Justin Crows talks about his experiences throughout his career to date within the Elite Sports Industry. One of most highlighted topic presented in this discussion is the use of language in different environments. This can be useful in setting where it is difficult to talk to players, coaches and staff about certain issues in foreign environments. Additionally, the use of language is important to help be understood and to make sure the right message is being sent across in different settings, such as being involved with Para-athletes, both male and female athletes, as well as youth athletes. In his experience across many environments and dynamics, Justin states that a lot of things are the same across different sports even with the major differences in demands on the athletes and coaches. ‘Put effort into the small details’

Additionally, Justin touches on common topic of generalisation vs specialisation. He truly believes that having a greater variety of experiences is valuable, while it also preferrable to be specialising in a specific area.

To keep himself mentally well, Justin reflects on the importance of keeping time for himself, where he likes to put himself somewhere that gives him energy. And like many past guests on this podcast, this is usually some kind of reconnection with nature. The attraction to water is something that has come up frequently in the Find the Podcast discussions. The relationships that Justin have made throughout his career are also most important to him. Justin has established long lasting relationships with influential coaches such as Mick Malthouse and Tony Popovic. The job is to support them and understanding how to support them is where a practitioner can be truly successful at their job. Making other people look good rather than yourself. But more importantly, Justin reflects on his strong connection with his family and how they have been an unbelievable source of support.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincrow/?originalSubdomain=au

From working in a call centre to the Youth Team in a Premier League Club. Jake Reeve is a perfect a resilient individual who has worked very hard to be where he is today, while also ensuring he is always supporting his partner and young daughter. Being forced out of work in COVID lockdowns, Jake got work in a call centre to support his family. But after persistence and continuously practising her skills as an S+C coach, when possible, he was able to return to the industry.

Jakes highlights how supportive and strong his partner has been through Jake’s career. In this industry, practitioners are asked to travel cities and sometimes to other countries for work purposes, and we tend to forget that this involved bringing along the practitioner’s family along with them. This can be incredibly hard for some people, as it involves giving up friends, family and a familiar routine for the desires of someone else. It is incredibly selfless and admirable. This highlights how valuable it is to have such a strong relationship with those closest to you. Sport is an obsession for some, but when it is your job, finding a good work-life balance is so important.

In transitioning between roles, Jake reflects on the struggle she had to overcome. For example, coming into a new organisation that already has its own philosophies and strategies in place, where Jake likes to operate in a different way. This takes time, but it can be overcome in a way that best suits all parties.

Jakes also talks about being resilient in finding a role within high performance sport. He recalls many mornings of just searching for jobs and he could feel the anxiety building of not knowing when the next opportunity will present itself. Jake loves a rant, as it helps him get things off his mind, which eventually helps him reflects and reset going forward. He also credits his partner for listening to countless rants over the years.

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This episode details the incredible story and journey so far of Danny Ryan and his build from the graphic design industry to coaching in the AFL and VFL. Danny’s message to ‘Jump In’, enjoy the present moment, and just give it a go, is something truly inspiring.

Danny comments on the topic of being resilient, as he reflects on the many tragic events he and his family have shared throughout his life. When being involved in the AFL Grand Final, going against the Cats, the team that he and his family have supported for decades, Danny recalls how he was completely dedicated to all his boys out on the field, but he kept a spare thought for his father who had passed only weeks prior to the event. “We would win on that day, no matter what”. Danny truly believed that his father, wherever he was and regardless of the fact he was a Geelong fan, would have wanted the Saints to win that day, for Danny.

Additionally, we talk about losing as a coach, how to rebuild and learn from a loss, as well as the emotions and responsibilities that are unavoidable. Danny is someone who puts in the extra effort to stay mentally well. His time management skills are profound, making sure his week ahead is planned for success. He still carries a diary and a 4 coloured pen to this day, in which he only includes the important things, not everything that is urgent. When we focus on the small things, such as every email or every meeting, we lose track of what is important. “Don’t sweat the small stuff”

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My guest for this episode, Adam Parr, shares the challenging part of being involved with starting a new sporting franchise. Everyone is new, from the kitchen staff to the best players. In the MLS, Charlotte FC faces teams that have decades of history behind them. Whereas Adam and the team at Charlotte are create their own history. But this is never easy and comes with plenty of responsibility and. Adam details the importance of building a good rapport with new playing group, building establish a healthy culture early on so that players want to come and play for this team in the future.

Adam is very thankful for his support network, in particularly his fiancé, who has supported him in his role in the elite side of sport. Adam reflects on how often he and his fiancé have important conversations with each other, putting everything on the table, so nothing is hidden, and that they both understand each other’s needs professionally. Being completely honest is key when dealing with relationships in the high-performance industry, so that the paths are aligned.

Furthermore, Adam highlights the importance of building relationships for the long-term effects and how to provide value when trying to connect with someone. This advice is gold and can should be utilised for most student trying to expand their level of knowledge and experiences.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcparr/

This is a slightly different episode than usual as I chat with Sports Scientist, Psychologist and Author, Tim Harkness to talk about several of his theoretical frameworks around staying mentally well within high performance sport. First thing that fascinated me about Tim is his combined role in the areas of psychology and sports science, which is not usually seen in elite sport. Tim credits his success to his fabulous team that works along side him at the club.

Tim shares his motivation behind writing ‘The 10 Rules of Talking’ and how it helped broaden his own conversation skills. The book details techniques to help initiate and deal with difficult conversations. These involve being more invested in understanding the other persons point of view and being void of assumptions. While also trying to still get the message across and press for a certain point of view. It’s important to not sacrifice your own needs/points of view when undertaking a difficult conversation. A very important part of having a difficult conversation is the importance of listening. People tend to go to fully formed opinions from very small amounts of info, making assumptions, jumping to conclusions and trying to fix things straight away. One of my main takeaways from Tim’s advice was to listen more and to gather more information before undergoing a difficult conversation.

Another topic that Tim and I discuss is the theory of the Hedonic treadmill. This is a metaphor for the human tendency to pursue one pleasure after another, being continuously unsatisfied and needing/wanting more. This can be in the form of fame for a celebrity, a new car or suit for a businessman, championships and titles for an athlete, or a job title for a practitioner. Overall, it sparks the question ‘Is this as good as it gets’ once such pleasures/goals have been achieved. This is important to be discussed and Tim raises some very interesting points in this episode.

‘Dream jobs are oversubscribed……There are many elements of luck……. What matters is the work being done and the human interactions’

In his explanation, Tim brings up the concept of P.E.R.M.A, which are 5 things that lead to a positive life (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment). This concept highlights the importance of having a sense of meaning and accomplishment in what we do.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-harkness-59a63440/

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Jeremy shares his experiences across different sports throughout his career, and how he overcame the initial anxiety moving to a foreign environment. He believes that it is fundamentally important to respect the area you’re coming into. Many practitioners wish to bring in their own systems into an already established culture. Transitioning into a new environment, a new sport, a place where some staff have been there for decades can be tough. People can be very defensive of their own systems. A practitioners whole identity becomes wrapped up in getting these results. Jeremy and I discuss how important it is to be able to handle the situation when this sense of identity is questioned and challenged.

He recalls his experiences transitioning to the Brooklyn Nets and how he credits his own wellness practices and life coach in aiding that exciting yet uncertain time period. Having his life coach and therapist became so important to him to be able to go into these new environments and deal with bigger personalities.

Staying connected with his staff was important during his time at the Ducks while in lockdown. In talking about his time over the COVID lockdowns, Jeremy raises a good point about being seen at work and satisfying role requirements. When working from home in an industry that is very results driven and ‘hands on’, some practitioners can get lost as there is only some things that can be done from a desk at home. As they are not seen doing their work by their employers r by the athletes the work with, some practitioners start to overthink and contemplate their own workload and impact in the organisation, creating stress and anxiety. This can be applied to many other hands-on roles when forced to stay home from work.

Transition into a new environment, a new sport, a place where some staff have been there for decades. People can be very defensive of the system. Your whole identity becomes wrapped up in getting these results. How to handle when this identify is questioned and challenged.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-bettle-56603526/

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I really enjoyed having a very open chat with Dion as he shared some of his own experiences dealing with childhood struggles and his own internal battles later in life. As a past chef and current massage therapist and running coach, Dion reflects on how difficult it can be to overcome lifestyle changes and trying something new. Right now, he is living the lifestyle he wants to live.

Additionally, Dion shares the reasons why he runs ultra-marathons and other large trail runs around the world. During a long run Dion seems to find inner peace. As he takes off for a long run, it helps him get into the right headspace, which can help him feel more engaged, clear and alert afterwards. This benefits him in the workplace and throughout life in general.

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Coming from the recent Concacaf Champions League Win, I catch up with the head of Fitness at the Seattle Sounders FC, Adam Centofanti, to talk about his experiences transitioning from being a player and practitioner within the Australian football community, to tackling the MLS over in America. Adam recalls how he adapted to the new role without having his normal support network in his immediate family and closest friends. However, he shares how he overcame the struggles of working in another country, adapted to the lifestyle and became comfortable in a new setting.

Adam shares some key skills and characteristic that he has retained from being a athlete himself, and how they have helped him now as a practitioner in high performance sport. He’s one to bring the energy to the team and give the players a boost when they need it most in their training. Being competitive is something that he also credits to his past days as an athlete, and how that has helped drive his professional development to always seek out the next challenge. And lastly, he shares how being disciplined as a player is like how you need to be disciplined as a coach. How an athlete approaches each game is like how Adam approaches each working day. It’s very interesting to get Adam’s take on how to overcome a bad day to be able to bring the energy, stay disciplined and be competitive in his role.

‘You must be switched-on all the time.’

Something that Adam mentions in our discussions that he has picked up from one of his mentors is the importance of managing self and managing home. Prioritising self and creating a home that is safe and comforting will help ensure that better work can be completed.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-centofanti-04224790/

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It was a pleasure to sit down with John and chat about the different roles he has played in elite sport, as well as his huge achievement in publishing ‘Football Belongs’.  John shares how writing the book and creating the podcast series were ways for his love for writing and creativity to thrive. Having a large passion for Australian Football, and having many burning opinions on some issues surrounding its history, the book is a perfect canvas for John to express these opinions. Each chapter in his book tells a different story of Australia through football moments and helps shift the Australian people’s attitude of football away from it being a part of a ‘secret society’.

‘People should be proud of loving football and how it is a great reflector of Australian life’

Talking to John and reading his book has helped my own understanding of multiculturalism and the power of sport. It is an understatement to say that Football has had a huge contribution to Australian life.

Furthermore, John shares some details of how he handles his job in elite sport and stay mentally and physically well. Being on the biggest stage, he is constantly being monitored, judged and watched by thousands of fans and critics. In an industry that is mainly driven by results, where others may perceive a success as a failure, John is challenged every day, having to overcome many anxiety provoking moments. John shares how he manages his daily tasks of directing an elite sporting organisation.

Another interesting topic that comes up in our discussion is that of emotional intelligence. This being the innate ability to manage emotions. John reflects on the importance of self-awareness and how that relates to acting with emotions. Acting with emotions can be a good thing, but not when acting on the urge of emotion. This can compromise an individual’s ability to do the best possible job.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-didulica-ba-llm-352b036b/

https://sport.optus.com.au/articles/os6229/introducing-football-belongs-an-optus-sport-originals-series

In this episode, I sit down with Head Sport Scientist from Luton Town FC, Jared Roberts-Smith. Jared shares how he climbed through the ranks as an intern to become the head sport scientist within the Championship in England. After a crazy season with the boys at Luton, on the brink of promotion to the Premier League, Jared reflects on his time with different teams throughout his professional development. From his duties in the u21’s, to being released by a club, Jared reflects on how everything that has happened to him in his career has helped him become a better person and practitioner.

He recalls how he has dealt with tough seasons and bad days in the past, and how his social connections inside and outside of football are essential to bounce back from these days. From very linear progression in the early days of his career to more uncertainty in his most recent years, Jared shared how his love the job and the sport helps him stay motivated and focused on his overall career goals.

‘You must stick true to your beliefs and your gut. You need to back yourself and your abilities’

We also talk about the importance of building relationships and the value of being the ‘middle-man’ in an elite setting. He discusses how important but difficult it can be to be a friend to the players and relate with them, while also being a professional at the club. Regarding his co-workers, it is essential and more efficient to be able to appreciate the individual their profession, to allow them to do their work that they’ve been trained to do. This collaboration helps build relationships, which practitioners can come to be thankful for in the future.

@jrs_performance

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-roberts-smith-334aa7192/