Scalpels, Sailors & Coaching: A Surgeon’s Journey into Leadership Psychology with Dr Martin Richardson

Dr. Martin Richardson is a highly decorated Orthopaedic Surgeon with over three decades of clinical, educational, and military service. His roles have ranged from Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Royal Melbourne Hospital to Co-Director of the Fundamentals of Clinical Coaching at Monash University. As a Surgeon Commander in the Royal Australian Navy, he’s served in Afghanistan, participated in humanitarian missions across the Pacific, and played a pivotal role in Navy Health Training. In 2024, he completed a Master of Science in Coaching Psychology at the University of Sydney, deepening his commitment to leadership development and organisational coaching across healthcare and defence sectors. Today we talk about why he chose this unusual path, what it gave him and how he is working with the Australian Navy as a leadership advisor. And a little bit on singing…!