Guest Bio

James Laughlin is a high-performance coach, keynote speaker, and author of Habits of High Performers. A former multi-time world champion, he now works with leaders, athletes, and high-performing teams to build sustainable habits that drive results without burnout.

Episode Summary

James reflects on the reality that external success can hide internal struggle. Despite becoming a world champion, he was running on low sleep, leaning on alcohol, overworking, and watching his marriage deteriorate. That experience sparked a deeper question: Can you perform at a high level professionally while also thriving personally?

Together, Shaun and James challenge the idea that high performance means doing more. Instead, they explore habits that help people succeed with clarity and consistency - learning to say “no,” creating a values and priorities filter for decisions, building momentum through routines, and shaping environments that support growth. They also discuss the role of purpose, how elite performers manage self-doubt, and why “counterbalance” matters more than chasing work-life balance.

Key Discussion Points

·      A healthier definition of high performance: success with wellbeing and strong relationships

·      Why high performers say “no” more often than most people

·      The Values & Priorities filter for clearer decision-making

·      Choosing long-term priorities over short-term ego wins

·      Consistency beating motivation, and why discipline is temporary

·      Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation and how it shapes behaviour

·      Capturing wins to manage self-doubt and imposter syndrome

·      How gratitude and reflection shift mindset

·      Environment design: people, culture, and physical space

·      Relationship systems: boundaries, rituals, date nights, and planning time in advance

·      “Habits over hustle” and using counterbalance to avoid burnout

·      Intention as a defining trait of elite performers

·      Purpose as a protective factor against burnout and unhealthy coping

Timestamps

• 0:00 – Shaun's intro and sponsorship mention
• 0:35 – James returns to the show and the story behind the book
• 2:01 – World champion success vs the hidden cost off the field
• 4:09 – Redefining high performance beyond "winning"
• 4:41 – Saying no as a key high-performance habit
• 5:33 – The Values & Priorities filter
• 7:06 – Choosing Finn's school production over a major London event
• 9:01 – Consistency, discipline, and habit formation
• 9:27 – Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation
• 13:07 – Self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and the Personal Victory Journal
• 15:28 – Gratitude and scanning for what's going right
• 17:45 – Culture and environment: "lifters vs leaners"
• 19:42 – Relationships and boundaries that protect what matters
• 23:56 – Counterbalance vs work-life balance
• 27:24 – Intention and execution as the separator
• 30:27 – Purpose and meaning as burnout prevention
• 33:40 – Three habits for 2026: routine, standards, reading
• 36:32 – How long habits take to stick (66 days on average)
• 37:34 – Where to find James and what's coming next

Resources Mentioned

·      Free High-Performance Planner: www.jjlaughlin.com/planner

·      Website: www.jjlaughlin.com

·      Podcast: Habits of High Performers

·      Book: Habits of High Performers (Amazon)

Other Books:

·      The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

·      Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

·      Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman

Key Themes & Takeaways

1. Turning Points & Mentorship

• Zion shares a pivotal moment from his youth involving a stolen motorbike and a compassionate police officer who chose to mentor him rather than punish him.
• This officer gave Zion time, structure, belief, and love, becoming a father figure and changing the trajectory of his life.

2. Sport as a Catalyst

• Athletics gave Zion hope, discipline, and self-worth. It helped him build confidence, gain respect, and develop a sense of purpose.
• The structure and goals in sport translated into life lessons that shaped his career and leadership style.

3. Intentional Parenting

• Zion reflects on his journey as a father, acknowledging past mistakes and the importance of being present and intentional.
• He emphasises setting goals with his children, creating quality time, and role modelling values like discipline and love.

4. Managing Competing Priorities

• He discusses the challenge of balancing ambition with family life, especially post-divorce.
• Zion uses structured planning and support systems to ensure he’s present for his kids while maintaining professional commitments.

5. Technology & Parenting

• Zion and Shaun explore the struggle of managing kids’ screen time and promoting healthy habits.
• They stress the importance of co-creating boundaries, being consistent across households, and role modelling tech discipline.

6. Leadership Philosophy

• Zion’s leadership is grounded in authenticity, values, and understanding individual definitions of success.
• He uses tools like new leader integration workshops and 90-day plans to foster trust, alignment, and growth.

7. Career Advice & Growth

• Zion encourages young people to get a foot in the door, focus on learning, and network authentically.
• He highlights the importance of reading, surrounding yourself with good people, and capturing meaningful quotes for reflection.

Memorable Quotes

• “Kids need role models, not critics.”
• “You only need two things in life: meaning and purpose, and love and connection.”
• “If you find a quote that resonates, write it down. It’ll help you on the tough days.”

In the boardroom, Janette brings a respectful diversity of thought, sharp strategic insight, and the ability to build consensus even on complex issues. Her broad expertise spans external affairs, stakeholder engagement, ESG, major project delivery, procurement, legal advisory, governance, risk management, internal audit, policy development, and corporate strategy.

Having led through crises, restructures, acquisitions, expansions, and closures, Janette has honed her leadership skills and a deep understanding of business transformation. She is passionate about building effective teams and transforming business units to achieve sustainable success.

Episode Summary

Janette is a dynamic leader and advocate for the Mining and Resources sector. In this episode, she shares her journey from a legal background to becoming the CEO of QRC, and how mining has not only shaped her career but also allowed her to make a meaningful impact on communities across Australia and the Pacific.

This episode explores the evolving narrative of mining, the sector’s social and economic contributions, and the exciting future ahead, particularly for young people and those passionate about sustainability, innovation, and regional development.

Key Discussion Points:

Janette’s Unconventional Path into Mining

• From Mount Isa to the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
• Transitioning from law to general counsel, and eventually into executive leadership.
• The role of serendipity and saying “yes” to unexpected opportunities.

Mining as a Platform for Social Good

• Opening a literacy library in PNG and the emotional impact of that experience.
• Supporting Indigenous communities in Australia through employment and business partnerships.
• The shared social challenges across remote communities globally, and how mining can help address them.

The Power of Belonging and Purpose

• Why Janette feels at home in the mining industry.
• The camaraderie and mission-driven culture of mining teams.
• How the sector fosters a sense of collective achievement and community.

Public Perception vs. Reality

• The challenge of misinformation and activism in shaping public opinion.
• The importance of transparency and storytelling in changing the narrative.
• How QRC and its members are engaging with schools and communities through the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

The Future of Mining

• Strong long-term demand across commodities: coal, gold, copper, and critical minerals.
• The rise of automation, AI, and remote operations, and to the new skills required.
• The need for policy reform, faster approvals, and global competitiveness.

Opportunities for the Next Generation

• Why now is a great time to enter the mining industry.
• The sector’s role in decarbonisation and environmental innovation.
• The global mobility and career growth potential for mining professionals.

Key Quotes

• “Every day is a school day. That’s the beauty of the industry, you’re always learning.”
• “Mining only exists because society needs it. We’re not mining for the sake of it.”
• “If you want to do good for the environment, come and join the industry and help us decarbonise the world.”

Industry Insights

• Queensland’s resources sector contributes $120 billion to the state economy.
• Supports 1 in 6 jobs across the state.

Social & Environmental Impact

• Literacy and education programs in PNG and regional Australia.
• Indigenous employment and business development.
• Rehabilitation and sustainability initiatives across mine sites.
• Repurposing historic mining assets for renewable energy projects like pumped hydro.

Resources & Links 

• Queensland Resources Council (QRC): qrc.org.au
• Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA): qmea.org.au

Rugby Career & Influences

• Early Days in Gore: Raised in a tough environment, played for King’s High School, Otago, and Southland.
• Intimidation on the Field: 
  • Paul was an intimidating player but recalls being wary of players like Jerry Collins and Philo Teatea.
  • Jonah Lomu was also a force to reckon with but played in a different position.
• Biggest Influences: 
  • His parents played a huge role—his father was tough and stoic, and his mother was nurturing.
  • Coaches and teammates helped shape his career.

Adversity & Growth

• Handling Setbacks in Rugby: 
  • Dropped from Super Rugby despite being an All Black—struggled with the sudden fall.
  • Faced career challenges but learned resilience.
• Cancer Battle & Perspective Shift: 
  • Paul describes cancer as the toughest battle of his life.
  • Forced him to reflect on his lifestyle, mindset, and personal struggles.
  • Realised he had been carrying anger and unfulfillment from his playing days.

Alcohol & Mental Well-Being

• Drinking Culture in Rugby: 
  • Early in his career, drinking was used as a social tool and escape.
  • Highlanders culture involved heavy drinking, which masked deeper issues.
• Changing Perspective on Alcohol: 
  • Recognised the impact of binge drinking on mental and physical health.
  • Now Paul focuses on responsible drinking and helping his son navigate similar challenges.

Parenting & Legacy

• Raising His Son, Max: 
  • Taking a balanced approach—supports but doesn’t push too hard.
  • Wants Max to develop humility and resilience.
• Advice to His Younger Self: 
  • Work harder, don’t rely solely on talent.
  • Build sustainable habits—training, fitness, and discipline should be lifelong commitments.
  • Avoid complacency and always strive for growth.

Final Thoughts & Reflections

• Paul acknowledges that others may have it tougher, so it’s important to stay grounded.
• A favourite quote: "You only get two lives. The second begins when you realise you only have one."
• Grateful for family, friends, and the lessons life has taught him.

His story doesn’t stop at sporting success, Trevor opens up about the internal battles that came with fame, the personal challenges that forced him to redefine his purpose, and how he found true fulfilment beyond competition. This episode is packed with wisdom on resilience, self-discovery, and the power of presence.

Key Takeaways & Highlights

Trevor’s Early Years & Finding His Competitive Edge

• How a reluctant eight-year-old was “volunteered” by his father to join Nippers.
• The fear of competition and how his dad’s clever strategy helped him push past his initial resistance.
• The mindset shift took him from feeling out of place to becoming a fierce competitor.

The Golden Era of Ironman Racing

• The rise of Ironman racing in Australia—huge crowds, national TV coverage, and the Kellogg’s vs. Uncle Toby’s rivalry.
• The moment Trevor realised the sport had become mainstream (spoiler: it involved 10,000 screaming fans at Bondi Junction).
• Competing on Baywatch, rubbing shoulders with Pamela Anderson, and witnessing a Hollywood whirlwind firsthand.

Kelly Slater, Peak Performance & The Power of Presence

• How Trevor and Kelly Slater formed a deep connection over their shared drive for greatness.
• The surprising secret behind Kelly Slater’s success and his ability to perform in clutch moments.
• The lesson that elite athletes, business leaders, and everyday people can learn from being truly present.

Overcoming Life’s Toughest Challenges

• The setbacks no one saw coming—divorce, bankruptcy, mental health struggles.
• Why life’s biggest challenges are actually designed to help us grow.
• His three-step process for navigating tough times:
  1. The shift from victim to the creator – stop saying “This happened TO me” and start seeing challenges as opportunities.
  2. Feel it to heal it – growth comes from facing pain, not avoiding it.
  3. Find yourself, know yourself, trust yourself – your intuition is your best guide.

Daily Rituals for Longevity, Energy & Mental Clarity

• Why he gave up alcohol, dairy, processed sugar, and gluten—and the incredible impact on his body.
• The one fitness goal that drives him: is being able to walk up any hill, surf any wave, and ski any mountain at 80 years old.
• His non-negotiables for a high-energy life:
  • Daily movement (ocean swims, yoga, breathwork).
  • Meditation & breathwork for mental clarity.
  • Nutrient-dense diet, focusing on fuel, not just food
  • Avoiding anything that slows the body down (toxins, stress, poor sleep)
  • The surprising results of his biological age test (hint: his immune system is decades younger than his actual age).

Advice to His Younger Self

• What he’d tell the driven but insecure 18-year-old version of himself.
• The powerful reminder that everyone needs to hear: “You are already enough.”
• Why real growth comes from embracing every part of the journey—even the difficult chapters.

Resources & Links Mentioned

Trevor Hendy Instagram: @handytrev
Future Lab Podcast (with Kelly Slater episode): Listen Here
Breath & Breakthrough Retreats: Learn More
Life Changing Foundation: Website
Melrose Health Supplements: Visit Here
12-Day Mini Masterclass on Victim to Creator Mindset: Watch on Instagram

Key Takeaways:
Reflection Before Resolution – Take stock of the past year by revisiting key moments. Ask yourself:

• What went well?
• What didn’t go well?
• What did I learn?

Start, Stop, Continue Framework – Used by Fortune 50 companies:

• Start: What new habits or actions should you introduce?
• Stop: What’s holding you back that you need to eliminate?
• Continue: What’s working that you should maintain?

Most Valued Priorities (MVPs) – Instead of setting 20+ goals, focus on 3-5 key priorities.

The Power of Visualisation & Journaling – Neurosurgeon James Doty’s method:

• Write down your goals daily.
• Read them aloud.
• Close your eyes and feel what achieving them would be like.

Accountability & Leverage – Find an accountability partner who will check in regularly. Use consequences to stay committed (e.g., James pledged to donate to a political figure he disliked if he didn’t write daily!).

Building Winning Habits – Key traits of high performers:

• Master one habit at a time.
• Stick with it for at least 66 days (University College London study).
• Meditation, journaling, exercise, and structured routines create focus and discipline.
• Understand your natural rhythm (morning vs night person) and design habits accordingly.

Discovering Purpose & Values – James emphasises:

• Purpose evolves over time—don’t put pressure on yourself to find one fixed mission.
• Identify your values by analysing where you spend time, money, and energy.
• Align actions with values for sustained motivation.

Key Quotes:
"High performers have habits that are different from low performers – they know how to sustain success."
"Write, read, and visualise your goals every day – morning and night."
"If you don’t know your values, you’re easily swayed by distractions and shiny objects."
"Pick ONE habit at a time. Master it. Then move to the next."

Connect with James Laughlin:
Lead on Purpose Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube. Ranked #1 in New Zealand!
Instagram: @JamesLaughlin

Resources Mentioned:
- Masterclass on Setting Up Your Year – - https://www.jjlaughlin.com/2025replay
- Core Drivers Diagnostic Tool (Deeper Signals) - contact James via his website www.jjlaughlin.com
- Jonah Oliver’s Values Clarity Exercise - https://northframework.typeform.com/Stellar 

About James:

James Laughlin stands at the forefront of High Performance Leadership and Personal Mastery, earning global recognition as a pioneering strategist in the field. As a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, James captivates and inspires diverse audiences worldwide with his compelling insights and transformative messages. His extensive experience spans working with elite performers and leading organizations, including professional athletes, influential CEOs, and multinational corporations, empowering them to lead with unwavering conviction and achieve remarkable success. 

Key Topics Covered:

• Understanding Sustained High Performance: Exploration of what sustained high-performance means and how it can be achieved.
• The Role of Failure in Success: Discussion on why failure is essential to achieving success and how it shapes high-performing individuals.
• Neurobiology of Stress: Insight into the brain's response to stress and techniques to manage and interpret stress positively.
• Psychological Flexibility: Explanation of psychological flexibility and its crucial role in maintaining high performance.
• Vision and Values: The importance of having a clear vision and strong values in both personal and professional life.
• Practical Insights and Strategies: Jonah shares practical advice on dealing with challenges, and adversity, and developing a growth mindset.
• Applying Psychological Science: How psychological principles can be applied across different contexts, from sports to surgery to business.
• Developing a Growth Mindset: The necessity of real-life exposure to stress and adversity for developing a growth mindset.

Key Quotes:

1. "Failure is a prerequisite to success. If you want to achieve great things, you have to be willing to feel the pain, the price of entry."
2.  "You do not learn a growth mindset by reading a book on it. You only develop it through in situ exposure."
3. "Life is not about how hard things are. It’s about how important things are."
4. "Psychological flexibility is the beating heart of sustained high performance."
5.  "Doing the things that matter with the people that matter in a values-based way is the recipe for a life of sustained high performance."

"A bad attitude is like a flat tyre. You can't go anywhere unless you change it." This applies to all facets of life: personal, professional, and family.

Three Basic Psychological Needs:

Relatedness: Quality of connection, feeling seen, heard, and valued.

Competence: Feeling good at something, is essential for motivation.

Autonomy: Having control over one's actions and environment.

Positive Energy vs. Energy Vampires:

• Positive Energizers: Individuals who uplift and inspire others.
• Energy Vampires: People who drain energy and enthusiasm.

Building an A+ Attitude:

• Compelling Goal: Must have a clear and motivating purpose.
• Engagement: Being fully invested in what you do.
• Progress: Continuously developing competence.
• Consistency: Regularly showing up and putting in the effort.

The 20 Mile March:
Concept of consistent, disciplined effort towards goals.

Inspirational Practices

• Daily Touch: Simple, consistent gestures of connection with loved ones.
• Positive Interactions: Showing enthusiasm and positivity in daily interactions.

Final Thoughts

• How you show up and your attitude can transform your life and those around you.
• Challenge: Implement one change based on the day’s learnings.

Key Quotes from Jeff McKeon:

• "When you're in that moment, you question everything about your life."
• "You can't be what you can't see."
• "The strongest people are often the ones who are still kind after the world tore them apart."

The Science of Happiness:

• The importance of habits in achieving happiness.
• Explanation of the negativity bias in our brains.
• The power of choice in emotional regulation and happiness.
• Research on the set point of happiness and how daily habits influence our happiness levels.

Practical Tips for Happiness:

• Double inhale through the nose followed by a large sigh to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm yourself.
• Importance of gratitude and daily habits.
• The significance of interpersonal relationships as found in the Harvard Study on Adult Development.

Jeff's Conclusion:

• The value of friendships and strong bonds in achieving happiness.
• Encouragement to reflect on whether you live purposefully, love actively, and matter in your daily life.
• "Emotions are contagious. Are yours worth catching?"

Phillip Di Bella is a highly respected business entrepreneur with a unique ability to visualise and commercialise what many others never see. Though initially known for the establishment of Di Bella Coffee, which became Australia’s largest specialty coffee company, Phillip’s entrepreneurial spirit has brought success to other businesses such as International Coffee Traders, Abbotsford Road Specialty Coffee in New York, and more recently The Coffee Commune.

Not satisfied with simply focusing on building his own successful businesses, Phillip has dedicated much time to supporting the growth and development of other businesses. Often referred to as an “Entrepreneur in Residence”, Phillip regularly lends his strategic thinking to businesses such as BDO Consulting, helping their clients overcome challenges, see new opportunities, and then supporting the commercialisation of these solutions.

01.50 - Phil’s journey with his weight

“Health is first, it’s the foundation. You don’t go building 10-storey buildings without laying solid foundations”.

“It’s me first so that I can give my best to my family and give more energy to work.”

“My philosophies are templates, and a lot of them apply, and they have for me, personally, professionally, and family. Same thing in business, you can have all the theories in the world, you can go to all the workshopping events and build your knowledge base in your library, but if you don't execute, it just doesn't happen.”

Shaun - “If you put the work in and have that desire, intent and willpower and you execute, you can go from here to here, and that could be finance, it could be career, it could be relationships. It could be anything, but it's having a plan. It's executing that plan, drawing on the resources around you, but being disciplined in that regard. And that's the transformation.”

7.45 - What are the daily rituals that you do to optimise yourself?

12.30 - 

• It’s not about weight loss it’s about being healthy. 
• We are all works in progress and we need to understand that
• Our mindset is the secret sauce in everything, it starts and finishes with the mindset

16.00 - Other rituals that bind Phil and his wife

20.15 -  “Life is simple, humans just complicate it”

20.46 - Managing Priorities

• It starts with a vision.
• Work life harmony. You need to get all 3 areas of your life working in harmony.
• Chase harmony, not balance.

27.30 - 

• Not every day is a happy day but every day is a day to learn
• Life is measured in moments

30 - Core philosophies in business

1 - You have to be solving a problem

2 - You have to be so relevant that if your business can’t be replicated 

3 - When you get 1 and 2 right, tell the story. Marketing is the art of telling the story.

32.30 - Where people go wrong in business often comes down to poor planning

36.30 - What are you focusing on for work in 2024?

Phil is working on trying to make sure that before governments make decisions that impact people’s lives.

“I'm getting stuck into 2024 and we kick off with the release of our small business paper that we took six months to commission and we kick that off on the 19th of February to go to market. I want to see this industry sustainable.”

43.00 - Core philosophies in life

1. Health: Meaningful relationships and purpose won’t happen if you don’t have your health
2. Time
3. Money

Enough time and money to do what you want when you want.

48.00 - Shaun - “Be intentional about where you want to be and what you want to achieve then surround yourself with the right people to get there.”

50.40 - If you can’t improve the silence don’t speak

“The wealthiest place in the world is the cemetery”

He has nearly 20 years of working in high performance from Olympians, executives, and professional codes (Brisbane Roar, Gold Coast Suns, Essendon), to car racing teams (Porsche – Le Mans World Champion, V8s), indigenous performing artists and surgeons.

Executive coach, author, speaker, and consultant on talent identification, leadership, and organisational performance around the world. Husband, father, entrepreneur.

2.30 - How do you navigate the car trip home after a sports game when your kid has strong emotions?

"Emotions tell us something, it's not ambivalence. They're not just sitting there. If there are emotions, it means they care.  So they care about something like the performance, their teammates, your approval, their own standards, feeling competent or feeling incompetent, whatever it is, there's something there to listen to."

4.50 What is our role?

• Our role is to provide a cushioned landing so that they can feel and experience whatever's showing up and you're a safe pair of hands to allow them to just sit with that. 
• Let them dictate what the car ride home looks like
• Self-reflection is important
• Sometimes kids need an object to discharge/vent to (often the parents)

08.44 - Our fears as a parent. I don't want them to …

"Sport can be the greatest vehicle for learning about life in a safe way.  Life is hard and how do you survive in the jungle if you're raised in the zoo?  It's like sport needs to allow you to be exposed to failure to set back to I'm not as good as other people at some things that I need to solve this puzzle myself. "

11.15 - How do you get your kids to see your intentions for what they are?

• You need to be clear on what your intentions truly are
• Typically when we want to step in and help it kicks us into command and control style of parenting
• When you teach a child something, you deprive them of the opportunity to discover it for themselves (Piaget quote)
• The consequence is our kids learn there's always something about me they need to fix, I'm not good enough. 

15.40 - "What does success look like?  And what is the intention behind it?  If it's trying to protect them from failure because of your fears of them and what their life might be, if they don't succeed in that domain, then that's you. And you got to get the heck out of the way. It is a fun first mentality, just let them have fun."

• Your job is to, to remove all the weeds and maybe throw some manure and some lattice and a few things, but then let the plant grow in the direction it wants to go.
• When you take the plant and you wire it to the lattice and tell it which way to grow you don't have an independent, self-governed, self-determined human being.

20.00 - How do you help children identify and navigate self-doubt as a roadblock to them reaching their potential?

• We need to stop seeing self-doubt as a problem
• Self-doubt is just the price of entry into life
• Take the time to listen to what is happening to the kid, what are the themes? Listen and learn what your kid is actually worried about
• The most powerful thing you can say when they are feeling nervous is just to sit there and say "Yeh that makes sense". Meet them and see them 
• Identify self-doubt as a gift and reframe it

27.00 - How to motivate kids to do something they may not love but may be important?

• Stop trying to make them love everything 
• If our kids only do the things they enjoy and are motivated by then they learn a relationship that they only want to do tasks they are competent at/enjoy they will avoid the things they don't like. It sets up bad patterns.
• Boredom tolerance is critical for success
• Motivation comes and goes for everyone, be aware of the ebbs and flows of that
• "I don't enjoy doing X but I do it because of Y"

36.00 - How do you deal with the "I want to give up"? How do you unpack and deal with that?

• Is there some form of avoidance? Is there still something they want to do but they are quitting because of another reason?
• If it's just part of the developmental phase of not wanting to do something then you need to unpack it and they might open up.
• Understand before you start commanding or clambering for leverage to coerce them

41.00 - How do we get our kids to recognise that effort and attitude matter?

• Role modelling matters
• Watch the version of us that shows up, especially at home
• Try not to step into the command and control version. What is your definition of success? What are you trying to build? 
• What about the relationship you have with them?

"We want to build people with self-determination, a sense of competence, a sense of autonomy that they can do things of their own. They can build meaningful relationships with the world around them. They can take on the world and that they are enough in their current form."

"Our job is to create conditions for a fire"

47.00 - "Our kids are enough already, they don't need to win first place."

Let them grow into the version that they are and the different phases, we are there to nurture and support them.

Does my child look forward to/promote me being there?

54.00 - What's the world of social media, the dominance of that, the prevalence of that mental health struggles, and how do we help our kids?

"Do they have the skills to make good decisions around their own safety and, or advocating for the safety of others? Do they have the ability to understand morals and mores and all those things? And if the answer is no, they're probably still underdeveloped in that space then you absolutely have to withhold their exposure to it because any weakness or vulnerability your child has in normal life in those spaces is magnified on social media."

Limit the exposure as much as you can. It can set them up for long-term mental health issues.

"We look at the rapid increase and not just through overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis all that and remove all that from the science and I've done it well, there's been a massive uptick in the prevalence of mood disturbances in our children and it correlates almost identically  with the introduction of the big social media brands."

1.01.00  - Final comments

• Help our children understand who they are and certain personality traits are fine vs trying to enforce an idealised version at the end. 
• Our job as a parent is to connect who they are and bring it to life by championing it
• When we experience tough emotions (anxiety/fear etc) that is okay and it is part of life

Links - 

https://w...

 03.51 - Sandy’s journey to starting Traction

“Why not start something that makes a direct impact on young people”

8.00 - CEO Bike Build

Young people growing into their potential and meeting expectations that might be held of them in workplaces. 

It is so much more than the bike. Make the situation at Traction relevant to their outside life.
 

10.05 - Core fundamentals taught at Traction

“We know isolation and loneliness are felt through the neural pathways in much the same way as physical pain. So the health impact of being isolated and lonely is as deleterious as smoking a packet of cigarettes a day over a long period. So for our young people, when they say that they just want to make friends, we take that seriously because quite often they haven't had many role models in how to build good relationships.”

Traction allows providing young people with role models they have never had and teaches them confidence. It’s a wellbeing framework

12.00 - Elements of wellbeing

1. Be engaged in learning
2. Being active
3. Being connected
4. Being influential (we are all leaders) 

13.32 - Tangible benefits of Traction’s program

Sometimes the most tangible benefit is just for these kids to have one day a week where they feel safe and are learning not just surviving.

It’s not a program you are sent to do, it’s an opportunity.

17.04 - The 2 things you need in life

1-  Love and connection 

2 - Meaning and purpose

19.00 - What has Sandy learnt in the corporate world and the Traction world

Ordinary people working together can create extraordinary things

Having a vision and team built around a shared purpose

The challenge in not-for-profit space compared to the corporate arena is just the uncertainty around, or it's difficult to plan for the long term because of the pipeline of funding that's required to invest in, whether it be program delivery or developing the capacity as an organisation or investing in the infrastructure needed like without.

22.30 - 

“The energy comes from seeing the results and the difference we're making and we're about prevention. So there's a lot of attention being paid to youth crime in our community at the moment. And to me, there's work that has to be done on that. If we get in early and reach young people before they slip through the cracks in the system and get them on.

Positive and trajectories to their potential and possibility, then it's a much smarter investment upfront than having to deal with the knock-on effects later.”

23.45 - The cost of incarceration on society/community

A massive trigger for youth crime is exclusion from school. As soon as you fall out of, or are excluded from the schooling system, who are you going to hang out with?

28.20 - What do kids fundamentally need to have a positive/good/great life?

-       Care and love

-       Recognise that every young person has unique gifts, and brings different strengths, and try to understand what they are

-       Encourage them to participate and have a go

-       Education is key and there are so many ways to learn

-       Have a community around the young people

30.30 - What stands in the way of the grander vision you have?

“It's about fuel in the tank. We've got a great model. We've, we know the attributes of powerful mentors and we are ready to scale up the program and reach more young people.

We're ready to recruit, train and develop.”

34.00 - What is your purpose and your why?

●      It’s about making a difference, something each day. Ordinary people working together can do extraordinary things

●      Be present within the community to find what is possible

●      Sense of belonging around a shared purpose/cause

●      We are not here for a long time so it’s about who is around you

When Jimi bounced off of rock bottom he got to the point where he said “I have to do something different that makes my tomorrow different from my today because my today sucks.”

4.00 - Picking up the tools and applying them

Applications change the outcomes. Once you start seeing the gains you get “addicted to the gains”. 

Talent for translating the information and putting it in a way he could understand and that others could understand. 

6.00 -

Doesn’t have to be a big event that sets you into that state. 

“...the shove over the edge, you either fall to your death or you learn to fly. And that's what I decided as I was. I need to learn how to fly real, real quick… where can I, where can I build some wings from? Where can I get a parachute from?”

07.30 - The difference between resilience and mental fitness

Mental fitness is the ability to be able to see chaos coming and have the perspectives, understanding and tools to avoid it as it comes, or at least glance it off. 

Is the ability to learn tools, techniques, perspectives, observations, and understandings that allow us to see situations unfolding as they unfold and be able to make really clear, confident, rational decisions in those that lead to the best outcomes for us.

10 - What do you do to keep mentally fit?

“Instead of telling me what to do, he told me why I should do it.” A simple start. 

Future success is determined by past success. You're much more likely to succeed in the future if you have succeeded in the past.

13 - Two key underpinnings for Mental Fitness

Ability to observe your thoughts and the ability to regulate your nervous system.

15.30 - The breath 

The key is to move yourself from a sympathetic state to a parasympathetic state. Parasympathetic is your rest, rejuvenation, and relaxation state. You can do this through your breath. Allows you to be in a state that helps you be in a state to choose better and create better outcomes for yourself.

17. 40 - Mental fitness for kids

The parents are the biggest influence on a child’s life. You cannot teach what you do not know. “What is genetic in feeling is that you teach it to your children.” Parents control or dictate the environment or atmosphere people walk into.

22.30 - Mental health continuum

When you say mental health people think of mental illness.

If you put in small, consistent efforts all the time then you will become mentally fitter. Continuum is being able to put ourselves on to figure out where we’re at and how we can move up.

32.00  - Jimi’s why & putting yourself first

“My why is to improve my mental fitness. I care about everybody secondary to myself and the more I connect to myself, the more I improve my mental fitness, the more I learn and the more ability I have to share that with others.”

“And the happier the people are, the more mentally fit people are, the better employees they are, the more creative, the more productive, the less sick time, the less turnover, all of those metrics.”

40.00 - Advice you would pass on to younger Jimi

Links - 

https://www.jimihunt.com - https://www.jimihunt.com/newsletter/

https://www.instagram.com/thejimihunt

https://www.facebook.com/thejimihunt

Jeff is currently the Chief Growth Officer at Neuro Capability, he's a really interesting person and deeply kind. He's lived a great life and has reached this position where he genuinely loves what he does for work. He's got some great learnings to share as part of his journey. Jeff believes that our greatest asset is our mind. We are sure you will thoroughly enjoy this episode.

02.20 - Reflection and Curiosity:

 "I'm just eternally grateful that I get to share a message and talk about the stuff that fills me with curiosity. And it comes around from those moments in your life. And if you're conscious of those moments and those decisions you make, and reflection I think is that thing, when you start to reflect at those moments, you think did I make a good decision? Did I make a bad decision? What did I learn from it? That's been my biggest transformation if I think about it."

04.15 - Defining moments that have impacted your life 

That's the power of connection and human connection. You never know what someone's got going on in their life.

That's why we need to be kind. I always laugh that the other stuff, the negative stuff has a better PR team. So be kind. It's just that in those moments in life, you never know what someone is going through.

11.00 - The impact stress has on your body

Stress has a huge impact on our body long term. The term is called allostatic load, which is the impact on the machine because you're going too fast and too hard the whole time.

"I can't change him, I have to change me. When I talk about change, sometimes you require that catalyst. "

13.00 - The career reinvention

In the moment you don't realise it, you just do what your instinct is. But that's when you have to take those gambles with the career transition. You have got to trust your instinct because my instinct had gone from a quiet little voice to that screaming voice saying you gotta get out, you gotta do something more with the rest of your life. You have to approach it in a whole different way. What can I learn from this?

When you transition careers, you need that piece of paper to feel a little bit bulletproof. You have to back your instinct

16.15 - Ben Crowe and the notion of being your inner fan and the inner critic.

The biggest realisation is just being aware that the voice is trainable. Most people go through life hearing this inner voice and not realising that you can actually shut it off or you can diminish it or you can change it.

The way the brain is wired is in the first five years. That's why it's critical in a child's development, the love and nurturing because it's happening the brain is wiring, not only are they learning to walk, they're learning, do I love this way? What's their condition, what's right, what's wrong?

An example is how Ben Crowe worked with Ash Barty and her inner voice to identify that she is so much more than tennis, she is an individual and that's where that power of identifying your inner voice is.

19.01 - Diminish your inner critic

Ethan Cross talks about diminishing and harnessing your inner critic in his book, Chatter.

Be aware of it and know that you don't have to listen to it because that's no longer relevant, that's the voice you heard when you were seven or eight.

It's no longer relevant to who I am as an adult. But we learn it way back when we are judged when we are young. But we're still, it's the same voice. Quite often it'll be either a mom or dad or an authority figure. And it'll be the same voice and that's just because that got wired into us.

20.30 - I am Enough

The biggest thing Ben Crow does in his work is helping his clients to say, I'm enough. So when you believe you are enough, guess what happens? That inner voice gets silenced. Gets turned down because you're no longer listening to it because you're going, no, no, I'm enough.

The power of reframing and rephrasing.

21.30 - Helping your kids with their inner critic and being conscious of it.

Disrupt the process to change their trajectory.

23.30 - Create a psychologically safe organization but also have an organization that's accountable, that delivers, that meets. 

"When you look at aligning the why you do it and the outcome, you're not having to manufacture the outcome. The outcome is a by-product of what you do with your why. When I talk to companies I only ever write with companies or work for companies that align with my values, when you come into these businesses you can tell it's from the top down."

What we are seeing now is a lot of pushback against the traditional command and control leadership models. In business, what we've got is these early adopters, like Stellar, who're already living and breathing it. Guess what? Their business is aligned because they're not having to manage every layer. Of the well-being of their staff, they're actively doing it from the top down. 

25.30 - 

"Your company's culture is the heart, the minds and stomachs of your employees on a Sunday night thinking about Monday morning."

27.52  - Profound question around what is the future of leadership 

"In the past jobs were about muscles. Now they're about brains, but in the future, they will be about heart."

Minouche Shafik 

30 - Allow your why to direct what you do, profit will be the buy product of this. If your staff are thriving, your profitability will be through the roof.

32 - Habits and Traffic University 

"The longer you do something, the better you get at it. People refer it to as muscle memory. It's neural pathways practised over time, repetitive notion. So whatever you are wanting to achieve, it's about creating that university. So how do you create that highway? Well, first of all, you have to make sure you are looking at it. The smallest habit to start with to then move forward."

Layer and stack habits daily. Keystone hab

37 - Prime your brain in the morning by listening to something positive in the morning.

38.30 - The process of finding your WHY/ finding your “Ikigai” - what you love doing, what you're good at, what the world needs and what you can get paid for.

"Tapping into your why is taking time to actually go through, what am I here for? What is this about? What is my legacy? What is important to be and what am I going to leave behind?"

The only stuff I will sell is stuff that's in line with what I want to talk about and that's when you align with purpose. There's a weight removed, the weight of what other people think you should do and what society says you should do and you go, no, I'm going to do what aligns with me. I write it quite often, but my main measure for success is the number of hours I spend with my teenagers."

44 - Tips and tricks around cultivating a wonderful relationship with your kids:

But we also both knew that we had to do the work and...

Holly Ransom has been named one of Australia's 100 Most Influential Women. She has achieved so much from a young age not to mention she has interviewed the likes of Barrack Obama, Richard Branson and the Dalai Lama just to mention a few.

Holly has a consultancy business, Emergent Global, she is also a board member of Port Adelaide Football Club, she is an author, global speaker and podcaster and discusses topics like how to conquer public speaking, how to create rituals to get you to your best and how to cultivate a healthier and better mindset. She is certainly inspiring and it is an episode not to be missed.

3.00 - Where did it all start?

A summary of quotes from Holly. 

“Strong sense of direction and lose hold of the reins.”

“Always know what you are passionate about.”

“When you walk past things you tell the world it's ok.”

“What I have chosen to say yes to or put energy into comes back to the fact it was not something I was willing to walk past.”

 “It's about putting yourself where lightning strikes, where you are going to collide with your purpose.”

“I was very lucky and I encourage people to do this;  volunteering gives you so many different opportunities to test out your thinking and meet extraordinary mentors that have taught me so many lessons.”

06.36 - Which mentors have had the biggest impact on you and why?

A variety of people moved beyond a conversation to working together ongoing, some people you have one conversation with and it's life-altering. But ultimately my grandmother is hard to go past with her powerful influence in my life.

2 things her grandmother instilled in Holly:

• Incredible ability to leave anyone she interacts with feeling better. There are few gifts that you can have in life that are better than that. She would make people feel 10 ft tall and instil confidence in them.
• Leadership does not have to have a title. She could step into a situation where someone wasn’t being treated right and turn the situation around. If you walk past it you tell the world it's okay.
• We all have influence and power over our choices every day and that is leadership in action. We are all leaders, people are turning to us every day and are shaped by the attitude we are turning up with.  We often overlook the power of this.

10.15 - Shaun says, "One of the coolest things about leadership is seeing it in action, not just words. It's about leading from the front."

11 - Leadership in today's time. What is your definition of what leadership should look like in 2023?

Leadership by its very nature is contextual. Leadership needs to work with or against the forces around it to be able to achieve certain goals and objectives.

What’s striking about leadership today is the way that we are putting it to work. It used to be hierarchical which would count a lot of people out.

In this day in age, it's a distributed model of leadership where we have to be involved.

A compelling vision, agenda level of trust and live true values. Where people get out of bed and want to be part of your vision.

The greater level of accountability. Closing the gap, don't say one thing and do another.

It's an exciting time to think of how we hold up different levels of leadership.

How we lead and manage younger people is totally different to what it used to be.

Diversity of influence around the boardroom is crucial.

15.42 - An important role for people to play that are influencers, advisors and in the ears of leaders in all types of all shapes and forms.

"One of the challenges for Changemakers is the way we tell the story to those we are trying to influence in a way that lines up effectively with what matters to them."

17 - "I invite people in those situations to see the need for adaptation is on us as the changemakers. We have to do the work to change the story because the systems around us won't do it."

18.15 - Tips around public speaking

It's perfectly normal to feel nervous about it, there is no silver bullet with it, it's a case of practice.

You need to be mindful of self-compassion and how you go about conquering it. You need to step out of your comfort zone not leap out of it, to set yourself up for success.

Think “what is my minimum tolerance right now? How do you get your reps up?”

The more you get your reps up the more comfortable you will become, and then you can take the next step. Make the commitment to regularly having a go and I would recommend buddying up with someone to chip away at the fear.

22 - "It's better to copy genius than to create mediocracy".

Practice self-compassion or you risk burning yourself too quickly.

23.20 - Gradual Voluntary exposure
You have to put your hand up for it. The word voluntary is crucial to do this, you have to be up for it not pushed into it.

24.45 - Managing your time and your energy

• It's never static, it's always evolving. Holly is passionate about managing your energy not managing your time.
• Do an energy audit, what are your natural high energy points during the day? When do you feel like you are low energy when you need to lift yourself up? Ask, “ Am I giving the return of energy that this deserves?”
• If you are using those high-energy moments of your day to scroll emails or instagram, they are not getting the ROE they deserve. ROE - Return on energy is something you need to be really passionate about.
• It needs to be anything strategic, something you are working with on your business, and key relationships. Make changes to where you put things in the stages of your day.
• What reenergises you? They need to be building blocks for your day not left until you have done everything you think you were meant to do.
• Work out what your 3-minute circuit breakers are.

30 - Habits and rituals Holly uses to make sure she is turning up for the people that matter in her life.

• You need a physical outlet every day to be the best version of myself, it's a mental reset as much as physical
• The discipline of journalling 3 pages every day, whether it's the start or end of the day. We say 300-900 words to ourselves every minute. Journalling captures the unconscious narrative and gives us a chance to change the outcome
• Box breath is her 3-minute reset

32 - Cultivating a positive mindset 

Awareness split - catch and stop the thought faster. The negative voice comes up more often when you are stepping out of your comfort zone.

35 - Positivity and Energy

"My grandmother says I was born into petrol motion."

Holly's default is positive but it doesn’t mean she doesn't have times when she needs a support crew to help you get back into a positive mindset. You can't always do it yourself, so make sure you have a support crew to help you do this.

38 - What can we do to prepare our kids to thrive in this world?

One of the most critical superpowers we need is resilience.

2.00 - The highlight or achievement of Mat's footy career:

"Staying on the path, not getting distracted - not dragged away by the influence around you. I stayed committed to what I wanted to achieve. The only way to succeed is to put all your eggs in one basket and make it happen. Focus on one thing at a time and if one doesn't work out you focus on another egg. Zero in on your focus as there is so much going on in the world. That's what I am the most grateful for."

When it comes to the people around him:

"I didn't change my goal I changed my friends 

Forget a Plan  B - stay true to your path"

5.40 -Who was the hardest bloke you had to tackle?

"Defence is an attitude, if you want to stop something you will put everything you can into it. Stand in the way enough to slow them down…

…Tony Brown made my life challenging. Every player out there is a competitor and is going to be tough to take down.

Be completely relentless"

8.45 -  What was the most inspiring thing about your dad?

"He didn't just influence through words, would influence through actions. Showing me not just telling me.

After seeing it I knew I wanted to do it, I knew how much needed to go into it.

I focused on the end goal because I saw my dad doing it. I remember seeing the work he would put in and the extras he would go through. "

11.40 - You earn every win, no one is just going to give it to you.

"He role-modelled greatness. Not everyone gets ribbons in life, you have to earn them."

Matt's resilience has been the cornerstone of his achievements, he has faced so many challenges in his life.

14.10 - "The reality is even when you have challenges, the world is going to keep turning. I like working under stress, through the tough times it's about just living again. I need my next goal, something to fire me up.

I want people around me that are focussed and motivated and fired up about something."

Living an intentional life rather than just existing.

Intrinsic or Evolved ability to work under pressure? 

"I rise to the thought of pressure. It was something from a  young age. 

Reframed situations are usually ones that people avoid"

What happens if we don't win? What happens if we do? Use it as an opportunity to thrive.

20.40 - "I don't want to voice out negativity into the world.  You just tell yourself that you aren't going to, so you won't.

The power of the voice. I want to put the books in my favour. Learned to be internally positive and rub off on those around me."

 
"If all the people around you are positive then you can lift each other.
Be way more positive than negative from the outset and even if there are some doubts, I will keep them to myself because the people around me might not have those doubts, so as soon as I voice them, all of a sudden they have them too. They might have the positive feedback to help me get over the bump."

24 .00 - Mental health  

Mat exercises every morning for an hour with his friend. They have a pact that they don't have any negativity in their morning routines.

The busier you are, the more important it is as you have less of your own time.  It allows you to reflect on the day before and plan the day. Having me time in the morning is key.

29.10 - Team sports allow you to have a goal set for you every week. 

Having the game gave him purpose and when he retired he realised he didn't have that purpose in his life anymore. You need a goal with substance, work back from it and celebrate the milestones on the way. Put a date on it and a timeframe otherwise it's not a goal it's a wish.

Goals in concrete and plans in the sand because life can change.

"I perform best when the whip is lashed and setting a goal allows for this."

34.40 - Key realisations as a parent

"I grew into adulthood resenting my childhood however when I wrote the book I realised it was what made me.

You want your children to know what it feels like to get hurt."

"I feel like I have set an example for my kids of what it feels like to succeed… I haven't told them I have shown them. And I need to step back a bit…I have laid a platform for them to succeed and I am always here to guide and advise when needed but don't want to overstep."

Shaun - "It is a moving target. You talk about resilience, inner belief and work ethic and that's portrayed in your success so far. How do you build the muscles around them along with good manners and being a good human?"

40.00 -  "Be respectful and build have good manners.
Skills can be taught but a bad attitude can't be. Telling kids what to do doesn't work, you have to model it. Model behaviours you want your kids to live up to."

42.00 - "Modelling is the best form of teaching, barking is the worst. Treat people with respect despite their role. You have a short time in leadership if that's how you lead."

Shaun - "Leading by example means if you can get one thing right to set the tone to set the example hopefully and it will resonate with those around you. If you are living and breathing it that's more important."

45.00 - "Every single time where I have gotten advice from someone that has what I have wanted, on how they did what they did and got what they have,  and I did it, it has materialised. Every time. You can't cut corners."

"Change is great when it's done."

"There is not much joy in comfort. But comfort does not breathe."

"Be uncomfortable in the process of change."

48.00 - Matt talks about facing the challenge of working through his son, Max's autism, whilst still juggling all other elements of his life and his family's.

56.00 - Life after football. 

The longevity of his career was based on being a professional athlete not just a professional football player. Lifestyle needs to equate to a career. Invest time into investing in yourselves.

Support the cause through - https://4asdkids.com/

Let's make an impact together

2.00 - James speaks to his upbringing in North Ireland, which was not the easiest of upbringings given the hardships their nation faced.

But James was given the option of “Detention or Drumsticks” which ultimately helped shape his path more than he would have realised.

4.30 - James enters Christchurch

A lot of the shift is psychological, it’s vision setting and working through beliefs. Inspiring through the story will get the buy-in.

6.00 - Moving from “9-5, to a Purpose driven life”

No more of what I am doing, this is what I am going to do.

James is passionate about the growth and is the “pain in the ass” always asking what’s next. He realised he wanted to know “what is next?”

8.30 - Am I truly living out my Dharma? Your potential and passion. The life I am meant to be living.

We know it doesn’t feel right, but we don’t know where to go or what the first step might look like.

9.34 - How can I help people that are passionate about making a difference?

10.00 - The Transition

The 10,000-hour rule, get the repetitions in. When you make the leap from the comfort you have the repetitions there. Don’t miss this potential part of your life, the potential you have.

12.20 - Mindset Psychology

James talks about how his mindset set him up, and how brains lead to performance.

Ask Questions.

14.20 - You are in your own way, how can we get you out of your own way?

15.30 - The fundamentals of High-Performance Leadership 

What is high performance? Athletes? Celebrities?

When health ended, that is where the high performance began. 

High performance is performing above those standard norms, that industry whether it be as a CEO, a parent, or a worker, doesn’t matter what it is, it’s performing above the standard long term. 

Stay in the game whilst maintaining positive well-being and relationships.

17.00 - Often our work and our stresses can impact our well-being

High-performance leadership starts with leading ourselves before others.

Develop yourself before others.

Shaun - “Get the harmony between personal and professional”

18.30 - What it takes to be “a Great Dad”

Shaun - “Absent doesn’t mean physically absent, it’s more mentally absent”

23.00 - Tackling Mental Health early on

LABEL EMOTIONS. For kids to say “ I am sad/mad/angry and this is why I feel this way”. Understand your emotions and know it’s okay to feel this.

Have a conversation, be curious and understand other people’s emotions.

There’s an alternative to kids hiding themselves

26.00 - Consciously Uncoupling

“Growing apart can be difficult or beautiful”

Happily even after

31.30 - James’ thoughts on Sir John Key

The remarkable things about Sir John:

            I am going to make a million dollars and become Prime Minister

(And he followed through on this)

            He is sharp and follows through

            John connects with everyone, you feel like he cares and he does

34.30 - Rituals you have to be your best self

Shaun - Limited beliefs can put a ceiling to where you can get to in life

James - We are a product of our habits. And we all have habits, whether they are good or bad, whether they are empowering or not. So when it comes to Limiting Beliefs or Crafting Intentions you need to heighten your awareness.

People who are more heightened with self-awareness have more choices, make better choices, and get better results.

People that are narrow-sighted, with blinkers on, often miss out on the joy, passion and goof stuff.

36.00 - 3 key things to heighten your awareness

1. Mindfulness - taking time to slow down. Go through your analytical mind to your subconscious mind. Practice makes permanence
2. Journal WRITING - challenges, show up for people
3. COACH/MENTOR - whether it be a coach online or in person, find someone that challenges you

39.45 - Limiting beliefs

These are subconscious and don’t feel like they are on the surface but they can be triggered, like “You are not good enough”. They show up when you are sabotaging yourself. 

Procrastination is a great way to recognise you have a limiting belief. A great way to let go of your limiting beliefs? Release of the hurt, fear, and scarcity. 

What truly matters and why are you not getting it?

3.30 - Dealing with adversity and how the breath is key

When it comes to dealing with and managing stress & pressure, the breath is one of the simplest techniques you can teach people to use. It’s one thing that’s in your control when so many things are out of your control.

5.15 - This technique can challenge you but give you quick rewards such as being calmer under pressure and getting yourself into the right state, as pressure unfolds you have greater bandwidth to work with to calm the mind.

6.30 - When your heart rate is through the roof it’s hard to think well, but with good breathing practices you can start to drop the heart rate and access the mental side better.

The power of your breath can open up calmness, and a sense of control and remove the difficulty when your heart rate is through the roof, it takes the edge off. Youll lean into challenges rather than being threatened by them

7.45 - At an individual level what do you see as the key fundamental pillars to living well?

Having pillars in place builds the foundations you need to have a healthy body and mind. This starts with breathing as it’s the first thing that changes when we get stressed. 

9.30 - Other pillars include quality sleep, and how we wind down to get that to happen. You have to go through a process to get yourself in a state ready for sleep: 

Time in daylight is another pillar, 10 minutes before 10 am instigates and activates hormones to allow your brain to come alive.

Connection is such an important pillar, having a sense of connection with peers and community.

Shaun says, “Sometimes people think it’s complicated and overwhelming but when you break it into blocks you can see it’s achievable. Simple things you can bring into your life to build habits for change.”

11.40 - Having a good routine in morning is important to set our day up for success. Our brains love consistency and certainty, those little hits build over time to be the foundation of how you are going to feel. 

12.45 - The ability to build optimism

Recognise what kind of way of thinking we have around certain circumstances/situations and be self-aware as to where we sit. The optimistic view is that things will work out for the better. 

How do we build Optimism? Get into a state of feeling good about yourself regularly as that helps you think good and see the good. Reflect at the end of the day as to things that have gone well, it trains your brain to recognise them and become normal to see the good.

Researching amazing things gives us perspective on how we exist in life, there are good things that are occurring each day in the way we operate and it helps to build optimism. 

15.00 Being mindful about the way you’re thinking to have the capacity to minimise negative thinking. Self-regulate where your thoughts are, this will help silence your inner critic. 

Gratefulness is part of that reflection, it helps to rewire and program your brain then it becomes a default to see the solution rather than the negative. Brains are programmed to look for fear/threats. 

18 - Gratitude is one of the most powerful things to employ. We need to be aware that there is a narrative behind what we’re grateful for. That’s what develops areas of the brain to increase the capacity to be aware of being more optimistic and remove self-critic. 

19.20 - The state of your body impacts the state of your mind:

The vagus nerve helps us build the capacity in our mind to experience different stages such as calmness throughout our body and mind. If a threat happens this nerve will help stimulate flight or fright. If exposed to too much stress you minimise the capacity to feel a state of calm. 

21.00 - Build up vagal tone or fitness where you can coach yourself to come through a state of stress. You do have control over it. 

23.25 - Exercise burns bad chemistry:

Bad energy can get stored if you don’t do anything about it. Ideally, you want to burn off that energy and reset the chemical explosion so it doesn’t repeat itself later. Have a Moment of Movement and mindfulness every hour. Calm your mind down to access creativity. 

26 - Key tips on dealing with anxiety and reducing impact of it

• Be aware of when you’re going into levels of stress and anxiety and not cover it up with coping mechanisms such as looking at your phone or eating etc. Label your emotion and don’t try using something else to diminish feeling, name it to tame it. 
• Movement on top will help reduce/burn up the chemistry of the adrenaline
• A little bit of exposure to what is triggering your anxiety is a powerful thing. Go into things that create anxiety for you, to gently trigger and gently expose yourself to them. The challenges and fears, and within that time and space use your tools to hold composure. Gently build a familiarity for your body to experience it. 
• Shying away from challenges, within reason, will help and regulate your response 
• Emotion generally only last 90 seconds so if you can pause in the first 6 seconds, the logical part of your brain will come on board rather than you just reacting. 
• Make better choices rather than getting stuck in them. Provoke your own conscious mind to think of a solution.

30.30 - Exposure therapy 

Nam speaks about Mick Fanning being attacked by a great white shark and then starting a shark documentary. It was a huge part of his value and purpose. Give it time, and make meaning of your challenge so that you can then use the suffering. The meaning is what helps you get through the suffering and will develop into a courageous person in your own right. 

Manage how kids respond to emotions. They don’t have the hardware or software to manage it. 

33.00 - Limiting beliefs - what are they and how do they get us to where we want to be? 

Limiting beliefs are what holds us back. The first step is to realise you have a limiting belief and then decide what you’d want instead. We have them because our brain loves certainty and we think we need that to make us feel safe. We need to embrace the understanding that life is built hugely on living on the edge.

What beliefs do you need to install to break through to a new level? Recognise it’s okay to upgrade our beliefs

35.40 - How to change your beliefs

• Could be through journaling or understanding what gets you in the way of your progress and refining them. Challenge the beliefs not blame what’s around you. 
• Talking to people you know that are similar in their commitment and discipline 
• Stipulate how you want to be and where you want to be. Install a belief on how someone like that disciplines themselves. With discipline, you’ll break through your limited belief. 

38.30 - The notion of connection and what can help us perform well

9.44 - The crazy thing about fear, it is kind of fascinating but also really frustrating.

Doesn't matter what your fear is, or how it compares to anyone else's fear, we all have different fears"

"We see different situations differently."

11.10 - "The only thing that really matters is if just one of your fears is in the way of something that’s important to you"

i.e., Fear of rejection holding you back from a relationship

Fear of sacrifice or pain holding you back

12.47 - The only way through fear, is experience, that is the only way. Do something over and over, and build up the skills and knowledge. Walk into that environment that causes you to fear"

14.30 - Voluntary Therapy

The patient has to choose to be there and choose to take on that fear

18.10 - Do it over and over again.

Respond to the different urges.

But It's tough.

18.40 - The starting point is to want it more than you fear it. Or hold on to what you have got more than the fear. To do that you have to continually evolve.

19.15 - WHAT WHY WHO? Ask yourself them continuously.

What does success look like?

Why do I want to succeed

Who is going to help me get there?

21:19 - Have a clear and detailed look at what success looks like across different aspects of your life and different time scales. The more clear and detailed the different things, the better.

Then you reinforce the picture of success with why you want it.

22.10 - Tie your loved ones to your success, how do they benefit from your success?

How do they benefit from the risks you take and the fears you face?

Helps make the switch from prey to hunter.

22.35 - The orienting reflex -  in a roundabout way, this one reflective mechanism, 80% of your brain's ability to create positive emotion.

Keeps you motivated and resilient.

Subconsciously throughout your day, it's looking for progression to something to something beneficial. 

If you are not clear on what you want, your picture isn't clear, and that part of your brain won't be receiving and won't feel that positive emotion. If not it will find it in the simple things like vices, you can keep them in check if you are getting positive emotions from something beneficial.

28.10 - Surround yourself with an amazing team.

38.00 - What other people would give to only be dealing with what you are dealing with. This is all I have got to deal with, how lucky am I?

40.10 - Science  of Gratitude

"If you can cultivate a state of gratitude and feel that, it switches your nervous system from a state of stress/fear to a parasympathetic state, and in that state, systems are optimised, in particular your immune system."

Feel gratitude as consistently as you can each day.

42.19 - Habit Stacking

• Taking a lifestyle habit and stacking on to a primary habit.
• Primary habits – things you do consistently day in and day out (autopilot), time there you can do something positive.
• For all the things you do consistently, the theory is your brain does it in auto mode, so there is space in your brain to add something new. Such a strong pathway in those habitual patterns so your brain takes the new thing and hijacks it, to help you adapt to the new habit quicker.
• Force yourself to write it, forces you to think about it, and if you think about it long enough it becomes a habit.

44.15 - Gratitude Text

The best technique that helped Mark was this, just simply sending a message of gratitude to someone in your life. 

The wave of gratitude moves through your social circles and it becomes normal to send messages like this.

48.00 - Gratitude Practice gives your nervous system a break during the day, these breaks make all the difference.

53.00 - We all have different fears, all that matters is if it's holding you back from something important in your life. If you want to take them on, experience is the only way to do it. Little step by little step, and you may experience failure but that is why you need that motivation and clarity as to what you want in life. Clear pictures of what you want and why and it will help make you resilient at the same time.

54.10 - When you hit the road bumps try and shift your mindset to a state of gratitude, it won't solve your problem but it gives you enough physical energy to do what you need to do to get through the adversity.

55.00 - Q &A 

02.22 - Work can make you well, and moderate the bad stuff that is happening at home. If you can come to work and it makes you feel part of a team, to feel like you have a vision, and purpose and that you have support then it can be powerful and can impact you in a positive way.

03.00 - Sometimes work makes us sick, it causes us to be unwell. We shouldn't be paid to go somewhere that makes us sick. When work makes us sick, it creeps into our house, our relationships and our sleep.

05.30 - Work can make us well and work can help us with our world outside of it.

08.00 - We need to look at what is making the fish bowl dirty. Start to look at the water to see what is making us sick. If we can start to make it clean and make people well.

Cleaning the water is tough and it takes time and effort, but it is worth it.

09.10 - Give people purpose, and connect them with the values to create the right framework. The other key piece that helps that framework come to life, is the concept of Psychological Safety. 

10:14 - Psychological Safety exists in TEAMS. When I feel psychologically safe I feel safe to take an interpersonal risk, to be the real me and to ask questions, challenge the boss and ask for support.

If you are having mental health issues you need to feel psychologically safe to say you are not doing so well and need help.

From a proactive view, you feel safe to let your team know and feel like you have a purpose.

12.00 - Impression Management - 

Social platforms allow us to show the world we are awesome and you want me on your team. The real you that feels self-doubt and feels like an imposter, who sees that real you? If you are part of a team built on the trust you can be the real you.

16.10 - Social contracts and consciousness around negative behaviours help to make us feel safe.

17.24 -- Behaviours that make toxic workplaces and make people sick both psychologically and physically unwell:

• Non-inclusive behaviour
• Disrespectful 
• Unethical behaviour
• Cutthroat behaviour

19. 30 - We value diversity of thought but if we don't live by the values and let people be heard, they will leave. 

23.20 - You can have an impact on the mental health of those around you and the team.

25.00 - Psychological Safety underpins your other business levers such as Diversity and inclusion, Productivity (it's the difference between high and low performance), Safety (reporting behaviours and taking action)

28.40 - How do you do it? How do you create a psychologically safe place?

First Step - The foundation is to make people feel like they belong and are part of the team

Second step - Contribute - understand why you are here and your role in the team, to make you feel valued

Third Step - Making people okay with failure and having a learning mindset, then they will start to speak up

33.10 - 5 things you can do:

1. In the last 7 days have you admitted fear or a mistake to a colleague? We are human we can make mistakes
2. Have you asked for help from a leader or subordinate? Tells you your value to contribute
3. Have you learnt anything new? Shows you are a learn it all, show your curious mindset
4. Have you had someone ask you for help? They trust you
5. Have you spoken up about a concern? It shows it's safe to speak up and allows others to do so

36.15 - Q&A

3:30 The clearer the vision, the easier it is to achieve it and the easier it is to inspire others.  

5:00 Your vision can be destroyed or damaged along the way, 

5:45 Feelings trigger images and images can trigger actions and behaviours.

6:15 Emotional visualisation exercise.  

9:30 The Ukrainian lawyer turned soldier. His vision: Freedom - Winning the war for family and community. Nothing else matters. Wouldn’t allow himself to discuss anything else—total focus.

11:50 Slide 6 - Imagine that focus in the corporate sphere. Vision precedes victory. High performance is performing above the standard norms, over the long term, whilst maintaining positive relationships and well-being.

13:00 Sometimes high performers get their priorities out of whack, leading to depression, suicide, etc. 

14:15 NZ high depression rates. Losing sight of balance.

15:30 The performance of the All Blacks rugby team. Why did their performance levels drop? Their cultural mix was changing so their mission and messaging was less effective. So they had to adapt the Hakka, etc to ensure that everyone’s vision was incorporated. “Tell us about your culture, your rituals, so we can attach your personal meaning.”

Your dreams don’t necessarily resonate with anyone else, family etc, if you don’t attach their personal meaning to it. 

16:45 The psychologist who worked as Steve Jobs’ EA, because she attached herself to his vision and knew that she could make a contribution towards him achieving it.

17:50 Clarify your purpose. What is your leader’s most important job? The well-being of your tribe/team.

19:15 Connect. Nobody can do it alone. People want to work with people.

20:15 Don’t get caught in being busy. It means a lack of priorities.

22:30 A 5-year-old’s vision of getting out of Northern Ireland and away from the conflict. 

24:30 Drumsticks or detention. Establishing positive visions & purpose from positive messaging. 

28:00 Who do you surround yourself with? Ensure they have a positive influence.

29:00 I had different strategies along the way, but I stayed congruent with my vision. 

29:30 The CEO focussed on one metric, not 12. The vision: A whole Taco. One singular focus that lifted all boats & ensured that other targets were met. 

31:30 Anderson vs Scott and the South Pole challenge. Preparedness & individual input vs just follow me. Vision precedes victory. 

34:30 Vision & leadership. Mandela’s vision was so clear, equality, and he was prepared to die or be incarcerated. Everything he did took him closer to bringing his vision into reality. He focused on getting a great team around him, so they were ready to help form a government. He maintained humility, dignity & forgiveness.

39:15 Vision without action is just a dream. How clear are you on your vision?

Ends: 39:50 Questions follow.

3:55 People think high performers have different DNA, but they have the same fears and stresses.

4:25 Slide 1

“It’s hard to survive in the jungle if you were trained in a zoo.” Don’t blame the jungle for being a jungle. We all have to do a better job at adapting and helping others to adapt. Top performers embrace the jungle. 

7:00

If you are not prepared for the real world out there, you will have a “violation of expectation.” Top performers focus on that preparation. 

Slide 5: It’s not about reducing stress & pressure, it’s about increasing the capacity to take on more. Not about positive thinking, but connecting to what matters. Motivation follows naturally from that. Stress is the price of entry for top performers. Embrace it, don’t hide from it. It’s not about motivating people, it’s about connecting them to what matters.

8:55 Top performers have changed their relationship with stress. We worry about things we care about. It’s natural!

9:55 Top performers connect to the reason behind what they need to do. Something of importance. I want to be healthy so I can be there for my grandchildren.

12.00

You have to increase your capacity to accept stress. Then you can function properly in all aspects of your life. 

13:29 Be the bigger vessel. Same stress but more capacity to deal with it.

14:20 The Domains Profiler tells me all I need to know about where someone’s state of mind is:

Slide 7: How important are each of these domains to you? (Health, work, family, etc). How satisfied are you with each of them? The difference: Gap analysis.

Spending too much time in less important domains? Pivot!

15:50 What can we do to bridge the gaps in our important domains?

16:20 Be intentional with your life. Do activities that combine and nurture your important (multiple) domains. E.g. Combine kids/social outdoors & learning experiences.

18:06 What version of you shows up? Loving & curious/absent-minded and not present?

18:30 Life is about living your values. Combine the activities that matter with the people that matter in a value-spaced way.

20:50 Find your margarita pizza, not someone else’s. Find the three things that move the needle for you and stick to it. 

23:45 Think about the primary skills you need to execute in your life. Technologies can erode our most necessary human skills. Don’t be too reliant on them. How can I use the technologies but not lose my fundamental skills? 

26:00 Slide 10 Embrace - Accept that there will be stress, doubt, and frustration…. Normal stuff.

 Normalise discomfort, then you can Be Present

Do What Matters. 

30:40 Identify the difference between fun & enjoyment. Enjoyment is when we do hard things and find things that stretch us. What is your response to challenges?

33:00 Don’t be frustrated because employees don’t buy into your business. It’s not their baby. Find what matters to them.

Find what matters to you. What would you jump in front of a car for, what will make you leap out of bed in the morning?

Ends: 33:55 Questions follow.

Not only is Mark a world-renowned big wave surfer, but he has also been sponsored by Red Bull, Go Pro and Ripcurl to name just a few. He is an international speaker with clients such as Deloitte, Westpac, NRL and Land Rover.

Mark is obsessed with personal growth, and he has a crazily inspirational journey. He is a dad, and a husband and through all of this has developed a process for overcoming fear.

Don’t forget, if you hear one or two, or maybe more, things that you took something from, to pay it forward and share this episode with those around you. One sentence or word could make an impact.

1.31 – Mark’s tips on ways to deal with fear:

Mark speaks to how he did not create these concepts, but he researched and unearthed the different concepts out there and ways to make them available.  He became inquisitive by facing his own fears and found the best ways to deal with them, for himself and others.

2.45 – How would you describe the process of overcoming fear?

Mark had an early relationship with fear yet through constant exposure, his learnings have stuck with him. 

“You learn the skills and knowledge to master the environment you fear. Once you have them you become less anxious over time. Something switches and it turns to excitement as you have the skills.”

“Remember the moment it turns from fear to excitement, for me the desire to keep doing it was greater than the fear.”

4.48 – How do you define fear? 

‘Sensations and psychophysiological functions occur when there is a perceived threat. Your body senses them, emotional or socialized versions of angst arise and your body senses and fears them. Historically interpersonal relationships with these versions were life or death, now we perceive the threat as if it’s life or death.”

6.30 - How do you overcome it? 

Through Voluntary Exposure Therapy – which is, choosing to expose yourself to the fear to condition yourself around it. Remaining calm and conserving energy. Figure out how to want it, how to desire it more, to get you through the conditioning.

“Fall in love with looking back at what you were doing a few months ago and be proud of that. Then get addicted to that feeling and continue to chase it.”

10.20 – The Power of WHY 

“Create crystal clear pictures of what success looks like to you and why you want to succeed.”

Mark talks about tying his loved ones to his success, how will they benefit from the hard work and your success?

“The line between success and failure is the state of flow and living in the present moment”. Being able to live in the present moment is a by-product of that fine line where you can be nervous enough but not in complete chaos.

13. 57 – How has Mark gone about understanding how his brain works, the actual psychology and how this has helped him overcome hurdles and helped to achieve his dreams?

Mark speaks to investing in himself and what he has done to equip himself to get there. He has gone through a long journey of dealing with his own fears whether it be drowning in the ocean or that public speaking as an introvert can be terrifying. 

15.08 – Mark’s foundational principles of dealing with fear

The things that you can’t go without, the things that help you be resilient enough to face fear.

16 – Cognitive techniques 

These are additions to the foundational pieces mentioned before, they work alongside them as cognitive behaviours are the everyday habits you have that can be realigned to make small steps towards breaking down anxiety.

17.54 – You have been vulnerable regarding your darkest days, what message would you pass on to those going through a tough time?

“Put in the time to research as well as having the motivation.” 

If Mark is assessing how he is coping with life and how to optimize his level of resilience, he adjusts it to multiple areas of his life. 

“Something may be in peripheral view so you are not aware of the stress it’s causing you; you may have gone off course and you don’t realise it. Make tiny adjustments to hit the thing that is having a negative impact, they are all linked like a negative snowball. You want a positive snowball.”

21 – Foundational Aspects

“Assess the foundational elements and create adjustments. Small amounts of progress that will be beneficial such as exercise, the small gains, assess at the end of the week if you get there and adjust if not. Bringing attention down to a smaller time frame can keep you sane.”

26 – Tangible things

Tangible things are those that will help you shift your perspective to one of gratitude.

Positive things come when you look at that one thing in a more positive light. So, you ask yourself how can I do this more consistently? 

27.21 – Habit Stacking

Taking a lifestyle habit and stacking on to a primary habit.

Primary habits – things you do consistently day in and day out (autopilot), time there you can do something positive.

29 – Positive Messaging

Send a message of gratitude to someone and see how your nervous system, as well as theirs, will settle. These messages can change lives.

Shaun speaks to gratitude daily habits 

"Rewind your life to think of things that make you grateful."

33.45 - Tips for parents on how to deal with fear
Kids should understand that it’s okay to be different and feel different. Compare yourself to yourself and who you were and see the changes you have had. “You can foster the growth mindset if you start it early.”
 
37 – Neuroplasticity
Shaun speaks to how the brain can change and evolve, you can overcome fear you just have to expose yourself to it and see where you were to where you are now. Fear is normal and everyone experiences it differently.  

Wrap Up & Thank You
Visit markmathews.com  

Layne Beachley is regarded as the most successful female surfer in history. Layne’s dedication to success saw her as the only surfer, male or female, to claim six consecutive world titles between 1998 and 2003. Layne went on to win a 7th world title in 2006 before retiring from the ASP World Tour in 2008. In retirement, Layne spends her time travelling nationally and internationally as a motivational Keynote speaker for some of the world’s top commercial firms, sharing her stories about sustaining success, overcoming challenge and maintaining a winning mindset. She is also a trainer and facilitator of a series of workshops, igniting potential in everyone she works with. Layne is also the Founder and Director of her own foundation, Aim For The Stars, Chairperson of Surfing Australia and an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Layne’s Highlights

1:51 Lack of self-confidence and self-doubt

6:18 Bitter or better 

6:45 3 barriers: Fear of letting ppl down, scarcity mentality, and expectations

7:35 Congruent with who you are 

9:10 Tips to moving on from self-doubt

13:05 Meditation

15:30 Tips for building a formula of success

18:30 Success doesn’t define you

19:45 Positive outlook 

22:30 Goal setting 

29:30 Dealing with Disappointment

32:20 How to move past fear

38:45 Neuro-linguistic programming

42:30 What surfing gives Layne 

47:11 How she overcame victim mentality

51:40 Advice that she would give a young Layne Beachly

54:40 Triple E reset

Lack of self-confidence and self-doubt

Layne refers to it as ‘comparison-itis’, when you are comparing yourself to everyone. To overcome it with ‘enoughness’, when you need to believe that you are enough.

She says that she was fortunate that her dad let her have the freedom to fail and the safety to fail.

By detaching from the fear of letting people down or letting go of the expectation you can be in the moment; to do this you need to shine a light on it, accept it and move through the challenge. 

Bitter or better  

The challenge is to have stepping-stones to promote you forward and to have the patience and the trust to do so.  

3 barriers: Fear of letting people down, the scarcity mentality, and the expectations

To overcome these three challenges, Layne says that you need to accept, be congruent with who you are and surround yourself with people that elevate you.

Congruent with who you are 

Being congruent with who you are is about being true to yourself and being proud of yourself.  

This makes life more effortless. 

Layne refers to a quote “Why fit in when you were born to stand out”.

Tips to moving on from self-doubt

Layne says that it is a normal part of life and it is 100% okay. 

The biggest mistake she says that you can make is that you stay there for a little bit too long and it starts to define you. 

To overcome this, she says that the key is to own it, and ask yourself why are you doubting yourself and how is it affecting you; then ask yourself what action can you take to overcome it.  

Online academy coming soon: https://www.laynebeachley.com/ 

Meditation

With 50-70k thoughts per day mediation has helped Layne slow the ‘monkey mind’ down and shift her thoughts into the present and to have ‘space’ between thoughts; she recommends finding what activity enables you to do this; this could be meditating, deep breathing or even surfing. 

Tips for building a formula of success

First 6 world titles were part of her identity that she defined herself by and she struggled to find balance. 

Hobbies were the key to finding her own balance; it gave her time to reconnect and for her this was initially surfing and then beyond this it is now also painting, drawing, and bush walking. 

It refreshes her and gives her time to recharge and also builds resilience so that roller coasters change into speed bumps.

Success doesn’t define you

Layne now doesn’t let her success define her but instead her self-worth. It is about finding your inspiration and passion. 

Positive outlook – does it come naturally? 

Layne believes that we are all born with a positive/ optimistic outlook but it is then our tribe that effects our vibe. 

Goal setting 

Layne shares that she was a big goal setter from a young age and now she has transitioned to standards.

When she was a teenager she wasn’t doing the work to achieve those goals. She is a big fan of goals as they keep on you on track but as an adult she finds that goals can sometimes limit your flexibility. 

Dealing with Disappointment

Detaching from the outcome and loving the process. 

You control your personal choice and accountability; it empowers you and elevates you to the outcome.

Reference: Brene Brown, https://brenebrown.com/

How to move past fear 

Layne says that she loves and dislikes fear; when you are in a state of fear you are incredibility focused. To overcome fear, you first have to recognise it and find out what do you need to do to get yourself in a safe space.  

She believes that fear is a good thing as it stops you from getting too far in front of yourself and keeps you in the moment .e.g. developing an exit strategy or distracting yourself 

Reference: The Fear Bubble: Harness Fear and Live without Limits by Ant Middleton 

Neuro-linguistic programming 

NLP re-wires the way you that you think and enables you to gain clarity and perspective as well as create clear actions.

You can use it to ‘flip it’ – recognise when you are feeling negative and flip it to a more present moment where you can visualise the outcome, then detach yourself from it and instead commit to the process that is going to get you there.

What surfing gives Layne 

Surfing is calming, connecting, centring and nurturing; where she feels a true sense of freedom that she is drawn to.  

How she overcame victim mentality

Instead of falling into the victim mentality, Layne flips it to a champion mentality – ‘Why is this happening for me?‘

Viewing it this way enables her to make the choices everyday easier. 

Advice that she would give a young Layne Beachly

You are loved and you are enough and deserving of it; it all starts with the love of yourself.

The Triple E reset

During COVID, Layne has used the opportunity to reset her Energy, Economy and Environment.

In his last 7 tournaments he has been top 10 with this year coming 3rd Qld PGA (after equalling course record of 61 and leading almost the whole 4 days), 3rd Qld Open and winning the New Zealand open for second time (last time was 2011) and 5th PGA tour of Australasia.

Brad’s Highlights

2:58 Starting out  

4:03 Mental game 

5:57 Mental game and the impact of Dr Dave Alred, Mental Coach

6:32 Every shot that you practice has to count

8:42 Be accountable

13:28 Focus on the process 

13:38 How the process of discipline can create resilience

14:43 Keeping the process while you are in the zone

17:13 The feeling of pride

18:38 The voice of doubt

23:39 Habits and rituals 

27:51 Visualising

33:02 Mastery - Intersection between skill and mindset

35:33 Kennedy’s conundrum 

38:55 Importance of having a supportive family and friends base 

42:45 Giving back

47:42 Key lessons that Golf has taught Brad

Starting Out 

Brad started playing golf at 13 years-old

Mental game and the impact of mental coach, Dr Dave Alred 

Dr Dave Alred has coached Brad for 7 years which has helped Brad go through amazing development.

Dave doesn’t have a technical golf background but delves into the player’s mental game. 

Every shot that you practice has to count

Dave continually tests you to ensure that every shot you make counts; whether in a tournament or in practice. 

He refers to it as the ‘ugly zone’; it is whenever you practice the uncomfortable part of your game until it becomes natural which enables you to go to another level. 

Be accountable

Ensure that the intensity and performance is there in practice; if it is, then there is nothing else that you need to do differently.

Focus on the process 

It is the best mental performance I’ve had in my career at 45 years old.

How the process of discipline can create resilience

This one key learning that Brad uses in golf and in life.

Ultimately success is never guaranteed but if you stick to the process, then the rest comes.  

Keeping the process while you are in the zone 

Believing in your ability to hit the shots that are required while being without any fear of consequences.

The discipline of staying in the process is key and being aware of what you can control.  

One of Brad’s dangers is to allow himself to look at the leader board and then that impacting the process. 

The feeling of pride

It was a mentally tough period during the Queensland Open; however, to go from that low to an absolute pride and self-satisfaction winning the New Zealand open. 

The voice of doubt

Everyone has doubt but it comes from fear and it can really negatively impact you.   

Being able to stay in control and stick to the process is key to overcoming this. 

By understanding the mistakes and concentrating on hitting the shots enables you to control the situation. 

The key is to not get ahead of yourself as it distracts you.  

Habits and rituals 

Brad journals a lot; he rights down his entire schedule of training. 

Writing down the performance sets a benchmark and overtime you can build on that.

It becomes a fact; It is a great way to build up your confidence and resilience.

Reference

The Miracle Morning: The 6 Habits That Will Transform Your Life Before 8AM by Hal Elwood

https://miraclemorning.com/

Really reinforced having a great work ethic, and the benefits of meditation, reading, and exercising. 

Brad believes that he is really getting better in the mental space; his game isn’t going to change at 45 but it is the mental game that has further developed. 

Visualising

Visualising how you want to play – how you want to walk, stand, and generally hold yourself has also helped his mental game.  

Once you try it and it works, it opens you up to what else it can walk for. 

Mastery - Intersection between skill and mindset

Winning a tournament is a form of mastery; where you beat everyone at that particular time. 

Kennedy’s conundrum 

Over 8 years out of the last 25, he has been away from home and he wants to watch his daughters achieve and succeed. 

However, with his current momentum as well as exemptions in upcoming tournaments and the Olympics, it is time to evaluate. 

Importance of having a supportive family and friends base 

With his wife’s support, he has been able to go after his dreams. He also has the support of friends and coaches. 

The base doesn’t change, and they celebrate the successes with you but don’t treat you differently. 

Giving Back 

Project One Putt: https://project1putt.com.au/

It starts at the putting green and works backwards; putting is one of the least enjoyed aspects of the game. He loves to be able to help people with this; to understand the intricacies of putting. 

Junior clinics 

He loves being out there. Post the recent New Zealand win, he ran a junior clinic with 20 high achieving children. 

Brad really loves that he was able to create something that helps people get better at their game. 

Key lessons that Golf has taught

Patience

If you have a passion and driven for something, just try and find out how you can do it to the best of your ability. 

Discipline

Not to think too far ahead and go continue to go back to structure and the process. 

About Your Host
Your host, Shaun, sits down with inspirational individuals who share key learnings from their own experiences on becoming great; whether it is in their own career, in their own field or inspiring growth across a business.

Together, each month, we will unpack key actions on how we can all learn from others’ experiences; unlocking our own scope to grow so that we can all become the best version of ourselves.

Shaun McCambridge is the Managing Director of Stellar Recruitment, a devoted husband and father to four spritely children. 

Gilbert’s Highlights

4:30 The fundamentals of a high-performance environment that endures

8:10 The Power of the Mind 

11:45 Asking if the situation was dealing with you or the situation is dealing you. 

12:40 Mental skills growth

16:00 Material benefits of physical fitness on mental health

19:50 Richie McCaw’s formula 

23:00 Everyone has fear and nerves but it is how you deal with that

24:50 Getting out of your own way

26:20 Three things that leaders must have

27:20 Be where your feet are

36:10 Everyone has 2 lives. Your 2nd begins when you realise you’ve only got one.

39:40 Parallels from the All Blacks’ World Cup recovery to Business recovery from COVID-19 

BIG PAUSE

31:45 Be at your best when your best is needed & not all moments in time are equal

34:15 Above and below the line thinking

43:30 Sustained success 

45:45 Strategies to maintain and support psychological safety

50:40 Young kids using their mindset to enable them to be the architect of their “best life” 

The fundamentals of a high-performance environment that endures

It is about understanding how to align people for a cause

The most successful centenary businesses are traditionalists; they understand the core of what they are about and they never mess with that. 

They instead disrupt the edges and look at small incremental improvement without disrupting the core. 

Understanding the core, preserving it and sending strategic disruptions around the edges.

The “Power of the Mind” 

There are moments in time that are defining; there is no secret sauce to success but comforting the problems and sometimes the brutal reality enables you to deal with pressure. 

Acknowledging the problem and ensuring the mindset is right is key. Skills set do nothing if the mindset is not right. 

The key question to ask yourself is are we dealing with the situation or is the situation dealing you to you. 

Mental skills growth

Starts with the leader and them understanding the importance of mental skills. 

To build the team’s capacity to mentally handle situations is connecting training with resilience and putting it front and centre.

COVID-19 is the perfect situation to build mental strength and dealing with emotional stress.

Material benefits of physical fitness on mental health

Mental health is being challenged during this time. Physical fitness intrinsically connected to mental health and if you are not doing physical fitness your mental health suffers. 

In your opinion why is R McCaw so successful?  

Hardworking, humble, and authentic. He works on himself and his game which enables him to lead and inspire others. His behaviour is also reflective of this. 

Cus D'Amato

“The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It’s the same thing, fear, but it’s what you do with it that matters.”.  

Everyone has fear and nerves but it is how you deal with that

We all have a load that we can carry, the key is not to get stuck or break. 

Getting out of your own way

There are moments that raise fear and if you can acknowledge it and then use your skills and talent that you possess more than often not you will succeed. 

Three things that leaders must have

Wish big, have a back bone to front the obstacles and have fun olong the way. 

Be where your feet are

Be in the present, not the past. Be in the moment is what matters and not what has happened before or that comes after; your action in the moment is what makes the difference. 

When you connect moments together, you create momentum. 

BIG PAUSE

Be at your best when your best is needed & not all moments in time are equal

It is most important to be at your best when it is needed and not all the time. There are particular moments when it is imperative. 

Champion performers deliver in the big moments. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLqzYDZAqCI

It is one phrase that can really be used as a tool.

In a given moment you can interpret something either positive or negative and there are associated behaviours to each. 

It isn’t about going below the line, but recognising when you do go below and use steps to get above it. 

Everyone has 2 lives. Your 2nd begins when you realise you’ve only got one.

Sometimes we take things for granted and life is great but you can get exposed to an experience that changes your perspective. 

It is a moment in life when you truly settle on and recognise what is important in life and what you are going to prioritise; this enables you to thrive not survive. 

Parallels from the All Blacks’ World Cup recovery to business recovery from COVID-19 

It is not about what the market brings but what you bring. The decisions you make far outweigh the situation. 

Post the Rugby World Cup it was important that the team prepared both physically and mentally. 

Talking about what energises you and what are you struggling with really helps. It enables you to identify situations that can bring stress. 

You also don’t need to go far into the future and bring fear to the forefront. You need to instead focus on the now and what you can control.

What is expected form leader is judgement and not stamina. 

Sustained success 

The moment you think that you have made it, you stand still. You need to have a thirst to take people the next step. 

Strategies to maintain and support psychological safety and connection ...

Andrew’s Highlights

3:21 Mental health in the corporate context 

6:45 The lessons from resting and recovering in sport 

12:30 Covid lessons 

19:00 Positive psychology

17:30 Physical and emotional signs of fatigue

22:30 Sustained performance rituals

28:40 Resilience Training 

30:00 What are the levers that impact performance?

33:20 Defining Meditation

37:30 Diaphragmatic breathing 

38:25 “Play” & making the time to

43:20 Benefits of getting out of our “comfort zone”

55:00 Dealing with Divorce 

59:00 Vulnerability is real 

1:02:00 Slowing down to speed up

1:04:40 Learnings from Barack Obama

1:05:20 Advice to your 20-year-old self

Mental Health & Corporate Context 

First factor is that people are now more comfortable with admitting that they are not okay. 

Second factor is that we are under more pressure and we are connected from sun up to sun down. When you have uncontrollable factors the cracks in the systems become more prevalent.

Lessons from resting and recovering in sport

The world’s greatest athletes train hard but recover even harder, both physically and mentally.

Recovery is key for athletes having longer heights to their careers. – It is the key to extending their careers. 

Most corporates do not spend time recovering; it is common for work to impede on personal time. 

Covid lessons

For those that have three main things, money, a home, and connectedness, Covid has in ways been beneficial; we have had more time whether it is reflecting or connecting with our family. 

However, there is also a second phase which is fatigue. Fatigue of the ‘New World of Work’, which is a highbred of working from home and returning the work. 

Physical and emotional signs of fatigue

Physically you are tired, you have body aches when you are fatigued

Mentally it is multi factorial; for example, your body clock is all over the place, it is hard to get up, or your retreating from social factors

Emotionally you are disconnected or feeling angry 

As a leader it is really important to realise this, one for yourself and for your team, especially right now. 

Positive psychology

Tell me what is right with me rather than what is wrong with me. 

Reflect on what is positive in life and when you are above the line. You may have a pre-disposition of looking at what is wrong but through training you can shift to concentrating on what is right and having more of those above the line moments. 

Sustained performance rituals

Around 50% of your psychology is inherited; for example, if your mother has a pessimistic, then you are 50% likely to be a pessimist; but there is also a 50% chance that you will not. You can be trained with thinking skills, the life you lead, the people that you hang around. 

Just because of may have come from a tough background it doesn’t mean it has to continue. Examples such as Larry Olson, Owner of Oracle, Oprah Winfrey etc. 

You can change the way you think

Resilience Training 

Sports people have high performance scenarios, where they have done the training that many times, that it becomes a living blue print. 

You can learn how to reflect on the positives through journaling or thinking about what you are grateful for.  

What are the levers that impact performance?

We have looked into 1,000 of evidence-based peer reviews to find the levers that impact performance; at a high level it is the body and the brain. 

Further to this, it can be broken down to 6 levers:

1. MOVE – Getting active 10,000 steps a day, including regular weights etc. 
2. FUEL - Nutrition
3. RECHARGE – Physical recovery and psychology detachment
4. THINK – Base psychology and getting yourself above the line
5. CONNECT – Connecting with purpose, community and nature 
6. PLAY – Having fun, laughter and play

Meditation

It doesn’t have to be listening to a meditation track, it could be sitting in a park or walking. It is ultimately about being present and slowing down the internal chatter – psychologically disconnecting. People need to try different forms until you find what works for you. 

Diaphragmatic breathing 

This can be a great alternative to meditation and is easy to do. 

Play & making the time to

Young kids play but as adults we beat it out of our lives. There needs to be a balance; I often ask Executives what they do for fun, laughter and play.

Benefits of getting out of our “comfort zone”

The same game – same home, same clothes, same lunch.

Learning so much about yourself and not playing the stay game. Having a choice to finding a way or not and then making the first choice into a habit. 

Divorce 

During the challenges, you learn about yourself…I spent time rebuilding myself and being truly connected to others. I was functionally depressed for 2 years and I used the 6 levers and got support. 

Vulnerability is real 

It builds trust between people when you show it. 

Slowing down to speed up

Slowing down to be calm and ready for your performance moments. 

Barack Obama

It takes out the decision-making process.

To do “deep” work you have to get away and block distractions and with this why Barrack Obama only wore one type of suit; it is one less decision that they would have to make and they can use that energy into an important one. 

Advice 20-year old self 

Number 1 is to slow down to speed up; don’t try and do everything straight away.

Number 2 is to continually evolve and adapt to grow.

Your host, Shaun, sits down with inspirational individuals who share key learnings from their own experiences on becoming great; whether it is in their own career, in their own field or inspiring growth across a business.

Together, each month, we will unpack key actions on how we can all learn from others’ experiences; unlocking our own scope to grow so that we can all become the best version of ourselves.

Shaun McCambridge is the Ma...

Topics covered:

• Overview of Form as a business

• Origins including the stories of the founders

• How they grew to an $160 million dollar business in 11 years

• Culture and what it takes to be a member for the Form team

• Current opportunities in the New Zealand market

Why do clients choose to partner with Form?

Delivery is a big part of it. In the Bay of Plenty there are many large industrial kiwi fruit projects where they must be completed by a date, likewise in Auckland with school projects and other time sensitive jobs. We have that relationship with clients and consultants that we do deliver. They like the element that we can self-perform part of the works with our own tradesman, and we are not reliant on subcontractors in the heated Auckland market. We are also easy to deal with, we are not a large contract company, and we like engaging with people instead of firing of letters left right and centre.

Tell us about the good family feel and flat structural culture within the business? How important is culture in your eyes and how would you define the Form culture?

It's very important and one of the key things throughout the business that we have all worked very hard on. I would define the culture as inclusive first and foremost, we are not a hierarchical or faceless business. The people who own the business are active in the business and happy to interact with everyone. I would describe the culture as professional, friendly and team orientated. We are big on our project teams, we refer to our key players in the team as the tripod, project manager, site manager and quantity surveyor. In any project they have the complete support of every facet of the business. I’m keen to understand what you look for in people who you work with and people that work for you? You are always looking for fit and fit with others in the business, we like straight-up people, people who want to put in a good days work, but want to focus on the task at hand and fit in with the team. People who are available to work unsupervised and generally nice friendly people. We are very hands on and personal and so people who like that sort of environment we generally look for as well.

This Industry update features Sussanah Osborne - Production General Manager for BHP. Susannah has had an impressive career that has spanned across Australia, New Zealand, Mongolia, Singapore, Canada, Spain and Africa. In this podcast she reflects on the decisions she made that dictated the direction of her career, how she sees the future of the mining industry, her experiences as a graduate all the way through to a leader of teams, and actionable advice on how others can learn from those around them, mentors and how to be effective 

1:00 What has driven Sussanah’s career and her decision-making process when advancing between roles

5:55 How the thirst for knowledge has driven her need to succeed

8:35 What her vision was at her time of graduating

10:30 Sussanah’s take on how to reverse the downward trend of mining engineering as a career

14:15 Pivotal moments that stand out in Sussanah’s career

17:00 Tips on how to transition between an expert in your field to a leader of people in your field.

20:00 How Sussanah has developed her Emotional Intelligence over her career

22:38: Mentors Sussanah has engaged with and how she has further developed her skillset

26:52 How to balance career and home life

31:15 Sussanah’s habits and rituals to get the most out of every day

34:45 Sussanah’s view on how to present the mining industry in a positive light

38:45 What makes Sussanah so passionate about mining, and why others should consider it a career option

This Industry update features Sonia Winter - the General Manager and SSE for BHP at the Poitrel mine in Queensland. She was one of the first female mining engineers to graduate in Queensland in 1994 and today is a leader and mentor for many young engineers and mining professionals across the industry. In this podcast, Shaun discusses her work ethic behind achieving what she has to date, her pivotal choices in her career and how she balances her demanding role along with being a full-time mum.

1:00 – Sonia’s vision as a young graduate and the pivotal moments in her career

3:15 – How she developed her EQ and IQ

5:15 – Importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone

7:45 – What Sonia looks for when hiring team members

9:00 – How Sonia has used and found mentors in her career

10:55 – About challenging the status quo to achieve positive outcomes

14:40 – Moving from being a mining engineer to managing

17:40 – About balancing career and motherhood

20:25 – Habits and rituals Sonia uses to create more success

22:30 – Tips for work life balance

23:60 – What the mines of the future look like

26:00 – Sonia’s passion around mining and why others should pursue it

28:00 – What is unique and exciting about mining?

What was your vision as a young graduate and what career decisions did you make along the way that were pivotal to getting you where you are today?

I think as a first year graduate you kind of want it all, I remember being on site and seeing the general manager as sort of that pivotal role that you aspire to want to be as a graduate, I didn’t know what that meant at the time, I didn’t know what skills or experience I needed to get there I just knew that on site that was the role that everyone sort of aspired to be. Starting out as a mining engineer that weaved around different technical pathways and there were some pivotal conversations that were had throughout my career that lead me from a mining graduate to my current role. I remember spending a lot time in that technical space and a senior leader had a conversation with me which was about me being at that point of whether I’m going to stay in the technical stream and continue on that pathway or moving into that people management side of things. So I took that conversation on board, had a think about whether I would jump out of my comfort zone into that people focused space as I loved my technical space, and the way I did it was moving to managing a smaller technical team and realising I loved that, to managing a larger technical team realised I loved that, then the next pivotal movement was into managing large teams where you weren’t the technical expert and you actually had to deliver through others and it was about engaging in that people management space. I guess through that journey I discovered that I really love that people management and leadership side and for me it has been a challenging learning curve, but I love seeing others achieve success and unlock their own potential.

Can you tell us about how you developed your EQ and IQ?

I focused on the technical aspect in the earlier years of my career journey and I guess reflecting what pushed me into that space was life in general, and as a parent I’ve learnt a lot of lessons parenting teenagers. You have to learn to flex your leadership style and parenting style to get the best out of your kids and the people around you and that was a lightbulb moment for me that was when I realized that the human element, the personality and tapping into peoples innate potential is where the key is to unlocking the secret of high performing teams. 

Have you always consciously pushed yourself out of your comfort zone? And why do you think it’s important?

Growing up I loved competitive sport and it applied that level of discipline to life to balance out the training side of it with the academic side as there is only so many hours in the day. I found growing up that I was a harder task master on myself than any of my coaches could be, and I think I still am. I have high expectations of what I need to be doing for my teams on site as well. If I looked back on my whole journey, I always so failure as a negative, and it took me a long time to realize that you got more incredible learnings when you’re not coming first but by actually trying hard, and that self-reflection of unwrapping of how you can do better next time. You get that sort of internal drive to pick yourself up, you learn how to conduct yourself when you’re not at the top of your game, its that resilience piece that I think is really important coming through because you’re not always going to be number one every day.

What are some of things you look for in people when you hire them for your team?

I think you put your name forward for roles, and its not always about having all the skills you need for that role in your toolbox at that time. What I particularly look for is that self-awareness of where people are in regard to their skillsets and capabilities, I look for that engaging nature so that they can actually communicate and articulate those aspects, for me values are big, integrity respect, doing what you say you are going to do, and at the end of the day that energy that motivation that willingness to learn if you have all of that then everything else can be taught on the job.

This podcast features Tom Scantlebury – Expert in Customer Experience Management. Tom has 20 years experience in customer experience management, chaired customer experience forums, he has appeared as a keynote speaker and thought leader for Australia’s biggest brands and he has shared the stage with Obama, Branson and Opera. He is an expert in experience management for both Customers and Employees.

What is the elevator summary of what customer experience is and what your firm does in this regard?

Customer experience management is hard to measure and hard to capture, a customer experience is how people feel about that business through the entirety of their journey with you. Those interactions can start long before they become a customer and sometimes long after they leave. On the flip side – employee experience is the equivalent – how do your employees feel throughout the employee life cycle. That’s what CX and EX are and essentially what we do is, we provide the management to that, we put some methodology and tangle steps around how to handle that.

Why are companies doubling down on experience management? What are the tangible economic benefits of that?

Around the year 2000, a paper came out of Harvard saying the one thing you need to grow is NPS or Net Promoter Score. The sharing was that if you’ve got advocates for customers then you’re going to succeed. You had the GFC which saw companies trying to retain more customers as there were less out there, then you had the digital revolution of smartphones, which put power of information in the consumers hands. What we say now is that customers have a megaphone and super hearing. Over the last 20 years you’ve had a huge shift to the power of the consumer. Why are companies doing this? Because it makes money, companies that outperform the market are offering better customer experiences. More than ever they are disproportionately rewarded for it, if you do the wrong thing you are disproportionally punished for it.

What are tangible benefits of nailing experience management?

The Net Promoter System basically asks this question – ‘How likely are you to recommend x company or product to a friend or family?’ What that does is it categorises your customers. 9’s and 10’s are promoters, 7’s and 8’s are passive or neutral and 6 to 0 we call detractors. Essentially what happens is when you start measuring how people think and feel about you then you can track how they behave. So what we know is that if you have promoters, they are loyal, they are not price sensitive, they actually want to help you succeed. They will problem shoot for you, but most of all they are out their recommending and talking about your product. What people do is they believe strangers more than a company’s own marketing campaign. They will look on a review website and believe what a stranger says about a company before they make a purchase. You have more promoters; your business grows without you investing in things like traditional marketing channels which are becoming less and less effective. Your advocates are you new marketers. From a CX perspective, it reduces a lot of costs and you find a lot of efficiencies a lot of the time, a customer will tell you how you can do things better and faster next time. There’s an increase in productivity there’s an increase in customer retention there’s a decrease in churn, increase in loyalty.  

This podcast features Lydia Gentle – Engineering Manager at BHP. She has been awarded the Order of Australia medal for her service to engineering, has worked on various projects internationally and is a successful mentor and leader in her field. In this podcast she discusses her experiences from getting started as an engineer, to her progression as a leader in the largest mining company in the world. She shares her philosophies on leadership, mindset as well as the future of engineering and how aspiring engineers can best prepare themselves and learn about entering the industry. 
  

Rewind back to when you were 17, I understand you had a pretty pivotal conversation with your teacher that set all this in play?

Yes I did! Growing up in north Queensland where you’re exposed to the farming industry and agriculture, I was talking to my teacher and he mentioned I should be an engineer and honestly, I had no idea of what engineers even did. It was a pivotal time for me, I was absolutely in awe of my maths teacher and I always enjoyed maths, it was that simple correct or incorrect answer which I liked. He explained the profession and said I had the perfect maths brain for it and that I should apply for it at Uni, and that’s exactly what I did!

You’ve worked in a variety of capacities, as a graduate working on design in industrial projects, and then on to London working on high-rises. You’ve worked on smaller family owned companies and large-scale oil and gas projects and mining construction projects, for large construction companies and now you head up large cap-ex projects for the biggest mining company in the world in BHP. The question is, was that deliberate in gaining various experience in building your career or was that just you figuring out maybe where you wanted to be?

A lot of that comes down to never saying no to an opportunity. I grew up in a small country town, went to university in Townsville and had never really left the state. I thought if I got a job closer to Brisbane it might at least get me over the border every now and then. I was lucky enough to get a job with GHD and then really enjoying my time with them I really wanted to broaden my horizons, so I went to England as many Australians do which was phenomenal. I was thrown into the deep end as a structural engineer working on some of the oldest buildings in the world and I am really grateful for that experience and the opportunity to rise to that challenge. We then spent 6 months travelling around Europe and I was sitting in Venice having a coffee when a gentleman I had worked for before sat next to me and he worked for a contracting company in Australia. He said to give him a call when I went back to Aus, which is exactly what I did and that’s how I ended up working in construction. So I think just saying yes to these opportunities has what lead me to these places in my career, then with BHP they’ve got a phenomenal history and when I saw an opportunity come up for an engineering manager it was just one that really suited my skillset, I wasn’t looking for a role it was just one that popped up on LinkedIn and I thought ‘Why not?’. I was looking for a change and I’ve been blown away by the opportunities that I’ve had since so its just saying yes when an opportunity presents.

Talk to us about that transition about being a competent engineer and performing well to taking that step to leading other people to being a manager and leading other people with different values different skillsets?

I think the important thing is you never stop learning. So when it looked like I was getting close to my career to when I would start leading a group of people, I did a lot of research on different leadership styles and what works for other people and look at those that had inspired me. I think its just understanding that, it’s like anything in life if you do your research and prepare for it it will set you up for success. You can have a fantastic group of engineers but if you can’t build the culture of a team, you’ll never be successful. It’s important to understand that people react differently in different situations and they have different motivations in life. If you can key into that you can key in 
to their why, then you can sell the strategy and you can be a great leader.

You’ve been in a position where you’ve had to stand out amongst other candidates for a job. What tips can you offer to others about this?

I think it’s really important that you never stop learning. If you look at my CV I won’t just have one qualification on there. I’ve got my masters, I became a welding inspector when that was a requirement, I became a heavy lift designer when that was a requirement. I’ve just stepped out and when I found something that interested me I just pursued it. I think it’s important to stand out that you don’t just have that very narrow career, that you have broadened your horizons. Even if they’re activities that you’ve taken on in that extracurricular space. I think that really shows you are a lot more focused if you are involved in the community. Those are the type of people I really look for when I’m reviewing resumes.

Tell us about the intersection between intelligence and mindset, and how you’ve grown your own mindset to sort of intersect with that level of intellect?

Mindset will account for about 80% of your success in life I believe, and its understanding that sometimes you find yourself in situations and its often not so much a direct attribute of yourself as a person but more that of the situation. So it’s having that positive mindset and that growth mindset to understand what are the steps you are going to take, to then move on. I attended a motivational session with Chris Helder and what really resonated with me was the philosophy of 10 seconds of guilt then move on. Everyone makes mistakes but you don’t need to dwell on them forever, allow yourself the 10 seconds of guilt then move on! And I think that also comes down to your mindset as well, which is rising above all the issues and challenges that you have. We all have those and its about putting those next steps into place about how can I move on? What useful believe that I can have that will then get me out of this situation? What’s the first step that I must take to turn this into a positive?   

This podcast features Greg Savage - world renowned recruiter, author, speaker and entrepreneur with over 40 years experience in the recruitment industry. In this podcast he discusses his experiences getting started in the recruitment industry, scaling 4 highly successful businesses, the future of recruitment and technology, his up coming book 'The Savage Truth' and what it takes to build and maintain a high performing culture.

Can you give us the 3-minute summary of your recruitment CV?

I started in January in 1980, I worked in executive search in Australia for a few years, went to London worked for Accountancy Placements which is the company that became Hays, this was before the internet, so it was all old school recruiting in it’s truest sense. I then came back to Australia with the same company and when Hays bought that company, myself and 2 other guys jumped off and started our own business which was called Recruitment Solutions. It was a long journey but it was a lot of fun and a lot of success and we grew that business from the three of us in a room to 250 people across Australia and New Zealand and enlisting on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1998 which was the 3rd recruitment com ever to list. That was a lot of fun, I stayed on the board for some time after that, but that’s a different story.

What in your view does it take to become a successful recruiter in 2019?

It’s the million-dollar question, and I think that a great recruiter going forward will be an expert in the use of the best technology and they will harness that technology and they will extract the value of it, but it will synchronise with highly sophisticated human influencing skills. That’s the marriage of art and science that makes a great recruiter in my opinion. And so its wrong for people to say that automation will do recruiting, its equally as wrong to say that its all human and its all the old school its neither its not binary. It’s a mix and tied in with that is the ability to build brand – and really I’d say it like this a great recruiter has to provide clients with something they cant find themselves. Our competition isn’t other agencies, it isn’t LinkedIn or Seek – all of those things are chipping away and playing their part but the real crux of value is to bring to clients what they cant find themselves and that is of course unique candidates. You need to act as an agent for great talent and represent them in the marketplace.

What are your tips for clients when engaging with agencies?

The recruitment industry in its current model is dysfunctional, and its partly because recruiters have allowed it to be that way, but partially because clients drive it that way through contingent multi-listed job orders. So our biggest tip for clients is work with less recruiters, expect more from them but provide them more commitment. That is the key, you should give your jobs to a great recruiter exclusively and then expect the best from them. Provide them with all the information they need give them transparency, bring them into the tent. You need to partner with them not interact with them in a transactional context. The decision making by clients on how to use recruiters is totally dysfunctional and harmful to all parties, this includes the candidate. My big tip is high expectations of your recruiter but give them high commitment.

What are your tips for creating and sustaining a high-performance culture?

Creating a high-performance culture starts at the very beginning, you’ve got to hire the right sort of people. If you hire mediocre people then you only get mediocre results, drive and motivation. You can put lipstick on a pig but its still a pig! The second thing is clarity around goals, great clarity about what good looks like, transparency around measurement and the scorecard, and reward high performance exponentially. You want to over-reward high performance, you want to be generous with what you share. We want a business where high expectations are seen as a job perk, good people want to work where expectations are high and striving from other people in the team is consistent. The final part is accountability and consequences, a high-performance environment has accountability, if you play for the greatest rugby team in the world, then you get dropped if you underperform. And there’s huge consequences, financially, moral everything else. It’s the same in business, I’m not saying people are going to get fired for making a mistake – its not as blunt as that, but we have expectations for culture, behaviour & performance. They are clear, they are communicated they are agreed with, and then if they are not met then there is a consequence. I’m not talking about a hire and fire environment or a punitive environment, I’m talking about a collaborative team environment. But if you want to play on the best team, then you have to perform to that teams’ expectations. Create an environment where feedback is cultural not personal. 

For more information or details on Greg's book visit: http://www.gregsavage.com.au

Topics covered:

• Overview of McNab Construction
• The McNab Story – from beginnings to running a company with a $290 million turnover
• The McNab culture, and how it is instilled in both employees and customers
• Work ethic and what attracts and retains the best employees

85% of your business is repeat, which is remarkable in construction. Why do you think customers continue to choose to partner with you?

It’s really about our people, there’s some simple ethos’ when you work with McNab, I expect you to be solutions focused, I expect you to make a buck but I expect you to put your customers first and foremost. Our industry can be very adversarial, and we get there as well, but the important piece is that the customer is the focus and it’s not about the building its about what the customer really wants and sometimes that’s hard to divorce from. We have a great customer cohort and with 27 live projects at the moment I would say I know 25 of those people and they are good people. Something else that’s important to me is the profile of that customer, how they operate, their ethics.

How do you approach culture at McNab?

When I first started, I had no idea what culture meant and the power of it. Then you work out that you’ve got a way of doing things, now one of my main roles is to make sure culture is instilled throughout all levels of the business. There is a process for new starters within the first 4 – 8 weeks it’s a very formal induction process that lasts 3 or 4 days. I’ll sit down for a couple of hours with every new staff member and talk about the stories of McNab, the stuff ups the great victories and try and get that culture through as a story. And when people get it, they’re just on turbos, they really get on board.

How do you define the culture?

Response-able – I really want you to own up to everything that you are. We spend a lot of time on leadership training, good bad and ugly really trying to understand yourself. When you are response-able, you are not performing up to everything you are able on a day, I want you to just own it. Let everyone else know. More importantly when you’re doing a really good job, you are response-able for your outcomes, be prepared to pat yourself on the back and really own what you do. We have a value of care we’ve got a value of safety and growth and you need to be response-able for all of those things. You need to be the best you can be. Really own who you are, which is challenging for all of us.

What attracts and retains people to McNab in your opinion?

It’s a bit cliché but we like to have fun at McNab. We hold you accountable too, if we look back on our stats this year, there has been quite a few people leaving the business, but we’ve pushed that. We won’t accept mediocre, and sometimes it’s not the person in questions fault, they just don’t fit to the way we operate. When you end up in McNab, we spend a lot of time in interviews, by market standards we are probably a bit tough to get on board with, but it’s really important to us that we understand you clearly, and that you fit into the McNab way. You are autonomous but we hold you very accountable, I expect you to be very good at your job and I expect you to perform. I don’t want you working 100 hours a week, work life is maybe cliché too, but I want you to have fun and come to work. I want you to be passionate about working at McNab, and I think if people see that it rubs off on them and it makes them want to work with us.

This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Gina Mollicone-Long, NLP guru, motivational speaker and world-renowned author.

Gina’s Highlights

0:20 What is NLP?

1:10 How you do anything is how you do everything

1:30 The will to win

2:35 Difference between conscious and unconscious mind

5:50 Timeline therapy

7:50 Reticular Activating System

9:50 Power of choice and cause of effect

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

It is the study of success and how to replicate this

How you do anything is how you do everything

Is a pattern behaviour; by understanding how you go things successfully, you can then replicate that success.

The will to win

The will to win is a real defining factor across sports and life of those that go on to achieve great things or don’t. 

Difference between conscious and unconscious mind

Unconscious brain is your goal setter and your unconscious brain is your goal getter.

Shaun has spent a lot of time building rapport between both the unconscious brain and the unconscious to ensure that he

Timeline therapy

It is the idea that the process of time in linear from the present to future. If you run yourself to a time in the future, at a moment that has not happened yet, and feel proud that you achieved what you did and were successful then it can help alleviate your fears and succeed. E.g. Public speaking.

Reticular Activating System

Where you can only see what you are looking for. When your mind has become conscious of seeing something E.g. Looking for a new car and then that is all you see. 

If you prime your brain towards something, then that is what you see; similar to that of a quote by Tony Robbins, “where your focus goes, your energy flows”. 

Power of Choice and Cause of Effect

Your situation is the result of every decision you have made, whether good or bad. The flip side of that is when you see yourself as a victim of your own choices. One thought process is owning it and the other is being a victim. It comes down to the power of choice and owning that choice.

Jonah Oliver

This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Jonah Oliver, performance psychologist to The Essendon Football Club, Brisbane Roar A-League, Tennis Australia, The Queensland Institute of Sport and Golf Australia. 

Jonah’s Highlights

13:30 Normalising anxiety and stress 

15:15 Being comfortable with discomfort

18:40 Values based decision making

20:45 Mindfulness

22:00 Recovery

23:00 Fitness

Normalising anxiety and stress 

Anxiety and stress are normal reactions and it doesn’t have to be labelled always as a negative thing; it is a sign that you are focusing on the wrong things or right things. There are tools and techniques to diffuse anxiety. By labelling it, it takes the power away from it.

Being comfortable with discomfort

If the discomfort is the service of something meaningful, you can move past the discomfort.

Similar to that of Justin Langer’s quote “the pain of discipline is nothing like the pain of disappointment”.

Values based decision making

Goals should be linked to your values not the outcome. Being true and very clear about what you value will make you more likely to achieve the outcome.  

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is simply about slowing the brain down and narrowing center of focus.   

Proven to increase IQ, stress response, less anxiety 

Reference to “Tools of titans” by Tim Ferriss

Recovery

Taking time to recover to enable yourself to become better. 

Fitness

The positive impact of fitness can be across many facets including physical health, mental health, sleep and more; all of these benefits are enable you to become your best self.

Cameron Smith

This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Cameron Smith, Melbourne Storm, former Queensland State of Origin and Australian Kangaroos captain.

Shaun’s Highlights

1:52 Will to win 

2:30 Stellar Factors

2:55 There are fractions between ok and great

5:50 Competitive in every moment 

Will to Win

The will to win is a real defining factor across sports and life of those that go on to achieve great things or don’t.  

Three Key Stellar Factors

1. Competitiveness 
2. Character 
3. Above level intelligence 

There are fractions between ok and great

One conversation can change your trajectory and one that Cameron referred to was with a conversation with long-term coach Craig Bellamy.

Key action: When was the last time you were truly outside your comfort zone? 

Competitive in every moment 

Cameron commented that Jonathon Thurston has the ability and habit to compete in every moment where he found a way.

Listen Now: https://share.transistor.fm/s/99a06dc5

Richie McCaw (7:30) 

This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Richie McCaw, former New Zealand Rugby Union player and 2-time world cup winning captain of the All Blacks.

Richie’s Highlights

8:30 You need the desire and willingness and chosen to go after what he wanted with incremental success 

9:35 Sacrifices vs. choices 

10:30 Being a pioneer 

11:00 Self-doubt 

12:00 Mental skills 

13:25 Willingness and commitment

13:50 Additional references 

You need the desire and willingness 

To be successful you need the desire and willingness as well as the ability to choose what you go after. You need to be committed to making incremental improvements to ultimately be successful. 

Believes in choices versus sacrifices

Riche spent the time to do the additional training and worked on himself to find the mental edge; it was a choice for him and not a sacrifice. 

Being a pioneer

Being a pioneer is something that guides Ritchie. One person that has inspired him the most is Sir Edmund Hillary who was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who first reached the summit of Mt Everest with Sherpa mountaineer, Tenzing Norgay.

Self-Doubt

It is normal and it is more about how you process it and then act on it. You need to develop techniques with tools and strategies to ensure that you can make the difference when needed.

Mental Skills 

Richie and the All blacks started working on the mental aspect of sports with experts such as Gilbert Enoka and Cary Evans. Working as a team and as an individual on how the brain acts under pressure. They started to shift the entire culture of the All Blacks. 

Willingness and commitment 

He has an incredible commitment to his goals that is supported with constant incremental gains.

Additional References

Chasing Great

A documentary to see how Richie McCaw became one of the greatest rugby players and to follow him through his final season as he attempts the goal of captaining the All Blacks to the first ever back to back Rugby World Cup wins.

The Real McCaw: The Autobiography

McCaw recounts for the first time, with brutal honesty, the roots of his family life that defined his character and how it gave him the strength to emerge from the lowest moment in his career to become the most successful Captain world rugby has ever seen.

Legacy, Written by James Kerr

A book that goes deep into the heart of the world's most successful team, the New Zealand All Blacks, to help understand what it takes to bounce back from adversity and still reach the top.

Listen Now: https://share.transistor.fm/s/88a0c3b1

About The Host
Shaun McCambridge is the Managing Director of Stellar Recruitment, a devoted husband and father to four spritely children. 

Prior to starting his next podcast series, Shaun wanted to share his top key takeaways from his first two podcast seasons; Season 1: Inspirational leaders and Season 2: Debunking your growth mindset.

Suzie’s Highlights
4:00 Following your heart and trusting your instincts
4:43 How one conversation can change your life, key learning from Sarah Ulmer,
former NZ cyclist
5:50 Moments that often define your future, key learning from Gilbert Enoka, Mental
Skills Coach
6:50 Pivotal coach feedback

Following your heart and trust your instincts
Highly talented, Suzie had the option of pursuing either basketball and cricket; she went
with what she loved, cricket.

One conversation can change your life
While she was in High School, Sarah Ulmer, former New Zealand cyclist, spoke at her
school. The main message that Suzie took from that speech had a profound impact on her
life: that it is possible to achieve your dreams, if you go after your goals.

Moments are not all equal, key message from Gilbert Enoka, Mental Skills Coach
There are certain moments that you can be make a conscious choice that really define your
future.

Feedback from coach
One coach, early on in her career, said that she wasn’t at the fitness level that she needed
to be. She pivoted from a victim mindset to a growth mindset where she took on the
challenge head on.

Listen Now: https://audioboom.com/posts/7199086-inspiring-leader-high-performance-and-
inspiring-young-women-a-reflection-on-sporting-excellence

Tyrone “Cyclone” Tongia
This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Tyrone Tongia, also known as Coach
Cyclone. Tyrone is a personal trainer committed to engaging and supporting his clients
through professional boxing protocols. His momentous boxing accolades are as a retired 3
x consecutive Australian Pro Boxing Champion and coached a World Boxing champion Brett
W Smith “Handful”. It all started when Tyrone was 9 years old and a friend introduced him
to boxing as a means of fitness.

Tyrone’s Highlights
10:45 How to navigate fear; it’s what we do with it that matters
10:58 Children can also learn from boxing and go through their own journey
11:50 Sense of community and being part of something

Cus D’Amato Quote
“The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it
onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It's the same thing, fear, but it's what
you do with it that matters.”

How to navigate fear
Navigating fear through self-confidence, discipline and character.

Children having their own journey through boxing
Shaun’s children have also begun their own journey with boxing; learning self-
confidence, discipline, and character. It gives them strategies to navigate their own
fears and gets them out of their comfort zone.

Sense of community
Tyrone has created his own community with a true feeling that you belong. The common
thread of denominators includes like-mindedness, proactiveness, personal drive and respect.

Listen Now: https://audioboom.com/posts/7170773-inspiring-leader-tyrone-cyclone-tongia-
founder-cyclonehq

About the host
Shaun McCambridge is the Managing Director of Stellar Recruitment, a devoted husband
and father to four spritely children.

Justin’s Highlights
5:05 Meditation
7:30 Pain of discipline is nothing like the pain
8:45 Connecting with people & the Harvard Study of Adult Development
11:00 Constant drive to get better
Meditation
Justin uses meditation to slow his mind, be more present, and also remove the anxiety to become more relaxed and play at his best.
Since the original podcast, Shaun has started daily meditation of 20 minutes and beyond the former mentioned benefits, he also finds that he sleeps better, and doesn’t emotionally react as much.

Reference to Tools of Titans by Timothy Ferriss

“The pain of discipline is nothing like the pain of disappointment”
This is a quote of Justin’s that really resinated with Shaun and when times become difficult he often revisits it.

Importance of staying connected with people
During the podcast Justin discusses the importance of staying connected with people and how it has improved his life.

There is an ongoing Harvard study of Adult Development that started in 1938 that they hoped would find clues to leading healthy and happy lives. In this study the people that are/were the happiest weren’t from a particular socio-economic group but were the people who embraced the community and maintained close connections with others.

Reference to the Harvard study of Adult Development or otherwise known as the Happiness Study. 

Constant drive to get better

Justin’s constant drive to get better is inspirational. The concept of falling up instead of down rings true for Shaun. Utilising set-backs as motivators is key continually improving yourself.   

Listen Now: https://audioboom.com/posts/7170777-inspiring-leader-justin-langer-head-coach-western-australian-cricket

Henry Nicholls
This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Henry Nicholls, international cricketer for the New Zealand Black Caps and captain of the reserve A side. Henry credits a structured’ ‘do the work’ approach to his cricketing success which has seen him go from a ‘player worth investing in’ (coach Mike Hesson) into a fully-fledged playmaker and regular for the Black Caps.

Henry’s Highlights
12:20 Start of Henry Nicholl’s podcast summary
13:00 Investment in a mental skills coach
14:00 Being self-aware and courageous enough
16:20 Enjoy what you do and focus on the process

Being Self Aware & Courageous Enough
Henry spoke about being self-aware and courageous enough to be true to yourself by playing your own way.

Similar to the Justin Langer and Richie McCaw podcasts, he focussed on falling up and the he invested in a mental coach to enable him to play how he wanted to.

Reference to the Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor 

Enjoy what you do
Enjoy what you do versus putting pressure on yourself to perform; instead focus on the process and not the outcome.

https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness?language=en

Dr. Tara Swart's Highlights

• 2:10 Impact of those you spent the most time with
• 3:50 Coaching emotional intelligence and resilience
• 5:00 What are vision boards? Why are they so powerful?
• 6:20 Conscious and Unconscious brain 
• 7:00 Sleep and Hydration 
• 10:50 Journaling 
• 11:45 Improving 10 things by 1%
• 12:45 Caffeine stimulates for 12 hours
• 14:05 Gratitude and the benefits

The impact of those you spent the most time with

It is important to be mindful of those people who you spend time with. 

When you are within close proximity of those who are stressed, their levels of the stress hormone can impact your own disposition; This is also true if you are around positive and energised people. 

Emotional intelligence

Is about regulating yourself and also others around you. 

Resilience 

Despite the setbacks and challenges it is the ability to persevere in pursuit of your goal. 

Vision Boards

Are about priming your brain towards what you want to achieve. They are a visual representation that are supported by actions that take you towards your goals. 

Conscious and unconscious brain
The conscious brain is the goal setter and the unconscious brain is the goal getter. 

Hydration 

You should aim to consume 500mls per 15 kg of weight per day. 

Sleep

Most people need between 7-8hrs per night. It impacts your IQ and overall life is that little bit easier with the right amount of sleep.  

It is also recommended that you should also stop drinking alcohol and eating food around prior to going to sleep. 

Journaling 

Journaling primes the brain to deliver on your goals; it also starts to highlight habits. 

Improving 10 things by 1%

Instead of improving 1 thing by 10%, improve 10 things by 1%. It is much easier than doing this and the net gain is the same. Incremental gains can make a profound impact and it can be as simple as actioning the hydration and sleep suggestions from this podcast. 

Additional Resource Highlight: Atomic Habits book by James Clear.

Gratitude and the benefits 

Humans are wired to think about what they don’t have. I quote 3 things that I am grateful for and 1 thing that I am looking forward to. 

Gratitude brings to the front of the mind the more positive, abundant style of thinking and in the research that I’ve done, I’ve found that overtime that list develops and moves more from the external things like friends and family that you are grateful for to more intrinsic capabilities like my resilience my creativity, my adaptability my ability to solve problems. Once you really acknowledge that to yourself you start to feel like ok, if something bad happens to me, I’m more aware of the capabilities I have to deal with that. So, when there’s a crisis, you know you can get through it.  

Sophie

Shaun McCambridge is the Managing Director of Stellar Recruitment, a devoted husband and father to four spritely children. Shaun created the Debunking your Growth Mindset series to unpack practical ways to help people grow and build on current mindsets and challenge old habits, with a view to unlocking the potential within all of us.

In closing the growth mindset podcast series, Shaun wanted to share his top key takeaways from the podcasts. This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Sophie McCambridge – Shaun’s 9-year-old daughter. Sophie speaks with her Dad about growth mindsets.

Sophie’s Highlights

16:55: Define what each is - growth and fixed mindset

18:10 Shaun had his own struggles is when he had a fixed mindset

18:30 Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls

19:50 Shaun’s own ups and downs as a child

20:30 Increasingly standard part of the curriculum

The importance of defining what is a growth and fixed mindset

By defining with your child what each is and then being able to label it in situations by using common language, helps them identify it and then change it for the better. 

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Elena Favilli 

Introduces over 100 remarkable women and their extraordinary lives. It uncovers their individual trials and tribulations that they had to overcome to achieve their goals. 

Sharing your Own Stories