Empowering Leaders

Nick Truelson's career has taken him from a university work experience placement at Cadbury Schweppes, to senior leadership roles at some of Australia's most iconic sporting organisations. He has played integral roles at the AFL’s Essendon and Western Bulldogs football clubs, and now, he serves as CEO of the NBL’s Melbourne United basketball team.
During his time as CCO of the Western Bulldogs, Nick played a pivotal role in the development of the Sons of the West Men’s Health Program, using the power of sport and community to support the health and wellbeing of men in Melbourne’s west. An achievement he reflects on as being one of his proudest to this day.
You’ll hear Nick’s beautiful approach to leadership, including the importance of maintaining curiosity, and building genuine relationships with those around you. He also shares the powerful story of Melbourne United player Isaac Humphries coming out publicly, and what it meant to create an environment where a player felt safe enough to be his true, authentic self.
This episode is a masterclass in what’s possible when you use your time to help others, nurture relationships, and work together to create something that really matters.
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We’re so proud to have Nick as part of our Aleda Connect community.
Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive.
Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders like Nick? Take the next step here: https://bit.ly/3IYnLrS
Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Cousins and Scott Miller have both experienced the extraordinary highs that come with sporting greatness. However, behind the wins and accolades, they were both fighting personal battles that would eventually play out on a very public stage.
In this conversation, Ben and Scott open up about their experiences with finding (and losing) their identity through sport, the terrifying spiral into addiction, and the role that prison played in forcing the change they both needed to recover.
Ultimately, this conversation is one that looks at the most important leadership of all - self-leadership, and the role it plays in re-discovering yourself, re-defining your purpose, and re-building your life from the ground up.
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Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive.
Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here: https://bit.ly/3IYnLrS
Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Lucy Hone has spent her career researching resilience, wellbeing and human flourishing. But when her 12-year-old daughter Abi was tragically killed in a car accident, the science she had dedicated her life to suddenly became deeply personal.
In this profoundly moving conversation, Lucy shares the lessons she has learned from both decades of research and her own experience of grief. She speaks about why adversity is an unavoidable part of life, how we can become active participants in our own recovery, and the practical habits that help us navigate both death and the "living losses" that so many people face, from divorce and illness, to career setbacks and unexpected life change.
She also discusses the importance of self-compassion, psychological safety, embracing struggle rather than avoiding it, and why resilience isn't about pretending everything is OK; it’s about finding hope, meaning and purpose, even when life doesn't go to plan.
Find out more about Lucy's work here.
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Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive.
Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here.
Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Allen has spent more than 15 years at the highest level of professional football, including leadership roles at Aston Villa and Arsenal FC, where he helped shape one of the Premier League's most admired high-performance environments.
Tom shares the leadership principles that transformed Arsenal from a club in turmoil, into Premier League champions under Mikel Arteta. You’ll hear some of the creatively brilliant strategies used to deliver messages with lasting impact, and the importance of curiosity, connection and clarity in creating a club where culture, not tactics, are their biggest competitive advantage.
This episode explores what leaders in every industry can learn from elite sport. From creating psychological safety to build genuine trust across teams, to embracing continuous learning that allows people to perform at their very best, there’s something here for everyone.
You can listen to the live podcast in London with Mikel Arteta and Steve Kerr that Tom references in this episode here and Luke's conversation with Milwaukee Bucks' Troy Flanagan here.
We’re so proud to have Tom - and many others from Arsenal’s leadership team - as part of our Aleda Connect community.
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Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive.
Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here: https://bit.ly/49tn4AD
Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former professional footballer and Socceroo Bruce Djite knows what it takes to perform at the highest level on the field, but his most impressive achievement may be what came AFTER football.
After retiring from a sporting career that saw him play across five countries, including representing Australia on the world stage, Bruce made the successful transition from elite sport into executive leadership.
In this conversation, Bruce shares the mindset that made that transition possible, and the leadership lessons he's carried from the football pitch into the boardroom, where he now serves as Executive Director of the Property Council of South Australia.
Bruce reflects on the power of perseverance, resilience and preparation required to make it as a professional athlete, and how those traits become the greatest benefits former athletes bring to the workplace. He also opens up about balancing a demanding career with family life, what success looks like in this season of his life, and why making time for the people who matter most is his greatest priority.
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Aleda Connect was created to provide unique collaborative opportunities for leaders at the top of their fields. We connect a small but diverse group of successful leaders who understand the challenges of high-level leadership. With them, they bring their willingness to share, learn and grow. Aleda Connect provides a supportive, confidential environment where creativity and connection thrive.
Ready to be in the room with exceptional leaders? Take the next step here: https://bit.ly/49tn4AD
Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.