Behind the Dream

Tim Stimpson, former England and British & Irish Lions rugby player, has been described as one of the most successful players of his generation. He was instrumental in helping the Leicester Tigers win the Premiership 4 times in a row, as well as back-to-back Heineken Cup's, and at the time, became the Premierships leading points scorer. 

What is evident when talking with Tim is his obvious passion for the game of rugby and his love of team. So, it was fascinating to chat with him about the transition out of the game into 'normal life' and the journey he has been on for the past 15 years as he has had to learn to pay attention to his own happiness and find new ways of being a husband, father and man. 

Thanks Tim for your honesty and willingness to share the ups and downs of life with me!

Photo Credit: ESPN

Dr Markus Rogan is a former Austrian swimmer and now clinical psychologist. He competed in 4 x Olympic Games, winning silver in the 100m and 200m Backstroke in Athens 2004; became World Short Course Champion in 2008, the year he also broke the World record in the 200m, and was multiple European Champion over his almost 10 year career.

However impressive these achievements are, it is Markus's honesty (and vulnerability) around the trauma's he went through that led to his success, and the fallout that followed that eventually found him in hospital, beaten up after a World Championships party, asking himself the question "Who am I if not a world champion swimmer?" that is the real inspiration. 

In this episode Markus shares his insights into life as an elite performer, the challenges this life brings, and how he found a way to reimagine himself apart from being a swimmer - which eventual led him to his career now as a psychologist.

You can read more about Markus on his website https://drmarkusrogan.com/

Protea netball goal shooter Lenize Potgieter has played internationally for over 8 years, earning 39 caps for South Africa and playing in the professional netball leagues around the world.  At 1.88cm tall, she is both a strong physical and motivation presence on the court, which has earned her Most Valuable Player at many international tournaments. 

Playing for the Adelaide Thunderbirds, she woke up on her birthday last year thinking "this was not the plan for my life...how did I get here".  So began a mental health journey that made her re-examine what she thought to be important in life, where she was heading in the future and ultimately how she thought of herself and her identity as 'Lenize the netball player'. 

Thank you Lenize for sharing your story with such honesty and vulnerability as you hope to help others know that it is okay not to be okay sometimes, and that they are so much more than an athlete. 

Been given the honour of carrying the South African flag at the Tokyo Olympic Opening Ceremony came as a huge surprise to Phumelela Mbande. So began a rollercoaster ride of an Olympic experience for the SA Hockey team vice-captain - one she is still coming to terms with. 

An outspoken mental health advocate, Phumelela very courageously talks about the difficulties in coping with the grief and sadness she felt post-Tokyo after a hugely disappointing team performance, and discusses the challenges of the 18 months leading up to the Games. 

Phumelela is incredibly accomplished athlete both on and off the sports field (she is a qualified Chartered Accountant) and she also talks about her experiences as a black woman in sport and how she hopes to inspire others through her journey. 

This is a raw, honest conversation and one I think many athletes will be able to identify with. 

Samkelo Radebe had both his hands amputated as a young child when a game with his brother and friends went  badly wrong and 11 000v of electricity surged through his body.  But even then, his optimistic and pragmatic nature helped him through the 9 month hospital recovery and eventually took him to the top of the sporting world.

First representing South Africa at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games where he won silver in the 100m, Sam went on to win gold at the World Championships the following year in the 4 x 100m relay, and became Paralympic Champion at the London 2012 Games  in the 4 x 100m relay. He is also a multiple South African record holder in the sprint and jump events. 

In this episode Sam gives a unique and honest perspective on why his disability shouldn't automatically make him inspiring, and talks us through the reality that even being a Paralympic gold medallist doesn't mean you will actually earn any money as an athlete. 

There are so many pieces of wisdom in this episode that I think we can all learn from and become better, more aware athletes and people. 

Aaron Peirsol  - one of the greatest backstroke swimmers in history -  is a 5 x Olympic Gold medallist and 3 x Olympian. He broke the world record in the 100m and 200m backstroke a combined 13 times, and still holds the world record  in the 200m backstroke (which he set in 2009 in a time of 1:51.92). Across major international competitions he has 36 medals, 29 of which are gold. 

After an incredible 11 years international career, Aaron's decision to retire from competitive swimming in 2011 came from him knowing he had achieved all he wanted to in the pool. 

He then found himself in an interesting space. 

Unsure of exactly what to do next in life, he came face to face with some of his own inner demons,  needing to find a way through. This episode is a fascinating look at Aaron's journey beyond the pool, how he turned to literature and writing as a way to find wisdom and guidance to help him create a new  path, and how his love of water is the ultimate golden thread through his life.  His philosophical nature, and deep reflection about himself and life, leads to valuable insights for all of us. 

Shireen Sapiro is a 3 x Paralympic swimmer, and former 100m Backstroke World Record holder - a record she broke at 17 years old, only 4 years after a devastating boat accident almost took her her life, slicing her in half, shattering her pelvis and leaving her left leg paralysed. 

After a super-human effort to make it to Rio 2016 for her 3rd Paralympics, Shireen retired from swimming and in this episode she talks so honestly about the struggle to define herself as someone other than the swimmer in the months and years that followed. She opens up about the deep work she needed to do to find happiness and how she needed to re-define achievement to find a sense of peace and acceptance of herself. 

Roland Schoeman has been to an incredible four Olympic Games and is one of South Africa's most decorated Olympians. In Athens 2004, he was part of the 4 x 100m freestyle relay that won Gold against the heavily favoured Americans and Australians, and also came away with 2 individual medals - a silver in the 100m freestyle and bronze in the 50m.  Over his almost 16 year career, he broke 5 world records and was multiple World and Commonwealth Champion. 

By his own admission he was a typical 'Type A' personality - hyper driven, competitive and focused. While this helped him to become one of the best swimmers in the world,  as is so often the paradox in sport, it also wrecked havoc with his wellbeing and happiness. 

In this open and honest discussion, Roland talks about the dark moments in his career and how after narrowly missing out on his 5th Olympic Games in 2016, he realised something needed to change. He describes his journey over the past four years to becoming a kinder, gentler version of himself, and finding peace with himself and life. 

Malcolm Lemmons is a former professional basketball player and through his experiences as an athlete, found his mission and purpose which is to educate and empower athletes to be great both in and out of sports. He has written 2 books, is a well known speaker and entrepreneur, and recently launched @AthletesUnheard  which is a platform to share stories as a way to de-stigmatise mental health struggles in athletes. 

In this episode Malcolm is open about his own struggles as a player as he transitioned out of basketball, and the journey he has been on to find a new identity and purpose in life. He has great insights into learning to fall in love with the process of building a life outside of sport, and talks about what mental health means to him. 

It is hard to overstate Kami Craig's accomplishments. She is considered to be one of the greatest ever Water Polo players and her incredible list of accomplishments over the course of her 13 year international career includes 2 x Olympic Gold medals, 1 x Olympic silver medal, 3 x World Championship golds and 2 x World Cup wins. 
In this episode Kami talks about the feeling of belonging Water Polo gave her (after being diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at the age of 7) and the very challenging journey she has had to walk  since she decided to hand over the torch to the next generation of players in 2017. She courageously and honestly opens up about the toll the transition into 'normal' life took on her mental health, but also tells of the hope she has now as she is finding a different identity, purpose and meaning in life as a mentor to young athletes.