Today's guest is, well, me, but it serves as a dual purpose. This week is mental health week, and today's host is a man by the name of Luke De Vincentis who has been running an initiative throughout the whole week in order to provide support, resources and bring awareness and attention to mental health as a society. He has pulled together 25+ people to contribute wellness ideas, exercises, resources, philosophies and stories available for anyone in need, and as part of it he asked me to...

Ben McEvoy is an AFL player for the Hawthorn Football Club, and with the AFL season for 2020 just finishing, he has currently played 222 AFL games, is a 2x premiership player and a member of the Hawthorn leadership group, plus at 31 years of age, he is playing some of the best football of his career as he looks ahead to 2021. He was originally drafted to the St Kilda Football Club with pick 9 of the 2007 draft, the same year Matthew Kreuzer was taken at number 1. At just 18 years of age, he...

Daniel Currie is a former AFL player for the Sydney, North Melbourne and Gold Coast Football Club's. Daniel is one of my close friends, so it is really nice to share this with others and display his humility, genuineness and positive attitude. As you'll come to learn from this chat if you don't already know Daniel's story, he endured an AFL career that didn't have much luck along the way, nor does it reflect the level of persistence, commitment and professionalism he displayed through his...

Jack Grimes is a former AFL player for the Melbourne Football Club. He was taken with pick 14 at the 2007 draft and would go on to play 100 AFL games across a nine year season, including co-captaining the side from 2012 - 2014 in what was a pretty challenging time both on and off field for the club. Jack was just 22 years old when he and Jack Trengrove (20) were thrust into the position of co-captain of a club that was going through a rebuild. The appointment made him one of the youngest...

Dr Phil Jauncey is a widely respected and heavily sought after leading performance psychologist who has worked with some of the biggest corporates and sporting teams here in Australia and globally. He has developed a reputation within the sporting industry as someone who makes teams better with his depth of knowledge, his understanding of people and performance, and his contagious passion for life as you'll come to realise during this episode. He has worked with teams such as the Australian...

Mark Brayshaw is the current CEO of the AFL Coaches Association but has been involved in the AFL industry for many decades now and has held some pretty prominent roles in that time including marketing roles for Port Adelaide and Fremantle, board member of North Melbourne Football Club and CEO of Richmond Football Club. Mark hails from Western Australia and comes from a strong sporting family with father, Ian, playing 101 first class cricket matches for Western Australia as well as State...

'Wild' Will Tomlinson is a former professional boxer, and a bloody good one at that, being the former IBO Super Featherweight World Champion. Wild Will started his boxing journey at the age of twelve when he walked in walked in off the street to a boxing gym in his home town, Bairnsdale. He soon found his calling as the coaches noticed his natural rhythm and talent as he practiced on the pads and in sparring and because of this, at just twelve years old, he had his first amateur fight which...

Sam Lowson isn't an AFL player - yet. He is in fact someone I have had the pleasure of coaching at Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and someone who since debuting in 2017, has quickly risen to become one of the most highly touted prospects outside of the AFL. Sammy was highly regarded to be taken with the first selection of the AFL mid season draft in 2019, but in the game just two days before the mid season draft, a game other draft hopefuls chose not to play in...

Richard Bowden is one of the most widely respected, decorated and accomplished business leaders within the healthcare system after a distinguished career for globally recognised healthcare brand, Bupa. Throughout a career spanning 17 years at Bupa, Richard held leadership positions such as Managing Director, CEO of Bupa Global and UK and CEO of Bupa Australia and New Zealand before retiring (even though he doesn't like to use that term) in April 2019. He has a plethora of knowledge about...

Gary Moorcroft is a former AFL player for Essendon and Melbourne Football Club's and was a key member of the Essendon 2000 AFL premiership winning side. However, he is most famously remembered for taking one of, if not the best marks in the history of the game which you can check out using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RpoTtudPck Initially drafted out of the Northern Knights after being voted the Morrish Medal winner for the best player in the U/18 competition, he would then...

Nathan Williamson is a young man living out his dream. Growing up in country Western Australia, a strong and passionate football community, Nathan knew he wanted to be involved in the game at the elite level from a young age. However, unlike his mates who wanted to grow up to be their idols playing the game, Nathan had a different idol - his Dad, an umpire in the local country competition. From as young as he can remember, Nathan knew he wanted to be an AFL umpire, and that is exactly what...

Just like some of the other big name sports personalities I've had on the podcast so far, Sam Mitchell doesn't require much of an introduction. 329 AFL games 4x Hawthorn Football Club premiership player 5x Hawthorn Football Club best and fairest 3x All Australian 2012 Brownlow medalist I apologise to Sam as I got some of these stats wrong in the actual interview. His resume at the end of his career is as good as anybody to have played the game, however Mitchell was initially overlooked at...

Elyse Villani has represented Australian womens cricket for over a decade. During that time, she has established herself as a top-order bat with clean hitting and impeccable timing which has seen her grow into one of the most damaging batters in international women's cricket. She is a leader having captained teams in the WBBL including the Perth Scorchers and is the current captain of the Melbourne Stars. Although Villani has achieved much success throughout her career including winning...

Damien Bugeja is a young man on a mission to have a great impact on this world. He is a leader beyond his years and through a particular hardship, he has developed a mindset that is unbreakable. Damien's father passed away at just 52 years of age after being diagnosed with and battling cancer for five years. Damien was a registered carer for his father from just 19 years of age and talks in detail throughout the podcast of some things required to ensure his father could live as comfortably...

Jason Akermanis doesn't need much introduction if you are a football enthusiast. He is a former AFL player with one of the most accomplished resumes the game has seen. He won the 2001 Brownlow Medal, is a 3x premiership player for the Brisbane Lions and won multiple best and fairest awards and multiple All Australian awards during his 325 game, 16 season AFL career. Akermanis' career was elite in every sense of the word. From freakish goals, blistering speed, match winning performances on...

Professor Ricky Johnstone has many titles and leadership positions in his line of work. He is the Head of the Gene Regulation Laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Head of The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology at The University of Melbourne and the Executive Director of Cancer Research at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre where he oversees 700 staff and students and plays a key role in strategic decision making across the organisation. He has published more than 200...

Brent Macaffer is a former AFL player for the Collingwood Football Club and was a premiership player for the club in the 2010 season. Along the journey, Macaffer would experience many ups and downs that have helped shaped the person he is today and his ability to lead and teach others. Macaffer epitomises resilience, persistence and adaptability. Originally taken by Collingwood as a rookie selection, Macaffer would grind away for several years before earning a regular spot in the senior side...

In 2014, Joel Sardi was a young man that was exactly where he wanted to be in life. Joel had been serving in the Australian Army for the previous 5 years as a rifleman in 7RAR Adelaide and he had recently returned home from a 7 month deployment in Afghanistan in December 2013, but his biggest challenge was yet to come. On the 31st of August 2014, Joel had a fall over a stair case and broke his C2 & C5 vertebrae which unfortunately caused some spinal cord damage, as well as fracturing...

Kane Lambert is an AFL player who plays for the Richmond Football Club. He, along with many of his teammates, has enjoyed the ultimate success in winning a premiership not once, but twice in both 2017 and 2019, making him a dual premiership player and now a star of the competition. However, as you'll come to realise by listening, this isn't what Kane Lambert the person wants to be defined by or known for. Lambert had a unique journey and pathway to the AFL after being overlooked in several...

Justin Langer doesn't need much introduction if you're a sporting fan in Australia. A former player with an incredibly decorated career and now the current Australian Cricket Coach. What a thrill and honour this chat was. JL hails from Western Australia and began his Test career for Australia in 1993 but it wasn't all smooth sailing early on. He was dropped early in his career and would spend a large period out of the test team as he battled to discover himself and the player he wanted to...

Jenni Screen is a former professional basketball player who represented Australia for more than 10 years including the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games where the Australian Opals won silver and bronze medals respectively. She began her career at the AIS before making her name and reputation as a competitively fierce guard and selfless team player for the Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL. These traits would stick with her throughout her career in the WNBL and a stint in Europe whilst representing...

Brent 'Boomer' Harvey is a former AFL player for the North Melbourne Football Club, however, he isn't any ordinary player. He is in fact the AFL games record holder with an incredible 432 games across 21 seasons at the elite level. Showing remarkable durability, resilience, dedication and adaptability to improve and evolve over such a long time, the man they call Boomer is undoubtedly one of the AFL's greatest ever. Harvey was a record breaker from his early years. From kicking 21 goals in...

Nick Maxwell is a former AFL player and premiership captain of the Collingwood Football Club. Throughout his 204 AFL games, he developed a reputation and was respected for his leadership, endeavour, courage and loyalty and because of this has become a sought after leadership consultant who works with the Collingwood Football Club and the Melbourne Storm NRL club currently. It wasn't easy for Maxwell though, who was initially overlooked in two national drafts and although he trained and had...

Andy Collins is a former AFL player and champion of the Hawthorn Football Club and post his playing days has enjoyed a successful and decorated coaching career at AFL and State League levels and is the current coach of the Williamstown Football Club. Collins has a reputation for success and understands how to build it. Collins had an outstanding playing career at both Sandringham Football Club in the VFA where he was a Premiership Player in 1985 before being recruited by Hawthorn Football...