Stephen McDonnell
Former Cork Captain & High Performance Coach
Former Cork Captain & High Performance Coach Stephen McDonnell is the founder of globally recognised elite human performance consultancy Live Unbound. Stephen specialises in transforming leadership and team effectiveness in high-pressure environments. He is engaged by high-performing organisations to develop a competitive advantage in their leadership and team culture.
Drawing from his extensive experience as the captain of the elite Cork Senior Hurling team (2010-2020), leading them to Munster championship victories in 2016 & 2017, Stephen combines practical leadership experience with scientific insights. Stephen is also highly qualified, constantly updating and advancing his skills to deliver clients the best holistic coaching solutions. He draws inspiration from being immersed in elite environments like the Navy SEALs and the Crusaders Rugby team, consistently investing in development as a high-performance coach to the elite. His professional journey is enriched by the guidance of esteemed professionals, with Dr. Ruth Wageman and Professor Peter Hawkins currently serving as his coaching supervisors.
Live Unbound has grown organically to be a highly regarded and respected performance advisory, counting large multinationals like Eli Lilly and tech visionaries Everseen among their clients. His strategies have led clients to achieve ambitious targets ahead of schedule, secure multi-billion contracts, double revenues even during economic downturns, significantly enhance team cultures and much more. Stephen lives in Cork City with his partner, Erika, their two children and two dogs. Stephen loves nature and wildlife, spending time in the mountains and swimming in the ocean. He likes to travel to experience new cultures, connect with new people and enjoy all that life offers.
Topics
- Transformational Change
- World-class Leadership
- The foundations of great teams
- Collaboration & Connection
- Culture & Identity
- Creating the optimal High-Performance environments
- Overcoming setbacks and Building Resilience
- Mental Toughness
- Optimising Personal and Team Performance through Flow
Testimonials
“The feedback from the leadership team was overwhelmingly positive about the work Stephen facilitated on bringing clarity to the team’s purpose, their vision for how they wanted to operate as a team, what high performance & enjoyment would look like and how it will be attained consistently. The positive impact is truly transformational.” – Divisional People Partner/ HR Leadership of VHI, Scott Brady
“Stephen is currently supporting us at PUNCH in the areas of CEO Coaching, business strategy, leadership, team coaching and high performance. As a former Cork hurling captain and leadership expert, Stephen has unique insights in High Performance, and we are finding the process extremely beneficial, enlightening, transformative and most of all enjoyable!” – CEO of PUNCH Consulting Engineers, Tim Murnane
“I have experience of working with Stephen in 3 contexts: CEO coaching; Top Team development, and organisational culture. Stephen gives of himself, he has walked the talk – his engineering leadership and his sports achievements translate exceptionally well into his business. Live Unbound provided a personalised, customised, impactful approach with real tangible outcomes in all 3 areas of their work with us. Stephen helped me, as a CEO, to define my own purpose and that of the teams he worked with. He has a commitment to excellence and working with only those CEOs and businesses who want to excel.” – CEO of Cranstoun, Charlie Mack