Robert de Castella put marathon running on the map but he wouldn't have been the athlete he was without his father dragging him out of bed at 6am to go for a run.
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His father, Rolet, had struck the perfect balance between being too assertive and too soft.
De Castella discussed building relationships with mentors and reaching sporting goals alongside Heather Garriock and Sue Read on a panel facilitated by Andrew Leigh at the University of Canberra on Friday.
De Castella enjoyed an illustrious world-title winning career before serving as the AIS director from 1990-95.
He soon became executive director of Focus On You, a company focusing on corporate and community health and fitness, and now leads the Indigenous Marathon Project, using running to celebrate Indigenous achievement.
The chance to answer questions from listeners young and old served as a great chance for de Castella to talk about the importance of mentors reading between the lines to get the best out of athletes.
That's what he had in his father, with de Castella adamant the days of reaching the pinnacle in sport without a great support network are long gone.
"My dad used to drag me out of bed at six o'clock in the morning down in Melbourne and get me running with him," de Castella said.
"It must have been in the 60's, before running and fitness was much of a thing to do. Even though I hated it, I don't think I would have gone on and done what I did as an athlete if it wasn't for that strong role my dad had.
"My dad got into running because his mum died of a heart attack in her 40s, so he knew that he needed to do some exercise just to stay healthy.
"He ended up having his first heart attack in his late 40s, and went on to run about 12 or 13 marathons after that.
"He was an incredible inspiration to me, his dogged determination and dedication to his own running all the way through his 50s and 60s. He ended up passing away when he was 73, halfway through a 30km training run.
"We spoke about the role of coaches, not just the technical coach but someone who can help the athletes to develop the culture of high performance.
"Anyone can tell you what to do out of a physiology textbook to get yourself fit with lots of drills, but good coaches talk between the words to the individual athletes."
Garriock balanced the first season of her Canberra United coaching commitments with her pregnancy during the 2017-18 W-League season.
He days as a Matildas player came to an end when former national coach Hesterine de Reus failed to accommodate the 130-game veteran after the birth of her first child.
But much has changed since then, with W-League players securing a landmark wage deal which includes a new maternity policy, with airfares and hotels funded for players travelling with children three and under.
Read has had her fair share of interests to balance - she too played for the Matildas as a goal keeper while also competing at the elite level in weightlifting, discus and javelin, where she racked up a handful of records.
On top of her sporting commitments, Read is a registered psychologist and has been in clinical practice for 14 years, while spending over 20 years as a workshop facilitator with the government and private and community organisations.
