The A Game Podcast is hosted by Hayden McAvoy, founder of A Team Tuition. Diagnosed with ADHD and failing his first nine years of school, Hayden went on to become a straight A student and help over 20,000 students through partnerships with over 100 schools. Each episode, Hayden interviews sports stars, celebrities, tutors, teachers, principals, and CEOs to uncover the habits, mindsets, and strategies behind high performance and how anyone can apply them in school, business, sport, and life.
How Olympic Gold Medalist Cam McEvoy Got Straight A's & Built a Champion's Mindset
How do you balance being the number one junior swimmer in the world with getting straight A's in high school?
host Hayden McEvoy sits down with his brother — Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time World Champion, and the fastest human on the planet in the water, Cam McEvoy.
But Cam isn't just an elite athlete; he's also an elite academic who achieved straight A's in high school and High Distinctions in a rigorous university physics degree. In this deeply insightful Q&A, Cam unpacks the first-principles thinking that allowed him to engineer success both in the classroom and in the pool.
Whether you're a student-athlete juggling heavy training loads with schoolwork, or someone looking to build unbreakable confidence and motivation, Cam's analytical approach to high performance is a game-changer. He reveals how he treated the classroom as his primary training ground, why understanding the "why" behind your actions is crucial, and how he revolutionised sprint swimming using his physics background.
In this episode, you will learn:
The Anatomy of Confidence: Why true self-belief comes from trusting your daily process, not just dreaming of the outcome.
Balancing Sport and Academics: How Cam maximised his time in the classroom to survive 20-hour training weeks without sacrificing his grades.
First-Principles Learning: How understanding the foundational "roots" of a subject allows you to solve any complex problem.
Engineering World-Class Speed: How Cam used his physics degree to invent a revolutionary training system that took him to Olympic gold.
Managing Performance Anxiety: Cam's exact mental strategy for the final hour before an Olympic final — and how you can apply it to your next big exam.
22 Apr 2026
How to Study Less and Get Better Grades: The A-Student Blueprint
Are you studying hard but still not getting the grades you want? In this special masterclass episode of the A Game Podcast, host Hayden McEvoy unpacks the exact blueprint used by high-performing students to achieve top marks, often while studying less than their peers.
Hayden shares his incredible personal journey of growing up with ADHD, failing his first nine years of school, and discovering the system that transformed him into a straight-A student.
Since then, he has helped over 20,000 students achieve the same success through A Team Tuition. Whether you're struggling to pass or aiming to turn B's into A's, this episode breaks down the science of learning, the psychology of academic success, and the actionable strategies you can implement right now.
In this episode, you will learn:
The Science of an A-Student: Why top students do half the work but get better results.
The 3 Pillars of the Ultimate Learner: Mindset, Strategy, and Support.
How to Build the "Confidence Flywheel": Why motivation follows competence, not the other way around.
The Study Pyramid: A step-by-step framework to maximise learning efficiency.
Classroom Focus Hacks: 5 simple strategies to instantly improve your engagement and retention in class — even if you get distracted easily.
"A students do half the amount of work as B students and even C students... it comes down to how efficiently they do it."
"Confidence is the controllable variable because you get confidence by proving to yourself that you can do it."
"The point of school is to learn how to learn. If you can leave school learning how to learn, it gives you a massive advantage in every area of life."
Grit by Angela Duckworth
The Marzano Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
The ABCD Planning Tool
13 Apr 2026
Beyond the Report Card: Why Mindset is the Ultimate Predictor of Success
"Do I believe I have the ability to learn this?"
This is the silent question every student asks before they ever open a textbook. If the answer is "no," the learning stops before it begins. Today, we explore the difficult "marathon" of student transformation. We discuss why confidence is weighted twice as heavily as any other learning dimension and how parents and educators can act as the "hero" who sparks the change.
Inside the Episode:
The Problem of Avoidance: Why slipping report cards are often just a symptom of a deeper identity crisis.
Healthy Discomfort: Finding the catalyst for change when the "status quo" becomes unbearable.
Robert Marzano’s Model: A breakdown of the three core stages of educational objectives.
The Power of One: How one adult’s unwavering belief can trigger the Pygmalion Effect and rewrite a student's future.
25 Mar 2026
Why "Lazy" Students Are Actually Just Afraid (The Motivation Secret)
Is your child actually lazy, or are they just protecting themselves from failure? In this episode of the A Game Podcast, Hayden debunks the "lazy student" myth. We dive into the science of mirror neurons, the Pygmalion effect, and why confidence must come before motivation. If you’ve ever heard "they have potential if they just applied themselves," this episode is for you.
10 Mar 2026
Expelled from 4 Schools: The ADHD Transformation No One Expected
Jensen was expelled from four schools before Year 10. His future looked bleak until he met his academic personal trainer Caleb.
Join Hayden and Caleb as they discuss the systemic shifts, parental support from Jensen's mother Nikki, and the specific coaching strategies used to take a student from "unteachable" to thriving in higher education.
A must-listen for any parent or educator dealing with "difficult" learners.
24 Feb 2026
Cam McEvoy: The Comeback, The Plan, The Gold
In this final episode, Hayden completes the journey of Cam McEvoy — from doubt to clarity, from uncertainty to renewed purpose.
Cam shares how he rediscovered his motivation, rebuilt belief, and created a deliberate comeback plan grounded in curiosity, ownership, and long-term thinking. He opens up about doing things differently, trusting the process, and committing fully to a version of himself that wasn’t driven by pressure — but by meaning.
The result? A return to the top… and a gold medal that represented far more than a win.
This isn’t just a story about swimming.
It’s a story about patience, reinvention, and finding your A Game again.
17 Feb 2026
Cam McEvoy: Losing, Letting Go, and Almost Walking Away
In this episode, Hayden walks through the most vulnerable chapter of Cam McEvoy’s journey the losses, the doubts, and the moments that nearly pulled him away from the sport altogether.
Cam reflects on the emotional turning points: tough defeats, watching teammates succeed, celebrating with the Aussies while quietly questioning his own future, and reaching a point where walking away from swimming felt inevitable. He shares the unexpected detour into the world of crypto, and what stepping outside elite sport revealed about identity, purpose, and fulfilment.
This is the chapter where everything slows down and the question becomes clear: What happens when the thing that defined you no longer feels enough?
10 Feb 2026
Cam McEvoy: Rising Fast in the Elite Arena
In this episode, Hayden dives into the thick of Cam McEvoy’s elite swimming career racing against James Magnussen, becoming part of one of Australia’s strongest-ever relay teams, and travelling the world to compete at the highest level.
Cam opens up about the unforgettable Pan Pacific Championships on the Gold Coast, the emotional rollercoaster of competing in China where he lost races but unexpectedly became a fan favourite and the brutal 2016 training blocks that pushed him to his limits. He also shares the lesser-seen side of elite sport: coaches who still underestimated him, even as results stacked up.
This chapter captures the pressure, expectation, and intensity of life at the top and the cracks beginning to form beneath the surface.
Thanks for joining us let’s jump in.
3 Feb 2026
Cam McEvoy: Where It All Began
In this episode, Hayden takes listeners back to where Cam McEvoy’s journey truly began — the backyard chaos, the early competitiveness, and the Olympic spark that was lit while watching legends like Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett.
Cam reflects on the raw, formative years that shaped his mindset, including the explosive growth period between ages 15 and 16 that launched him onto the international stage far earlier than expected. At just sixteen years old, Cam achieved what few ever do — beating Ian Thorpe — marking the moment the swimming world realised something special was emerging.
This episode sets the foundation for everything that follows.
The dream. The belief. The beginning.
Thanks for joining us — let’s jump in.
3 Feb 2026
Limitless Files #1 – Maisy : From Failing to A+ When Life Was Anything But Fair
Some students struggle at school because the work is hard.
Others struggle because life is.
In the first episode of Limitless Files, Hayden McEvoy shares the story that changed everything — his first major success as a tutor, and the student who proved what’s possible when belief meets the right support.
Maisy was a failing student, navigating personal circumstances no child should ever have to carry. Despite everything stacked against her, with the right mentor, personalised learning, and someone who refused to give up on her, Maisy didn’t just improve — she transformed, achieving A+ results when most would have written her off.
This episode isn’t about talent or intelligence.
It’s about safety, belief, and what can happen when a child finally feels seen.
If you’ve ever looked at your child and wondered whether their struggles mean they’ve reached their limit — this story will remind you of the truth:
Limits aren’t fixed. Potential isn’t lost.
And the right mentor can change everything.
3 Feb 2026
The A Game Pilot (Part 2): The Tutor, The Turning Point, The Method
This is where everything changes.
In Part 2 of the pilot, Hayden McEvoy shares the turning points that transformed him from a failing student into a straight-A achiever — and ultimately led him to become a tutor, mentor, and founder of A Team Tuition.
Hayden unpacks how personalised learning, belief, and the right mentor unlocked his confidence, reshaped his identity, and revealed a truth most parents and schools miss: students don’t fail because they’re incapable — they fail because the system isn’t built for them.
You’ll hear why Hayden became a tutor, how the A Team Tuition method was born, and why the same framework has now helped over 20,000 students succeed academically and personally.
This episode sets the foundation for the entire podcast.
This is the why behind The A Game.
If you’re a parent, educator, or student searching for a better way — this is where the journey begins.
3 Feb 2026
The A Game Pilot (Part 1): From Written Off to World Class
Before A Team Tuition.
Before partnering with over 100 schools.
Before helping 20,000+ students become A students.
There was a kid with ADHD who failed his first nine years of school.
In Part 1 of The A Game Podcast pilot, Hayden McAvoy shares his personal story — navigating school with ADHD, being written off academically, and finding identity and confidence not in the classroom, but in the swimming pool. This episode explores how sport became Hayden’s first experience of belief, discipline, and high performance — and why school never felt built for the way his brain worked.
This isn’t a success story yet.
It’s the struggle before the system.
If you’ve ever felt misunderstood by school, labelled early, or wondered whether traditional education misses too many kids — this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.
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