As a scrawny teen, David Shillington was nothing special when it came to rugby league. But by the age of 19, he had found his place in the front row and went on to play for the Sydney Roosters, Canberra Raiders and Gold Coast Titans, as well as represent Queensland in the State of Origin and Australia in many international matches. 

When he eventually retired after 12 seasons and many more injuries, the question of identity really came to the forefront. As hard and destabilising as it was for Dave, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. The sheer physicality of his role seems to have meant that he was always aware that rugby league was not a forever job.  And thanks to career transition officers who would seek out ageing players for a chat and a little (now expanded) retirement program run by the NRL called “Play On”, he had some skills to adapt to change. 

I love that Dave has taken all those learnings from his NRL days (including the performance improving habit of meditation) and embedded them into real life. The importance of the retirement process, and joy of finding your post sport purpose was absolutely fascinating to me. I hope you love it too. 

Libby x

You can find David Shillington @davidshillo and can learn more about his mental fitness business, Prime Effect, at https://www.primeeffect.com.au and @primeeffectaus

Contact [email protected] for sponsorship opportunities. 

Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

Produced by: Strozkiy Media (@strozkiymedia) www.strozkiymedia.com 

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