I coach head coaches in ELITE sport
Adaptable Skill | Embodied Leadership | Accelerated Learning
Hi – I’m Cody.
I’m a second set of eyes for head coaches in elite sport.
My 1:1 coaching focuses on the deep craft of the head coaching position, pushing you towards excellence in the four domains you are required to master:
Yourself, the Organization, the Locker Room, the Game.
With high skill and high support in these areas, you’ll transcend the ability to give a championship performance, and become a coach that’s capable of building a juggernaut.
THE FOUR CRAFTS OF HEAD COACHING
My 1:1 coaching uses a custom-built craft framework that develops adaptable skill within the complexities and pressures of modern head coaching.
Personal
Craft
Your ability to learn about yourself, refine your coaching skills, and lead through anything.
What we’ll develop together:
✔ A personal rhythm that sustains peak performance
✔ A durable coaching identity that evolves with you
✔ The foresight to see what’s coming next, and when to act
✔ Becoming an assured leader with calm confidence
Organizational
Craft
Your ability to navigate the off-field dynamics of your club to ensure your team can succeed on-field.
What we’ll develop together:
✔ How to effectively assemble and deploy your resources
✔ Dismantling departmental barriers
✔ Streamlining staff dynamics and workflows
✔ Crafting a vision that clarifies and accelerates decisions
Locker Room
Craft
Your ability to develop a robust culture, manage your players, and lead the team towards their vision.
What we’ll develop together:
✔ Storytelling techniques to win in the meeting room first
✔ How to manage difficult situations through your culture
✔ Maintaining motivation throughout a season
✔ Using your leadership group as a competitive asset
Game
Craft
Your ability to teach the game, construct a winning team, and prepare your players for competition.
What we’ll develop together:
✔ How to ‘coach free’ and trust your inner intelligence
✔ The delicate art of tactical warfare in modern sport
✔ Why you should train moments, not movements
✔ How to guide your attention to what matters most
What coaches say ABOUT MY WORK
“Cody helped keep me level while also pushing my performance to all-new levels. For four seasons, he methodically planned out my weeks so that I can perform through the ups and downs of life in the NRL. My wellbeing, my coaching craft, and our club have all benefitted from his calming presence.”
Adam O’Brien
Head Coach, Newcastle Knights
“It’s been extremely helpful for me to have someone like Cody that I can trust and talk to. Even when you have experience like I do, no two situations are the same, so I rely on Cody to give me an unbiased opinion about what I’m going through.”
Sandy Brondello
Head Coach, Toronto Tempo
“Cody has been a big help over a number of years as I've transitioned from head coaching into the front office and back into head coaching. He's someone I can turn to when I need to speak without judgment, gain clarity, or make big decisions.”
Ben Olsen
Head Coach, Houston Dynamo
“Cody was great for me. He helped me focus on still developing my coaching toolbox while being consumed in the day-to-day management of the phase, players, and staff.”
Travis Binnion
Head Coach, Manchester United U18
“Cody is not a yes man, he challenges you and makes you look at situations from a different perspective. He gets it as he is a coach and l am without doubt a better coach as a result of the time I’ve spent working with him.”
Ed Brand
Head Coach, Chelsea U18
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Cody for a while now, during which time he has played a key role in my development as a coach. Cody consistently offers thoughtful, constructive support and has acted as a valuable second set of eyes—challenging my thinking, encouraging reflection, and helping me stay aligned with the coach I aspire to become. His insights and steady presence have been instrumental in my growth.
Barry Lewtas
Head Coach, England U16
“Working with Cody has been a game-changer for me. The first step was focusing on me—making sure I could perform at my best and consistently show up for the team. That meant dialing in things like work-life balance, sleep, recovery, and even building out my own personal periodization schedule. From there, we turned to the team and the club—creating clear processes for everything from speaking to the group in big moments, to organizing staff roles, leading our leadership group, and managing up to ownership. No matter the situation, Cody always brings a fresh, honest, and clear perspective. There’s so much about being a head coach that you don’t learn in a coaching course—but it’s exactly what Cody helps with. I’d recommend every coach find someone to support them. For me, there’s no one better than Cody.”
Ryan Martin
Head Coach, Oakland Roots
“As a coach working intensely every day, taking time to step back and reflect on your work and journey is critical. Without doubt, Cody is one of the brightest minds at working with you to reflect and understand yourself and your needs better.”
Aaron Danks
Assistant Coach, FC Bayern Munich
“As a head coach, I was very grateful to have Cody as a trusted sounding board during some tricky periods. His insight, perspective, and guidance made a real difference.”
Marty Veale
Head Coach, Rugby New York
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH ME?
I work with a small number of coaches at any one time.
If you're interested in working together, get in touch via email to discuss availability.
NEWSLETTER
My newsletter is split into two sections:
Coach Craft draws on wisdom hidden away in coaching autobiographies — the real, written record of how great coaches thought, led, and competed. This craft knowledge is then taken and mapped to today’s coaching challenges.
Deep Craft is my personal newsletter where I will document what I’m seeing in the field, write about contemporary coaching challenges, investigate new research, and share tools that I use with my clients.
Here are my most popular posts:
Books
I’ve written three books which chronicle my journey in coaching and leadership.
Second Set Of Eyes reimagines head coaching for the contemporary sporting landscape, moving us past self-help and self-education, to peer support and guided learning.
The Tough Stuff looks at the emotional toll of head the head coaching position, and explores how the weight impacts a coach's ability to perform when it matters most.
Where Others Won’t investigates how intelligent teams are able to organize and utilize their people to create competitive advantage, and drive innovation.
What coaches say ABOUT MY BOOKS
“Every head coach needs someone in their corner. Cody makes a powerful case that the greats don't go it alone, they have a second set of eyes alongside them to help them perform during the most difficult situations that their sport presents.”
Scott Robertson
Head Coach, All Blacks
“After reading Second Set Of Eyes, I realized we had a missing piece in our program, so I went about finding a ‘second set of eyes’ for ourselves. Reading the book helped alter my thinking and improved our program overall.”
Cameron Ciraldo
Head Coach, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
“The Tough Stuff made me re-think how I prepare for peak performance, which now starts with Day 1 training design and runs continuously through championship game day. By preparing to perform rather than evaluating other’s preparations, I feel more likely to do my job and less likely to undermine athletes’ and other coaches’ capacity to do theirs.”
John Tanner
Head Coach, Stanford Women’s Water Polo
“I really enjoyed Second Set of Eyes. It resonated with me because I have benefitted so much in my career from mentors and people who have helped guide me. You also get to a point in your career where you want to give back and this book describes exactly the benefits of that mentoring process and stimulates you into thinking about how to give back. It is a must read!”
Stuart Lancaster
Head Coach, Connacht Rugby
“The Tough Stuff resonated deeply for me. It helped reshape my perspective and made me feel seen. Cody brings so much empathy and wisdom to the coaching world through his words.”
Robyn Fralick
Head Coach, Michigan State Women’s Basketball
“Reading The Tough Stuff was a pivotal moment for me as I transitioned into my role as head coach of a professional netball franchise. The book's powerful blend of resilience and practical advice has been a key source of inspiration in navigating the challenges of leadership, helping me stay grounded and focused on driving success for my team.”
Mikki Austin
Head Coach, Surrey Storm
“The Tough Stuff was very insightful and empathetic to the situations I’ve been in as a coach. I wish I had something like this as a resource before I got my job.”
Mehdi Kordi
Head Coach, Dutch Track Cycling Team
“The Tough Stuff is as confronting as it is comforting. A deep dive into the complexities, emotional toll and weight of being a head coach. This is for any coach riding the unrelenting wave of pro sport. It will inspire you to be brave and stay the course.”
Dan Ryan
Head Coach, West Coast Fever
“Last year, I was promoted from assistant coach to head coach of volleyball at the University of North Carolina. I read The Tough Stuff while I was still serving as an assistant coach. I found it incredibly helpful to navigate my first year in this chair. It didn’t make it easier, but I did feel like there was someone out there who understood the challenges head coaches face. Thanks for that gift.”
Mike Schall
Head Coach, University of North Carolina Women’s Volleyball
“By the time I finished The Tough Stuff, half the book was highlighted and the other half was dog-eared. Every page had a line that hit me square in the chest.”
Joe Shaw
Head Coach, Saracens
“The Tough Stuff was gold dust. Every lesson resonated and upon reflection so many similarities to what I experienced as a head coach. I would encourage head coaches, assistant coaches, and development coaches of all sports - and even players who think they may want to become a coach - to read this book. ASAP. Every part of The Tough Stuff resonated with my experience, both good and bad.”
Anthony Seibold
Head Coach, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
invite me to speak
I've spoken to coaching departments, national governing bodies, and sporting organizations all around the world. I speak about coaching skill, elite leadership, and competitive advantage.
My most popular talks
You’re A Performer Too
You’re a high-performance knowledge worker who is asked to place tremendous strain on your emotional and cognitive resources. But just as you can drain those resources, you can also train them. To be your best, you need to choose a lifestyle that facilitates elite coaching performance. In this talk, I’ll show you how.
The Craft Of Coaching
Craftspeople stand for work that exudes three things: excellence, elegance, and endurance. In a modern sports landscape that is increasingly standing for cheap, quick, and transactional, I provide tangible examples of how timeless wisdom still wins, and why we shouldn't be so quick to label coaching techniques 'old school'.
Winning After Winning
Everyone talks about wanting to have sustained success, but very few coaches have built systems designed to win after winning. In this talk, I show you how to create a robust philosophy - and instil a mindset - of repeated winning, while also recognizing the challenges of going from hunter to hunted.
Where my work has SHOWN UP
I’m fortunate to have been featured in new and legacy media around the world.
