available, most responsive, most patient listener in our lives is an AI? Bryony Cole has been sitting with that question longer than almost anyone. As the founder of the Future of Sex platform, she stepped into one of the most uncomfortable conversations a person could choose to have, more than a decade ago, and never looked back. What started as a curiosity about technology and sexuality has expanded into something far broader: a serious, global reckoning with what intimacy, loneliness, and human connection look like in an increasingly digital world. In this conversation, Luke and Bryony go to places that feel both strange and surprisingly close to home. From children in Australia using AI for companionship, to couples outsourcing their arguments to ChatGPT, to the very real question of what it means when your partner turns to an algorithm instead of you at 3am, this is a conversation that holds a mirror up to habits most of us already have but haven't fully examined. Bryony is not an alarmist. She is also not naive. She calls herself a through-topian: someone who believes we will find our way through, but only if we are honest about what we are already doing and clear about what we want to protect. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today with Aleda Connect, our signature, cross industry collaboration program. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect really is the learning experience of a life-time. Curious about what makes us so different? Head here and we'd love to tell you more. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There's a moment in this conversation where Matt Wadewitz describes getting a phone call at 3am. He'd saved the name in his phone just in case - because he'd hoped it was coming. The voice on the other end had a beautiful Spanish accent. It was Mikel Arteta. That call is a good entry point into who Matt is and what he's built. Because Aleda Connect - the global leadership program he co-founded with Luke - didn't find Mikel Arteta through a cold pitch or a clever marketing strategy. It found him the same way it's found nearly every one of its 700-plus members: through word of mouth, through one curious leader telling another, through the simple and powerful idea that great people want to be around other great people. This is episode 250 of Empowering Leaders, and it felt right to mark it with the person who was there for episode one. Matt and Luke go back further than Aleda - further than podcasting, further than leadership development - all the way to a cold Saturday morning at South Adelaide when a tall kid showed up without having trained, nicked Matt's position on the team, and still somehow left with a new best mate. In this conversation they go back to the beginning. The ankle injury that ended Matt's AFL dream the night before he was supposed to sign with Essendon. The year he took a group of disengaged kids to a beach in Adelaide and told them they were going to solve an unsolved murder. The conversation with Luke where he was expecting a high-five and instead got talked out of a job he was about to take. And the question Luke put to him that changed everything: why not just take it further? Eleven years later, the answer to that question is a community of leaders spanning sport, business, the arts, and everything in between - connected not by industry or geography, but by the shared conviction that you can always be better for the people you lead. People mentioned and their conversations with Luke on Empowering Leaders Steve Kerr & Mikel Arteta LIVE: The Leadership Playbook Emma Hayes LIVE from London: For Women, By Women, Football & Beyond Dr Troy Flanagan: Making history in the NBA with a 'no burnout' mindset John Bertrand - Achieving the impossible Eddie Jones - Striving to be the greatest of all time Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson - The Thinking Teacher (Part 1) Ben Northey — conductor, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Anna West — sleep specialist, Arsenal FC Craig McRae — Collingwood AFC head coach, Aleda member Stacey Morlang — Aleda team member Timmy Bristow — school principal, Aleda member, previous podcast guest Paul Waterson — founder, Australian Venue Co., Aleda member Luke Beveridge — Western Bulldogs head coach Neale Daniher — episode with daughter Bec Daniher — CEO of FightMND Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Meet with co-founder Matt Wadewitz or one of the amazing Aleda Connect facilitators to learn how you can grow within our signature leadership program. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly or monthly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Brad Johnson holds the Western Bulldogs games record - 364 games. 558 goals, six All Australian selections, a Hall of Fame inductee. He is, by any measure, one of the greats of his generation. This is a beautiful conversation with a genuinely extraordinary person that still trains like he's trying to earn his spot - he drove an hour to be first at the track the morning this conversation was recorded. He's genuinely, almost inexplicably, one of the happiest people you'll ever come across - and, according to Luke, has been that way since he was seventeen years old. In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke Darcy sits down with his former teammate, and longtime friend for a conversation about what it actually looks like to give everything to something - in football, in business, in family - and still be standing tall on the other side. They talk about Brad's son Jack, who is chasing a career in motorsport at serious cost, and what it means to be a dad who shows up without getting in the way. About his daughter Ella, whose singing career paused through COVID and might just be starting again. About the eight years he and wife Donna spent building Zena - a protective sportswear brand for women in contact sport - starting from nothing, holding strong through two years of dead ends, to now being stocked in Rebel Sport and sold internationally. Brad opens up about his cancer diagnosis last year - a lump under his arm, six weeks of radiation, an operation, and a first clear scan six months later. He talks about what it took to stop trying to work through it and about Donna telling him to for once in his life to focus on himself. You'll hear this brilliant past episode referenced: Paul Waterson: From intensive care nurse to running pubs with the Australian Venue Co. Check it out or re-listen now. 01:49 AFL Legend Brad Johnson & Luke Darcy: 17-Year-Olds at the Western Bulldogs 03:49 The Athlete Brad Johnson Was — Endurance, Speed & Strength 04:52 Brad Johnson's Positivity: Natural or Performed? 06:02 Parenting Kids Who Chase Big Dreams — Ella's Singing & Jack's Motorsport Career 08:31 Supporting a Motorsport Career: The Real Cost of Jack Johnson's Racing Dream 10:33 Leadership Lessons from Jack Johnson's Pitch to Melbourne Business Leaders 12:01 Brad Johnson on Parenting Differently to His Own Father 14:34 364 Games for the Western Bulldogs: Habits, Discipline & the Scotty Wine Story 17:16 What AFL Players Underestimate When They Retire 18:42 Brad & Donna Johnson on Starting Zena Sport — Building a Business from Scratch 23:36 Finding Your Lane: Stop Chasing Everything (The Hedgehog Moment) 25:17 Brad Johnson on the Aleda Leadership Community 26:21 What Brad Johnson Is Most Proud Of at 50 31:10 Brad Johnson's Cancer Diagnosis: Radiation, Surgery & First Clear Scan 34:04 Brad Johnson's Daily Routine After Cancer — Walking, Sauna, Weights & Golf 35:24 Leadership Advice: Bring Your Quality to the Table 39:12 Collaboration, Paul Waterson & Learning Outside the Sporting Bubble 42:09 The AFL Premiership Brad Johnson Never Won — and How He Made Peace With It We are privileged to have Brad as part of our Aleda Connect community. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Meet with founders Luke Darcy, Matt Wadewitz or one of the amazing Aleda Connect facilitators to learn how you can grow alongside people like Brad within our signature leadership program. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Timmy Bristow was nine years old when he ruptured his pancreas playing footy at recess, crawled to the tap, and waited alone in a dark staffroom until his mum finished her shift. By the time she arrived he was blue. A few hours later he was on an ambulance plane to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne with a thirty percent chance of surviving surgery. While Timmy was in hospital, of the young AFL players who showed up on the ward to help cheer up the young patient was… Luke Darcy. But in that moment - neither of them could have possibly known they'd end up here, having this conversation today. Timmy grew up in country Victoria, excelled on the sporting field, and for twenty-one years carried the secret that he'd been sexually abused by someone in a position of authority and trust - in an institution that covered it up. He held it through his teens, through footy, through becoming a husband and a father. Until his sister said she'd tell their parents herself if he didn't. In this conversation on Empowering Leaders , Timmy and Luke talk about what that silence cost and what breaking the silence felt like. They talk about the 28.5% of Australian children who will experience sexual abuse before they turn eighteen, about Timmy’s mammoth effort to run seven marathons in seven states in seven days for Bravehearts, and about what Timmy has built on the other side of all of it - an incredible school he leads the way he wished he'd been led, a personal philosophy of connection, vulnerability and consistency, and a refusal to become a statistic. We are privileged to have Timmy as part of our Aleda Connect community. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Meet with founders Luke Darcy, Matt Wadewitz or one of the amazing Aleda Connect facilitators to learn how you can grow alongside people like Timmy within our signature leadership program. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Lexi Edmondson walked down to Bondi Beach to celebrate finishing her master's degree, she had no idea her life was about to change forever. What began as a summer evening by the water for hundreds of people became one of Australia's most devastating acts of violence - and Lexi ran towards it. In her most in-depth interview since the December attack, Lexi sits down with Luke Darcy to take us inside the night itself. She talks about the chaos, the moment her training kicked in, and about how the iconic Bondi community responded in the aftermath. Lexi shares the healing power of reconnecting with the people she helped, and the extraordinary gesture from Rabbi Levi Wolf and the Jewish community that brought everyone together. Armed with fresh surf lifesaving training and sheer instinct, Lexi and fellow volunteer Jimmy McIntosh became part of the community of first responders who helped treat and carry 60 people to safety that night. In the days that followed - amid the grief, the trauma processing, and the slow work of rebuilding - Lexi and Jimmy fell in love. In the six months since Lexi has been able to identify what a tragedy like the deadly Bondi attack can strip away - the corporate ambitions, the performative rituals of modern dating, the conditions we place on living fully. Lexi shares why she has walked away from a path she thought she wanted, returned to clinical practice to help people one-on-one, and said yes to a relationship that moved at the speed of life. Plus: the ChatGPT proposal fail, the ring they promised not to buy (and then bought!), and the moment Lexi's mum clocked Jimmy before Lexi even had a chance. Lexi speaks beautifully about the importance of community, finding courage, championing feminine leadership, and finding the light when everything feels so dark. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Harry Moffitt spent decades inside one of the world's most demanding institutions - Australia's Special Air Service Regiment. He's served in conflict zones across the Middle East including Afghanistan, lost friends, mentored some of the country's most elite operators, and now works as a corporate psychologist helping leaders, athletes, and organisations perform under pressure. He's also the author of Eleven Bats and The Fourth Pillar , a book about a pillar he believes most high performance programs are missing entirely. In this conversation on Empowering Leaders , Luke and Harry explore what it means to train the whole human. Not just the body or the mind, but the philosophical and moral interior that most people never think to tend to. Harry traces the idea back to a remarkable Australian coach named Percy Cerutty, who in the 1950s and 60s built what might have been the world's first institute of sport from a tin shack on the beach at Portsea. His STOTAN philosophy blended the best of the Stoics and the Spartans into a radical approach to resilience and human performance. Harry also speaks candidly about the Ben Roberts-Smith war crimes case, one of the most significant and divisive legal proceedings in Australian military history. Harry has worked closely with people on both sides of the investigation and brings a perspective that is measured, informed, and unflinching. He talks about what the case has done to the SAS community, why he believes there is worse yet to come, and what integrity looks like when loyalty and accountability are in direct tension. Harry speaks with the kind of hard-earned clarity that only comes from actually living what you're writing about - the cost of being away from home, what he now understands about presence, about community, about the difference between chasing things and building a life. He talks about grief for his friend Lochlan Muddle, about leadership under pressure, about walking the floor as a leader, and about why talking to yourself out loud might be one of the oldest and most powerful practices a human can cultivate. 03:29 The four pillars of high performance 05:50 Percy Cerutty and the STOTAN philosophy 09:33 The whole human: Ancient wisdom and modern performance 14:46 A philosophy for living a meaningful life 18:41 Absence, regret and family 20:45 The SAS brotherhood 22:33 Lochlan Muddle: loss and pride 25:42 Ben Roberts-Smith and a divided community 31:51 Fog of war, moral armory and where the line is 35:17 Afghanistan: did we win? 40:37 What great leaders do consistently 45:50 The ancient art of talking to yourself 51:15 Routines, habits and self first 57:05 Walk the floor: the one piece of advice 1:00:14 Who would Harry collaborate with? 1:04:34 The greatest leader in Harry's life Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What separates the leaders and athletes who perform under pressure from those who crack? According to Dr Phil Hopley, it comes down to one overlooked discipline: daily recovery. Phil is a consultant psychiatrist and one of the world's leading experts in mental performance. Through Cognacity - the specialist psychology organisation he leads - Phil has worked inside elite sport, global boardrooms and high-performance teams across Premier League football, Formula One, rugby and Olympic sport. His organisation was the appointed specialist team for the London Olympics and Paralympics. In this conversation with Luke Darcy, Phil unpacks the science behind sustainable high performance, the hidden cost of distracted working, and why the greatest predictor of long-term leadership success isn't intelligence or ambition - it's self-awareness. Phil explains the "tipping point" that separates productive pressure from burnout, shares what Kenyan distance runners can teach every corporate leader about recovery, and reveals the Big Five personality assessment his team uses to identify high-risk hires before catastrophic cultural damage is done. He also talks in-depth about building psychological safety, dialling up kindness in competitive environments, and why the greatest leader in his own life is his 90-year-old father. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Alisa Camplin is one of Australia's most decorated and driven high performance leaders - an Olympic gold medallist in aerial skiing, Australia's first female winter Olympic gold medallist, and most recently, the first woman to lead an Australian Winter Olympic team as Chef de Mission at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. Alisa shares so many of the mental frameworks that powered her greatest performances - and how those same skills carried her through the unimaginable loss of her son Finnan, who passed away after just 10 days following open heart surgery. Together with her husband, she channelled that grief into Finnan's Gift, a foundation that has now raised over $4 million for paediatric cardiac care. She opens up about recovering from two knee reconstructions in the lead-up to her second Olympics - the last one just 56 days before the Games - and why she believes the most important thing you can do after any setback is get up, find a plan, and be all in. She also shares what 16 years at IBM, a boardroom career, and leading an Olympic team have taught her about honest conversations, coaching people as whole humans, and the small daily habits that create real, lasting change. This conversation is a masterclass in what it means to lead with integrity, show up with discipline, and keep going when life gets hard. We’re privileged to have Alisa as part of the Aleda Connect community - connecting inspiring leaders from across Australia and around the world. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The AFL dream ended in tears at 20. A decade later, he was lifting the World Test Championship. Alex Carey's journey to becoming one of Australian cricket's most trusted performers is one of the sporting world’s great second-act stories. A talented junior who played both codes at a high level, Alex took a chance on AFL and moved to Sydney as one of the GWS Giants' foundation players - only to be let go with barely 24 hours' notice. Back in Adelaide, he drifted through a football pre-season and a stint in finance before a quiet conversation with the South Australian Cricket Association gave him one more shot. He almost didn't take it. He nearly quit that too. But he didn’t and what came next … is all part of Alex’s incredible story. In this episode, Luke Darcy and Alex Carey hit: Growing up in a sporting household and the father who shaped his values The AFL dream, and the brutal moment it was taken away How two delistings and a finance job led him back to cricket… and eventually to Test cricket The 2023 Ashes 'spirit of the game' incident at Lord's: online threats, mental battles, and what he'd do differently Working with performance psychologist Ben Crowe, and the value of having someone outside the system Fatherhood, sacrifice, and how he and wife Eloise make it all work Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Book a discovery call today. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jakara Anthony is Australia's most successful Winter Olympian…ever. A two-time Olympic gold medallist in mogul skiing, she's the first Australian to defend an Olympic title, doing it on the world stage against competitors from countries where skiing is practically a birthright. And she's 27. In this conversation with Luke Darcy, Jakara pulls back the curtain on what being that successful actually takes. The four-year Olympic cycles planned down to the finest detail. The mental side of the sport that can't be measured or counted in reps. The broken collarbone in the lead-up to her second gold. The fear every time she drops in. And the coach she's worked with since she was 12 years old who she credits as the greatest leader in her life. Jakara gives a masterclass in performance, resilience, and what it means to do hard things consistently… even when it's uncomfortable. 04:20 What it means to be in a club of her own 06:04 The four-year Olympic cycle - how it all gets planned 08:21 Dropping in - what's going through her mind at the top of the course 09:27 The edge - why consistency separates her from the field 10:19 Carrying the target - defending Olympic gold at Milano Cortina 11:12 Beating the Europeans at their own sport 12:10 What she's found in herself at 27 12:54 The hard things - fear, the mental game, and learning to cope 14:33 Advice for young people who want to push themselves 15:31 What's next - planning for the French Alps in 2030 16:38 What keeps her balanced outside the sport 18:00 The curiosity rabbit hole - coffee, latte art & sustainable performance 18:57 Her mantra - "be where your feet are" 20:02 Sponsorship & who's backing Australia's greatest Winter Olympian 22:42 Greatest leader in her life - coach Pete McNiel Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Book a discovery call today. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Recorded live at Adelaide Oval in front of a packed Aleda Connect audience during one of the most talked-about weekends in Australian sport, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas sits down with Luke Darcy for a rich and candid conversation. In this episode, he reflects on: What it actually means to lead at the highest level The difference between authentic leadership and the kind people see straight through Why compassion in political leadership is mistaken for weakness and why he thinks the opposite is true What it looks like to build a small circle of people brave enough to tell you you're completely wrong. The Premier also talks about the discipline required to stay focused on big-picture vision when crises are landing on your desk every single day… from child protection to hospital systems to policing. He shares a defining leadership miscalculation that taught him to trust his instincts. And he makes a brilliant case that in a world of uncertainty, the leader's job isn't to commentate the problem… it's to Make. The. Call. And... there's also the story behind his now-legendary "Trump-style" negotiation tactic deployed in front of the AFL commission. That one you'll have to hear for yourself. Gather Round. Adelaide Oval. The Premier of South Australia. 00:00 Welcome to Adelaide Oval 01:20 Taking office - the vision for South Australia 02:25 Defining great leadership 04:19 The crisis of global leadership 05:46 Who do you turn to when things get hard? 07:59 A defining leadership mistake 10:30 Long-term vision vs short-term fires 12:21 Legacy - what does he hope South Australia looks like? 13:48 One piece of advice for every leader in the room 16:31 Greatest leader in his life - Bob Hawke 20:08 Q&A - Federal ambitions? 22:59 The Gather Round negotiation with the AFL 26:51 Where does he switch off? 29:01 Q&A - Immigration, growth & South Australia's identity See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If your team wins, who gets the credit… and what does your answer say about the culture you're building? Ian McKeown has spent more than two decades at the cutting edge of elite sport… from the AFL to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, and back to Australia as General Manager of Performance at the Adelaide Crows. He holds a PhD in strength and conditioning, has published extensively on ecological dynamics and applied sports science, and is widely regarded as one of the most sophisticated performance architects in global sport. But spend five minutes with him and what strikes you most isn't the credentials… it's the human. In this episode, Ian unpacks what he's learned across three continents about the conditions that allow people - and teams - to truly thrive. He talks about why you can smell a dysfunctional culture the moment you walk in, and why the fanciest facility in the world means nothing if it doesn't feel right. He shares the Seth Godin book he read on the plane from Ireland to Australia that changed the way he thought about his career along with the winning philosophy he's carried ever since. He explains why shared goals, shared ownership and shared success are the only things that actually build something sustainable. He also gets into the butterfly effect of great leadership, the two words he comes back to every single day - kindness and composure - and why he believes the scariest person in any room isn't the loudest one. It's the one who doesn’t flinch. Ian’s belief in the power of connection, curiosity and genuine human relationships runs through every single minute of this conversation. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. We are privileged to have Ian as part of our Aleda Connect community. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What separates a good wine from a truly world-class one? According to Adam Wadewitz, it comes down to balance, finesse… and a relentless commitment to the vineyard. Adam is the Chief Winemaker and Joint CEO at Shaw + Smith, one of Australia's most iconic cool-climate wineries, and one of the most decorated winemakers of his generation. In this episode, he takes us from the footy fields of Willunga in South Australia to the vineyards of Europe… sharing what drove him to the top of his craft, how great teams are built, and why he believes Australian Grenache is on the cusp of a new world chapter! He also generously shares with you the list of his five wines to drink before you die, the legendary story behind Wendouree and how he came to hold cuttings from one of Australia's most coveted vineyards, and what he’s learned from a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conductor about leadership and energy. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. We are privileged to have Adam as part of our Aleda Connect community. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Last week, our guest Luke Tunnecliffe told the story of his son Jack… eight and a half years old, non-verbal and autistic… and the search that brought his family to a clinic in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This week, our guest is the doctor who runs that clinic. Dr Kyle Daigle is a clinician, author and global thought leader in functional neurology. From his clinic in Louisiana, which attracts families and athletes from over 78 countries, Kyle is doing what many doctors said couldn't be done. He's helping non-verbal children find their voice, uncovering the hidden connections between the gut, the sinuses and the brain, and working with Olympians and elite athletes to unlock peak performance. In this episode, Kyle shares the multi-system approach he uses to understand and treat complex neurological conditions, the surprising parallel between neurodiverse children and elite athletes, how sensory stimulation and light therapy are producing results that are changing families' lives, the leadership lessons forged through his own journey as an ADHD kid with a speech impediment, and the simple belief at the heart of everything he does - when you understand the brain, create safety and stay patient, incredible change is possible. This conversation reflects Dr Kyle's clinical experience and personal philosophy. It is not intended as medical advice. Listeners should always seek guidance from qualified healthcare professionals when making decisions about their own health. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Book a discovery call today. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Luke Darcy sits down with Luke Tunnecliffe - a man who has spent most of his career behind the scenes shaping the biggest moments in Australian sport and media. From walking into Collingwood at 17 to decades in the Triple M Footy chair and building JamTV alongside Eddie McGuire, Luke is a steady hand. A connector. A storyteller. He’s been in rooms with Usain Bolt. Backstage with John Farnham. In Shane Warne’s man cave while Ed Sheeran played DJ. But this conversation isn’t really about any of that. It’s about Jack. Luke and his wife Amy are raising three children, including their son Jack, who is nonverbal and autistic. Unwilling to accept treatment with no promise of positive change, they have spent years trying to understand what might help, and how to hold a family together when life doesn’t look the way you thought it would. Luke speaks honestly about the strain - the financial weight, the exhaustion, the impact on siblings, the friendships that fall away and the ones that step up. He talks about the way music became a lifeline for Jack. And how in one extraordinary moment, Ed Sheeran sat with his guitar beneath the MCG and sang to him - calming him in a way few others could. And then came a treatment plan that has changed everything. While there’s still a long journey ahead, the treatment has already led to the moment that Luke will hold onto for the rest of his life - Jack putting his arms around his neck and saying the three words he’d been waiting years to hear. This is an episode about resilience, fatherhood, mateship - and what it feels like when hope slowly starts to return. This conversation reflects Luke and his family’s personal experience. It is not intended as medical advice. Listeners should always seek guidance from qualified healthcare professionals when making decisions about their own health. Learn. Lead. Collaborate. Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Book a discovery call today. Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
