Hamish McLachlan on the Last Three Percent

episode hamish mclachlan high performance presence self leadership sports broadcasting Aug 03, 2026

Episode 43 · Sports broadcasting, presence and preparation · 68 min

With Layne Beachley AO & Tess Brouwer

 
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About this episode

For more than 20 years Hamish McLachlan has held the microphone while other people had their biggest moments, sitting a few feet from Olympic champions, AFL greats, prime ministers and Kobe Bryant. This week Layne and Tess flip the format, taking Hamish through what he calls his own life MBA: the lessons picked up over two decades of watching greatness up close.

It opens with a voice note from his mother introducing her own son, and closes with Hamish reading a message back to her, live. In between: Kobe Bryant’s last three percent, Dennis Cometti’s presence ritual, and the sixteen months he took his family travelling instead of chasing the next broadcast.

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Key takeaways

  1. The last three percent. Kobe Bryant chose his own interviewer from four audition tapes because he refused to leave anything to chance.
  2. Good units, bad units. The habit Hamish uses with his own kids to spend each day well, borrowed from an NRL coach.
  3. Presence has a ritual. Dennis Cometti’s post-broadcast scone and tea debrief turned six minutes into a masterclass in being present.
  4. Deal friend or real friend. A simple test his ten-year-old now runs on every phone call that interrupts family time.
  5. Sixteen months, not sixteen years. Losing the Olympics broadcasting gig became a family trip around the world instead.

 

Chapters

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Transcript

Auto-generated, may contain minor errors. Expand a section, or tap “Play this clip” to jump the player to it.

0:02Cold open: meeting the student, not the broadcaster

Hamish, Layne & Tess (0:02):

You're tuning into a wake-up call which is your weekly dose of purpose packed with science-backed tools to beat burnout and boost happiness hosted by us Test Brower and seven-time world champion Lane Beechley. We're the founders of awake academy

0:42The Life MBA: interviewing the interviewer

Hamish, Layne & Tess (0:42):

Welcome back a dream team. Today's guest has had one of the best seats in the world. For more than 20 years, Hamish McLachlan has sat just a few feet away from world champions,

1:46A voice note from Hamish's mum, Sylvia

Hamish, Layne & Tess (1:46):

So to kick us off, I ask the person who knows you the longest to give you the real introduction of who is Hamish McLaughlin. So I'm going to give you this iPad now. And this is from your mum.

6:41What Sylvia taught him: there is no hierarchy

Hamish, Layne & Tess (6:41):

Yeah. And you're reading people. What has she taught you about being in the moment with someone and reading them and bringing the best out in them? I think there's probably an assumption that

11:04What every wake-up call has in common

Hamish, Layne & Tess (11:04):

There's probably a couple of observations. One is it's not until there's a catastrophe

13:04The last three percent: the habit behind every high performer

Hamish, Layne & Tess (13:04):

You talk about the high performers, the co-bees and the bruises and the lanes and I think there is a innate desire to perform.

14:44What his kids see when the cameras aren't on

Hamish, Layne & Tess (14:44):

What's the character that we don't know that makes you who you are,

16:02Good units, bad units: Billy Slater's rule

Hamish, Layne & Tess (16:02):

So you take that to marriage, and I know that so far it's me to walk into the house

19:30Deal friend or real friend

Hamish, Layne & Tess (19:30):

And they're all sponges. So you talk around lane, what is it that you do?

20:23Bruce McAvaney's lesson before his first broadcast

Hamish, Layne & Tess (20:23):

The third was, he said, don't try and be anyone else. You'll be a very bad version of us, or Dennis or Brian, be the best version of you.

23:01What he misses most about being a kid

Hamish, Layne & Tess (23:01):

Yeah, it's a brilliant question. What do you miss from time? What do you miss? Yeah, the spontaneity, the playfulness and the freedom, you know, the streetlight rules.

29:00The documentary that reframed happiness

Hamish, Layne & Tess (29:00):

which I recommend everyone watches called Happy, and it explores what is happiness.

31:56Defining success: the smiles in the house

Hamish, Layne & Tess (31:56):

Yeah. So all about simplicity. I just wanted to ask a question. Simplicity is the great word. Yeah. It is simplicity. So we talk about happiness. We're often

34:03Horses, steak and six hours with his brother Gillon

Hamish, Layne & Tess (34:03):

So we went down to the farm which is next to Mum's farm, he's got a farm here as horses there.

36:00Choosing a promise to his daughter over a work dinner

Hamish, Layne & Tess (36:00):

The other night, Sunday night, school racing the next day at Mount Bola. Soft's on the committee.

38:04The non-negotiables: what gets protected on the calendar

Hamish, Layne & Tess (38:04):

So when it comes to building those relationships with friends and family, obviously as you're getting older and wiser, you're realising, you're valuing what's important to you, you're prioritising

40:11Death, the sheds, and scheduling your run first

Hamish, Layne & Tess (40:11):

I think death. Death.

41:24Losing the Olympics gig and gaining sixteen months

Hamish, Layne & Tess (41:24):

2024 to 2009, Lewis Martin rang me on Christmas Eve and said, just so you know we're about to lose the Olympics nine I've taken them.

45:43"What a privilege": a friend's wife and MND

Hamish, Layne & Tess (45:43):

The water privilege piece, you know where this is. Please go there.

49:05Dennis Cometti's scone and tea ritual

Hamish, Layne & Tess (49:05):

Komedi. They say never meet your heroes because they'll only let you down. He became... he went from idle to colleague but always remained my idol. The best

54:17Kobe Bryant: choosing his own interviewer

Hamish, Layne & Tess (54:17):

But other people that have taught you this, Kobe Bryant. I've never known anyone care more about detail.

57:02Roger Federer and making everyone matter equally

Hamish, Layne & Tess (57:02):

I would think that if you're trying to describe him he's everything you hope he is.

61:25What his wife Sophie taught him about needing less

Hamish, Layne & Tess (61:25):

Sophie McLaughlin I never thought I'd get married because I didn't think I'd find someone I love more than myself and then it hurt

62:18Oprah, the greatest at disarming

Hamish, Layne & Tess (62:18):

What about Oprah? So she's the greatest at disarming.

63:25The AIA Do It For Life toolkit

Hamish, Layne & Tess (63:25):

On that note, making life easy, we like to wrap every episode with our AIA Do It For Life toolkit, where we explore what people can do now to help them in their lives.

66:00A message back to his mum

Hamish, Layne & Tess (66:00):

What a treat. And how can people connect with you? I know, because you're busy presenting and giving, but how can people connect with you and learn more from you?

Your hosts

LB

Layne Beachley AO

Seven-time world surfing champion & AWAKE co-host

On flipping the interview and asking Hamish what greatness actually looks like up close.

TB

Tess Brouwer

AWAKE co-founder & co-host

On presence, the last three percent, and what Hamish’s mum taught them both.

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