Royal Australian Navy Coach: 4 Key Life Lessons

ICMS alumnus Francisco Vasconcellos, now a Leadership and Performance Coach with the Royal Australian Navy and founder of FVL&D, has built a career helping others unlock their potential.

Returning as the guest speaker for the October 2025 Graduation Ceremony, Francisco shared hard-earned wisdom with the graduating class.

“The first few times I got on this stage was over 20 years ago, as I graduated with my Diploma and Bachelor’s degrees,” he began.

Drawing from his own journey and those he’s coached, Francisco offered four key lessons:

1. Know Yourself

“Who are you? How are you you?” Francisco asked, urging graduates to embrace self-discovery.

“The way you exist and the way you see the world is unique to you, and ‘you’ is your greatest power.”

He reminded them that tough times often lead to the best self-discovery.

2. Find Your Passion

“In my work at the Royal Australian Navy, I am surrounded by people who do extraordinary things.

“The path to success is not easy; it takes incredibly hard work, competition is fierce, and failure is a daily possibility.”

Francisco shared a story from his work with the Navy, where a client overcame self-doubt by focusing on his own progress rather than comparing himself to others.

“This was life-changing,” Francisco said.

“He remembered why he was there: to be his very best, to serve, and to make a difference.”

3. Push and Persevere

He recounted a humorous yet inspiring story about his ICMS roommate, who dreamed of becoming a pilot despite struggling with math.

“None of us thought it was going to work out,” Francisco admitted.

“But he found his passion, persevered, and in that journey, he found more of himself.

“As we speak, he has been flying commercial planes domestically for eight years and is currently training to start flying long-haul. It was not an easy journey, but he stuck with it.”

4. Be Brave

Reflecting on his own career, Francisco spoke about taking risks and embracing uncertainty.

“Shortly after graduation, I moved to Darwin, where I lived for six years.

“It was an incredible career move, and a time when I learned that my greatest strength and passion was in helping my people grow.

“I returned to Sydney, completed a Master’s in Coaching Psychology, and launched an online education coaching business.

“That got me into teaching, which got me into Academic Management, which eventually got me into Performance and Leadership Coaching with the Navy, where I pinch myself every day… I get to do this?”

“Every single one of those transitions was scary, uncertain and unexpected.

“I chose to be brave, take a leap of faith, and say yes. Through this journey, I listened to my gut, to the real me, and my passion: developing people.

“So far, it has paid off.”

Parting Words

Francisco closed with this advice: “I wish you curiosity as you keep finding yourself, I wish you purpose as you uncover your passion, I wish you focus as you persevere, and I wish you bravery to say yes.

“Enjoy the ride.”