PODCAST · business
In The Arena
by Cameron Schwab
Leadership is the Difference Maker On this podcast, former CEO of three AFL clubs and founder of designCEO, Cameron Schwab, unlocks leadership and the lessons earned and learned by the very leaders who dare to fail greatly. This audio encyclopaedia of leadership knowledge borrows and shares the wisdom that can only be learnt In the Arena, allowing the listener to apply uniquely to their own role in work, business and life. Challenge your own leadership conventions and be taken on a journey that meets you where you are but doesn’t leave you where it finds you. Play on!
Episodes
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Alison McCormack - Community, trust and the hill of hysteria
My guest for this podcast is Alison McCormack, CEO of Bicycle Network, but that wasn't the plan. She was the shy youngest of five, the one who listened while everyone else told stories. Then her mum died suddenly and a friend said, "I'll see you Wednesday 6 o'clock." The bike became the vehicle…
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Trent Cotchin - 'Letting the tide out'
Trent Cotchin captained Richmond through the microwaved membership tickets, the 113-point belting, the noise that had a name on it, and then led them to three premierships with the Richmond Football Club. But the story isn't what changed in the game plan. It's what changed in the man. This is a...
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Michael Voss - 'Courage to always compete'
Michael Voss has lived a life where pressure meant something great was about to happen. Three-time premiership captain at Brisbane. AFL coach at Carlton. A career spent in the arena with skin in the game. And now he's sitting in what he calls "the grey", the space between what was and what's…
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John Buchanan - 'Know yourself inside out'
John Buchanan never played Test cricket. Seven first-class games for Queensland. Then, he walked into a dressing room with Warne, McGrath, Ponting, Gilchrist, and the Waugh brothers, handed them Sun Tzu's Art of War, and told them they were going to dominate world cricket. He coached Australia to…
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Matt Formston AM - 'Let go of the rope'
Matt Formston AM is legally blind and has surfed a 51-foot wave at Nazaré. Four-time surfing world champion. Paralympic cyclist. World record holder. Fifteen years at Optus exceeding enterprise sales targets by 140 per cent. But before any of that, Christmas Eve, 3am, blood on his clothes that...
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Suzie McInerney - 'Brave, not perfect'
Suzie McInerney is the CEO of Six Degrees Executive, leading a team of 90 across three states in one of Australia's most human-centred recruitment firms. She took the scenic route to CEO. From toy brand manager to running a hatted restaurant, to first employee CEO stepping into a founder-led...
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Mark Riley - 'Chance. Circumstance. Choice.'
Mark Riley has spent a career where few would know his name, but his fingerprints are everywhere. Assistant coach across the Fremantle, Melbourne, Carlton and Gold Coast Football Clubs. Nine games as Melbourne's caretaker senior coach. 450 AFL games in the box. But the real story starts in a...
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Dave Misson - "It's never about you"
Dave Misson has spent a career where most people would never know his name, and that's exactly the point. High performance manager across Tennis Australia, Australian Cricket, the Sydney Swans, St Kilda and Melbourne Football Clubs, Dave has been in the room for premierships, World Cups and some…
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Janey Martino - 'Celebrating the cracks'
Janey Martino built Smiling Mind, one of Australia's most impactful not-for-profits, led businesses, coached founders, and is now back in the CEO chair at KIC. But this conversation isn't about what she's built — it's about what broke, and what she found inside the cracks. Janey steps into the...
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Neil Craig - 'A game never won'
Neil Craig is the first guest we've brought back into the arena — and for good reason. He's 70, coaching leaders at the Australian Institute of Sport, and still the most curious person in any room he walks into. Former AFL senior coach at Adelaide, performance coach with England Rugby and the...
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Gabrielle Dolan - 'Leading with story'
I can’t remember exactly when I first heard the statement: “If it’s too obvious, it can’t be trusted.” This thought comes to mind when I am speaking with Gabrielle Dolan, a leader I have come to know over the past decade and feel so fortunate to have done so. The fact that we immediately…
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Dr. Damien Taylor - 'The second mountain'
There comes a time when every leader must pause and take stock. For Dr Taylor, it’s the passage between age 40 and 55, a stretch of life that exposes both the weight and the cost of relentless striving. It’s a season that asks harder questions, such as: Is this still who I want to be? What truly...
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Jenny George - 'A different way of hearing things'
Jenny George runs Melbourne Business School - #1 in Australia. "A CEO is a symbol of what matters," she says. "Every choice you make — what you wear, where you sit, how you spend your time — tells the organisation who it's becoming." A mathematician turned CEO who learned leadership at thirteen,...
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Maggie Roberts - 'The pain of standing still'
At sixteen, Maggie Roberts broke her back three weeks before the Olympic diving trials. Eight months later, at three in the morning, she made a decision that would define her life: she went for a run. "The pain of my injury was less than the pain of standing still." From that moment of choosing...
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John Didulica - 'Without fear or favour'
"Unless you have a deeper sense of what sport can be, it’s impossible to navigate the ups and downs you face every day." John Didulica grew up in football clubs forged by migrants, led by his grandfather, who arrived in Australia in the early 50s with very little, but with everything to give.…
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Paul Marsh - 'Carrying the weight forward'
When bombs exploded near the Australian cricket team's hotel in Pakistan, Paul Marsh was just 33 and only weeks into his role as CEO of the Australian Cricketers' Association. No playbook. No precedent. Just the weight of responsibility for some of Australia's most recognisable athletes in...
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Ameet Bains - 'Just be you'
For leaders, 'not knowing' is our greatest source of vulnerability. Leadership is in the business of ambiguity - if not for ambiguity, we don't need leadership. In this episode, Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains shares his journey from a kid of Indian heritage in 1980s Bendigo to leading one of…
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Lisa Alexander - 'Sisters in arms'
Sisters in Arms The moments that meet you where you are—but never leave you where they found you. Lisa Alexander’s story doesn’t begin on the court. It begins with a diary, a pen, and the quiet courage of self-reflection. At eighteen, she was a young mother, studying to become a teacher, writing...
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Craig Foster - 'Courage over comfort'
Courage Over Comfort When I had the choice… Craig Foster was 23 when he first chose courage over comfort. Rising through the Socceroos, he saw older teammates being denied medical treatment, players without power getting pushed around. He had a choice: use his growing status for himself, or use…
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Marne Fechner - 'Be scared and do it anyway'
Creating belonging in the unknown When leadership demands you build what doesn't exist This conversation with Marne Fechner, CEO of AusCycling, speaks to one of leadership's fundamental truths: it meets you exactly where you are, and then it doesn't leave you where it found you. It will reveal…
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Cody Royle - 'A second set of eyes'
In this episode of "In the Arena," coach and author Cody Royle explores what might be the greatest irony in leadership: those of us who believe deeply in coaching often refuse to be coached ourselves. Having spent decades in leadership positions, I've experienced firsthand that moment when "the...
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Neil Balme - 'The multiplier effect'.
Neil Balme is one of those people that you immediately feel good about. Charismatic with a big presence, quick and eager to find humour even in the most challenging situations, disarmingly intelligent in the most humble of ways. He cannot help but draw people to him, but somehow he stays fully...
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Nick Stone- 'Knowing self. Connecting others.'
I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Nick Stone, whose journey from AFL journeyman to founder of Bluestone Lane, America's fastest-growing premium café brand, exemplifies resilience and authentic leadership. Nick played just 20 games across Collingwood, Hawthorn and St. Kilda over…
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Joe Barr - 'Leading with questions'
"If you are not genuine with people, you won't get anything. You won't get productivity, won't get ideas, you won't get innovation, and you won't get a safe building site." - Joe Barr When Joe Barr became CEO of John Holland, he made a decision that would define his leadership journey: to embrace...
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Cameron Schwab - 'Come to play'
Come to Play "Just be a good person, Cameron." I have put myself back 'In the Arena', this time on the other side of the podcast desk. Soon, I found myself having a conversation I had never had. This is not a coincidence. My inquisitor is Andrew Horsfield, who is well experienced in drawing out…
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Andy Gowers - 'What unites us'
Hawthorn Football Club President Andy Gowers’ leadership beliefs do not reveal themselves through grand declarations or certainties but through a willingness to embrace complexity. It is an effort to find connection where others might see only division. "The feedback I got when I was considering...
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Layne Beachley - 'I’m a helper, not a healer'
"You Can't Stop the Waves, But You Can Learn How to Surf" I've used this Jon Kabat-Zinn quote countless times in my presentations, conversations and keynotes with leaders, with an image of Layne Beachley, seven-time world champion surfer. It is a wonderful quote and a beautiful image of an…
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Ben Williamson- 'Heart and horsepower'
Ben Williamson arrived at my office seeking a coach, though he had no intention of engaging one. What followed was a three-hour session mapping his 'so far' story on a piece of A3 paper. Through this process, Ben developed what he calls his "anti-goals" – not just what he wanted in his life but...
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Matti Clements - 'Beyond gold'
My guest today has forged a new path in leadership. A path that wasn't supposed to exist - from psychologist to Director of the Australian Institute of Sport. For decades, the pathway to senior leadership in sport has been narrow and predictable. Commercial expertise and playing experience were...
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Shane McCurry - 'The space between'
“The Space Between” A wonderful kind of wisdom comes from those who understand that performance emerges not from exerting control, but from creating the conditions for performance to flourish. As I speak with our next guest on ‘In the Arena’, Shane McCurry, this thought comes to mind. His...
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Brian Cook - 'Doing well, doing good, doing right.'
As a leader, people do not experience our intentions; they experience our behaviours. How you make them feel, to elevate and inspire, by not only supporting and encouraging them through the demands of their work, but also when trying to stretch and grow them when you glimpse potential and...
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Scott Barrow - 'Begin again'
“What change do you seek to make?” I came to coaching, having been coached, and the coach was Scott Barrow, my guest on Episode 10 of ‘In the Arena’. This is a different conversation. We explore together. It is an open and sometimes challenging discussion, one that I am glad we had, as I always…
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Nick Maxwell - ' When leadership finds you '
“Were you ready?” they ask. You’d think I’d have a ready answer to a question asked so often. One I’d prepared earlier. Maybe it is less question and more response when people learn I was appointed CEO of the Richmond Football Club at age 24. This thought comes to mind when I am interviewing...
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Todd Viney - ' The Character to Compete'
‘The Character to Compete’ “You will behave yourself in, or you will behave yourself out. The choice is yours.” The role of leaders is to create the conditions that get the best from a group with all of its idiosyncrasies. No team is the same and will always require something different from its...
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Dame Alison Rose DBE - 'Right team. Right culture. Common mission.'
As leaders, we are defined by our capacity to create the conditions that enable the group to perform at its best, and there is no better measure than building a culture and a common good so compelling that individuals know, accept and play their roles in a team and all of its expectations. I...
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Neil Craig - ' Lead, or be led '
‘Lead, or be led’, is how Neil Craig, this week’s guest ‘In the Arena’, describes it. Choose to lead, or allow the challenge of your circumstance to lead you. In the podcast, he speaks about the two egos leaders need to succeed in high-stakes environments, and I love this insight. Neil Craig is a...
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Brendan Schwab - ' Then we decided to challenge the system '
“Leadership is an external challenge of communication.” A future vision requires imagination and someone to spark the flame. Performance Coach Owen Eastwood describes this as the creation of ‘forward memories’. To ignite, motivate and bond individuals into teams through a shared future and…
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Dr. Lauren Burns OAM - ' How do I get better ? '
“I am often overwhelmed by how much I don’t know.” Dr Lauren Burns Making room for the person you might be. My conversation with the leaders I coach starts with a simple question, one that relates to ambition: “What is it that you seek to do?” Having got a sense, often unclear and vague, which is...
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John Bertrand OAM - ' It takes a different type of person '
“To do extraordinary things, it takes a different type of person.” This week, we welcome Australian sporting icon John Bertrand AO to ‘In the Arena’, a leader who exemplifies this mindset. With the Olympics currently dominating the sporting landscape as only the Olympics can, John brings his...
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Debbie Lee - ' Mum, do men play footy? '
“Mum, do men play footy?” Having spent a lifetime in the game, I learned that some people are into growing, but most people are only interested in arrival. The ‘arrival’ people create all the commotion that distracts from the critical work of the ‘growers’, who are playing a much bigger and far...
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Michael Voss - ' Just remember, you asked for it! '
Just remember, you asked for it! Moments of uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity are the uncomfortable leadership moments, and what you signed up for. The discomfort of not knowing. These are the times when leadership is most needed, your leadership, and in fact, if not for these conditions, you...
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In The Arena
In the Arena with Cameron Schwab. Stay tuned for more
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Leadership is the Difference Maker
On this podcast, former CEO of three AFL clubs and founder of designCEO, Cameron Schwab, unlocks leadership and the lessons earned and learned by the very leaders who dare to fail greatly.
This audio encyclopaedia of leadership knowledge borrows and shares the wisdom that can only be learnt In the Arena, allowing the listener to apply uniquely to their own role in work, business and life.
Challenge your own leadership conventions and be taken on a journey that meets you where you are but doesn’t leave you where it finds you.
Play on!
HOSTED BY
Cameron Schwab
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does In The Arena have?
In The Arena currently has 42 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is In The Arena about?
Leadership is the Difference Maker On this podcast, former CEO of three AFL clubs and founder of designCEO, Cameron Schwab, unlocks leadership and the lessons earned and learned by the very leaders who dare to fail greatly. This audio encyclopaedia of leadership knowledge borrows and shares the...
How often does In The Arena release new episodes?
In The Arena has 42 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to In The Arena?
You can listen to In The Arena 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 In The Arena?
In The Arena is created and hosted by Cameron Schwab.
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