Max Gawn | Embrace your difference

Melbourne Football Club captain and cycling analyst Max
Gawn joins his pod to go deep on his cycling journey, his
leadership journey, and the practices he'd apply to build a
winning cycling team culture - when (not if) Stanley St. Social
gets a WorldTour squad.


From accidentally discovering the Tour de France on SBS as a kid
to breaking down monument tactics and GC battles, Max traces how
he became one of AFL's most genuine cycling obsessives. Then he
gets honest about leadership - what it really took to become
Melbourne's captain, the late Jim Stynes' influence on embracing
his difference, and why the best culture he's ever been part of
was built in the hard years, not the good ones.


And then we build the team. Max lays out exactly how he'd
approach culture, connection and leadership in a WorldTour
cycling squad - and it's more practical than you'd expect.


We chat:


Max's cycling journey from SBS late nights to monument
obsessive

Leadership, identity, and embracing your difference

Jim Stynes and the mentor who shaped a captain

Type A vs Type B leaders and why both need a seat at the
table

Building team culture across a globally scattered cycling
roster

The Triple H framework and why storytelling changes
everything

Celebrating the lead-out rider as loudly as the GC winner