8 Days in NYC – Reconnection, Clarity, and the Future of ACE
What an opportunity to learn. What an opportunity to grow.
Eight days in New York City. The city that never sleeps offered more than just a change of scenery. It was intentional time carved out to expand, reflect, connect, laugh, think deeply, and gather clarity. This wasn’t just a trip; it was a recalibration. A deliberate pause in the hustle of everyday life to explore the vibrant chaos of the Big Apple and tune into what matters most - personally, professionally, and for ACE.
Professional Curiosity in Action
This trip came off the back of an incredible opportunity through my role as Head of Wellbeing at the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A huge thank you to Souths & League Ahead for making this experience possible. It’s not lost on me how rare and valuable it is to step out of the day-to-day and into rooms with some of the best minds in global sport.
Over the week, I connected with leaders across the NBA, NFL, and MLS—people working at the coalface of elite human performance, identity, transition, and wellbeing. What stood out wasn’t just the scale of their programs, but their commitment to substance over show. Evidence over fluff. Facilitators over fixers. That insight alone is reshaping how I think about the work we do at ACE.
The NBA’s behind-the-scenes investment in people, the NFL’s transitional programs helping athletes plan futures beyond the game, and the research being done in applied development - all of it stirred something deep. This is where ACE needs to play. Supporting people to uncover, challenge, and grow beyond their performance selves.
Reconnection at the Core
During the trip, I was joined by my parents and sister. Four days together, just the four of us. It had been years since we’d had that kind of time. It might be the last time too, just us, and what a place to do it.
Walking the streets of Manhattan, eating too much, laughing at old stories, and making new ones. There was a beautiful sense of validation and grounding in those moments. Their presence reminded me that this path I’m on; the work, the risks, the ambition - it all makes sense. They’re in my corner, and that gives me more strength than they probably realise.
Some of the conversations we had, and the stories we told, will no doubt fuel ACE content and reflections for months to come. It’s funny how our past holds clues that lead to our future.
A City of Chaos, A Moment of Peace
New York is loud. It’s crowded. It’s constantly in motion. But strangely, amidst the sensory overload, I found it peaceful.
Maybe it’s because things have felt busy and a little scattered lately. That kind of subtle, creeping overwhelm that builds up without you even noticing. But being in NYC gave me a helicopter view. It felt like stepping out of the noise and seeing the big picture again. And I needed that.
There was one evening, after my folks had headed home, where I sat at a bar in Midtown chatting to two Irish guys - one had been in NYC for three years, the other for thirty. Both were from towns within 10km of each other. Both had completely different stories of how they got there. I sat there thinking, everyone has a story. Every single person walking the streets of this city is living out their own narrative, shaped by people, places, and pivotal moments.
That interaction stuck with me. We crave connection. We crave being seen. And when we feel connected; to people, to place, to purpose - we come alive. That’s ACE’s heartbeat.
The Power of Stepping Away
Stepping out of my natural operating system; away from routine, responsibilities, and rhythm was one of the most powerful parts of this trip. It forced me to adapt, to slow down at times, and to speed up at others. That change of pace created the space for deeper thinking.
I often find it hard to truly chill out. But when I did, when I actually allowed myself to stop, ideas started flowing. Strategies started forming. The fog cleared.
One afternoon, sitting in my hotel room in Midtown Manhattan, I made a decision I’d been holding off on for a while. I hit the go button on something big for ACE. That moment of clarity might never have come if I wasn’t there. Sometimes the dots don’t connect until we give ourselves time and space to see them. Everything happens for a reason - even if we don’t know the why yet.
Bringing It All Home
What do I take from this trip moving forward?
A reaffirmed belief in ACE’s mission to be human-first, evidence-based, and real.
A deeper understanding of the systems and structures shaping elite sport - and how we can play a unique role in supporting those within them.
A renewed appreciation for family, storytelling, and being known.
And most importantly, the clarity that this next chapter of ACE must be bold, focused, and connected.
In a city of 8 million people, I felt a strange kind of intimacy. Like the city itself was saying: “There’s more to do, but take a breath before you start.”
I return home with a fire in the belly, ideas in the notebook, and a softer, steadier kind of certainty in my chest.
Final Reflections
If there’s one thing I’d share from this trip, it’s this: stepping away doesn’t mean stepping back. It means stepping up - with perspective, with intention, and with energy for what’s next.
New York gave me all of that.
And now, it’s time to build.