LEADERSHIP and TEAMSHIP

00:00 – 03:00 | Introduction & Career Overview

• Host Ben Fennell introduces the podcast and Kate Richardson-Walsh.
• Highlights Kate’s 375 caps for Great Britain hockey, 13 years as captain, and Rio 2016 Olympic gold.

03:00 – 05:00 | Early Career & Team Development Challenges

• Kate discusses the turbulence of her first 10 years in the sport.
• Explains lack of full-time training due to funding and resulting inconsistency in performance.

05:00 – 08:30 | Purpose, Vision & 'Gold Medal Standards'

• Insight into rebuilding after London 2012.
• Shift to using “Would a gold medallist do that?” as a daily behavioural check-in.
• Importance of turning abstract vision into actionable behaviours.

08:30 – 12:00 | Strengths & Self-Awareness

• Team learned to recognise and value individual strengths through psychology work.
• Kate discusses her personal strength (consistency) and Helen Richardson-Walsh’s penalty goal at Rio.
• Power of knowing and using your strengths under pressure.

12:00 – 15:20 | Good Day / Bad Day Exercise & Triggers

• Importance of knowing your personal signals of performance and self-awareness.
• Identifying emotional and behavioural cues that indicate decline or stress.
• Creating plans and asking for support when triggered.

15:20 – 20:00 | Receiving Feedback Well

• Kate’s story of receiving honest feedback from a junior teammate.
• Emotional reaction vs. self-control.
• Emphasises thoughtful, kind, and direct feedback as a gift.

20:00 – 25:30 | Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB)

• Overview of diversity within the GB hockey team and its limitations.
• Leveraging cognitive, personality and strength-based diversity to enhance resilience and creativity.
• Transition from inclusion as a concept to belonging as a performance driver.

25:30 – 30:00 | Inductions, Culture & Storytelling

• Team’s cultural onboarding and welcome ceremonies before Rio 2016.
• Use of storytelling to share values and welcome new members.
• Importance of helping new joiners quickly understand and contribute to team culture.

30:00 – 36:30 | Identity, Microaggressions & Representation

• Kate’s personal experiences with prejudice and stereotypes.
• Subtle discrimination: e.g., “couldn’t you have used a prettier picture?”
• Significance of representation and embracing identity confidently.

36:30 – 39:20 | Safe Spaces & Learning Through Discomfort

• Importance of creating non-judgmental spaces for DIB conversations.
• Avoiding blame and “cancel culture.”
• Acknowledging fear but choosing to grow through discomfort.

39:20 – 45:00 | Closing Reflections: Leadership, Teamship & Growth

• Leadership: “Honesty” – authenticity and holding self to same standards as others.
• Teamship: “Selflessness” – showing up daily even if not selected.

••Growth: “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” – personal and team development through challenge.

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