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Leigh's resume in sport is one of Australia’s most impressive having held leadership roles in some of Australia’s largest sports. This has included General Manager positions with the AFL players association, GC Suns and Essendon Bombers (AFL), CEO of Netball Victoria and Melbourne Vixens (Super Netball) and CEO of Australia’s most successful Olympic sport, Swimming Australia. What’s unique is in amongst a successful career she has also had to navigate an era where barriers around the perceptions of women in sport existed, as well as maintaining a thriving 25 year+ strong family network while working in the top echelon of sport. If you have ever had the thought of pursuing something outside of your reach, Leigh is an example of with someone who grew up as a young girl in a working class suburbs of Melbourne who through a lot of hard work, resilience and immense courage to step outside of her proverbial lane, went on to exercise her unselfish passion to help get the best out of others!

Highlights from the episode…

• How we can we curate environments to maximise passion in young athletes to continue to pursue a lifelong career in sport?
• Leigh shares how her career being one of the first female leaders in the world of AFL started at her kitchen table.
• Having been a pioneer in her time, how Leigh has been able to break down barriers and position herself so that she can make a meaningful impact all while constantly needing to prove herself.
• "Sport is described as being a merit-based system that rewards those who do the work. However, this only works if in the beginning everything was equal". What are we not considering when choosing the right candidates for roles?
• We discuss how Leigh continues to summon the courage to pursue roles, what would be perceived, is being outside her circle of competence.
• CEO recruitment process, what's involved and how she successfully navigated this process to become CEO of Swimming Australia.
• What a CEO does, what are the KPIs, who sets the KPIs, the day-to-day workings, personal goals etc.
• During one of the darkest and unforeseen periods in Australian Swimming, Leigh candidly shares how she personally navigated the Shayna Jack scandal.
• Who do you turn too in a crisis? We discuss how leadership can often be lonely and why it’s important to have people around who you can depend on and trust.
• In an industry that is not conducive to a family network, how Leigh and her husband have been able to build a beautiful family together for over 25 years while both working in elite sport.
• How Leigh has been able to recreate and redefine her career pathway time and time again.
• What Leigh looks for when recruiting top talent, maintaining a strong sense of purpose throughout an organisation and how to dismiss those who choose not to be part of the culture.

People mentioned:

• Kate Palmer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-palmer-5874b110/?originalSubdomain=au
• Laura Johnston: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurajohnstonpl/
• Andrew Russell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitehumans/
• Shayna Jack: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shayna_Jack

Leigh Russell contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leighrussell/
• Website Russell Performance Co: https://www.russellperformance.co

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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Dan is a high performance coach and mentor who’s coaching career has spanned across the likes of US Ski & Snowboard team, English Institute of Sport, England Rugby, Wasps Rugby and as Head Strength & Conditioning Coordinator in Baseball for the Houston Astros. Dan has now swapped coaching athletes to coaching coaches and works with sports performance practitioners, including S&C coaches, physiotherapists and sports scientists not just to get into the world of elite sport but excel in their roles. If you have ever wanted to work in elite sport or are currently embedded within a high performance team, then this conversation is one not to miss as Dan shares what you need to know about navigating one of the most competitive, volatile and high demanding industry and still have a meaningful impact and most importantly be fulfilled with what you chose to do.

Highlights from the episode…

• Being disillusioned by not having a specific role after finishing his undergrad degree this led to Dan asking some deep questions about his future that he now asks practitioners to this day.
• How Dan joined the US national Ski and Snowboarding team having no prior experience in winter sports and how this became a pivotal component to his career development.
• When moving from one role into the next with a lack of direction this is the one advice Dan wished he received when he was navigating his own journey in elite sport.
• Is there a risk of being too pragmatic around your needs and wants at the result that you position yourself out of a role in an already competitive market?
• The “one-way and "two-way" doors and how this concept can streamline decision making when deliberating over the pros and cons of situation.
• When the opportunities aren’t coming, you’re struggling financially and you are still working at a level you feel you have out grown, when do you give up on the dream of working in sport?
• How he secured a role with the Houston Astros and some practical steps for any practitioners going through an interview process should know.
• The “Rapport Entry” technique and how this can assist when you’re unsure of an answer to a question you’ve been asked.
• The importance of developing soft skills (communication, teamwork, problem solving etc) in parallel with hard skills (professional expertise) can seperate you from the competition.
• “Career Periodisation” and how it can help practitioners when navigating through the stages of their career of “Thriving”, “Surviving” or “Redefining”.
• Dan shares his personal transition from the “surviving” stage (coaching athletes) into a “redefining” stage (coaching coaches) and the challenges and fulfilment that came with this transition.

People mentioned:

• Per Lundstam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/per-lundstam-29016322/
• Zach Weatherford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-weatherford-b67a009/
• George Petrakos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgepetrakos/
• Josh Fletcher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-fletcher-36151623/

Dan Howells contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howellsdan/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Twitter: https://x.com/howellsdan?lang=en
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collaborate_sports/
• Collaborate Sports: www.collaboratesports.com/thegroupmentorships

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Byron has built a deep career in the world of professional Rugby having worked with the ACT Brumbies (Super Rugby), Bath Rugby (UK Premiership) and currently as Lead Physiotherapist for the Wallabies. Armed with 5 degrees, including currently completing his PhD in the area of concussion, Byron is quick becoming one of the leaders in the field of injury prevention and management in the sport of Rugby. In this conversation we explore the nuances of screening, monitoring and management of concussion in addition to what he has learn that has made him successful in his roles. Byron’s journey has taken him from humble beginnings working as a public servant to a dramatic career change which has now taken him around the globe and be a privileged member of the inner sanctums of the some of the world’s most successful Rugby teams.

Highlights from the episode…

• Byron shares how he got his first role with the Brumbies after initially wanting to pursue a pathway into AFL.
• It was a baptism of fire during the early years at the Brumbies and he shares how he went about gaining as much knowledge and experience without succumbing to overwhelm and burnout.
• Injury rates, player fitness, team performance often has little to do with performance/medical staff than it has to with “culture”…Byron explains why.
• After 7 successful years at the Brumbies, why Byron chose to move overseas and work in the UK Premiership with Bath Rugby.
• We discuss how to address injuries where you may have limited knowledge and experience, and how Byron manages these unconventional cases.
• When dealing with complex cases we discuss the desire for most practitioners to seek outside expert opinion when the answers may be better sourced within the club?
• Coaches, performance staff, medical staff, managers, club and country could all be involved when it comes to a player’s injury. How dose Byron manage all the stakeholders involved?
• Byron’s shares a cautionary tale of what he learnt stepping away from pro sport and redirecting his focus to other areas of his life than just his role in elite sport.
• Working with the Australian Defence force and what it’s like to work as a physiotherapist in the military.
• How does Rugby Australia screen, monitor and manage concussion in the sport.
• We discuss the concept of graded exposure to contact and the potential unexpected consequences of not exposing young athletes to contact.
• The impact of neck strength in concussion and how Byron screens, programs, periodised strength at a professional Rugby level.
• Having uniquely worked in both club and national teams, what has Byron learnt that assists with managing players when at times there can be conflicting interests between club and country.
• How does Byron deal with doubt in decision making?

People mentioned:

• Hamis Macauley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamish-macauley-13944365/
• Katherine Rottier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-rottier-9b36228b/?originalSubdomain=au
• Emidio Pacecca: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5unNgbm6ukafZ2VeFc7Y4r
• Craig Purdam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-purdam-6964293a/

Byron Field contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byron-field-b6a171225/
• Twitter: https://x.com/fielby84?lang=bn

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.