Emergence

Just like some of the other big name sports personalities I've had on the podcast so far, Sam Mitchell doesn't require much of an introduction.

329 AFL games

4x Hawthorn Football Club premiership player

5x Hawthorn Football Club best and fairest

3x All Australian

2012 Brownlow medalist

I apologise to Sam as I got some of these stats wrong in the actual interview.

His resume at the end of his career is as good as anybody to have played the game, however Mitchell was initially overlooked at under 18 level and had to find another way to the top flight via Box Hill Hawks in the VFL.

After being taken by Hawthorn at pick 36 in the 2001 draft, his early years saw him develop his determination to succeed and was rewarded by winning back to back most determined awards. Overtime he would become one of most prolific ball winners the game has seen and was known for his incredible consistency, skills, decision making and game IQ.

He has now entered the coaching space on the back of a stellar playing career and is widely tipped to be a senior coach in waiting.

Throughout our conversation, Sam discusses being overlooked, his willingness to work on his strengths, his training habits and routines, his willingness to make mistakes to test the boundaries, some insights into his coaching thoughts and his experiences working with Alistair Clarkson and Adam Simpson.

Please enjoy this articulate and thoughtful conversation with Sam Mitchell.

Elyse Villani has represented Australian womens cricket for over a decade. During that time, she has established herself as a top-order bat with clean hitting and impeccable timing which has seen her grow into one of the most damaging batters in international women's cricket.

She is a leader having captained teams in the WBBL including the Perth Scorchers and is the current captain of the Melbourne Stars.

Although Villani has achieved much success throughout her career including winning World Cup titles, the Ashes and individual accolades, she recently lost her Australian cricket contract and has a fight on her hands to win one back, however, that's not what she is solely focussed on.

During our conversation, Villani discusses her evolution as a player and leader throughout her career and how her mindset has shifted over time from being outcome driven to the point it was detrimental to her performance, to now being process driven and playing with freedom.

She offers great insight into the ups and downs of elite sport, leadership, sacrifice and team culture.

Please enjoy this engaging and thoughtful discussion with Elyse Villani.

Damien Bugeja is a young man on a mission to have a great impact on this world. He is a leader beyond his years and through a particular hardship, he has developed a mindset that is unbreakable.

Damien's father passed away at just 52 years of age after being diagnosed with and battling cancer for five years. Damien was a registered carer for his father from just 19 years of age and talks in detail throughout the podcast of some things required to ensure his father could live as comfortably as possible as he battled on.

Damien isn't the first person to lose a parent at a young age, but what makes Damien's story so inspiring is that from his father's passing, he has now dedicated his whole life to raising money and awareness for cancer sufferers and to support families just like Damien's who have loved ones dealt this cruel card.

Damien recently completed a run from Craigieburn to Yarrawonga, 290km, in just 6 days. The run was a tribute to his father as Yarrawonga was the family's annual holiday destination. Damien raised $60,000 for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre for their care and treatment of his father throughout his battle.

Throughout this episode, Damien discusses the emotional roller coaster of caring for his father, his own mental health battles because of it, how he turned his hardship into opportunity, the run itself and what he is planning on doing in the future which is jaw dropping.

Please enjoy this relatable and motivating discussion with Damien Bugeja.

Jason Akermanis doesn't need much introduction if you are a football enthusiast. He is a former AFL player with one of the most accomplished resumes the game has seen. He won the 2001 Brownlow Medal, is a 3x premiership player for the Brisbane Lions and won multiple best and fairest awards and multiple All Australian awards during his 325 game, 16 season AFL career.

Akermanis' career was elite in every sense of the word. From freakish goals, blistering speed, match winning performances on the biggest stage and remarkably high output for a long period of time, "Aker" could and just about did it all.

Some people associate controversy with Aker's name, however I was fortunate throughout this chat to see the real side of him. It was the first conversation with a guest that I did in person. Aker welcomed me into his home, cooked me lunch and introduced me to his family. I spent over four hours discussing coaching, leadership, philosophy, parenting and so much more both on and off the podcast.

During this conversation, Aker talks about his childhood, his mindset and approach to his career, the 'Fab Four' plus his deep and thoughtful considerations on what it takes to be successful.

I can't thank him enough for his willingness to assist me in my learning journey through the podcast and in our conversations since recording.

Please enjoy this real and positive conversation with Jason Akermanis as much as I did doing it.

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

He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, was awarded an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship in 2015, Pfizer Australia Senior Research Fellowship award in 2005 and attended Harvard Medical school along with many other accolades on his extensive list of achievements, however it is not what defines him and from very humbling beginnings, it's easy to see why.

Prof Johnstone was born and raised in Preston by a single mother who worked three jobs just to put food on the table. It is his mother who he attributes a lot of who he is today too.

Throughout our conversation, Prof Johnstone discusses his upbringing, why his roots and mates from Preston are keys to his leadership, humility and grounding. He also discusses what his mother taught him about hard work, about having a dream and vision and combining the two to make it a reality.

This was a really uplifting and powerful conversation with a beautiful blend of high level intellect (not from me I might add) and down to earth, simple messages that Prof Johnstone explains so well.

Please enjoy this inspiring conversation with Professor Ricky Johnstone.

Brent Macaffer is a former AFL player for the Collingwood Football Club and was a premiership player for the club in the 2010 season. Along the journey, Macaffer would experience many ups and downs that have helped shaped the person he is today and his ability to lead and teach others.

Macaffer epitomises resilience, persistence and adaptability. Originally taken by Collingwood as a rookie selection, Macaffer would grind away for several years before earning a regular spot in the senior side and when he did, he would face more obstacles with not just one, but two ACL injuries in the space of 3 years along with having to cope with the tragic of a best mate.

He is widely respected and admired for his humility and leadership and was subsequently recognised for this during his playing days by being a part of the leadership group as a player and post his career by being named a life member of the Collingwood Football Club.

Throughout our conversation, Caff talks us through his early career mindset to training and performance and a conversation with Nathan Buckley that kicked him into gear, his roller coaster of ups and downs including overcoming injuries and the loss of a best mate plus the emotions that come with them, his approach to goal setting and his training calendar and what his journey has taught him as he leads his life today.

Please enjoy this moving and thorough conversation with Brent Macaffer.

In 2014, Joel Sardi was a young man that was exactly where he wanted to be in life. Joel had been serving in the Australian Army for the previous 5 years as a rifleman in 7RAR Adelaide and he had recently returned home from a 7 month deployment in Afghanistan in December 2013, but his biggest challenge was yet to come.

On the 31st of August 2014, Joel had a fall over a stair case and broke his C2 & C5 vertebrae which unfortunately caused some spinal cord damage, as well as fracturing some thoracic vertebrae and his sternum. He underwent a 6 hour surgery after the accident where they were able to stabilise his neck fractures and prevent any further spinal cord damage by inserting a titanium cage and fusing C4 to C6.

The injury that night has left Joel a C5 quadriplegic, meaning that there are still some messages getting through the spinal cord and the extent of his recovery is unknown. Joel is paralysed from the shoulders down, has no movement in his legs and his upper body can only activate his biceps, forearms and wrists.

Throughout our conversation, Joel talks about his journey, his mental battles of having his independence taken away from him, his perspective and shift in his mindset and the mantra that he now lives his life by. If you are needing to be humbled and need a perspective check, then tune in and learn from someone who from the outside looking in has lost everything, but to him he has everything he needs and more.

Also, please check out Joel website http://www.joelsardisjourney.com/ for information on Joel's journey.

Please enjoy this powerful and motivating discussion with Joel Sardi.

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

Lambert had a unique journey and pathway to the AFL after being overlooked in several drafts. He was finally selected as a rookie ahead of the 2015 season and he hasn't looked back since in terms of his football acceleration, but he has always remained grounded, humble and remembered where he came from and what he went through to get there.

This conversation was so refreshing and quite deep at times. Kane provides great leanings for all young athletes looking to make it to the elite level which can also be applied to any young person looking to climb the ladder in their own life to not define success by the outcome, but to find satisfaction in the means and the journey along the way.

Right from the start you will hear the perspective Kane has on life and football, his consciousness and self-awareness of who he is and what he defines as success. This is a great listen and lesson for any coaches or leaders striving to achieve ultimate success of how to best manage your people and where to focus your attention.

Please enjoy this enlightening and fulfilling conversation with Kane Lambert.

Justin Langer doesn't need much introduction if you're a sporting fan in Australia. A former player with an incredibly decorated career and now the current Australian Cricket Coach. What a thrill and honour this chat was.

JL hails from Western Australia and began his Test career for Australia in 1993 but it wasn't all smooth sailing early on. He was dropped early in his career and would spend a large period out of the test team as he battled to discover himself and the player he wanted to be.

Fast forward to 2007 when he retires from Test cricket as Australia's 7th highest test run scorer, 10th most hundreds, 10th most matches played with 105, an average of 45, a highest score of 250, the most first class runs by an Australian with over 28,000 breaking the great Sir Donald Bradman's record and he goes down in the record books as one of the greatest every to represent Australia. However, what you quickly understand by listening to him is that those adversities, those struggles early on were a blessing and made him the person and player he became.

They also made him the coach he is now. Taking over from Darren Lehmann at the lowest point in Australian cricket history, he was up against it. He discusses how his adversity as a player helped him during this time, the adversity he faced as a coach, some defining moments during his short coaching tenure that made him evolve and he dives into the teams mantra to "make Australian's proud".

You will quickly hear just how passionate, genuine and wise JL is. He attacks this conversation with so much energy and a willingness to impart knowledge on to others. It is a must listen for any leader in any field and of course any sports enthusiast that loves Justin Langer.

Please enjoy this passionate and deep conversation with Justin Langer.

Jenni Screen is a former professional basketball player who represented Australia for more than 10 years including the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games where the Australian Opals won silver and bronze medals respectively.

She began her career at the AIS before making her name and reputation as a competitively fierce guard and selfless team player for the Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL. These traits would stick with her throughout her career in the WNBL and a stint in Europe whilst representing Australia during this time as well. She is the first to admit she wasn't the most talented player, but she took control of her career and destiny, played her role and made others around her better.

Post her career she has moved into leadership, well-being, coaching and mentoring in various roles with other up and coming athletes across both basketball and AFL.

However, her greatest challenge post her career which she talks about during the podcast is her struggle to fall pregnant and become a mother. Jenni opens up about dealing with a lack of control over the situation and how she had to adjust to that after being a professional athlete that was able to control the outcome and destiny in her own career. She provides an amazing outlook on the situation given the circumstances which can be applied to anyone that has been in a situation they can't control.

Her passion, enthusiasm and growth mindset attitude shine through during this episode. She is incredibly easy to listen to, so relatable, funny and clear in who she was as an athlete and who she now is as a person and leader in her field.

Please enjoy this engaging and thought provoking conversation with Jenni Screen.