Podcast Summary: The $100M Entrepreneur Podcast

Episode: Find Your Why: How Adversity Shapes Success and Purpose from Kevin Sinfield

Host: Brad Sugars
Guest: Kevin Sinfield
Date: October 15, 2025

Overview

This episode features Kevin Sinfield, renowned former rugby league player and coach, discussing how adversity can crystallize personal purpose and shape long-term success. Kevin opens up about moving from a high-level sporting career to a life of service and advocacy, particularly his efforts supporting the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) community, inspired by close friend Rob Burrow. Through candid anecdotes, actionable advice, and passion for leadership, Kevin demonstrates how challenges become the foundation for purpose-driven achievement in both sport and business.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redefining Success Through Adversity

• Success is Personal Growth: Kevin explains that his definition of success evolved from winning trophies in his early career to maximizing personal potential in any field.
  • "I think success in life is based around getting the best out yourself, whatever line of work you're in..." – Kevin [00:30]
• Adversity as a Crash Course: Professional rugby taught Kevin to navigate both triumphs and setbacks, skills he later applied beyond the field.
  • "My playing career gave me a crash course in the best and the worst that life can throw at you..." – Kevin [01:25]

2. Finding and Living with Purpose

• Purpose Often Finds You: Kevin admits his renewed sense of purpose—advocacy for the MND community—came through tragedy, but brought profound meaning to his post-sports life.
  • "Through a tragedy I found out what my purpose were and was massively inspired through Rob's fight and his courage." – Kevin [03:58]
• Advice for Others: He encourages listeners to identify passions that naturally energize them and to accept that purpose may be discovered unexpectedly.
  • "There must be something that grabs you... Work out what that is. And then can you form a career out of it?" – Kevin [06:17]
  • Kevin hadn’t planned to coach, but found great satisfaction in guiding younger players, realizing, “it found me” [06:45].

3. Lessons from Sport Applied to Business Leadership

• Building Purpose and Competition: While sports have weekly built-in competition, business leaders must manufacture a similar spirit for continuous improvement.
  • "How can we create that competition internally where we just want to keep getting better...?" – Kevin [11:18]
• The Power of Care and Listening: Kevin emphasizes caring about team members and truly listening as foundational to leadership in any arena.
  • "Listen and care about the people you work with... The loyalty you will get back... will just be unbelievable." – Kevin [08:48]

4. Overcoming Personal Challenges—The Running Analogy

• Discovering Running: Kevin wryly notes he doesn’t actually enjoy running but used it as a therapeutic means to channel his competitive nature post-retirement.
  • “People will laugh at this, but I don't like running. I don't like running. I don't like running.” – Kevin [00:00], [12:42]
• Finding the Balance: He discusses avoiding obsession by managing his competitiveness, ensuring family and personal balance.
  • “How does the competition play out now? ...How do I keep it... harnessed up enough so that it can still be a real passion?” – Kevin [15:40]
• Seven in Seven Challenge: Inspired by Rob Burrow's jersey number, Kevin’s seven marathons in seven days is emblematic of purpose-driven action.

5. Making Big Goals Manageable

• Chunk Down Big Challenges: Kevin likens goals to marathons—overwhelming in totality, but achievable step by step.
  • “Every marathon starts with the first step. ...How do you chunk it into much smaller sections?” – Kevin [18:29]
  • His mantra: “Just gotta make the start line the next day.” [20:28]
• Build Consistent Habits: Even when motivation lapses, Kevin relies on habits and self-discipline, urging everyone to make time daily for personal betterment.
  • “There’s lots of days where I don’t want to do me 30 minutes... I force myself... Consistency, habits, habits.” – Kevin [21:21]

6. Core Attributes of Great Leaders

• Humility, High Standards, and Courage:
  • Humility: “The best leaders I've worked with have a huge amount of humility. They... know or have the right answer. They make mistakes and they're open to say I got this wrong, please can you help me?” – Kevin [23:20]
  • High Standards: Leaders must “empty the tank” and give their all, inspiring the same in others.
  • Courage: The willingness to make unpopular, but right, decisions for the greater good—“If we live our lives with integrity, trying to do the right thing... even a criticized decision can still be absolutely right.” [25:33]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Redefining Success:
  "To be a champion, you have to be a champion at home first and basically be a good person through a tragedy. Found out what my purpose were and was massively inspired." – Kevin [00:07]

• On Purpose Emerging from Challenge:
  “Through a tragedy I found out what my purpose were and was massively inspired through Rob's fight and his courage... to try and help and support the MND community." – Kevin [03:58]

• On Finding Passion in Unexpected Places:
  “It found me. However, I love working with young guys... Their enthusiasm and energy rubs off on you. It's massively inspiring.” – Kevin [06:45]

• On Overcoming the Dread:
  "I don't like running. I'm asthmatic. I hated cross-country running at school... But running helped me deal with some of that [void]." – Kevin [12:42]

• Marathon Mantra:
  “Just gotta make the start line the next day. ...The hardest bit for most things you do in life is turning up.” – Kevin [20:28]

• On Leadership Qualities:
  "The best leaders I've worked with have a huge amount of humility... Next one would be you set high standards... and then the last one would be around courage." – Kevin [23:20]

• Consistent Self-Improvement:
  "If I don't do my 30 minutes, I'm not a great person or I was not as good as I should be." – Kevin [22:01]

• Best Advice Received:
  “To be a champion, you have to be a champion at home first... be a good person. ...Because if you're a good person, you won't just win once, you'll keep winning.” – Kevin [27:24]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:07 – Kevin on adversity shaping purpose through Rob Burrow's journey
• 01:25 – Lessons and perspective from professional rugby
• 03:58 – Discovering post-career purpose through tragedy
• 06:17 – Practical advice for finding one’s purpose
• 08:48 – Leadership in business: listening and caring
• 12:42 – The running story: finding therapy in discomfort
• 15:40 – Balancing passion with family and preventing obsession
• 18:29 – Big goals and the importance of breaking them down
• 20:28 – The “just start” mantra for consistency
• 23:20 – Three attributes of outstanding leaders
• 27:24 – The best success advice Kevin ever received

Final Thoughts

Kevin Sinfield provides a raw, relatable look at how adversity and introspection can forge a deeper purpose—one that surpasses accolades and transforms both self and community. His journey from champion athlete to purpose-driven leader offers universal lessons for any entrepreneur or leader striving for both excellence and meaning.