On today's podcast we have Ben Ryan.

Ben is the most successful men's rugby sevens coach in history. He's the only coach to have won Continental, World, and Olympic titles, and has been working at the pinnacle of international sport for over two decades and counting. His transformative leadership turned the Fiji Rugby Sevens team into a global powerhouse. Under his guidance, they went on to win back-to-back World Series titles and, most notably, Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Summer Games - Fiji's first ever Olympic medal.

The story is insane - and no surprise to me, there's a movie to document it soon. As a leader, Ben revolutionised the way the team embraced culture, connection, standards, and mental preparation - ensuring his players thrived both as athletes, and as individuals. His groundbreaking work in Fiji earned him the nation's highest civilian honour: the Companion of the Order of Fiji.

He is currently in his third season as Performance Director at Brentford FC, playing in the Premier League - a club known for doing things differently. They are going from strength to strength, becoming perhaps the most talked about team in world sport, and for whom Ben is a lifelong fan. He was also an impressive athlete himself, a graduate of both Loughborough and Cambridge, a great human being, and a true leader in human performance.

In this episode, we discuss: The Fiji story, from hurricanes, dictators, and enforcing discipline, to the part I found most fascinating: the internal challenges Ben had to overcome to transition from aspiring leader to world-class leader.

I hope you enjoy.

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Find Ben

https://www.instagram.com/benryan7s/

https://x.com/benjaminryan

Find James:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesakingofficial/

https://www.instagram.com/jamesaking_/

https://jamesaking.com/

🔊 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LJFspGl7b0e5YuxMfPLpx?si=e852f426c16b4f2d

🔊 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-accelerating-excellence-podcast/id1706636304

Gold Standard: Ben Ryan on the game behind the game