Today I’m joined by Cody Royle who spends his days coaching some of the top head coaches in elite sport.

Cody is a former head coach of Canada’s men’s AFL national team. He’s the author of three books (Where Others Won’t, The Tough Stuff, and Second Set of Eyes) and previously hosted the leadership podcast Where Others Won’t, where he explored how great teams and leaders actually thrive.

In this conversation, Cody pulls back the curtain on the emotional reality of coaching at the highest level. He shares a story of a terrible tragedy that reshaped his understanding of leadership and was the catalyst for him to write The Tough Stuff.

We talk about why the real burden on modern coaches isn’t “expectations” but the weight of caring. Cody also walks through his four-part “Coach Craft” model and introduces the idea of “coaching free” as the coach’s version of flow.


Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:
[6:27 ] — How Tragedy Led to "The Tough Stuff" Book

[8:56 ] — The Emotional Gap in Coaching

[11:34 ] — Asking For Help

[16:30 ] — Becoming a Coach for Head Coaches

[20:58 ] — The Real Weight of Leadership

[25:03 ] — Distributing the Weight of Leadership

[27:20 ] — Reframing Time Away from Kids

[30:59 ] — From Playing Free to "Coaching Free"

[35:25 ] — Three Questions Every Coach Should Answer

[39:36 ] — Short-Term Results and Long-Term Transformation

[43:44 ] — The Four Crafts of Coaching

[50:15 ] — Why Coaching is Still in Third Gear

[57:16 ] — Learning From Other Environments

[1:06:51 ] — Coaching is for Elite Leaders Too

More Resources from Cody:

• To learn more about Cody's coaching, email newsletter, and books, I'd encourage you to check out his website here: https://www.codyroyle.com/

More Resources from Zach:

• For more practical tools and mindset stories, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/
• If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to reach out anytime to see how I can best serve you: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-brandon-40169573/