Performance Intelligence

The Mindset Behind One of AFL's Most Remarkable Recoveries | Jason McCartney

April 22, 2026·1h 0m
Episode Description from the Publisher

October 12, 2002. AFL star Jason McCartney was on holiday in Bali. By the end of that night, 202 people were dead, and he had burns to 50% of his body. Most people with his injuries spend 3-4 months just getting out of hospital. Jason was back on the football field in 5 months.What got him there was not superhuman toughness. It was a specific set of skills, built through years of setbacks, that clicked into gear when everything was on the line. Skills that translate far beyond sport.1:05 A career built on resilience before Bali even happened6:15 Nearly walking away from football...and what brought him back14:50 That night in Bali: what he remembers20:25 Goal-setting from intensive care27:20 The decision to return and play one last game32:40 What he pushed through in training that he never told anyone39:20 Doing the psychological work: compartmentalisation, exposure therapy, and why talking about it healed him48:25 Building elite culture at GWS and what leaders get wrong about performanceSubscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Learn more at performanceintelligence.com.You can find Jason at his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-mccartney-oam-b10a39217/ Use Code "PQPODCAST10" to get 10% off your Lumo Coffee order:https://lumocoffee.com/ Interested in sharing your story? Email Producer Shannon at support@performanceintelligence.com today with your story and contact details. Learn more about Andrew and Performance Intelligence: https://performanceintelligence.com/Find out more about Andrew's Keynotes : https://performanceintelligence.com/keynotes/Follow Andrew May: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmay/Watch the Performance Intelligence Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@performanceintelligencepodcastIf you enjoy the podcast, we would really appreciate you leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play. It takes less than 60 seconds and really helps us build our audience and continue to provide high quality guests.

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