What do whiskey, Madonna’s bagpipe player, and American soccer have in common? The answer: today's guest, Dan Rutstein! 

A former British diplomat and award-winning journalist, Dan is now President of Orange County Soccer Club, where he’s overseen record crowds, commercial growth, and a remarkable transformation of the club. Along the way he’s also built a reputation as a gifted communicator and storyteller, hosting his own podcasts and pioneering the idea of “whiskey diplomacy” as a way to connect people and ideas.

In this wide-ranging conversation with Luke Darcy on Empowering Leaders, Dan reflects on what he’s carried from diplomacy into sport, why building memorable experiences matters more than metrics, and how relationships remain at the heart of leadership even in an AI-driven world. He shares stories of learning from bad bosses, the loneliness of leadership, and the communication trick he swears by - the magic of three. Dan offers so much insight into what it really takes to lead with curiosity and connection across industries.

Dan & Luke mention Soccer for Hope and Dan’s podcasts: Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss, America the Beautiful Game, United States of Dramerica

Learn. Lead. Collaborate.

Start your leadership journey today. 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.

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

What do whiskey, Madonna&rsquo;s bagpipe player, and American soccer have in common? The answer: today's guest, Dan Rutstein!&nbsp;
A former British diplomat and award-winning journalist, Dan is now President of Orange County Soccer Club, where he&rsquo;s overseen record crowds, commercial growth, and a remarkable transformation of the club. Along the way he&rsquo;s also built a reputation as a gifted communicator and storyteller, hosting his own podcasts and pioneering the idea of &ldquo;whiskey diplomacy&rdquo; as a way to connect people and ideas.
In this wide-ranging conversation with Luke Darcy on Empowering Leaders, Dan reflects on what he&rsquo;s carried from diplomacy into sport, why building memorable experiences matters more than metrics, and how relationships remain at the heart of leadership even in an AI-driven world. He shares stories of learning from bad bosses, the loneliness of leadership, and the communication trick he swears by - the magic of three. Dan offers so much insight into what it really takes to lead with curiosity and connection across industries.
Dan &amp; Luke mention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.soccerforhope.org/">Soccer for Hope</a> and&nbsp;Dan&rsquo;s podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/screaming-into-the-hollywood-abyss/id1542533659">Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/america-the-beautiful-game/id1556806296">America the Beautiful Game</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/united-states-of-dramerica/id1471281966">United States of Dramerica</a>
Learn. Lead. Collaborate.
Start your leadership journey today. Head <a href="https://www.aledacollective.com/program/leadconnect">here</a> 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.
Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yzcchzea">here</a>.

In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.

Empowering Leaders

In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, social venture, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.

In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it&rsquo;s sports, art, social venture, business or education. We&rsquo;ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.