Empowering Leaders

The sport of Breaking is making it's debut at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and tickets to watch the live dance battles have sold unbelievably quickly. In this conversation you’ll hear Australian Breaker Rachael Gunn talk about her journey from a PhD in the cultural politics of Breaking to being among the first to bring the sport to the Olympic stage. Through her work inside and outside the Breaking...

The awesome Nic Naitanui had a clear vision and purpose from day one, and in this conversation you'll hear how that vision led him to fulfil a lifelong dream for his family in the most profoundly beautiful way.  'Nic Nat' was the AFL's number two draft pick in 2008 and went on to become a three-time All Australian and two-time West Coast Eagles best and fairest. He is known for his athleticism and...

Tess Madgen is the captain of the Australian women's basketball team, the Opals. With the team ready for the Olympics to begin in less than two weeks, Tess shares the strategies she uses to deal with the challenges of managing a team spread across the globe and the tools they employ to maintain connection and cohesion.  Tess also discusses her meticulous approach to her career, her goals, and the...

This week's guest granted Luke Darcy a rare interview out of near despair over what is missing in the fight to end the increasing levels of violence against women. The Honourable Will Alstergren is the Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court, appointments that place him at the coalface of family and gender based violence in Australia. The statistics on violence...

James Tomkins, a Sport Australia Hall of Fame legend, discusses his career in rowing, including his participation in six Olympic games and winning seven world championship gold medals. Reflecting on the pressure of competing, the importance of teamwork, and the value of taking breaks for longevity in the sport, James also discusses the importance of balance in life, drawing on the Olympic charter'...

Umra Omar's contribution to community and transforming the lives of others is a remarkable story. Born on the remote Patay Island just off the northern coast of Kenya, Umra earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and psychology and then a master's degree in social justice and intercultural relations from the world leading institute in Vermont. In 2015, during a visit to her hometown, Umra recog...

Here at Aleda, we know that you may not feel compelled to listen to a conversation about suicide on your morning commute, or during your run or workout - but we strongly urge you to try today. Why? Because listening to this episode will save lives. Luke's pointed and open discussion with bereaved father, Wayne Holdsworth, contains vital information that many people lack access to - including wheth...

How do you go from being deathly afraid of the water, to being one of the world's wildest professional big wave surfers?  In this conversation, Australian big wave surfer, author, and mindset coach Mark Visser discusses the journey that has taken him from being afraid of bath time after nearly drowning as a 3-year old to becoming a world-renowned surfer and coach. Mark shares how he overcame his f...

This week's guest on the Empowering Leaders podcast is Mitch Marsh, the most recent Alan Border medalist and the current T20 captain of Australia heading into the World Cup. Warm and unbelievably genuine, Mitch has some incredible stories about his path to being his true authentic self and how that has provided him with the happiest and most successful period of his sporting life and his life in g...

After a week of 5 minute radio and television interviews about his campaign 36 Months, celebrated radio host and comedian, Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli, sits down with Luke Darcy for an in depth interview about what really drove him to spearhead this campaign. In this conversation, Wippa opens up about is own battle with severe mental health that gave him a crystal clear insight into the type of despair...

A social media app that inspires you, is good for the planet, free from hate, puts money in your wallet and celebrates the good in life - sounds too good to be true, but it isn't! Zoe Kalar is the founder of WeAre8 . She is a serial success in the tech entrepreneur world and has achieved incredible things. The biggest issues facing us all are the algorithms of social media, what they're doing to o...

Geva Mentor is a legend of world netball. In this candid and at times wildly funny conversation, Geva talks about the routines she has in place to execute her role as a captain and a leader and the similarities and synergy she finds between the sporting field, the corporate world and the boardroom.  Geva's yet another visualiser, a trend we've seen so much of in our conversations on Empowering Lea...

If there’s anyone who knows the devastating impact that the current cost of living crisis is having on Australians, it’s Scott Pape. As our first-ever returning guest, Scott talks to us about all things money, including how to talk to our kids when we’re struggling financially, how much money you need to be happy and much more. There is something in this chat for everyone, including the small busi...

Johanna Griggs is one of the most loved and respected figures in Australian television history. She was the first Australian woman to solely host an Olympic games and has been a mainstay of Channel Seven's, Olympic and Paralympic coverage for more than two decades. As a 16-year-old, Johanna Griggs won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in the a hundred metre backstroke before her career was cut sho...

Humble and endearingly self-aware, Craig Fitzgibbon is constantly acquiring knowledge to continue mastering the art of coaching. In this conversation, the multi-premiership winning coach and player talks about overcoming the challenges you'll face when trying to have the discipline to stay the course on whatever philosophy you’ve chosen The Head Coach of the Cronulla Sharks also explains why he’s...

Adam Schwab is the founder and CEO of Luxury Escapes, an online travel booking platform with a reputation for excellent workplace culture. In this conversation Adam discusses his journey from mergers and acquisitions lawyer to successful entrepreneur and talks us through some of his routines, such as intermittent fasting and being a vegetarian, and how they have positively impacted his life. Adam...

Tim Kopra is a former US Army Colonel and NASA astronaut and now the CEO of Starlab, a joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus. Incredibly, Starlab is the company is designing, building, and will eventually operate a new commercial space station in collaboration with NASA. In this conversation, you'll hear Tim's thoughts on Elon Musk, the experience of collaborating with Russia, and the fin...

An NBA Winning coach, AFL Premiership coach, A-League Winner and Cricket World Cup Winner come together live to share their experience of the Aleda Connect program. Moderated by Luke Darcy at the 2024 SportNXT Conference , hear exactly how these wildly successful leaders are unlocking the power of collaborative learning. It's a fascinating discussion that will not only explore how these world-clas...

This episode is an enlightening conversation with Reggie Butler, one of the world's most respected leaders in connecting teams and developing great people. In this conversation, Reggie gives us the inside word on his work with companies like Google and their research into their highest performing teams. He then goes on to tell us how you can bring that same culture to your life and your workplace...

In 2009, Kurt Fearnley crawled the Kokoda track in Papua New Guinea to raise awareness for men's mental health. He was a member of the winning Sydney to Hobart yacht crew on the Investec Loyal in 2012 and New South Wales Australian of the Year in 2019.  Born in the middle of Wiradjuri land, in a small country town called Carcoar, without the lower portion of his spine, Kurt has demonstrated time a...

Vanessa Ford is an extraordinary individual in every possible way. It's as though she's the real life version of Super Sema, the animated superhero she created that is changing the world. Super Sema is the first African animated superhero franchise to inspire the next generation of children to change the world through curiosity, creativity, and STEAM skills. The wildly successful animated series i...

Jordan Love, at just 25 years of age, has just completed a remarkable first season as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, throwing 37 touchdown passes and leading his team to a playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys. On the back of his extraordinary first up season as quarterback he has become one of the most exciting athletes in US sport at the moment. An incredibly humble, respectfu...

Chloe Dalton, Olympic gold medal winner, AFLW player and founder of the Female Athlete Project is seriously inspiring. In this conversation, you'll hear what has unfolded since Chloe, at seven years of age, was inspired to be an Olympian by the great Cathy Freeman's iconic race at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.  From the WNBL to the Australian Rugby team to playing AFLW for Greater Western Sydney,...

At just 26 years of age, this week's guest is wise beyond his years. Harry Garside is an Olympic boxer who is passionate about leading, learning and living a truly authentic life. He's constantly pushing himself to the edge in every facet of life and you won't believe his training goals over the next few months in the lead up to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Harry drops so many crisp anecdotes and...

Our second guest for the year is Kirsten King, the founder of Fluid Form Pilates, and it's a brilliant success story. In this incredibly transparent, honest, and open conversation you'll hear about the series of events that led to Fluid Form packs being sent by the hundreds to 99 countries across the world, from Afghanistan to Iceland, the US and beyond, and how the challenges of COVID turbocharge...