The Samurai Shift

Peter Jones

The Samurai Shift podcast is a purpose-driven platform exploring how sport can evolve in service of the people within it. It invites sports administrators, policymakers, program directors, coaches, and athletes past and present, who care about sport as a vehicle for human expression to pause, step back, and reflect on questions that are often overlooked.FORMATIONEp 1: Carl Graham - Founder of Northern Beaches Volleyball AssociationEp 2: Nathan McLeod - Director of SA Beach in South AustraliaEp 3: Boris Georgieff - President of Volleyball QueenslandCOMPRESSIONEp 4: Louise Bawden OLY - VA Board of DirectorsEp 5: Damian Schumann OLY - The 'outsider' who broke throughEp 6: Michael Nelson - Olympic Coach now AIS Coach DevelopmentFRACTUREEp 7: Alistair Lyne - Director of Vic Beach Ep 8: Andrew Schacht OLY - Olympic Coach piloting AIS Coach Wellbeing programEp 9: Natalie Cook OLY - Olympic Gold Medalist and founder of the Aussie Athlete FundINTEGRATIONEp 10: Lauren Soderberg - Olympic Coach & National Body Wellbeing Systems LeaderEp 11: Craig Carracher - Volleyball Australia PresidentEp 12: Baz Weidmeier - Former Volleyball NSW General Manager and International Event Manager

Episodes

  1. May 18

    Episode 3 - Boris Georgieff

    What do our sporting systems actually produce? In this episode of The Samurai Shift, Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Boris Georgieff — long-time President of Volleyball Queensland — to explore the realities of building and sustaining a state-wide sporting system. From grassroots participation through to representative pathways, this conversation examines how systems are structured, what they prioritise, and how those priorities shape the experience of athletes, coaches, families, and communities. Together, they explore the tensions that emerge as sport moves from participation into performance… and the challenge of keeping human development at the centre of increasingly complex systems. This episode raises deeper questions about modern sport: Who is the system ultimately serving?  What happens when performance becomes the dominant priority?  And how do we create environments where people remain connected to the game long after competition ends? As The Samurai Shift continues to explore how sporting ecosystems shape human experience, this conversation moves further into the architecture beneath the game itself.

    47 min

  2. Apr 29

    Nathan 'Wombat' McLeod

    What does it actually take to create opportunity in sport? In this episode of The Samurai Shift, Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Nathan “Wombat” McLeod — whose journey through volleyball spans grassroots events, national tours, and international competition. From building local beach volleyball series to working across the national and global stage, Nathan offers a unique perspective on the unseen work that underpins the game. This conversation explores the realities of creating environments for players to compete, connect, and grow — and the pressures that come with it. It also raises a deeper question: What do our sporting systems really produce? Through stories of event delivery, community building, and athlete development, this episode highlights the balance between opportunity, sustainability, and the human experience of sport. As the series moves from origin stories into system design, this conversation begins to reveal how structure, decisions, and priorities shape the pathways people move through.

    1h 1m

  3. Apr 13

    Carl Graham - Founder of NBVA

    Where did beach volleyball in Australia begin? In this episode of The Samurai Shift, Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Carl Graham — one of the founders of Australia’s first beach volleyball community on Sydney’s Northern Beaches more than 40 years ago. Long before formal pathways and high performance systems, the game was built through simple, community-driven experiences — portable courts, shared effort, and a deep connection to the people involved. Carl reflects on the early days of building the Northern Beaches Volleyball Association, the challenges of establishing a new sport in public spaces, and the culture that allowed it to grow — grounded in accessibility, volunteerism, and a genuine love of the game. Through this conversation, we explore what made those early environments work… and what they might teach us about the way sport is structured today.

    53 min
  4. The Samurai Shift - Introduction

    Mar 28

    The Samurai Shift - Introduction

    What is sport really for? In this opening episode of The Samurai Shift, Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Sarah Maxwell to explore the thinking behind the podcast — and the question that has shaped his 40-year journey in sport. From grassroots beginnings to Olympic pathways, Peter reflects on the evolution of sporting systems and the growing tension between performance and human experience. Drawing on powerful personal stories, including a defining moment during an Olympic qualification campaign, he introduces the core idea behind The Samurai Shift: What if sport was designed to serve the human first? Through the lens of the Samurai — where “to serve” is the foundational principle — this conversation explores how sporting ecosystems might evolve to better support athletes, communities, and the people who move through them. This episode sets the foundation for a series of conversations examining sport from the ground up — from grassroots participation through to governance and high performance.

    49 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

The Samurai Shift podcast is a purpose-driven platform exploring how sport can evolve in service of the people within it. It invites sports administrators, policymakers, program directors, coaches, and athletes past and present, who care about sport as a vehicle for human expression to pause, step back, and reflect on questions that are often overlooked.FORMATIONEp 1: Carl Graham - Founder of Northern Beaches Volleyball AssociationEp 2: Nathan McLeod - Director of SA Beach in South AustraliaEp 3: Boris Georgieff - President of Volleyball QueenslandCOMPRESSIONEp 4: Louise Bawden OLY - VA Board of DirectorsEp 5: Damian Schumann OLY - The 'outsider' who broke throughEp 6: Michael Nelson - Olympic Coach now AIS Coach DevelopmentFRACTUREEp 7: Alistair Lyne - Director of Vic Beach Ep 8: Andrew Schacht OLY - Olympic Coach piloting AIS Coach Wellbeing programEp 9: Natalie Cook OLY - Olympic Gold Medalist and founder of the Aussie Athlete FundINTEGRATIONEp 10: Lauren Soderberg - Olympic Coach & National Body Wellbeing Systems LeaderEp 11: Craig Carracher - Volleyball Australia PresidentEp 12: Baz Weidmeier - Former Volleyball NSW General Manager and International Event Manager

Information

  • Creator
    Peter Jones
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Samurai Shift