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Feb 26 2026 0 Comment

Episode 6: Leading with curiosity – Team Talk podcast

SherryBPodcast, Team Culture

How to build high-performing teams through curiosity, connection, and learning across sports and cultures.

In this episode of Team Talk, Sherry Bevan speaks with Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin, a high-performance coach with over 20 years of global experience across diverse sports, including Rugby, handball, wrestling, and artistic swimming.

Lúcás shares insights on building high-performing teams, creating learning-focused environments, and navigating cultural differences across countries and sports. From the importance of team chemistry to giving critical feedback effectively, this conversation is packed with practical lessons for leaders and coaches.

Listen to the episode here:

Episode 6: Leading with curiosity

Guest: Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin, Locus of Control

Sherry Bevan: Welcome to the Team Talk Podcast, the show where we discover how to build high-performing teams using lessons from the world of sport. I’m your host, Sherry Bevan. In today’s episode, I’m delighted to be talking to Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin, a coach with over 20 years of global experience across multiple sports and countries. Lucas, a very warm welcome to you.

Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin: Thanks, Sherry. I’m really looking forward to our conversation.

Great. Let’s start with your sporting and coaching background.

Sure. I’ll give you the highlights. I started out as a rugby player and, alongside that, I studied Russian and classical civilization – an unusual combination. My career path shifted when I went to Kazakhstan, where I played, coached, and lived. That’s where the sports bug really caught me.

From there, I’ve worked across rugby, handball, wrestling, and most recently artistic swimming. I’ve held roles ranging from club development officer to high-performance director. The common thread through all of this has been developing people – athletes, coaches, and volunteers – and helping them reach their potential.

That’s a fascinating range. What’s the common thread in building strong teams across such different sports?

It’s about the learning environment. How we design it, how athletes learn from each other, and how we optimize that learning. In artistic swimming, for example, there’s limited time for feedback because athletes are underwater. In women’s rugby, there’s more time to explain and discuss. Creating an environment where everyone contributes – from physiotherapists to strength coaches – is key.

It’s about connection, humility, and curiosity. Across all sports, I’ve learned to keep that curiosity alive, even at the highest levels, where it’s easy to rely on what you already know. That mindset is critical because the margins for winning and losing are so fine.

That’s interesting. So in judged sports like artistic swimming or ballet, the focus is on performance perfection, unlike in team sports where a win might be “ugly.”

Exactly. In rugby, “winning ugly” is acceptable – you get the result and can improve next time. In judged sports, you only get one shot, and you’re constantly being evaluated. The challenge is helping athletes love their performance even when it’s imperfect, while linking it to outcomes.

This applies to all sports – understanding performance versus outcome is crucial. It also extends to coaching – how well did we support the team, regardless of the final score? That perspective ensures sustainability, positivity, and momentum.

For example, I recently explained to a rugby team how a scrum mirrors the synchronicity of eight artistic swimmers – all driving together, timing and rhythm in sync. Even athletes from very different sports can learn from each other when open to possibilities.

And each country has its own culture around team performance. How have you navigated that?

Yes and no. Take post-Soviet countries like Kazakhstan and Russia – you expect authoritarian approaches. But some of the most progressive coaches I’ve met are Russian-speaking. My rugby coach in Kazakhstan was brilliant at relationship-building, even with limited resources.

I’ve seen men and women train side by side, and athletes support each other in creative ways – like looking after children while others train. Cultural differences influence style, but you adapt your approach while staying true to yourself. It’s about tools in your toolbox – using the right one at the right time.

That seems very applicable to business too – leaders adapting to the needs of different teams. What have been your biggest challenges across sports?

A major challenge is building connection in a world dominated by phones and short attention spans. For national teams with limited time together, I’ve used Lego Serious Play to rapidly build connection and trust.

Another challenge is delivering difficult feedback, especially in pivotal moments like selection for the Olympics or World Cup. My approach is transparency and preparation – co-designing selection criteria with athletes, making expectations clear, and supporting them to do everything they can. That way, even if they miss out, they understand the process and remain engaged.

In artistic swimming, this approach eliminated appeals entirely. Athletes understood the standards, contributed to defining them, and accepted outcomes gracefully. It’s a powerful model for transparency and fairness.

You mentioned chemistry in the water. How does that work?

Chemistry is about rhythm, spacing, and energy. Athletes need to lift each other, amplify positivity, and avoid bringing negative energy. It’s about shifting from “me” to “we” – asking, “How can I support my teammates?” before even getting in the water.

Feedback is anchored to observable behaviours, like smiling in the warm-up or creating positive energy. This gives clear reference points for improvement and fosters a virtuous cycle of support and curiosity within the team.

Unlike rugby, swimmers can’t communicate verbally in the water.

Right. Underwater, visibility is limited, and they wear nose clips and goggles in training, but not in performance. Routines are brief, and every movement counts. Years of practice are condensed into minutes of performance. That pressure teaches resilience and precision, something other sports can learn from.

And there’s innovation in their performances too.

Yes, creativity is evolving. For example, wrestlers also face a live “movement puzzle” – anticipating and manipulating opponents in seconds. Success depends on reading the environment, executing skills, and leveraging feedback from coaches at key moments.

The key is human connection – building relationships, giving feedback effectively, and knowing your athletes so that learning is continuous.

Lastly, what’s your personal favourite sporting moment?

Recently, the artistic swimmers in Paris. They performed four personal bests in five routines at the Olympics, a remarkable achievement for a top-10 team. Seeing their resilience, maturity, and teamwork, alongside the support of the wider team – physiotherapists, nutritionists, sports psychologists – was inspiring. They gave me a true Olympic memory.

That pride really comes across. Where can people find you?

LinkedIn is the best place – search for Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin. On Instagram, my handle is @nibugandua, meaning “no victory without hardship” in Irish. I operate a consultancy, Locus of Control, and am always happy to connect about building great teams.

Brilliant. Thank you so much, Lucas. It’s been a pleasure talking with you.

Thanks, Sherry. I really enjoyed the chat and walking down memory lane.

Thank you so much.

Important Links

About Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin

Lúcás Ó’Ceallacháin is a coach with over 20 years global experience in high performance sport as an athlete, coach and leader. His areas of expertise are coach development, high performance strategy and athlete career transitions

He graduated with an MSc in Sport and Exercise Management from UCD in 2011 and holds diplomas in sports law, sports psychology, sports journalism and strength and conditioning. In addition, he holds qualifications in Suples training systems, psychological safety, motivational interviewing and Lego Serious Play.

Before relocating to Australia to work with the Australian Institute of Sport he oversaw Wrestling Canada’s high performance program where he led them to a record breaking 4 medal world championship performance. Most recently he led the Australian Artistic Swimming team to 3 World Cup medals and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. His personal values are play, love and care and these come to the fore in his coaching.

About your host: Sherry Bevan

Sherry Bevan helps teams in transition perform at their best – without the fluff. A former Global Head of IT Service in an international law firm, she now works across technology, professional services and the charity sector. Through her Team Kickoff Accelerator, Sherry supports new and changing teams to build trust, strengthen collaboration and set the foundations for high performance. A former grassroots cyclist and still a runner, Sherry is fascinated by what sport can teach us about teamwork, leadership and sustainable performance – and it’s these ideas she explores with leaders and experts on Team Talk.

Connect with Sherry