Our Great Coach for this episode is Tracey Menzies Stegbauer

Tracey is high performance swimming coach. For ten years she worked at the Australian Institute of Sport and with Swimming Australia coaching at both World Championships and Olympic Games. 

For 15 years, Tracey coached at the renowned Sutherland Leisure Centre taking over as Head Coach in her final five years.

She has coached internationally recognised swimmers such as Craig Stevens, Ky Hurst, Simon Cowley, and Kirsten Thomson however Tracey is best known as the coach of five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe.  

Today, Tracey coaches at Rackley, Parkinson in Queensland Australia.

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

Harlequins head coach Paul Gustard joins the Great Coaches podcast from the club’s Surrey training base to discuss what differentiates great coaches and how he leads in a rebuild. He describes Eddie Jones’s strengths as trusting instinct, narrowing session focus, setting clear standards, and relentlessly asking “why,” driving reflection and growth mindset. Gustard outlines his own philosophy: adaptability across environments, absolute clarity of purpose and identity, creativity and innovation paired with “consistent and insistent” standards. He explains the Saracens “Wolfpack” defense as creating an identity and belonging beyond tactics, using symbolism and storytelling to energize a team. He shares lessons on change management, listening, pacing reforms, engaging influencers via a player-voted “lead by example” group and circle check-ins, coaching positivity after losses, building competitiveness through frequent contests and consequence-based training, and using COVID time for structured development, reading, webinars, and external performance support.

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

Cameron Schwab discusses leadership and coaching through his experiences with iconic Australian rules football coaches including Tom Hafey, Ron Barassi and Allan Jeans, highlighting how great coaches set clear standards aligned to player capability and make tough, often unforgiving decisions. He contrasts mentoring (stories, metaphors, models) with coaching (creating space, asking better questions, deep listening) and argues relationships can be close as long as leaders can still make hard calls, citing his dismissal of Fremantle coach Chris Connolly. Schwab describes learning to lead as an extension of himself after early CEO imposter feelings at Richmond, and explains imposter syndrome as a product of difficult 49/51 decisions and constant scrutiny. He emphasizes behaviors over values statements, explains trust as character plus competence across people, plan, systems and culture, and defines coaching legacy as building self-responsibility and “being a good ancestor,” illustrated by supporting his transgender daughter.

He now runs Design CEO where he helps organisations build COURAGEOUS, CONFIDENT & CREATIVE LEADERS.

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

Interviewed in Budapest, coach and former psychotherapist Istvan Görgényi explains that great coaches focus on players and the training/game process, using clear vision, consistent feedback, and shared “game language,” rather than relying on myths or sideline shouting. Reflecting on coaching Australia’s women to Olympic gold at Sydney 2000, he emphasizes long preparation, conscious play, mutual support, and tactics co-created with athletes through video-based game analysis and opponent study, prioritizing action goals over referee-dependent play. He discusses his hunting territory theory: teams are territorial systems where hierarchy, roles, and relationship patterns affect decision-making, balance, and performance; he cites examples from Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, Brazil’s 2006 failure after disrupted hierarchy and roles, and Van Gaal’s Manchester United. He describes methods for repairing team dynamics, building confidence via evidence from video, and his legacy in the team’s enduring pride and connection.

Dr István Görgényi TEDx Talk Deep Water Horizon: How Hunting Territory Made an Oil Rig Sink

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

From Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, Irish-born psychologist, boxing coach, and former European/world champion kickboxer Mercedas Taaffe-Cooper discusses how boxing first helped her connect mind, body, and spirit, tracing her path from karate and kickboxing into boxing and sports science. She explains CounterPunch, an early intervention/prevention program for teenagers (especially boys) combining physical training with William Glasser’s reality therapy/choice theory to build resilience, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and confidence through measurable progress and gradual comfort-zone challenges. She describes securing initial suicide-prevention funding in Darwin, later research on the program, and plans to scale via facilitator training for combat coaches worldwide. Key coaching themes include connecting to an athlete’s values, prioritizing communication (tone matters for adolescents), allowing consequences to teach resilience, and normalizing fear through safe, progressive exposure in amateur boxing.

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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Eddie Jones is one of the most experienced and decorated coaches in world rugby. 

He has been the head coach of the England national rugby team since 2015, leading them to win the Six Nations in 2016 and 2017 and then reaching the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

He previously coached the Australian Wallabies between 2001 and 2005, taking the team to the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final and winning the Bledisloe Cup in 2001 and 2002 against the mighty All Blacks of New Zealand.

He was an assistant coach for the South African Springboks when they won the 2007 Rugby World Cup and from 2012 to 2015 he coached the Japanese Brave Blossoms, leading them to their upset win over South Africa in 2015.

His autobiography is called "My Life and Rugby: The Autobiography" by Eddie Jones 

In this discussion Eddie references the book "The Courage to Be Disliked" by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga 

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 for this episode is Dr. Richard Charlesworth AO

Ric is an Australian sports coach, author, medical doctor, and former politician. He played first-class cricket for Western Australia and international field hockey for the Kookaburras winning a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics. He served as a federal member of parliament in Australia for 10 years. After leaving politics, he was appointed coach of the Hockeyroos, one of the most successful international sporting teams during his reign. He later coached the Kookaburras from 2009 to 2014 and has worked in consulting roles with the New Zealand national cricket team, Indian hockey, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Fremantle AFL Football Club.

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

Rohan Taylor joins the podcast from Melbourne during stage four lockdown to discuss his appointment as head coach of the Dolphins and how COVID-19 has complicated Olympic preparation, training access, and competition exposure ahead of Tokyo 2021, prompting scenario planning and virtual racing options. He describes his ongoing transition to Queensland while still supporting the Victorian landscape with Swimming Victoria. Taylor reflects on mentors including David Salo, Bill Sweetenham, Gennadi Toureski, and Lee Nugent, emphasizing individualized programming, strong relationships, trust, and accountability as hallmarks of great coaching. He defines coaching as creating a high-standards environment that supports diverse coaches and athletes, guided by collaboration, commitment, communication, and consistency, and stresses developing the person alongside the performer, integrating mental skills work and purposeful pressure exposure. He shares feedback routines, leadership practices like role clarity and empowerment, and a legacy of thoughtful innovation focused on athlete goals.

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

From COVID-locked-down country Victoria, former Australian Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander discusses coaching as leadership and community role-modelling, especially in country netball. She describes how her teaching background shaped her approach of caring for athletes off-court while remaining demanding on-court, including maintaining professional boundaries and using wellbeing support staff. Alexander recounts formative lessons from early coaches and elite mentors like Norma Plummer and Joyce Brown, and explains how she introduced a “world’s best” high-performance mindset, improving conditioning and team dynamics. She details the “Sisters in Arms” cultural trademark developed with Leading Teams, addressing cliques and entitlement, and also outlines staff values under the PACT model. She reflects on handling criticism through collective buy-in and results, learning resilience from coaching a winless team by shifting to process goals, and emphasizes connecting with athletes, journaling, and leadership development as her legacy.

Key Questions

• What is the trademark that defines your organisation?
• What the role do you play in shaping the expectations of the people you lead?
• How do you approach socializing with your 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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There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In an interview from Perth, Wallaroos coach Dwayne Nestor discusses preparing amid global uncertainty for next year’s Rugby World Cup, using the current period to share coaching knowledge through a rugby coaches community, including technical insights from a scientist’s perspective on biomechanics. He outlines how coaches make a difference through “how, why, who”: teaching effective technique, linking it to tactics and outcomes, and building relationships to tailor messaging. Nestor emphasizes mental development as the next frontier, with confidence built by “doing the work,” and advocates fostering freedom to make mistakes, citing Perth Spirit’s 2016 NRC title. He advises returning to fundamentals after poor performances, communicates selection decisions with individualized processes, and manages disruptive dynamics by asking questions to build self-awareness. His central value and desired legacy is respect—toward others and self.. 

Dwayne's website: https://www.sisulife.com.au/

It left me with the questions:

• What level of respect is evident in my team and organization? And what more can be done to enhance it?
• And what routines I can help people with to create the suit of armour Dwayne talks about the end to in his words “ protect yourself against self-doubt.

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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