Brad Johnson holds the Western Bulldogs games record - 364 games. 558 goals, six All Australian selections, a Hall of Fame inductee. He is, by any measure, one of the greats of his generation.

This is a beautiful conversation with a genuinely extraordinary person that still trains like he's trying to earn his spot - he drove an hour to be first at the track the morning this conversation was recorded. He's genuinely, almost inexplicably, one of the happiest people you'll ever come across - and, according to Luke, has been that way since he was seventeen years old.

In this episode of Empowering Leaders, Luke Darcy sits down with his former teammate, and longtime friend for a conversation about what it actually looks like to give everything to something - in football, in business, in family - and still be standing tall on the other side.

They talk about Brad's son Jack, who is chasing a career in motorsport at serious cost, and what it means to be a dad who shows up without getting in the way. About his daughter Ella, whose singing career paused through COVID and might just be starting again. About the eight years he and wife Donna spent building Zena - a protective sportswear brand for women in contact sport - starting from nothing, holding strong through two years of dead ends, to now being stocked in Rebel Sport and sold internationally.

Brad opens up about his cancer diagnosis last year - a lump under his arm, six weeks of radiation, an operation, and a first clear scan six months later. He talks about what it took to stop trying to work through it and about Donna telling him to for once in his life to focus on himself.

You'll hear this brilliant past episode referenced: Paul Waterson: From intensive care nurse to running pubs with the Australian Venue Co. Check it out or re-listen now.

01:49  AFL Legend Brad Johnson & Luke Darcy: 17-Year-Olds at the Western Bulldogs
03:49  The Athlete Brad Johnson Was — Endurance, Speed & Strength
04:52  Brad Johnson's Positivity: Natural or Performed?
06:02  Parenting Kids Who Chase Big Dreams — Ella's Singing & Jack's Motorsport Career
08:31  Supporting a Motorsport Career: The Real Cost of Jack Johnson's Racing Dream
10:33  Leadership Lessons from Jack Johnson's Pitch to Melbourne Business Leaders
12:01  Brad Johnson on Parenting Differently to His Own Father
14:34  364 Games for the Western Bulldogs: Habits, Discipline & the Scotty Wine Story
17:16  What AFL Players Underestimate When They Retire
18:42  Brad & Donna Johnson on Starting Zena Sport — Building a Business from Scratch
23:36  Finding Your Lane: Stop Chasing Everything (The Hedgehog Moment)
25:17  Brad Johnson on the Aleda Leadership Community
26:21  What Brad Johnson Is Most Proud Of at 50
31:10  Brad Johnson's Cancer Diagnosis: Radiation, Surgery & First Clear Scan
34:04  Brad Johnson's Daily Routine After Cancer — Walking, Sauna, Weights & Golf
35:24  Leadership Advice: Bring Your Quality to the Table
39:12  Collaboration, Paul Waterson & Learning Outside the Sporting Bubble
42:09  The AFL Premiership Brad Johnson Never Won — and How He Made Peace With It

We are privileged to have Brad as part of our Aleda Connect community. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time.

Learn. Lead. Collaborate.

Start your leadership journey today. Meet with founders Luke Darcy, Matt Wadewitz or one of the amazing Aleda Connect facilitators to learn how you can grow alongside people like Brad within our signature leadership program.

Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.