Coaching Culture with Ben Herring

• How to reduce the anxiety your players feel

  The fastest way to unlock performance isn’t a new drill or a sharper playbook—it’s lowering the mental noise your athletes carry in with them. We share a simple story from a doctor’s office that proves how precise care changes state without changing a single variable on the whiteboard. That shift in state turns scattered attention into readiness, and readiness into better outcomes.We walk through why care is not a soft extra but a performance lever. When players feel seen beyond the jersey, they take smarter risks at training, tell the truth in review, and compete with freedom on game day. You’ll hear three simple, repeatable actions you can use tonight, whether you coach pros, school teams, or weekend warriors: start with the person, not the plan; name and normalize the pressures in the room; and close the loop within 48 hours so players feel remembered, not managed. These moves don’t cost time; they buy focus.Along the way, we talk about owning the feel of the environment, reading arrivals, and adjusting your session openers to meet real human energy. We highlight why presence is a skill, how good questions are data, and why psychological safety accelerates learning. Nothing flashy—just small, consistent signals that compound into trust. Over time, those signals build resilient people and better teams, even when the drills stay the same. State before outcome becomes the rule, and performance follows.If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a coach who cares, and leave a quick review telling us which of the three actions you’ll try first. Your feedback helps more coaches find these tools.Send us a textIf you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. BenTo subscribe to the newsletter or to get a copy of the book, jump onto:www.coachingculture.com.au Support the showShare this show with your mates, rugby, coaches, leaders! Dont be shy.

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• Talent doesn't always win: Building culture in the Fijian Drua with Glen Jackson

  Glenn Jackson's remarkable rugby journey defies conventional paths. After an impressive playing career with Bay of Plenty, the Chiefs, and Saracens (where he earned Premiership Players Player of the Year), he pivoted to become a professional referee, officiating 32 Test matches before transitioning to coaching. Now head coach of the Fijian Drua, Jackson occupies a rare position of having played, refereed, and coached at elite levels.What makes Jackson's perspective so valuable is his deep understanding of the delicate balance between traditional Fijian culture and professional rugby demands. "There's a huge change or element of speed around traditional culture and professional culture in Fiji," he explains. The Drua, comprised entirely of Fijian players, maintains strong connections to traditional practices like prayer, family bonds, and kava ceremonies while navigating the structured requirements of Super Rugby competition.Jackson's coaching philosophy centers on creating an environment where players can reach their full potential. His initial approach focused on each player becoming "a leader of themselves" before attempting to lead others. This proved especially important given the unique pressures Fijian players face – many young athletes come from villages, have limited travel experience, and suddenly find themselves on billboards across the country.The conversation reveals fascinating insights about team building across cultural contexts. Jackson organized his team culture around TIME: Togetherness, Investment, Memories, and Enthusiasm. The "memories" component highlights that beyond results, rugby creates lasting bonds. His experience as a referee also gives him unique perspective on coach-referee relationships, advocating for mutual understanding rather than antagonism.What shines through most clearly is Jackson's genuine care for his players' development. "If you truly want to help someone and they can feel that, that's where the real power is," he shares. As the Fijian Drua continues evolving in Super Rugby, his approach offers valuable lessons for coaches at all levels about balancing performance expectations with cultural authenticity. Have you considered how cultural understanding impacts your approach to leadership?Send us a textIf you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. BenTo subscribe to the newsletter or to get a copy of the book, jump onto:www.coachingculture.com.au Support the showShare this show with your mates, rugby, coaches, leaders! Dont be shy.

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• The World Is Your Classroom: How Rugby Tours Build Character. Ken Grover.

  Want to find out more for how to organise a school tour:https://gullivers.com.au/rugbyschooltours/What happens when young athletes step outside their comfort zones and experience the world through the lens of rugby? Ken Grover, the 79-year-old founder of Gulliver's Travel, has been answering this question for over four decades through more than 4,000 tours worldwide.From his early days touring with Norths Rugby Club in 1973 to organizing massive contingents for Rugby World Cups, Ken has witnessed firsthand how travel transforms young people. "The epitome of culture is going to Japan," he explains, describing how tours expose players to different approaches both on and off the field—from the Japanese respect for opponents through bowing to their practice of cleaning locker rooms after matches.The power of these experiences reaches far beyond rugby skills. Parents have called Ken saying, "Thank you, we've got our son back," after seeing positive changes in their children following tours. These transformations happen through the natural consequences of touring life: players learn punctuality, respect for opponents, and adaptability when facing unfamiliar challenges.What makes Ken's perspective particularly valuable is his recognition that tours create "learning curves that never end." The unexpected situations—like navigating a cyclone during the Japan World Cup or adapting to different playing styles—often provide the most meaningful growth opportunities. As he puts it, "Failure as well as success are two sides of the coin, and they're both very important in the learning curve."Perhaps most significantly, rugby tours build connections that transcend the sport itself. The shared experiences create bonds that last decades, forming networks of friendship and support that extend throughout players' lives. "Rugby is a special place where you can go anywhere in the world and meet rugby people," Ken observes, highlighting the sport's unique ability to create global community.Ready to transform your team through the power of travel? Discover how a rugby tour could become the defining experience that helps your players grow not just as athletes, but as leaders, global citizens, and better versions of themselves.Send us a textIf you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. BenTo subscribe to the newsletter or to get a copy of the book, jump onto:www.coachingculture.com.au Support the showShare this show with your mates, rugby, coaches, leaders! Dont be shy.

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• Eddie Jones on culture, risk, and advice to all coaches.

  Want a culture that actually lives on the field? We sat down with Eddie Jones to unpack the coaching choices that create real belonging, sharper decision-making, and braver rugby. From leaving a safe career to grinding through 100‑player university squads in Japan, Eddie shows how risk, clarity, and context build both teams and coaches who last.We dive into designing culture through the game itself—why a clear playing model unites diverse squads better than slogans, and how fundamentals must be taught in context to transfer under pressure. Eddie breaks down why over-organization dulls vision, how to use patterns to break defenses without becoming a slave to shape, and the simple scans elite playmakers use to act faster. He shares the power of role clarity and one‑on‑one coaching to remove hidden blocks, plus practical ways to keep feedback immediate and light using just a phone.You’ll hear the Brumbies reset story—accepting a bad year, flipping conditioning and structure, and co-creating a plan leaders owned all the way to titles. Eddie is candid about missteps too: reading the global kicking trend late, pushing change too fast, and why he still chooses boldness over comfort. We talk mentorship (keep your advice circle “super skinny”), hiring for character over credentials, and the daily routines that protect coaching energy. And yes, we go deep on tech: how to use it to accelerate learning while keeping the game flowing—goal-line and red-card TMO, let refs decide the rest.If you’re a coach at any level, this conversation gives you a playbook: be the person players flock to, build the game that builds your culture, free minds with clarity, and take the smart risks others avoid. Listen, steal what works, and tell us the one change you’ll make this week. If this resonated, follow, share with another coach, and leave a quick review so more people find it.Send us a textIf you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. BenTo subscribe to the newsletter or to get a copy of the book, jump onto:www.coachingculture.com.au Support the showShare this show with your mates, rugby, coaches, leaders! Dont be shy.

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• How to Grow Leadership in Players who Don't Talk

  Send us a textIf you can SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the show and series, you would be doing your bit to grow this show. Very appreciated. BenTo subscribe to the newsletter or to get a copy of the book, jump onto:www.coachingculture.com.au Support the showShare this show with your mates, rugby, coaches, leaders! Dont be shy.

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