Hunger & Heart with Kaila Colbin

We’ve just returned from the U.S., where we filmed content in collaboration with the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Our work together focuses on the Yes Coach! initiative, which has a target of upskilling 100,000 coach-mentors across the United States by 2030.  We interviewed 10 players and coaches, from grassroots to pro levels, and were struck by how many parallels we saw with past Hunger & He...

This week, no new Hunger & Heart episode. Kaila checks in from Seattle, where she’s been filming with an incredible crew and extraordinary coaches and athletes. Stay tuned, we’ll be back next week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zoë McBride is a double world champion in the women's lightweight single scull rowing. She held the world record in the lightweight single scull and is only the second New Zealander to win a double national championship in both the lightweight and premier single sculls. Zoë stepped away from rowing in 2021 and has been open about how the need to make weight took its toll, not only on her body, but...

Campbell Johnstone played for the Crusaders in 2004 and for the All Blacks in 2005. In 2023, he came out as the first openly gay All Black and made headlines around the world. In this episode, Campbell talks about: The surprising way his older brother reacted when he came out  How he let himself down in his goal to become an All Black The remarkable support he received from the rugby communit...

On the Crusaders Leadership Programme™, you get two live, one-hour, Ask-Me-Anything sessions with our faculty, including Sir Wayne Smith, who we featured on Episode 5 of the podcast.  For today's episode, we are pulling a clip from one of those Ask-Me-Anything sessions where Smithy talks about his experience coaching the Kobelco Steelers, the rugby team for the Kobe Steel Company in Japan.&nb...

DJ Forbes is Rugby Sevens royalty. He played in 512 games in 89 tournaments, winning six World Series. Last year he was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. In this episode, DJ talks about: The influence of his Samoan culture on his leadership Coming to grips with the idea of captaining his nation What surprised him in going from player to captain to coach A huge thanks to Celebrity Speaker...

Raelene Castle is a woman of firsts: first female CEO of a club in the National Rugby League, the first female CEO of Rugby Australia, and the first female CEO of Sport New Zealand. She’s also unafraid to take on gnarly issues, operating at the centre of the storm for some of the biggest controversies and challenges on the world stage with a near-supernatural level of grace and steadiness. In this...

Rob Penney just finished his 2nd year as head coach of the Crusaders.  Year One: the team didn't make it to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.  Year Two: complete turnaround, won the championship. Huge credit of course has to go to Colin Mansbridge, Angus Gardiner, Brent Francis, and the entire leadership team for keeping their cool, understanding what needed to be done,...

Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967 — and had to literally fight off a race official to do so. Because of her, millions of women are now empowered by the simple act of running. In this episode, Kathrine talks about: How her parents empowered her to think differently about what was possible How she has continued to leverage her experience to expand acc...

New Zealand windsurfing icon Barbara Kendall won Olympic gold in 1992 — the first Kiwi woman to win gold in any sport in more than 40 years, and only the second woman ever to do so. She is a 5x Olympian with 25 national titles and 11 world championship medals. She was also the first woman inducted into the world Sailing Hall of Fame. In this episode, Barbara talks about: The impact of nearly dying...

Ian Jones MNZM is one of New Zealand's most capped locks, with 105 games and 79 tests for the All Blacks. Known as Kamo,  Ian played for the Chiefs from 1996 to 1999, and is now a rugby commentator for Sky Sports as well as General Manager of the All Blacks Experience in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. In this episode, Ian talks about: What it takes to be an All Black What his most impactful coache...

Anna Galvan's netball career spanned 17 years. She played for the Southern Sting and for the Canterbury Flames, later the Canterbury Tactix. As a Silver Fern representing New Zealand, she competed at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, where New Zealand lost the final in heartbreaking double overtime to Australia.  In this episode, Anna talks about: That silver medal. The challenge of balancing m...

Tori Moorby has been dominating the javelin throw in New Zealand since March of 2014 when she first broke the New Zealand record. She was just 19 years old. Since then, she's broken her own record over and over again, currently sitting at an astonishing 63.26 meters.  In this episode, Tori talks about: Her insatiable ambition. Why she doesn't like team sports. The first person she calls after...

Sam Whitelock was the fastest player ever to reach 100 international appearances, the youngest New Zealander to reach 100 tests and one of just 44 men in the world to win a Rugby World Cup more than once. In this episode, Sam talks about: How his father deliberately cultivated Sam's rugby intellect The real reason he's obsessed with body language The trick he would use to get the most out of Israe...

Pulling key moments from the original conversations, Kaila shares the most powerful insights and themes that have emerged from the first three months of the podcast. She covers: The role of obsession in high performance The essential ingredient that allows a coach to get more from their athletes (and a leader to get more from their team) What we’re looking for when we strive for big things Hunger...

Christie Jenkins was number one in Australia and top 10 in the world in not one, not two, but THREE sports: trampolining, CrossFit and beach volleyball.  She is currently the Managing Director of Techstars Sydney, investing in 12 super early-stage startups every year.  In this episode, Christie talks about: Her obsession with feedback How we set leaders up to fail in the workplace, and&n...

Mea Motu is a professional boxer, nicknamed “The NightMea”. She's a five-time national champion across four weight classes — the most titles held by any female Kiwi boxer. In 2023, she captured the IBO World Super Bantamweight crown, defending it twice. This past January, she challenged Unified Champion Ellie Scotney in the UK in an historic bout for four major belts. She recorded her first profes...

Adam Nicholls is a professor at the University of Hull. He researches the factors that predict doping among adolescent athletes, as well as how athletes cope and manage their emotions. His research has been funded by organisations including the International Olympic Committee and The World Anti-Doping Agency. He also won the silver medal in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the 2021 British Open.. In this ep...

Norm Maxwell, Crusader #21, is not your ordinary rugby player. At 1.98m tall but weighing just 90kg, the lock quickly gained a reputation for being an extremely physical player. Having struggled physically and mentally with the demands of early professional rugby, Norm now works to add wellbeing back into performance. Norm is a former All Black and was the fourth ever inductee to the Crusaders Hal...

Sir Graham “Ted” Henry led the All Blacks to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup and was named IRB Coach of the Year a record five times . He was also responsible for New Zealand’s worst ever performance at a Rugby World Cup. In this episode, Ted talks about: The coaching loss that is etched in his brain The relationship between invincibility and disaster How to build a culture of being the best in the w...

Shea McAleese is a 4x Olympic hockey player, has won silver and bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, and is the third most capped player in New Zealand history. In this episode, Shea talks about: The difference between forward-facing culture and intrinsic culture. What it looks like to put everything on the line for your team. How to train for pressure. Subscribe now to get notified as soon as...

This week, we talk to Julia George. Julia works in one of the most competitive environments in the world. She is the Director of Partnerships at Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology, where she leads a team of over 30 people who manage one of F1’s biggest partnership portfolios. In this episode, Julia talks about: Why she doesn’t describe herself as compassionate. How to thrive in an environment...

This week, we talk to Joe Kennedy, the Director of Athletics and Sports Leadership at the Obama Presidential Center. Joe is a lifelong basketball player, coach, and civics leader. He coached in the NBA. He worked directly with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on initiatives like the Let's Move Campaign. He launched All Vote No Play — a movement focused on increasing student-athlete vo...

This week, we talk to Katie Sadleir, an absolute titan in global sport. Katie is a former Olympic and Commonwealth Games athlete, was General Manager of Women's Rugby for World Rugby, and is currently Chief Executive of Commonwealth Sport. In this episode, Katie talks about: What the most successful coaches have in common How she took World Rugby’s council from 0% to 40% women in a year The bombsh...

This week, we talk to Sir Wayne Smith, a true legend in the world of rugby. Smithy won three Rugby World Cups and, along with Todd Blackadder and Justin Marshall, was one of the first three inductees to the Crusaders Hall of Fame.  In this episode, Smithy talks about: What he learned from spit. Why training is better with chaos. Why Sir Graham Henry refused to ride on the Black Ferns team bus...