Our great coach on this episode is Mike Dunlap

Mike is a basketball coach who has led teams in US Colleges, the NBA and in Australia. He was also an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks when then they defeated the Phoenix Suns to win their first NBA Championship in 2021. I first interviewed Mike in 2022, and since then we stayed in contact and he has appeared on the podcast in 2 other episodes, the first on Great Teams culture and then On Leadership. Over that time Mike has shared some of his poerty with me – and I was recently able to get some time with him where he shared some of his poerty and we discussed the coaching and leadership themes that run through it. It’s a very personal interview where Mike shares some of the deeper stories from his life and I hope you find it as fascinating and insightful as I did.

• Where am I currently measuring success too narrowly by outcomes, and what “victory beyond the scoreboard” might I be overlooking?
• How well do I balance high standards with joy — and do I pause long enough to recognise the “good” that may be the gateway to great?
• What does my inner voice sound like under pressure, and what practices help me quiet the chatter enough to respond with awareness rather than react automatically?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: https://thegreatcoaches.beehiiv.com/subscribe

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Our great coach on this episode is Kath Tetley.

Kath is a Netball coach. She started her career as the first paid employee of Netball New South Wales in 1998 when the Commonwealth Bank Trophy began. She then progressed through roles working for Australian Netball while coaching at the state level. She then took on coaching roles with the newly formed GWS Fury and NSW state teams. In parallel she moved into the General Manager role with the Sydney Swifts. Then in 2024 she was appointed as the head coach of the Scottland National team, known as the Thistles and is helping prepare them for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and 2027 World Cup.

1. How does Kath Tetley’s willingness to acknowledge her own gaps challenge traditional ideas of what strong leadership looks like?

2. What does Tetley’s approach to difficult conversations reveal about the role of empathy in high-performance coaching?

3. How does Tetley’s emotional journey—from doubt and retreat to connection and trust—show the importance of vulnerability in leadership?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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This episode is a recording of our book club. The book we discuss is Sum It Up by Pat Summitt

Pat was an American basketball player who won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics and then transitioned into coaching leading the USA team to a Gold at the at the 1984 Olympics. However its as the coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team from 1974 to 2012 that she is most famous. Over her career she amassed 1098 wins and led the team to 8 NCAA championships. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of fame in 1999, was named the Naismith Basketball coach of the century in 2000. After 38 years leading to Tennessee, she retired from coaching at the age of 59 due to a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. She would eventually pass away in 2016 at the age of 64.

Our discussion is led by Dr David Turner, a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom.

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

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