PODCAST · business
Empowering Leaders
by Aleda
In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.
Episodes
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Will Cole: Is The Key to Better Health Buried Deeper Than You Think?
What if the key to better health isn't just treating symptoms, but understanding what's causing them in the first place? This week, world-renowned functional medicine expert and New York Times bestselling author Will Cole joins us to explore the connection between physical health, mental…
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Scott Parkinson: People, Purpose and the Power of Women in Sport
This week we’re joined by Scott Parkinson, Head Assistant Coach at Seattle Reign FC in the US National Women’s Soccer League. In this episode, Scott reflects on his career in high performance sport, and the huge impact working in women’s football has had on his life, leadership, and the way he...
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Keith D’Amelio: Unlocking Elite Performance in Sport, Business and Beyond
This week we’re joined by performance strategy and innovation advisor, founder of Heretic Performance and the current Head of Innovation at the WNBA’s New York Liberty, Keith D’Amelio, For over two decades, Keith has worked with some of the world’s top sporting teams and organisations, including...
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Dandapani: Master Your Mind by Mastering Your Awareness
In a world designed to constantly capture our attention, learning how to focus has become one of the most valuable skills we can develop. This week, Luke Darcy sits down with Dandapani, a Hindu priest, entrepreneur, bestselling author, speaker and former monk who spent 10 years living and…
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Jess Bala: Leading Through Life’s Biggest Challenges with Vulnerability and Humanity
This week’s guest is Jess Bala, the former Managing Director of General Motors Australia and New Zealand. In this deeply personal episode, Jess opens up about the devastating loss of her brother, beloved sports journalist Sam Landsberger. She shares how Sam’s passing has impacted her family, and...
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Hedley Thomas: A Storyteller’s Relentless Pursuit for Justice
This week, Luke Darcy sits down with one of Australia’s most respected investigative journalists and two-time Gold Walkley Award winner, Hedley Thomas. For over four decades, Hedley has been pursuing stories that matter, with a career that has taken him from the fall of the Berlin Wall, to the...
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John Lynch: Making History in Melbourne with the San Francisco 49ers
What does it take to build a winning culture, and then sustain it at the highest level? In this special live episode of Empowering Leaders, we sit down with NFL legend and San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch during the team’s historic visit to Melbourne. John shares the lessons behind...
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Dr Martha Beck: What If Success Isn’t What You Think It Is?
For best-selling author, life coach and sociologist Dr. Martha Beck, living a successful and meaningful life isn't found in status or other people's expectations. It's found by discovering your own truth, and having the courage to live it. In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Martha explores…
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Chris Judd: The Mindset of an Outlier - From AFL Legend to Investment Powerhouse
Chris Judd is one of the most decorated players in AFL history, but his second chapter is proving to be equally as compelling as his first. In this conversation, Chris discusses his transition from elite sport to the world of finance and investing, and the attributes and lessons he has carried...
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Nick Truelson: Using the Power of Sport to Create Meaningful Change
Nick Truelson's career has taken him from a university work experience placement at Cadbury Schweppes, to senior leadership roles at some of Australia's most iconic sporting organisations. He has played integral roles at the AFL’s Essendon and Western Bulldogs football clubs, and now, he serves…
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Ben Cousins + Scott Miller: Addiction, Recovery, and the Courage to Ask for Help
Ben Cousins and Scott Miller have both experienced the extraordinary highs that come with sporting greatness. However, behind the wins and accolades, they were both fighting personal battles that would eventually play out on a very public stage. In this conversation, Ben and Scott open up about...
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Dr Lucy Hone: How to Rebuild a Meaningful Life When the Unimaginable Happens
Dr Lucy Hone has spent her career researching resilience, wellbeing and human flourishing. But when her 12-year-old daughter Abi was tragically killed in a car accident, the science she had dedicated her life to suddenly became deeply personal. In this profoundly moving conversation, Lucy shares...
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Tom Allen: A Peek Behind The Curtain of Arsenal’s Transformation
Tom Allen has spent more than 15 years at the highest level of professional football, including leadership roles at Aston Villa and Arsenal FC, where he helped shape one of the Premier League's most admired high-performance environments. Tom shares the leadership principles that transformed…
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Bruce Djite: How Elite Sport Shapes Business Success
Former professional footballer and Socceroo Bruce Djite knows what it takes to perform at the highest level on the field, but his most impressive achievement may be what came AFTER football. After retiring from a sporting career that saw him play across five countries, including representing...
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Chris Lendrum: Winning with Mana: Why HOW You Win Matters at New Zealand Rugby
For more than two decades, Chris Lendrum has been immersed in the world of elite sport. A significant period of that time was spent leading the systems, culture and people behind one of the world's most successful high-performance sporting organisations, New Zealand Rugby, where he worked with…
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Sally Gould: The Art of Staying Calm Under Extreme Pressure: Advice from a Paramedic
As an intensive care paramedic, Sally Gould has spent over 15 years on the front lines of emergency medicine, witnessing both the chaos of life-and-death situations and the quiet resilience that defines her profession. In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Sally reveals how she stays calm in...
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Bryony Cole: Intimacy, AI and What It Means to Be Human
What happens to our relationships when the most available, most responsive, most patient listener in our lives is an AI? Bryony Cole has been sitting with that question longer than almost anyone. As the founder of the Future of Sex platform, she stepped into one of the most uncomfortable...
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Matt Wadewitz: What 250 Episodes Taught Us About Leadership
There's a moment in this conversation where Matt Wadewitz describes getting a phone call at 3am. He'd saved the name in his phone just in case - because he'd hoped it was coming. The voice on the other end had a beautiful Spanish accent. It was Mikel Arteta. That call is a good entry point into…
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Brad Johnson: Bring What You've Got to the Table
Brad Johnson holds the Western Bulldogs games record - 364 games. 558 goals, six All Australian selections, a Hall of Fame inductee. He is, by any measure, one of the greats of his generation. This is a beautiful conversation with a genuinely extraordinary person that still trains like he's…
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Timmy Bristow: A Voice for the Voiceless
Timmy Bristow was nine years old when he ruptured his pancreas playing footy at recess, crawled to the tap, and waited alone in a dark staffroom until his mum finished her shift. By the time she arrived he was blue. A few hours later he was on an ambulance plane to the Royal Children's Hospital…
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Lexi Edmondson: Running Towards Danger, Finding Love - What Bondi Taught Us About Leadership & Life
When Lexi Edmondson walked down to Bondi Beach to celebrate finishing her master's degree, she had no idea her life was about to change forever. What began as a summer evening by the water for hundreds of people became one of Australia's most devastating acts of violence - and Lexi ran towards…
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Harry Moffitt: Former SAS Operator on High Performance & What We've Forgotten About Living Well
Harry Moffitt spent decades inside one of the world's most demanding institutions - Australia's Special Air Service Regiment. He's served in conflict zones across the Middle East including Afghanistan, lost friends, mentored some of the country's most elite operators, and now works as a corporate...
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Phil Hopley: The Burnout Tipping Point Every Leader Needs to Recognise
What separates the leaders and athletes who perform under pressure from those who crack? According to Dr Phil Hopley, it comes down to one overlooked discipline: daily recovery. Phil is a consultant psychiatrist and one of the world's leading experts in mental performance. Through Cognacity - the...
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Alisa Camplin: The Extraordinary Mind Behind Winning Gold
Alisa Camplin is one of Australia's most decorated and driven high performance leaders - an Olympic gold medallist in aerial skiing, Australia's first female winter Olympic gold medallist, and most recently, the first woman to lead an Australian Winter Olympic team as Chef de Mission at the 2026...
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Alex Carey: When the Setback is Actually the Setup - for International Success
The AFL dream ended in tears at 20. A decade later, he was lifting the World Test Championship. Alex Carey's journey to becoming one of Australian cricket's most trusted performers is one of the sporting world’s great second-act stories. A talented junior who played both codes at a high level…
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Jakara Anthony: What It Takes to Win Gold Twice
Jakara Anthony is Australia's most successful Winter Olympian…ever. A two-time Olympic gold medallist in mogul skiing, she's the first Australian to defend an Olympic title, doing it on the world stage against competitors from countries where skiing is practically a birthright. And she's 27. In...
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Peter Malinauskas: Why Leaders Must Spend Their Capital or Lose It
Recorded live at Adelaide Oval in front of a packed Aleda Connect audience during one of the most talked-about weekends in Australian sport, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas sits down with Luke Darcy for a rich and candid conversation. In this episode, he reflects on: What it actually...
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Ian McKeown: Why Composure Is the Ultimate Superpower
If your team wins, who gets the credit… and what does your answer say about the culture you're building? Ian McKeown has spent more than two decades at the cutting edge of elite sport… from the AFL to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, and back to Australia as General Manager of Performance at the...
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Adam Wadewitz: The Iconic Winemaker on Passion, Precision and the Pursuit of World-Class Wine
What separates a good wine from a truly world-class one? According to Adam Wadewitz, it comes down to balance, finesse… and a relentless commitment to the vineyard. Adam is the Chief Winemaker and Joint CEO at Shaw + Smith, one of Australia's most iconic cool-climate wineries, and one of the most...
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Dr Kyle Daigle: What the Brain Can Do - Autism, Healing & Human Performance
Last week, our guest Luke Tunnecliffe told the story of his son Jack… eight and a half years old, non-verbal and autistic… and the search that brought his family to a clinic in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This week, our guest is the doctor who runs that clinic. Dr Kyle Daigle is a clinician, author...
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Luke Tunnecliffe: Ed Sheeran Serenaded My Non-Verbal Son - A Family’s Search for Answers and the Treatment That Changed Everything
Luke Darcy sits down with Luke Tunnecliffe - a man who has spent most of his career behind the scenes shaping the biggest moments in Australian sport and media. From walking into Collingwood at 17 to decades in the Triple M Footy chair and building JamTV alongside Eddie McGuire, Luke is a steady...
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Cate Campbell: Consistency’s not sexy but it’s the bedrock of success
What does it actually take to perform at the highest level - not just once, but across a career? Luke Darcy sits down with Cate Campbell, four-time Olympic gold medallist and one of the most respected voices in Australian sport. Cate doesn't just talk about the wins. She reflects on the dream she...
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Scott Galloway: AI Pushback, Rejection and How We Are Utterly Failing Young Men
Are we paying enough attention to our young men? Do we know how to raise healthy, confident young men in the world we live in? Luke Darcy sits down with Scott Galloway, professor at NYU Stern, entrepreneur, bestselling author and host of the wildly successful Prof G and Pivot podcasts. In this...
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Scott O’Neil: Respecting Tradition, Driving Innovation as CEO of LIV Golf.
Recorded live overlooking the 18th at LIV Golf Adelaide 2026, Luke sits down with Scott O’Neil, CEO of one of the most talked about organisations in global sport. Scott has led at the highest levels of the NBA, NFL and NHL, and now finds himself as CEO of LIV Golf, guiding a competition that has...
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Jon Horst: Championship Culture from an NBA Executive of the Year
What does it really take to build a championship organisation in one of the most competitive leagues in the world? On this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke sits down with Jon Horst, General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks and one of the most respected executives in the NBA. From starting as an...
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Inside Aleda Connect: Leaders on Learning Together
What’s it like to be part of a small, trusted leadership group? Inside Aleda Connect, leaders from more than 20 countries come together each month in small groups to learn, reflect and collaborate. In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke Darcy shares the voices of ten leaders who are part of...
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Success Leaves Clues: Greatest Leader
When you listen to leaders long enough, certain names keep coming up. In this Success Leaves Clues episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke asks a simple question: who has been the greatest leader in your life? The answers are intimate and often unexpected. A television director who kept a young…
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Success Leaves Clues: Great Leadership Advice
Sometimes the best leadership wisdom fits on a Post-it note. In this Success Leaves Clues episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke asks his guests for the one piece of advice they keep returning to. The answers range from the disarmingly simple to the deeply strategic. “Wake up each day and don’t be a...
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Success Leaves Clues: Collaboration
True collaboration is not just getting along. It is committing to a mission together. In this episode of the Empowering Leaders Success Leaves Clues, Luke talks with people who have lived collaboration in very different ways. Peter Rea explores character, growth and post-traumatic growth. Mikel...
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Success Leaves Clues: Communication
Everyone says communication is important. But how do you master it? In this episode of the Empowering Leaders Success Leaves Clues, Luke brings together people who think deeply about how words land. Dan Rutstein talks about the power of three. Julian Treasure shares why listening is a radical…
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Success Leaves Clues: Curiosity
Some leaders feel the pressure to have all the answers. The most interesting ones stay curious instead. In this Success Leaves Clues episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke sits with people who’ve built entire careers on asking better questions. From future-of-work expert Dr Ben Hamer to AI advisor…
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Success Leaves Clues: Self Leadership
In leadership, everyone talks about high performance. Fewer people talk honestly about what it actually costs. In this Success Leaves Clues episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke brings together a powerful mix of coaches, athletes and leaders who all start in the same place: self leadership. From…
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AI EDITION: How Leaders Rise in an AI World
This special episode of Empowering Leaders brings together some of the world’s most forward-thinking voices to explore one of the biggest shifts of our time: artificial intelligence. Across dozens of conversations on the show, we’ve been asking leaders how they’re navigating this moment. Their...
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Alyson Annan: The 3 Questions Parents Need to Ask After Sport from a Dual Olympic Champion
On this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke Darcy sits down with one of the greatest figures in world hockey, dual Olympic gold medallist and champion coach Alyson Annan. Alyson reflects on her journey from superstar player to leading the Dutch and now Chinese women’s national teams, and why she...
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Anna West: The Truth About Better Sleep (And How to Get It Tonight)
On this special SLEEP episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke sits down with world-leading sleep and recovery coach Anna West, founder of Sleep2Perform, to explore why good sleep might be the most underrated performance enhancer on the planet. Drawing on her work with Premier League clubs, Olympic...
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Sami Whitcomb: From Undrafted to WNBA Champion
What if the “right” pathway to success doesn’t exist? In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke sits down with WNBA champion and Opals leader Sami Whitcomb, whose story is anything but conventional. Undrafted out of college and cut from early opportunities, Sami took her game to Germany and...
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Saya Sakakibara: Turn Your Fear into a Superpower
What do you do when the thing you love most is also the thing you fear the most? In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke sits down with Olympic BMX gold medallist Saya Sakakibara, whose story is as much about courage and inner work as it is about winning in Paris. Saya opens up about watching...
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Gilbert Enoka: The Mind Behind the All Blacks
What makes the All Blacks the most successful international sporting team of all time? For Gilbert Enoka, who spent 23 years shaping their mindset and culture, the answer begins within. In September, when Luke walked into Aleda’s leadership conference in London, the Head Coach of the United…
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Dr Ayesha Khanna: How to Build Big with AI and Lead with Humanity
What should leaders actually do with AI this year? In this conversation, futurist and CEO Dr Ayesha Khanna gives Luke clear, practical steps for small teams and big organisations: start with personal productivity, build safe team workflows, then move to data-driven pilots that serve customers...
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Jacinda Ardern: The Cost and the Power of Compassionate Leadership
Few leaders have captured the world’s attention quite like Jacinda Ardern has! As Prime Minister of New Zealand, she became known for her compassion, her decisiveness, and her ability to lead through crises with grace. Now, after stepping away from politics, Jacinda is finding new ways to…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.
HOSTED BY
Aleda
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Empowering Leaders have?
Empowering Leaders currently has 266 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Empowering Leaders about?
In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and...
How often does Empowering Leaders release new episodes?
Empowering Leaders publishes regularly with 266 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Empowering Leaders?
You can listen to Empowering Leaders on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Empowering Leaders?
Empowering Leaders is created and hosted by Aleda.
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