Nick Poulos – Leading with vulnerability in the toughest sports in Australia. Coaching in the AFL, Rugby Australia, Aspire Academy and more…

Send us Fan MailNick is one of the leading high-performance managers in Australian sport, having spent close to a decade leading performance programs in the AFL with the GWS Giants and Adelaide Crows. Before his time in the AFL, Nick’s career took him around the globe, from professional rugby in Japan with Toyota Rugby, to a senior S&C role with the Aspire Academy in Qatar, and leading athletic performance for Rugby Australia’s men’s 7s program. But what makes Nick’s story truly compelling is the journey behind the success. After being diagnosed with Leukaemia early in his career, Nick spent more than a decade battling financial and professional uncertainty while trying to break into elite sport and at one point, walking away from it all and becoming a firefighter. Today, he draws from both his professional and personal experiences consulting and assisting leaders build high performing teams from locker rooms and boardrooms alike.Highlights from the episode…Nick decided to move to Sydney to pursue his burning desire to work in pro sport to eventually end up becoming a personal trainer and selling Foxtel cable television.Nick speaks of a tough period of his career where opportunities in pro sport were scarce, had a newly born daughter, was diagnosed with Leukaemia, financial challenges, which all led to him becoming a firefighter.After over a decade of pursuing a full time role in pro sport, Nick finally secure his first full time role sport in…Japan!Nick shares the realities of moving overseas, the challenges and advantages of settling both himself and his family into a new culture, environment and way of living.Challenges of having balancing a personal and pursuing a career in sport. Making the move to the middle east to the world renowned Aspire Academy. We chat about what is Aspire, his role and some of the leaders in sports science and S&C he was surrounded by.How Nick secured a role in a sport he has never worked in before and his transition into the next chapter of his career in the biggest sport in Australia AFL.Having been through a very challenging time with the Adeliade Crows we discuss how does Nick deal with loss, high pressure, stress, never-ending demands on his time and still provide a high level program. We chat about the importance of data and also what data DOESN’T show you and why it's important to “Read the room”.One of the most important roles as a high performance manager is recruiting the right people. Nick shares what he looks for in people he hires, what mistakes he’s made and what he’s learnt. People mentioned:Andy Friend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-friend-rugby/Dean Benton: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vtkbUw2IWpdvKLOzI7wVQDaniel Duvnjak-Zaknich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-duvnjak-zaknich-80a41231/Dan Howells: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7wBAlzYR6InvdBZJ1lEPJB Nick Poulos contact details: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-poulos-phd/details/experience/Nick Poulos Website: https://www.nickpoulos.com.au/aboutX: https://x.com/PoulosNickHost: Luis ResaContact me on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/Email: [email protected] for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.