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Steps Ahead
Steps Ahead Ep 1 - Tony O'Connor on Being Average and winning Olympic Gold
NZ Olympic Men’s 8 Rowing Coach
Maths Teacher, Christ’s College
00:00 Olympic Gold Vision
01:12 Being Average Mindset
01:38 Being Average Under Pressure
03:41 Finding Rowing in Ireland
04:11 Growing Up and Finding Rowing
05:40 Olympic Dream Spark
06:06 Olympic Dream Spark
07:51 From Nationals to Olympics
08:28 From Nationals to Worlds
09:22 Thor Nilsen Influence
09:39 Thor Nilsen Philosophy
11:52 Training Limits and Respect
12:20 Brutal Training Experiments
16:05 Resilience and Winning Late
16:16 Resilience and Loving Process
17:46 Olympics Mindset and Debriefs
19:32 Mindset Debriefs and Nutrition
21:47 Nutrition and Marginal Gains
23:46 Coaching Culture in NZ
23:46 Coaching in New Zealand
26:18 Joining the Kiwi Eight Campaign
26:38 Joining Late and Selecting Crew
29:02 Selecting the Eight
29:16 Selection System Debate
29:47 Selection System Frustrations
30:09 Early Regattas Reality Check
30:31 Early Races And No Time
31:27 Seat Racing For Magic
31:27 Seat Racing For Magic
32:01 Worlds Heartbreak Sixth
32:01 Worlds Heartbreak Sixth Place
32:43 Rebuilding After Missing Qual
32:43 Rebuilding After Nonqualification
33:55 COVID Reset New Blood
34:50 Knowing Athletes As People
35:07 Athletes Are People First
37:05 One Year Out Setting Goals
37:05 One Year To Tokyo
38:57 Daily Excellence Flywheel
40:16 Excellence In The Details
42:01 Competition Without Obsession
42:01 Ignore Rivals And Fads
45:04 East German Sports Machine
45:04 East German Sports Machine
47:42 Honesty Trust And Selection
47:47 Brutal Honesty Builds Trust
52:44 Pressure Tools Visualization
52:44 Pressure Tools Visualization
56:44 Advice For Future Olympians
56:44 Advice Be Humble Average
58:14 Closing Thanks And Wrap
58:14 Wrap Up And Tech Talk
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5. Steps Ahead Ep 5 - Jackie Gowler OLY and Hugo Inglis OLY on Onboarding into National teams
57:16||Season 1, Ep. 5Olympic team culture isn't built on the podium—it’s forged on day one.In this episode, we unpack what it truly takes to establish uncompromised standards in high-performance environments, drawing from the legendary careers of Olympic rowing medalist Jackie Gowler (Rowing NZ) and Black Sticks hockey striker Hugo Inglis (Hockey NZ Blacksticks).Whether syncing every stroke in an elite boat or navigating high-stakes penalty shoot outs on the hockey turf, sustainable success hinges on setting non-negotiables before the whistle blows.Jackie and Hugo share raw, actionable insights on how early standard-setting creates team accountability, builds trust, and converts high potential into world-class performance.This has incredible relevance for anyone onboarding new team members, setting a culture and passion for high performance.00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:06 Jackie's Rowing NZ career02:40 Hugo's Hockey career03:27 Sport Meets Business - Ice House Ventures 06:06 Feedback Loops and Culture10:01 Finding Rowing and Hockey12:25 Competitive Drive and Mentors14:40 Joining Elite Squads19:32 Senior Leaders and Standards23:15 Progression and Performance Data27:11 Rio Run and German Analysis29:30 Tactics Lessons and Peak Moments33:56 Culture Shift After 201834:50 Fueling Olympic Rowers 36:09 Roles Trust and Stroke Seat37:33 One Percenters and Candor38:18 Olympic Regatta Mindset40:10 Rivals and Racing Your Race41:56 In-House Competition Engine45:15 High Impact Athletes Mission47:25 Measuring Impact Like Sport50:18 Startup Story and Athlete Network52:57 Ice House IV Athletes Fund56:36 Wrap-Up
4. Steps Ahead Ep 4 - Building Worldclass Stadiums with Matt Body, Warren & Mahoney
27:17||Season 1, Ep. 4Designing Te Kaha Stadium: Community Impact, Fan Experience & World-Leading Turf Tech (Christchurch)In this Steps Ahead episode, Matt discusses his path from qualified carpenter to architect and his specialization in sports and recreation facilities across New Zealand and Australia. He emphasizes the social and economic value of these spaces including studies showing strong returns on community investment. He shares involvement in Christchurch’s post-earthquake rebuild and explains how Te Kaha Stadium became the final anchor project after the 2011 earthquakes, revived in 2019–2020 and delivered via a design-and-construct consortium with Populous, Warren and Mahoney, and BESIX Watpac. The conversation covers designing for both sport and concerts, the importance of customer and operational experience, stakeholder engagement, team culture and compromise, and world-leading fixed-roof, fixed-turf technology in South Island stadiums. 00:00 First Stadium Memories00:42 Meet Matt 02:36 Why Sport Facilities Matter03:45 Rebuilding Christchurch 04:23 Designing for Fan Experience05:28 IAKS and Modern Venues07:31 NZ vs Australia Delivery Models09:19 Te Kaha Origin Story12:02 Multiuse Stadium Design13:43 Team Culture and Stakeholders17:46 World Leading Turf Science20:04 Compromise and Pick Battles21:13 People Watching and Flow23:53 Build Highlights and Steelwork25:54 Te Kaha Meaning and Farewell
3. Steps Ahead Ep 3 - Captains' Club with Kieran Read and First XV Captains
46:04||Season 1, Ep. 3This is a video about Steps Ahead Ep 3 - Captains' Club with Kieran Read and First XV Captains00:00 Reset After Loss00:45 Meet the Panel02:19 Early Coaches and Roots03:09 School Sport and Work Ethic04:36 Handling Adversity06:54 Preparation and Game Flow07:59 Cricket Crossover Benefits09:51 Injuries and Mental Resilience12:44 Respect and Big Moments15:03 Building Team Culture16:42 Creating Safe Team Environments19:26 First XV Memories and 2015 World Cup20:52 Winning Culture Mindset21:55 2015 World Cup Pressure22:57 New Wave Reset23:49 Game Day Routines26:50 Adapting Mid Match29:38 Becoming Captain31:02 People First Leadership33:02 Know Your Values35:34 Reset After Mistakes38:17 Hard Lessons In Sport39:39 Coaching Kids Fun40:43 Lessons From Stanford42:05 Weight Of The Jersey43:49 Knowing When To Retire45:49 Final Thanks And Wrap
2. Steps Ahead Ep 2 - Cam Webster on Team Culture and Working Hard at Rowing NZ and Emirates Team New Zealand
01:09:52||Season 1, Ep. 2This is a video about Steps Ahead Ep 2 - Cam Webster on Culture and Teamwork at Rowing NZ and Emirates Team New Zealand00:00 Intro01:06 Rowing Origins04:20 Chasing the Hum05:24 Defining the Hum06:55 Maadi Cup Return09:05 Work Ethic and Accountability13:43 Feedback Loops and Debriefs15:04 Communication 17:45 Junior Worlds Breakthrough21:58 From Juniors to RPC Grind27:21 Trials Pressure Cooker30:29 Process Under Pressure34:44 What Makes Teams Click35:39 Off Days and Trust36:49 Debriefs by the Boat37:47 Team Shorthand Signals38:49 Food as Fuel Comfort40:15 Rowing Ceiling and Rebuild42:23 Missing Olympics and Burnout43:34 Coach Chat and Pivot45:37 Email to Team NZ47:34 Cyclor Training Alignment50:40 Pain Cave Explained51:48 Hydraulics Role on Boat55:26 Culture and Odd Jobs01:00:41 Capsize Safety Drills01:03:30 Becoming a Lawyer 01:05:26 Learning Curve Gratitude01:09:19 Giving Back and Wrap Up
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