Tamsin Greenway on Building Honest Team Cultures and Leading Through Change

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.. Tamsin Greenway joins the Great Coaches podcast from lockdown England to reflect on coaching influences (especially Lyn Gunson’s “netball oracle” honesty), building athlete confidence by tailoring approaches to personality, and her rapid transition from player to championship-winning coach at Surrey Storm and then Wasps, where she created success by recruiting a “dream list,” securing organizational buy-in, and building a trusted staff team. She explains culture as an evolving environment grounded in truth, trust, and a place you want to be even on bad days, and describes managing disruption through direct conversations and sometimes moving on from poor fits. Greenway discusses starting her Scotland head coach role by defining purpose, legacy, and player motivations, shares inspirations from other sports, and offers lessons on balancing family and career while learning to control emotions after wins and losses.

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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Ben Ryan on Building Psychological Safety, Culture, and Olympic Gold with Fiji Sevens.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

On the Great Coaches podcast, Ben Ryan speaks from lockdown in Southwest London about consulting work, learning French for the French Federation, and considering returning to a full-time performance role. He explains what distinguishes great coaches—creativity, resilience, curiosity, and building psychological safety through agreed “guardrails,” strong relationships, and consistent behaviors. Ryan reflects on early coaching and teaching at St. Edward’s, his transition to senior rugby at Newbury and Oxford, and lessons in authentic leadership from feeling disillusioned after conflicts with senior management while coaching England Sevens. He describes arriving in bankrupt Fiji, listening first, creating early wins, and using transparency and tight routines to handle Olympic pressure, culminating in Fiji’s 2016 Olympic gold, while also influencing broader health habits such as diet in Fiji.

Ben has written a wonderful book about his experience with the Fiji 7’s called Sevens Heaven. Available on Amazon UK here

He is also the host of his own terrific podcast The Ben Ryan Podcast. Listen on Apple here

Q. Where in your life or work have you allowed external pressures to pull your eye off the ball? 

Q. Are the guardrails in your team or organization truly agreed upon, or are they imposed? 

Q. When was the last time you trusted your gut on a decision that made you feel physically sick?

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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Lisa Fallon on Coaching Leadership: Learning, Pressure, and Guided Discovery

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.. Lisa Fallon joins the Great Coaches podcast after taking a new role at Galway FC, reflecting on lessons from coaches she’s worked with including Michael O’Neill, Jon Caulfield, Jim Gavin, and Emma Hayes. She says great coaches stand out through how they deal with people, create secure environments, and show work ethic, detail, and consistency. Fallon describes a daily commitment to learning, translating coaching theory into practice through adaptation, and building experience from opposition analysis at Cork City to coaching roles, including Northern Ireland, GAA, and Chelsea’s title-winning environment. She outlines a guided-discovery philosophy, core values of authenticity, positivity, and honesty, and approaches to managing inner criticism, pressure, penalty preparation, and mindset change, ending with a legacy goal of equal opportunity so she’s not “the last.”

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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Anthony McGrath on Calm Leadership, Relationships, and Bold Coaching Decisions.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

On the Great Coaches podcast, Essex head coach and former England player Anthony McGrath discusses what sets great coaches apart: calmness, consistency, and simple messages rather than over-talking. He traces his move from retirement in 2012 into coaching, influenced by Wayne Clark’s individualized, relationship-led approach and Darren Lehmann’s belief-driven simplicity, plus Kevin Sharp’s mentoring that sparked his use of a self-talk diary for reflection and managing negative thoughts. McGrath explains coaching batters through self-awareness and decision-making, encouraging players to own their methods under pressure. He describes building Essex’s “togetherness” by recruiting for character (e.g., Peter Siddle), reasoning through dressing-room conflict, and making bold selection calls—such as moving Ravi Bopara’s role—helping Essex win both the 2019 T20 Blast and County Championship. He emphasizes empathy with professionalism, captain selection timing, seeking feedback, and prioritizing homegrown talent to build identity and loyalty.

Q. When things aren't going well, what is my default reaction — and is it the one my team needs from me?

Q. What am I saying to myself that I would never say out loud — and how is it shaping my decisions?

Q. What decision have I been putting off because I'm afraid of the disruption it will cause — and what is the cost of waiting?

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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Damian McGrath on Coaching Across Cultures, Building Self-Belief, and Leading Through Connection

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.. In this Great Coaches podcast episode, rugby coach Damian McGrath joins from Heidelberg, Germany to discuss what separates good coaches, arguing there is no “great coach” because coaching is continual learning. He credits former coach Paul Daley for teaching enthusiasm, sacrifice, and adapting training to players, and describes how coaching across countries (UK, Germany, Samoa, Canada, Spain) revealed major cultural differences in communication, sport styles, and daily life. McGrath defines culture as how leaders make people feel, emphasizing inclusion, connection, authenticity, honesty, and care. He shares how Graham Murray transformed Leeds Rhinos by building relationships, setting standards, and uniting the squad. He explains his preference for process over short-term goals, approaches to difficult feedback, filtering opinions, reframing defeat as learning, and says his legacy is instilling self-belief, highlighted by a treasured team-written reference from Canada.

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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Jackie Carson on DISTINCT Standards, Culture, Confidence, and Leading as a Black Female Head Coach

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.. In a Great Coaches podcast recorded during COVID lockdowns, Paul interviews Furman women’s basketball head coach Jackie Carson about leadership and culture, shaped by consistent, non-negotiable standards and the idea that winning is a byproduct of values. Carson explains her “Be DISTINCT” acronym (discipline, integrity, selflessness, intensity, no excuses, commitment, and trust/transparency/togetherness) and the importance of trust, attention to detail, and preparation. She describes learning to remove culture-damaging people (“Energy Bus”), building player confidence through roles and positive self-talk, and developing resilience via small goals and victories. Carson discusses self-care, simplifying practices, her path from pre-med and overseas playing to coaching, the Black Coaches Association ACE program, rebuilding Furman’s program, and speaking her truth as a Black female coach while advocating for more women, especially women of color, in leadership.

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Mark Coles on Coaching with Clarity, Culture, and Resilience

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.. On the Great Coaches podcast, New Zealand cricket coach Mark Coles joins from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and reflects on what great coaches like Mickey Arthur and Wayne Bennett do differently: understand players as individuals and their backgrounds. Coles says elite coaches mainly guide and support by building belief and giving players clarity about their roles, describing how regular breakfast check-ins helped. He shares how defining Sana Mir’s role helped her return from considering retirement to becoming the world’s number one bowler as Pakistan improved to fourth in the rankings. Coles recounts taking an unpaid gamble to coach Pakistan women amid personal struggles, arriving in Lahore under heavy security, and learning resilience from players facing abuse, non-payment, and extreme hardship. He emphasizes cultural sensitivity, respect for religion and family, neutrality across city rivalries, and a 1% better mindset, and begins a story about a team ice-cream meeting before a match against New Zealand.

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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Bill Snyder on Trust, Daily Improvement, and Building a Winning Culture at Kansas State

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it. Coach Bill Snyder, speaking from Manhattan, Kansas, discusses what distinguishes great coaches: understanding their environment, building trust through honesty, instilling discipline and integrity, and caring about players’ growth on and off the field. He reflects on taking the risky Kansas State head coaching job and advises leaders to be themselves rather than emulate others, and to avoid entertaining self-doubt by focusing on daily effort and improvement over scoreboard results. Snyder explains creating the Powercat logo to signal a more aggressive program identity, and credits Kansas State’s turnaround to gradual, consistent progress and striving for “perfection” as each person’s best. He describes team-culture practices, leadership and community initiatives, disciplined scheduling for family balance, the importance of responsibility, and defines his legacy as former players succeeding through values learned in the program.

Books:

Leadership Lessons with Bill Snyder 

Bill Snyder: They Said It Couldn't Be Done

Take It from Me

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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Alana Thomas: Building Belonging, Culture, and Pathways in Women’s Rugby

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it. Paul interviews Alana Thomas in Melbourne about coaching and building women’s rugby, including her Wallaroos background and work with the Victorian Institute of Sport. Thomas says great coaches are authentic and adapt their style to the players, emphasizing calm communication, clarity, and fun through “vibe games.” She describes setting up the Melbourne Rebels Super W program from scratch by planning training, securing facilities, recruiting beyond rugby, and providing high-performance support (S&C, medical, nutrition, recovery, and leadership). She explains the player-driven “Rebel Like Her” motto as the centerpiece of culture, plus “growth groups” to deepen relationships and communication. Thomas discusses belonging as a prerequisite for performance, feedback approaches, coach development programs that built confidence and networks, and her legacy goal of creating visible, sustainable pathways and opportunities for more women in sport and coaching.

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 Peter Moores.

Peter had a long first class career as a wicket keeper with Worcestershire and Sussex, and retired in 1998 with over 800 dismissals to his name.

He became coach of Sussex in 1999, and led them to their first ever Division 1 Championship in their 164 year history in 2003. 

He went on to coach England Youth and development squads, before being appointed coach of England Men’s team in 2007.

Peter was appointed coach of Lancashire, and delivered their first championship in 77 years, making him the only coach to have won the championship with two different counties.

This lead to him being appointed as England Men's cricket coach again in 2014.

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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