Spiralling Up
How I’ve been applying lessons from sport to help people and teams spiral up and thrive.
The following is homework set my talks coach. Would love to know you what think.
When people ask what I’m focused on these days, the answer usually surprises them.
It’s not rugby, or business, or even sport.
What gets me out of bed every morning is bigger: helping people thrive.
To me, thriving isn’t some soft concept. It means having the energy, connection and purpose to live fully and give back to society.
When people are thriving, they’re not just happier. They’re healthier, more capable, and more resilient. They support their families, their colleagues, and their friends.
And thriving isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation of everything. And we all deserve it.
But here’s the truth I’ve learned: life runs in spirals.
We all know the downward spiral... your energy is gone, motivation disappears, and the very things that would help, like exercise or socialising, feel impossible.
I’ve been there. And maybe you have too.
But since retiring, I’ve been trying to thrive in my own way.
First, I helped build a pub. But not just any pub. A healthy one with no pokies, where community comes before consumption, and alcohol is just a small part of the story.
Then came
. What started as a blog post about exercising with friends, has grown into a movement. Today, nearly a thousand people run together in Canberra every week (when the weather is good lol). And we’re just getting started with national and international expansion on the horizon.But these days, I spend most of my time turning lessons from sport into wellbeing keynotes, to help leaders and teams apply the principles of energy and recovery in their workplaces.
In sport, feedback is instant.
Lose a game or pick up an injury, and you know immediately something’s off.
But in business and life, the warning signs are slower and quieter. And sometimes, they’re invisible until it’s too late.
And my goal with the talks is to help leaders notice those signs earlier, and build resilience before a crisis hits.
Once upon a time, my job was to hold up the front row in a Wallaby scrum.
It was about strength and technique to provide a platform for the backs to play off (Basically just giving them clean ball so they could shine).
And in many ways, that’s what I do now, creating a platform for others so they can thrive.
But today, my front row looks very different, as my job is to hold the line against the silent battles people fight every day, with mental health and wellbeing.
I want to help people find the energy that put them back on the upward spiral, and keep them there.
I don’t have all the answers. None of us do. But I know that thriving doesn’t happen alone.
It happens together.
So my ask of you today is simple: look after your own energy, and then help someone else do the same.
Because when we thrive, we don’t just change our own lives. We change the lives of everyone around us.
Because none of us thrive alone. We spiral up together.