#119 – Leading with Curiosity: Culture, Values, and Coaching for Belonging and Impact with Brett White
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Episode Summary:
In this powerful episode of Sport Is Life, Ian Hawkins is joined by leadership and coaching expert Brett White. What started as an accidental email turned into a high-impact conversation on sport, leadership, and the human side of performance. Brett shares insights from over 25 years of experience developing leaders and 18+ years in football coaching, including his transformative work in Cambodia and at Bonnet Bay FC.
Together, Ian and Brett explore the behaviors that define great coaches and leaders, the importance of self-awareness, and the hidden damage caused by performance-first mindsets. They dive into values-based leadership, how to create cultures of trust, the influence of sports parenting, and practical strategies for getting the best out of people—on the field and in life.
Whether you're a sports parent, a business leader, or simply passionate about growth, this episode is packed with stories, strategies, and mindset shifts to elevate your game.
About the Guest:
Brett White is a respected sports coach, leadership expert, and passionate advocate for resilience and growth. With over 18 years of experience in football coaching and more than 25 years developing leaders, Brett is currently leading Bonnet Bay FC’s Premier League squad for the 2024/25 season. He holds an FFA Senior C Licence and is currently completing his AFC B Licence Diploma.
In addition to his coaching career, Brett has spent the past decade working with elite athletes, teams, and leaders across sport and business, helping them build mindset strength and lasting resilience.
His latest book, Behave: The Power of Coach Behaviour in Shaping Athletes’ Performance and Growth, is receiving outstanding feedback from coaches and leaders worldwide.
Brett also serves as Football Director at Happy Football Cambodia Australia, a role through which he helps bring hope and opportunity to underprivileged youth in Cambodia. From 2014 to 2019, he served as Coach & Player Development Manager at Bonnet Bay FC, where he oversaw the development of 600 players, 30 coaches, and 42 teams.
He is the CEO and Founder of Be Leaders and the BE Academy, established in 2014, which continues to empower leaders and organisations around the world.
Link/s:
Book: https://a.co/d/ckwFjsy
Website: www.beleaders.com.au
About the Host:
Ian Hawkins, host of "Sport Is Life," is dedicated to showing how sports can transform lives. With extensive experience as an athlete, a coach, PE teacher, community volunteer, and manager at Fox Sports, Ian brings a wealth of knowledge to the podcast. His journey began in his backyard, mentored by his older brother, and has since evolved into coaching elite athletes and business leaders. Ian's commitment to sports and personal development is evident in his roles as a performance coach and active community member. Through "Sport Is Life," Ian shares inspiring stories and valuable lessons to help listeners apply sports principles to all areas of life.
If you’re working too hard too quieten the headnoise, check out my Performance Meditation training here - https://www.ianhawkinscoaching.com/performancemeditation
Join the 2025 Planning Session here https://www.facebook.com/share/1C6AqzhGeY/
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Check Me Out On:
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Theme Music Artist:
One Day Kings https://www.instagram.com/onedaykings/
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Transcript
It's a funny story before I introduce
Speaker:this week's guest. A few weeks back I
Speaker:interviewed Brett White from the Gold
Speaker:Coast Titans. Through the email process.
Speaker:I managed to send one of the emails to a
Speaker:different Brett White in my address book,
Speaker:and today I'm interviewing him. It was
Speaker:obviously meant to be. Brett and I are
Speaker:very much on the same page when it comes
Speaker:to leadership, when it comes to
Speaker:getting the best out of your teams,
Speaker:whether that's in a corporate or business
Speaker:environment or in a sporting environment.
Speaker:I love. The conversations we had, and
Speaker:you're going to get a heap out of this if
Speaker:you're a sports parent, if you're a
Speaker:leader in any area of life, and how you
Speaker:can use values and
Speaker:alignment to make sure that not
Speaker:only are your teams thriving, but you're
Speaker:feeling full satisfaction and
Speaker:contentment with your part in that as
Speaker:well.
Speaker:I'm Ian Hawkins and this is Sporty's
Speaker:life. The purpose of sport, as I
Speaker:see it, is to see your vision become a
Speaker:reality, find your voice, create
Speaker:strong connections and learn to trust
Speaker:your body.
Speaker:You've taken the time to listen to this
Speaker:whole episode. Now it's time to take
Speaker:action. Commit to one thing you've
Speaker:learned today and make it happen. And to
Speaker:avoid any obstructions, join the Sporty's
Speaker:Life movement by clicking on the link in
Speaker:the show notes.
