What if the hardest session you’ve ever done became the moment your team truly bonded? We sit down with Sir Gordon Tietjens, the architect of All Blacks Sevens dominance, to unpack a culture built on honesty, humility, discipline, and relentless work—and why those values still win when talent alone can’t.

Tietjens takes us inside his selection philosophy, revealing why character outruns hype in a sport decided by inches. He breaks down his traffic‑light model—greens who self‑drive, yellows who drift, reds who divide—and shows how clear standards, from nutrition to conditioning tests, create trust that sticks. With vivid stories about Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen, and captain Eric Rush, we see how leadership from the front and non‑negotiables on fitness forged teams that treated every match like a final and delivered when it mattered most.

We also explore how to sell hard work to young athletes and their families, why care and demand must live together, and how rituals like haka and tournament simulations turn effort into identity. Tietjens contrasts the old school with today’s GPS‑driven limits and player leadership groups, offering a pragmatic path: choose athletes who will work, explain the why, and protect standards that protect performance. His experience shaping China’s high‑performance sevens program adds a global lens on buy‑in, recovery, and sustaining edge without burnout.

Expect a blueprint for coaches and leaders who want consistency over noise: set real standards, select for character, build trust with your captain, and let the jersey mean something. If this conversation hits home, follow the show, share it with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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Pressure isn’t a detour in coaching—it’s the road itself. We open up about the weight leaders carry, from constant decision-making to public scrutiny, and why stress doesn’t signal failure but commitment. Instead of wishing problems away, we talk about building the muscle to walk through them, drawing on research-backed ideas about process-focused mindset shifts that shorten the emotional downtime after hard calls and tough losses.

From there, we get practical. We lay out how to build a clean on-off switch so coaching mode doesn’t follow you through the front door. Think small, deliberate rituals: write tomorrow’s first task, pause in the car before you walk in, leave your bag by the door, and, if work truly can’t wait, move it to a neutral space like a café. Presence at home isn’t a luxury; it’s a skill that strengthens your presence on the field. The sharper your boundaries, the clearer your judgment and the more patient your conversations with players, staff, and families.

We close with the third anchor: a controllable outlet that answers to effort. Training, running, lifting, reading, writing—anything with predictable feedback—gives your mind a stable win when sport gets chaotic. Set goals you own, track progress, and let that rhythm remind you that you’re more than a weekend’s result. Put together, these three habits—endure, disconnect, and control one thing—help you bounce back faster, coach with steadier energy, and enjoy the craft for the long haul.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a coach who needs it today, and leave a quick review so more people can find these tools. What’s your best switch-off ritual? We’d love to hear it.

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Ever feel like your work is judged on the tiniest slice of time while everything that matters happens in the shadows? We sit down with Sharks coach and leadership consultant Joey Mongalo to unpack how identity, conviction, and a clear model help leaders thrive under pressure—on the field and in the boardroom.

We start with the uncomfortable truth: people judge coaches on 80 minutes. Joey explains how he anchors himself by revisiting his track record to counter noise with facts, then shows why the strongest coaching rooms share pain, not blame. From there, we dive into the power of a pervasive model—the kind that dictates recruitment, training blocks, and language—so decisions get simpler and performance becomes coherent. Think Pep Guardiola’s keeper call, explained in detail and translated for any organization.

The heart of our talk is narrative and alignment. Joey makes a compelling case for “leading up”: enrolling boards and executives with a clear time horizon, milestones, and phrases they can repeat under fire. We frame strategy as story—plot, journey, characters, outcome—so fans, families, and teams know what to expect in year one versus year three. A Spurs ball boy moment becomes the blueprint: when everyone understands the model, everyone becomes a game‑changer.

We translate high performance sport into business with practical tools: move from silos to fences with doors, use shared language to build repeatable behaviors, and coach teams to manage work‑ons, maximize strengths, and then mold and mobilize others. Joey’s Team IP3 framework—Identity, Purpose, Philosophy, Process—ties it together, giving leaders a simple way to align at the top and create cohesion on the ground. We close by reframing adversity: life is unfair and leadership is tough, which is exactly why clarity and courage are competitive advantages.

If this conversation helps you sharpen your model or your message, share it with a leader who needs it, subscribe for more culture-first coaching talks, and leave a review with your three-word model—we’ll feature our favorites next time.

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If you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. Ben

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A surgeon’s simple habit changed the way we coach. We dig into how the first and last moments of any experience anchor the emotion, memory, and meaning people carry forward—and how that insight can turn ordinary sessions into powerful learning events. Starting from an unexpected colonoscopy analogy, we translate a soft start and a calm finish into practical tools for rugby and any team environment.

We walk through three levels of application. At the season level, we show how a strong opening meeting and a thoughtful closing ceremony frame the story your players remember, even when results are mixed. At the session level, we share quick ways to prime attention in the first minute and seal learning in the last—without bloated speeches or gimmicks. At the drill level, we lean into Mike Cron’s “pot lid” huddle: a fast circle where players toss in what they noticed, name one cue, and close the lid so insights stick.

You’ll hear why perception becomes reality for each athlete, how small bookends shift motivation and mood, and which phrases keep things clear and human. Expect concrete timings to try tonight: 10 seconds to set purpose, one cue to guide reps, 30 seconds to harvest takeaways. The aim is simple—design the start and the finish so the middle gets better on its own. If you coach any sport, lead a team, or teach a class, this approach will help you reduce anxiety, boost confidence, and build lasting memory.

Try the framework this week: start well, finish well, and watch buy-in rise. If this sparked new ideas, subscribe, share it with a coach who cares about craft, and leave a short review so others can find the show.

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If you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. Ben

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A late-night training, a tired team, and a coach who missed the real story—that’s where everything changed. Andre Petorius shares how a single moment of misread effort led him to apologize, “break the chain” of how he was coached, and build a people-first approach anchored in three words: understand and assist.

We dive into a definition you’ll remember long after the episode ends: culture as your team’s immune system. Andre shows how small daily behaviors—inviting young players into extras, how you leave a gym, the way you speak after errors—either strengthen or weaken that system. Coaching in Japan pushed him to listen differently, use humor to open doors, and bring player ideas into the room. The result is a team that speaks up, owns solutions, and learns faster. His mantra “calling up, not out” reframes feedback: praise the precise piece that worked, then fix the next layer. It’s not softer; it’s smarter, and it stops the spiral that turns one mistake into an identity.

You’ll also hear why Andre stopped talking about winning. Not because results don’t matter, but because outcome obsession warps behavior and language. By doubling down on standards, process, and specific improvements, performances stabilize—and unexpected wins emerge: a debut earned, an aerial skill streak, a tighthead’s first linking pass. Andre’s journey from attack coach to defense coach adds another edge; defense teaches how to fight and protect, while attack learns to create and manipulate. Through it all, his faith grounds his identity, letting him lead without fear, serve his players, and keep perspective when the scoreboard doesn’t cooperate.

If you’re a coach, leader, or teammate who wants a practical, human blueprint for culture and performance, this conversation will serve you well. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs it today, and leave a review with the one idea you’ll apply this week.

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If you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. Ben

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Pressure without panic. That was the standout energy we brought home from the Brisbane youth rugby coaches forum, where we watched Mike Cron turn complex coaching into something calm, sharp, and deeply human. We open up our notes on how sky-high standards can thrive without fear, why fewer cues and more silence often produce better reps, and how the right tech can transform players into self-directed learners.

We talk through Cron’s approach to culture: make the standard crystal clear, keep the environment steady, and put responsibility on our delivery first. From there, the focus shifts to discovery learning. Instead of packing sessions with nonstop instruction, we explore how to set a clean target, let players feel the movement, and protect the space where reflection and peer discussion do the real work. You’ll hear how reading engagement beats watching the clock, and why a coach’s calm is the fastest way to earn attention.

We also dive into practical tools. A simple live-cast video setup turns feedback into a player-led loop: watch, discuss, adjust, repeat. With prompts like “What did you see?” and “Did your body feel powerful?” athletes connect sensation to outcome and start coaching each other. That peer coaching multiplies understanding, ownership, and accountability across the group—exactly what you need when pressure rises on game day.

If you want a team that thinks faster, learns deeper, and holds the standard together, this conversation lays out the shifts to make: set standards without fear, trim your talking, and use tech to unlock autonomy. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a coaching friend, and leave a quick review to help more coaches find it. What’s the first change you’ll try this week?

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If you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. Ben

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What if performance starts with belonging, not tactics? We sit down with Nick Evans—All Black fly-half turned Harlequins attack coach—to unpack how culture, clarity, and a few well-chosen words can change the way a team competes under pressure. From honoring ancestry to owning identity, Nick shows why connection is the foundation that makes hard conversations possible and results sustainable.

We trace his journey from player to coach, including the painful lesson of a 28-slide attack deck that put half the room to sleep—and the pivot to short, sharp meetings that land one idea and get the squad back on the field. Nick breaks down the identity pillars that fueled Harlequins’ resurgence—tempo, ruthless standards, unpredictability, and enjoyment—and explains Conor O’Shea’s radical act of leadership: telling players the result was his responsibility so they could play with freedom. We dig into personalization, balancing detail for different minds, and why shape should create chances rather than cage instincts.

You’ll also hear practical tools any team can steal: interactive video reviews that build rugby IQ and leadership, match-day “no waffle” comms inspired by air traffic control, and a crisp “combat chat” glossary—like “next job” for reset and “60” for an instant energy lift. Threaded through it all is a mental model that keeps coaches and players moving forward: learn it or affirm it. Capture the lesson or the win, then let it go.

If you care about coaching culture, player development, and turning pressure into clarity, this conversation will give you frameworks you can use this week. Subscribe, share with a coaching friend, and leave a review telling us your team’s one-word cue.

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If you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. Ben

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https://www.coachingculture.com.au/Bens_Culture_Playbook Download

Ever notice two teams run the same drills with the same energy, yet one takes off while the other stalls? We dig into the invisible factor that decides that split: culture. Not the poster on the wall or the pregame speech, but the lived behaviors you tolerate, the way mistakes are handled, whose voice carries, and what gets ignored. Drawing on years of coaching across countries and age groups, we share a practical Culture Playbook designed to help you start quickly and build deliberately, so you’re not stuck firefighting after standards slip.

We talk about why coaches default to what’s measurable—reps, times, systems—because it feels safe. The gray zone of culture is harder to quantify, but it decides risk-taking, cohesion, and resilience on game day. You’ll hear specific prompts to diagnose your environment, simple starting points to protect psychological safety without lowering standards, and a clear picture of what culture is and isn’t. We also explore the generational shift shaping modern teams: younger athletes crave clarity, purpose, and connection. Ignore that and players will play small or check out; design for it and your group grows faster than your drill plan alone ever could.

This conversation is a map, not a manifesto. You’ll leave knowing where to begin, what to reinforce, and how to make your systems land in soil that helps them grow. If you’re a coach, manager, or leader who’s ready to coach the gray with intent, grab the free Culture Playbook from the link in the show notes, listen through, and choose one behavior to reinforce this week. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a coaching friend, and leave a review so more leaders can build environments that truly perform.

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If you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. Ben

To subscribe to the newsletter or to get a copy of the book, jump onto:

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Share this show with your mates, rugby, coaches, leaders! Dont be shy.