Making the choice to balance a life in professional sport and becoming a parent is different for men and women, but one Marlie Packer wanted to embrace. The Red Roses flanker opens up on England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line about how her perception on life has changed since becoming a mum, learning from her mistakes following her drink driving charge in 2018 and her desire to reach a century of caps.

You will also hear contributions from World Cup winner and former England team mate Maggie Alphonsi, ex-England head coach Gary Street as well her team mates Shaunagh Brown, Abbie Ward and coach Louis Deacon.

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Growing up in south east London, where opportunity was seldom and crime was rife, early life for Shaunagh Brown was difficult. From knowing people that either died or went to prison, hear how she helped channel a different energy into sport, her varied career, coming to accept herself as a rugby role model as well as wanting to improve diversity in the sport.

You will also hear contributions from his Shaunagh's mum Lesley Rickards, her athletics coach John Hillier as well her team mates Marlie Packer, Abbie Ward and coach Louis Deacon.

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Any time representing your country is special, but for Mark Atkinson coming on at Twickenham at the age of 31 felt even more memorable. The Gloucester centre goes in-depth about his change in mindset when playing semi-professional rugby and considering taking a stewarding job at the 2012 Olympics, to focusing on being professional and then representing England. From support from friends and family, to a realisation that he wasn't giving it his all, this is a story about perseverance, determination and not giving up.

You will also hear contributions from teammates Raffi Quirke, Ben Youngs and Lewis Ludlam, as well as long term friend Ian Kench.

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Raffi Quirke doesn't want rugby to define him as a person. The Sale Sharks scrum half opens up about his passions and interests outside of the game including his love of cooking which inspired his Instagram account Pitch to Plate, and why buying a pair of clippers not only allows him to cut the hair of team mates but bond with them off the field. Quirke also speaks about a junior career as a triathlete growing up in Manchester and talks about being part of a new generation of England players coming through.

You will also hear contributions from teammates Ben Youngs, Lewis Ludlam and Mark Atkinson as well as Great Britain cycling coach Tom Hodgkinson, who oversaw Quirke's cycling coaching as a youngster, and his former rugby coach Owen Lucas.

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Growing up in Suffolk, there were not many people that looked like Lewis Ludlam. The Northampton Saints captain opens up about growing up mixed race in an undiverse area of Ipswich with a Palestinian-Egyptian father and a Guyanese mother, and how despite feeling different to other children he found acceptance at his local rugby club. Ludlam also opens up about the politics of race, how England's squad is breaking down class barriers in the sport and where he gets his resilience from.

You will also hear contributions from teammates Ben Youngs, Raffi Quirke and Mark Atkinson as well as Lewis' dad Aaron and his former rugby coach Mark Patterson.

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Growing up with 28 first cousins family was always going to mean a lot to Ben Youngs. As season nine of England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line returns, England's most capped scrum half opens up about the importance of family in his life, in particular his brother Tom who he's played alongside from childhood, to Leicester Tigers and then representing their country together. Youngs also discusses what it was liked being diagnosed with dyslexia aged nine, growing up on a working farm in north Norfolk and how he sees his new role in Eddie Jones' squad.

You will also hear contributions from teammates Lewis Ludlam, Raffi Quirke and Mark Atkinson as well as one of Ben's best friends from his childhood, James Knight.

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For Joe Marler, mental health is just as important as his physical health. After being diagnosed with depression and recommended medication and counselling, Joe tells England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line about what he has discovered about himself and how that allows him to enjoy life more.

Joe goes into detail about why he wants to start more conversations around mental health and masculinity in rugby, and why he will continue to speak out to make it as normal as possible. This final episode of season eight, which has seen players telling their own stories, in their own words, includes contributions from Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler, as well as Joe's former academy coach at Harlequins, Collin Osborne.

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Dealing with the loss of a loved one is always difficult, but Red Roses' flanker Vicky Fleetwood had to deal with the passing of her mum while trying to prepare for the Olympics. On this England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line, Vicky opens up on the emotions she had to deal with at the time, how that period has influenced her as a person and how she grieves now.

As well as her loss, Vicky explains how she left a life as a personal trainer to become a professional rugby player, becoming a world champion in 2014 and her role in promoting body positivity. Season eight sees the players telling their own stories, in their own words, with this pod including contributions from England's Rachael Burford and Harlequins, and ex-Saracens, hooker Joe Gray, who is a patron at Bowel Cancer UK, as well as team mates Poppy Cleall and Claudia MacDonald.

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From a chance rugby session in south London to playing for his country, Kyle Sinckler explains what life was really like for him growing up on this England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line. Sinckler opens up on his mum bringing him up along, to living around with people who still don't know what rugby is, the potential for sport in the state education system and now creating a foundation to give young athletes the platform to perform.

Season eight sees the players telling their own stories, in their own words, with this pod including contributions from England's Ellis Genge and Joe Marler, as well as Kyle's first coach at Battersea Ironsides Graham Beech.

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Claudia MacDonald opens up about living her life as sustainably as possible and how she combines that with being a professional rugby player on this week's England Rugby Podcast: O2 Inside Line.

From ditching the car to drive to training to tackling team mates usage of one-use products, Claudia explains why this cause means so much to her when it comes to the planet and climate change, and reveals the steps she is taking to change how she lives. With guest contributor Coreen Grant who works for the British Antartic Survey and is a freelance environmental journalist.

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·       Have a read of Claudia's blog 'Let's Talk 1%'

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