Our great coach on this episode is Samantha Bird.

Sam is a Netball Coach. As a player she represented England but retired at 24 after a knee injury. She then carved out a long career as a lawyer working with the London Metropolitan Police. In 2005 the United Kingdon Netball Super League was formed and Sam started as an Assistant with the London Mavericks. She became the team head coach in 2014. In 2016 she was appointed as the head coach for the new franchise the Severn Stars. In 2019 she then became the Head Coach of the London Pulse leading them to the treble of the Super League title, Super Cup, and NPL tournament in 2025.

3 questions the interview with Sam challenged me with were:

•Is my organization the type of place where people know somebody will have their back if they are having a bad day?

•Am I engaging with me mentors enough to frame challenging questions of myself

•Am I calling out example of ambition and bravery enough?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Mickey Arthur is a cricket coach.

Mickey has coached 4 of the 12 test cricket playing nations in the world. South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 

Key highlights from his career include leading the South African team to be number one in all cricket formats. Coaching the South Africans when they scored a record 438 in a One-Day International against Australia. And Taking Pakistan to number one in the T20 and test format while also winning the Champions Trophy with them. 

He was the first non-Australian to coach the Australian Test team, and has been the head coach for Jamaica in the Caribbean Premier League, the Karachi Kings in Pakistan and the Rangpur Riders in Bangldesh. He is presently the head coach of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club and the Rangpur Riders.

Q: I don’t use non-negotiables as a leader and it made me wonder whether I should?

Q: This challenged me to consider whether there are times that I overtalk as a leader?

Q: This made me reflect on who I should be challenging more in my team?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Todays podcast is on the topic of Connection. And to explore the topic and the impact it can have on team performance I am going to use audio from 10 of the 214  Great Coaches we have interviewed on the podcast.

Their voices will complimemnt and amplify each other and at the end of this episode my hope is that you have a few ideas on how to improve the connection in your own sporting, work or community groups.

·     What are you doing when you are apart, to prepare for the times when you will come together?

·     What can you do to be more authentic with each other?

·     How can you share more information about yourself with each other in a way that deepens your understanding of what drives each of you?

·     How can you use daily, small moments to stay connected?

·     What more could you do to understand the linkages between the people who support you?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Our great coach on this episode is Anders Tortensson.

However this is not just a story about Anders, its also about the triumph of his team Mjallby in winning the Swedish top tier football competition in 2025.

Mjallby is a town of 14,000 people with a budget that is only 12% of the richest club in the league, Malmo. Their stadium holds only 6000 people, and many of the players live in flats together and car pool into training.

In 2017 they were in the 4th flight of Swedish football, and now after theirn victory they have qualified to take part in the Champions League qualifiers.

They are led by Anders. A former school principal and miltary officer who has been involved with the club on and off since being a player there in the 1980’s. In 2023 he became the head coach on a full time, professional basis and has led them to a a championship that many believe is one of the greatest underdog stories in European football.

What can I do better to work with people's inner and outmer motivation?

How can I use my voice better to convey a sense of calm?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Todays episode is On Leadership and I am joined for the discussion by 2 great coaches.

The first is Mike Dunlap. Mike is a basketball coach who has led teams in US Colleges, the NBA and in Australia. He was also an assistant with the  Milwaukee Bucks when then they defeated the Phoenix Suns to win their first NBA Championship in 2021.

The second is Rugby Union coach Franco Smith. As a player Franco represented South Africa as well as playing for clubs in South Africa, Italy, France and Wales. As a coach he has led teams to National Championships in Italy and South Africa and is presently the head coach of the Glasgow Warriors.

Q: How do you mitigate the loneliness you might feel as a leader?

Q: What philosophy guides you as a leader

Q: What did you do today to lead by example?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Our great coach on this episode is John Connolly.

John is a rugby union coach who started coaching in the 1980’s. He rose through the ranks and eventually led the Queensland Reds to the Super 6 title in 1992, and then back-to-back Super 10 titles in 1994-94. 

He then went on to coach in in Ireland, France, Wales and England, before returning to coach the Australian National team, the Wallabies for 2 years.

In 2021 John became a quadriplegic. However, he did not let this define him or slow him down and he now uses his energy to raise money for others with spinal injuries.

His adventures are captured in his book Bare Knuckles it’s a terrific read and all the money raised from it go to the Perry Cross Foundation

Q: What role does pride play in your teams identity?

Q: How do you find the balance between single mindedness and being open to new ideas?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Our great coach on this episode is Dell McGee.

Dell is an American Football Coach.

He played for the college powerhouse Auburn before a professional career that included stints with the Arizona Cardinals, and the Detroit Lions.

The year after retiring he started coaching as an Assistant at High School level. He eventually became a Hih School head coach and won the 2007 state championship.

He eventually went on to join the Georgia Bulldogs as the run game coordinator and running backs coach under Kirby Smart, helping them national championships in 2021 and 2022.

After 8 years with the Bulldogs he was announced as the Georgia State Head Coach in 2024. 

Q: What are the pillars that define your teams’ culture?

Q: What are some of the purpose’s that drive the people in your team?

Q: How well are you able to regulate emotional ups and downs during tough times?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Todays episode is on Great Team Work, and I am joined for the discussion by 2 great coaches.

The first is Lisa Alexander.

Lisa was the coach of the Australian Netball team, known as the Diamonds, from 2011 to 2020. During that time She oversaw gold medal successes at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Netball World Cup, as well as silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2019 Netball World Cup.

And the second is John Kessel

John was the Team Leader for the 2000 USA Olympic Beach Volleyball Teams in Sydney, which brought home one gold medal, and for the 2004 USA Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team in Athens, which came home with the bronze medal.

He is the author of over 12 books, including the IMPACT coaching manual, which is now in its 33rd edition. in 2024, he was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame and today travels around the world talking about coaching, particularly in the youth space.

Q: how do you describe great team work?

Q: How often do you catch people doing good; versus calling out areas for improvement? 

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Jamilon Mulders is a German Field Hockey coach and former player for the National Team.

As a player, he was part of the team that won the World Cup in 2002. He then retired and transitioned into coaching. He progressed through youth teams, eventually leading national youth teams. He was then an assistant for Markus Weise when the German women won the Gold medal at the Champions trophy. He then started to cosch the German women, with whom he won bronze at the Rio Olympics 2016, before after five years, he went on to coach the Chinese women’s national team. After a break from coaching, he returned as interim Headcoach to the Dutch women's national team, with whom he won the World Cup in 2022, and became 2023 again a world champion as an assistant to the German men's team. A silver medal at the Paris Olympia with the German men was the last medal before transition to become a youth performance manager. He is presently the youth performance manager Dutch federation.

Q: What routines do you have in place to deliver tough messages?

Q: To what extent do you agree with the idea of being a servant to the group as the leader?

Q: Has there been times when you have been ‘blind-spotted’ by a goal?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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Today’s episode is on the topic of Thriving.

To help me I have invited 2 special guests.

The first is Dr. Gavin. Gavin is a Doctor of Psychology and Associate Fellow at Oxford Sayyid Business School. We have had Gavin on previously to discuss Energy and Purpose.

The second is Valorie Kondos Field.

Valorie, or Miss Val as she is known, was the head of coach of the UCLA gymnastics team from 1991 to 2019, leading the team to seven national and 18 Pac 12 Championships.

She was voted NCAA Coach of the Year four times by her peers and in 2016 was voted the Coach of the Century by the PAC12 Conference.

Her Ted Talk, titled Why winning doesn’t always equal success, has been viewed over 4 million times, and she recently released a best selling book called Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance

Q: How does your organization experience thriving? What can you do to facilitate this?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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