#165 David Cosgrave - Senior Director of Sports Medicine and High Performance at Orlando City SC

Sleep Eat Perform Repeat

Today we spoke with David Cosgrave - Purposeful Leader in High Performance.

A skilled, eloquent and resourceful strategic leader in high performance across multiple English Premier League, UEFA Europa and UEFA Champions League campaigns, David is now working in the MLS with Orlando City SC. David's career is synonymous with words like culture, leadership, purpose and high performance. He has experience having worked with clubs across different countries like FC Copenhagen, Fulham, Stoke City, Liverpool, Spurs and Bolton Wanderers. David completed a Master of Sports Directorship, was involved with Right to Dream, and co-founded The Leadership Bunker.

Today we speak about what his role involves in Orlando, and what his day-to-day looks like; also, how he avoids burnout and what he does to stay fresh and energised. He unpacks the meaning and origins around his identity - 'purposeful leader in high performance'.

We discuss how to find harmony between a busy and demanding professional life with being a parent and partner. We discuss mentorship, role modelling and would David come back to Ireland, plus a fond memory of his Irishness involving an ice cream van adventure. The wrap up by MC David is worth the price of admission to this one...wait to the end!
Key Timestamps:

- (0:31) - Current role with Orlando City MLS

- (2:16) - Overseeing a high performing culture

- (4:45) - Social cohesion model + environment

- (6:52) - Overcoming disruption or conflict in a team

- (8:30) - Change management and disruptive team members

- (9:55) - Entering into a new environment or team

- (11:12) - Nudging culture in a positive direction

- (13:25) - Setting a direction for David's personal journey

- (13:59) - Unpacking Trust and being a purposeful leader in high performance

- (15:35) - Promoting growth in young leaders

- (17:19) - Autonomy, relatedness, competency and a motivation model

- (19:18) - Alignment of family, personal, professional values and space for downtime

- (20:30) - Family first and creating a culture of the same

- (24:00) - Scheduling in high performance to ensure consistent energy

- (25:40) - Breath work, meditation, micro-breaks + interoception

- (28:20) - Finding the recovery toolkit that works for you

- (29:17) - Using physical environment to change /influence mood

- (31:07) - How being Irish influenced David's resilience and sense of belonging

- (34:20) - Constructing his highest family values and daughter's future

- (35:51) - The Irish Ice Cream van

- (38:38) - What does high performance mean to you?