Can mental toughness actually be trained?

Performance and mental skills coach Mark Zimmermann believes most people misunderstand mental toughness. Rather than being something you're born with, he argues it's the result of building mental fitness, developing mental strength and learning from failure over time.

In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris Turkington sits down with Mark to explore the psychology behind elite performance. Drawing on his work with professional athletes, executives and high-performing teams, Mark explains why self-awareness is the foundation of leadership, how to recover quickly from mistakes, and why failure is one of the greatest teachers we have.

This conversation is packed with practical strategies for anyone wanting to improve their mindset, lead under pressure and consistently perform at a higher level.

• Why mental toughness is built through mental fitness and mental strength
• How elite performers use failure as a catalyst for growth
• Why self-awareness is the foundation of high performance
• The link between self-awareness, self-control and discipline
• Practical techniques for recovering quickly after mistakes
• How to distinguish performance anxiety from excitement
• Why the best athletes train their minds as deliberately as their bodies
• A simple mindset that helps you stay present in every area of life

Mark Zimmermann is a performance and mental skills coach, keynote speaker and author who works with elite athletes, coaches and leaders to develop resilience, self-awareness and sustainable high performance. His coaching focuses on building mental fitness, strengthening mindset and helping people perform consistently under pressure.

Website: https://otmcoaching.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-zimmermann/

The Fireside Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with exceptional leaders from business, sport, the military and public service, uncovering the experiences, decisions and lessons that shape outstanding leadership.

Hosted by Chris Turkington. Produced by Aegis Leadership.

www.aegisleadership.co.nz

What separates entrepreneurs who succeed from those who give up?

Rick Agraval knows it's rarely about having the perfect idea. After multiple business ventures, Rick went on to build and successfully exit The Meat Box, overcoming operational setbacks, scaling challenges and constant uncertainty along the way. Today, he helps e-commerce businesses grow through Rise Ecommerce.

In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris Turkington sits down with Rick to discuss what entrepreneurship really looks like behind the scenes. They explore resilience, persistence, leadership under pressure, building high-performing teams, and the habits that help leaders make better decisions when the stakes are high.

Rick shares practical lessons from scaling a national business, navigating crises, managing people, and balancing ambition with family life.

Whether you're building a business, leading a team or looking to develop as a leader, this conversation is packed with practical insights from someone who's lived the journey.

• Why persistence is often the biggest predictor of entrepreneurial success
• How to lead calmly through uncertainty and high-pressure situations
• Why great leaders compartmentalise problems instead of reacting emotionally
• The importance of solving customer problems rather than simply selling products
• How to have difficult conversations with underperforming team members
• Why documenting expectations creates stronger accountability
• The daily habits that help leaders perform consistently under pressure
• Why investing in yourself is one of the highest-return decisions you'll ever make

Rick Agraval is a New Zealand entrepreneur and the founder of Rise Ecommerce. He previously built and successfully exited The Meat Box, one of New Zealand's best-known online food delivery businesses. Today, Rick works with e-commerce brands to help them scale sustainably through better strategy, customer acquisition and operational excellence.

Website: https://riseecommerce.co.nz

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-agraval/

The Fireside Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with exceptional leaders from business, sport, the military and public service, uncovering the experiences, decisions and lessons that shape outstanding leadership.

Hosted by Chris Turkington. Produced by Aegis Leadership.

www.aegisleadership.co.nz

What if one mentor could completely change the trajectory of your life?

When Ricky Blair left school at 16 with no qualifications and no clear direction, one unexpected lunch with an experienced businessman changed everything. That relationship shaped his career, helped him build and sell a multi-million-dollar real estate business, and inspired the leadership philosophy he now shares with founders, executives and high performers around the world.

In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris Turkington sits down with Ricky to explore the power of mentorship, resilience and long-term thinking. They discuss why the best leaders tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear, how clarity of purpose drives success, and why serving your people is the foundation of great leadership.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, business owner, leader or someone searching for greater direction, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on building a meaningful career and helping others reach their potential.

• Why one great mentor can change the course of your life
• How successful people use adversity as fuel rather than an excuse
• Why having a clear vision is essential for long-term success
• The leadership power of honest feedback and difficult conversations
• Why the best leaders see themselves as serving their people
• How caring for your team builds loyalty, trust and performance
• Why perseverance is often the biggest difference between success and failure
• Practical lessons for building high-performing teams and developing future leaders

Ricky Blair is an entrepreneur, executive coach and leadership advisor. He co-founded Hatton Real Estate before successfully exiting the business, and now works with founders, executives and high-performing leaders through Platform Seven. Ricky is also the author of The Junkyard Dog, where he shares lessons on resilience, ambition, leadership and achieving extraordinary results.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platform.seven/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickyblair/

Platform Seven: https://platformseven.com

What can elite military aviation teach us about leadership, teamwork and decision making under pressure?

After nearly 16 years in the Royal Australian Air Force, Sam Gladman built a career operating at the highest levels of military aviation. As a Weapons Systems Officer on the F/A-18F Super Hornet, an air crash investigator and now Chief Operating Officer of Sky Network, Sam has spent his career making critical decisions where communication, trust and teamwork have life-or-death consequences.

In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris Turkington sits down with Sam to explore the leadership lessons forged inside elite fighter squadrons and how they translate directly into business.

They discuss why high-performing teams prioritise debriefing over blame, how psychological safety drives better decisions, why humility and confidence must coexist, and the communication habits that prevent costly mistakes.

Whether you lead a business, manage a team or simply want to improve your decision making under pressure, this conversation offers practical lessons from one of the world's most demanding operational environments.

• Why elite teams treat debriefing as a competitive advantage
• How fighter crews build trust through communication and shared standards
• The balance between confidence and humility in high-performance environments
• Why psychological safety is essential for honest feedback and continuous improvement
• How to make better decisions under pressure using structured communication
• The leadership lessons hidden inside failure and high-stakes training
• Why constant reflection is the key to sustained improvement
• Practical ways to improve teamwork, accountability and organisational performance

Sam Gladman is the Chief Operating Officer of Sky Network, co-founder of On Target, and a former Royal Australian Air Force Weapons Systems Officer on the F/A-18F Super Hornet. During almost 16 years in the Air Force, he served on operational deployments, became an air crash investigator, and developed deep expertise in human factors, non-technical skills, leadership and high-performance teamwork. Today, he helps organisations apply these principles to improve decision making, communication and team performance.

Website: https://www.ontargetteaming.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-gladman/

The Fireside Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with exceptional leaders from business, sport, the military and public service, uncovering the experiences, decisions and lessons that shape outstanding leadership.

Hosted by Chris Turkington. Produced by Aegis Leadership.

https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz

What if your greatest adversity became your greatest advantage?

Diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma as a baby and given almost no chance of survival, Michael Crossland has spent his life defying the odds. Today, he's one of the world's most sought-after motivational speakers, a bestselling author, and has inspired millions through his message of resilience, gratitude and perspective.

In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris Turkington sits down with Michael to explore the mindset behind overcoming adversity, building resilience, and living with purpose. From surviving cancer and repeated life-threatening health battles to becoming a globally recognised keynote speaker, Michael shares the principles that have shaped both his life and his leadership.

This conversation is filled with practical lessons on resilience, gratitude, self-talk, leadership and personal growth that anyone can apply—whether you're leading a team, building a business or navigating challenges in your own life.

• Why adversity can become your greatest competitive advantage
• The mindset that separates people who grow through hardship from those who stay stuck
• How gratitude changes your perspective during life's toughest moments
• Why seeking discomfort is essential for personal and professional growth
• The surprising power of language and self-talk in shaping your mindset
• Daily habits that build resilience before life becomes difficult
• Why the people you surround yourself with determine your future
• Practical leadership lessons on purpose, courage and continuous improvement

Michael Crossland is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, bestselling author and resilience coach. After surviving stage four neuroblastoma as a child against overwhelming odds, he has dedicated his life to helping individuals and organisations build resilience, develop stronger mindsets and lead with purpose. Today, Michael speaks to audiences around the world, sharing practical strategies for overcoming adversity and living a meaningful life.

Website: https://michaelcrossland.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcrossland/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelcrossland/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelCrosslandOfficial/

The Fireside Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with exceptional leaders from business, sport, the military and public service, uncovering the experiences, decisions and lessons that shape outstanding leadership.

Hosted by Chris Turkington. Produced by Aegis Leadership.

What makes the difference between a good leader and a great one?

After more than 20 years in the Australian Army—including 14 years serving in the Special Air Service (SAS)—James Jensen learned that leadership isn't about control. It's about trust, ownership and creating an environment where people choose to perform at their best.

In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris Turkington sits down with James to unpack the leadership lessons forged through combat deployments, SAS Selection and years leading high-performing teams in some of the world's most demanding environments.

James shares how his leadership philosophy evolved from command-and-control to influence, why great leaders focus only on what's within their control, and how trust, accountability and difficult conversations are the foundations of exceptional teams.

Whether you're leading a business, managing a team or simply looking to become a better leader, this episode is full of practical leadership lessons that can be applied in any organisation.

• Why command-and-control leadership eventually creates dependency rather than ownership
• The mindset that helped James succeed through SAS Selection and combat deployments
• How focusing on what's within your control reduces stress and improves performance
• Why trust is built through shared experiences and consistent behaviour
• The difference between organisational values and behavioural values
• How great leaders hold people accountable without destroying relationships
• Why difficult conversations should happen early, not after problems grow
• The simple leadership habit that dramatically improves engagement and team performance

James Jensen is the founder of K6 Consulting and a former Australian Special Air Service (SAS) Team Commander. After serving more than two decades in the Australian Army, including 14 years in the SAS, he now works with organisations to develop resilient leaders, high-performing teams and strong organisational cultures through practical leadership development.

Website: https://k6consulting.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesjensen/

The Fireside Leadership Podcast brings you conversations with exceptional leaders from business, sport, the military and public service, uncovering the experiences, decisions and lessons that shape outstanding leadership.

Hosted by Chris Turkington. Produced by Aegis Leadership.

Dr Damien Taylor has a name for the leader who walks into a room and everyone braces before a word is spoken: a grenade leader.

In this episode of the Fireside Leadership Podcast, Chris sits down with leadership researcher, PhD and world champion bodybuilder Dr Damien Taylor to explore why presence shapes leadership, why values drift under pressure, and why understanding yourself is more important than collecting leadership credentials.

• Why "front-end" leadership matters more than experience alone

• The concept of grenade leaders and why presence is a leadership skill

• How stress, fatigue and pressure quietly change your decision-making

• Why organisational values often fail in practice

• Leading across cultures and building trust under pressure

• Why great leaders earn more than compliance

• Controlling the controllables

• What losing a world championship by one point taught Damien about ego, feedback and improvement

• A practical framework for receiving feedback: Do, Dump, Defer

Website:
https://betheleader.org

LinkedIn:
Dr Damien Taylor PhD – Golden Mean Leadership

The Fireside Leadership Podcast is brought to you by Aegis Leadership, sharing real conversations with people who've carried real responsibility.

https://www.aegisleadership.co.nz

Special thanks to Dark Horse Coffee for supporting the show.

00:00 – Opening Hook

00:48 – Front-End vs Back-End Leadership

03:56 – How Stress Makes Your Values Drift

09:23 – Why Organisational Values Rarely Match Reality

12:46 – Leading Across Cultures Under Pressure

17:44 – Presence, Ego & Leadership

20:22 – Why Great Leaders Earn More Than Compliance

23:52 – Who Thrives Under Pressure?

31:25 – Controlling the Controllables

37:17 – Losing a World Championship by One Point

40:41 – Do, Dump, Defer: Receiving Feedback

44:24 – The Hot Wash

45:05 – Five Minutes of Leadership Advice

47:28 – Grenade Leaders

48:41 – Where to Find Damien

In this conversationConnect with Dr Damien TaylorChapters