The University of Sydney established the world’s first Masters of coaching psychology degree in 2001. USCMA (University of Sydney Coaching and Mentoring Association) was set up a year later as the place for students of the degree to meet up, share ideas, organise guest speakers, establish peer supervision groups and conferences. Almost 25 years later the degree has close to 1,000 graduates and USCMA continues to be the place for students and graduates to congregate. In our post pandemic world, USCMA has established this podcast as a way to connect its members and share coaching-related knowledge.
Episode 9: Beyond the Shortlist: Rethinking Leadership Succession with Dr. Ingo Susing
Dr Ingo Susing is a former investment and private equity banker turned Executive coach and leadership succession specialist. During the GFC he decided to study the Masters of Coaching Psychology rather than do an MBA. He says this changed his life. In fact, he loved the degree so much he continued and completed a PhD with Gordon Spence as his supervisor at UOW. He shares his findings on leadership and CEO succession and the role Boards play. We talk about the failure rates of external hires relative to internal candidates and how coaches can help their leader clients think about succession planning more thoroughly.
Episode 8: Building Coaching Cultures That Scale: The story of Standard Chartered Bank with Katie Hasson
Katie Hasson is the Global Lead for Team Ignite at Standard Chartered Bank, she built a world-class internal coaching culture — scaling from just 9 coaches to more than 240 across 35 countries, saving millions in coaching investment, and delivering measurable, lasting impact for thousands of employees and leaders. In this conversation, we'll dive into the reasons the bank started on this journey, why they focussed on having coaching report into the Strategy department, the challenges Katie faced, the strategies she and her team crafted, the lessons learned, and the future Katie envisions for coaching inside large organisations.
Episode 7: Spreading positivity and joy with Dr. Suzy Green
Dr Suzy Green is the CEO & Founder of The Positivity Institute, a positively deviant organisation dedicated to the research and application of Positive Psychology in workplaces and schools. Whilst she is best known to students of Sydney University for setting up and teaching the Positive Psychology subject in the Masters degree, she is also an Honorary Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of East London. Suzy also holds honorary academic positions at the Centre for Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne and the Black Dog Institute. Suzy is also an affiliate of the Institute for Wellbeing at Cambridge University.
In this episode we discuss the early years of teaching at Sydney University and the changes in the field of positive psychology since then. Suzy shares her own evolution as a practitioner and how that has impacted her life personally and professionally. Finally, we also discuss the future of coaching in a world influenced by AI.
Episode 6: Navigating neurodiversity in Coaching with Rebecca Kornmehl
Rebecca is a leadership coach who specialises in supporting neurodivergent professionals and fostering neuro-inclusivity. She helps organisations achieve both wellbeing and performance objectives, for example by creating the right conditions to attract and empower neurodivergent talent. Rebecca has over 20 years of experience in professional services as a coach and consultant. She completed the Master of Science in Coaching Psychology at Sydney University in 2024 and currently manages her own private coaching practice. This conversation focused on recent research Rebecca has conducted examining how coaches navigate coaching neurodivergent clients, the intention practise gap incurred and barriers to effective practise. Rebecca is speaking at USCMA on May 8th, 2025.
Episode 5: How agile coaching helped transform a global pharmaceutical company with Cat Drury
Cat Drury is a graduate from Sydney University and an agile coach with Roche Pharmaceuticals, one of the most successful and largest healthcare organisations globally. In this fascinating conversation Cat shares the recent business transformation Roche has undertaken and the impact this has had internally and for patients.
Episode 4: Exploring the myths and wisdoms of team coaching with Dr. Paul Lawrence
Dr. Paul Lawrence is an executive coach of international renown, author, presenter, facilitator and teacher. He has written/ co-written six books that chart how to navigate change, including Leading Change, the results of a 18 month study, The Tao of Dialogue, Coaching in Three Dimensions, Coaching Systemically – Five Ways of Thinking About Systems and The Wise Leader with Dr Suzy Skinner. His latest book, The Wise Team Coach is the subject of this podcast. https://leadingsystemically.com
Episode 3: From Sydney to Coaching All Over The World - A Chat With Dr. Suzi Skinner
Dr. Suzy Skinner is an executive coach of international renown, author, presenter, facilitator and teacher. She has written/ co-written books such as The Wise Leader and Leader Identity as well as several academic papers. Her PhD investigated the optimal reflection methods of highly effective leaders. Her business – Roar People – has worked with the ‘who’s who’s of silicon valley’ all over the world. https://www.roarpeople.com.au/
Episode 2: The Evolution of Positive Education with Assoc. Professor Aaron Jarden & Dr. Gordon Spence
In this episode, we dive into the ever-evolving field of well-being and positive education with Associate Professor Aaron Jarden and Dr. Gordon Spence. From the foundations of coaching psychology to the latest innovations in whole-being frameworks, we explore how schools and organizations can foster resilience, optimal functioning, and meaningful social connections. Aaron shares insights from his award-winning case study on systemic well-being in education, while Gordon reflects on the intersection of peak performance, energy management, and personal growth. Plus, we tackle the challenges of social media, the future of well-being initiatives, and even touch on a bit of rugby rivalry!
Episode 1: The Origins of the Masters of Coaching Psychology at Sydney University with Dr. Michael Cavanagh & Dr. Gordon Spence
Pod O'Sullivan chats with Dr. Michael Cavanagh and Dr. Gordon Spence from the Coaching Psychology Unity at Sydney University. Together, they explore the history of the University of Sydney’s coaching psychology program, its global influence, and the evolution of the USCMA (University of Sydney Coaching and Mentoring Association).
Michael and Gordon share insights on the foundation of the coaching psychology degree, the impact of Tony Grant’s and Michael's pioneering work, and the role of peer supervision in fostering professional growth. They also discuss the future of coaching in a world increasingly shaped by AI and digital transformation.
