Rallen's Rant

By Richie AllenSociety & Culture

Rallen's Rant episodes

July 22 Neil Woods - Episode 93
Former undercover police officer Neil Woods joins me for an incredible conversation about his years infiltrating dangerous drug gangs. We discuss how he became an undercover officer, the closest he came to being caught, the psychological toll of living a double life, why he believes the war on drugs has failed, and what needs to change.

00:00 Intro
00:53 How he got into police work
06:33 Did he learn on the fly ?
09:55 What makes a good undercover cop
12:49 Did he alter-ego follow him home
16:54 Liking the people he lied to
21:12 Did he have to take drugs ?
25:40 When he got caught
32:17 Did he always work alone
33:16 Are people fundamentally good
37:06 How do drug gangs work
39:00 The UK's war on drugs
43:02 What is Neil's goal right now
47:50 A question he wished I asked him
49:58 Quickfire questions
1 hr
June 29 Eddie Jones - Episode 92
Eddie Jones joins Rallen’s Rant to discuss Japan’s famous 2015 win over South Africa, his favourite victory, the toughest player he’s coached, World Cup regrets, lessons from Jake White, coaching attack, and the impact of social media on modern players.

00:00 Intro
00:30 Eddie's view on success
01:58 Working with Jake White
04:45 Working with assistant coaches
09:21 Watching your leaders closely
12:06 Coaching the modern generation
15:10 Coaching individuals more than the team
19:19 Does a players' age play a role
20:29 Impact of social media
22:31 Japan at the World Cup
25:43 The week of South Africa game
28:10 What went wrong in 2019 Final
31:26 His best coaching performance
34:50 Eddie's idea on attacking play
38:50 Is creating excellence tougher than preserving it ?
40:40 Quickfire questions
49 min
April 20 Courtney Lawes - Episode 91
Courtney Lawes is a professional rugby player who plays for Brive. He also has played over 100 times for England and has represented the British & Irish Lions. In this episode we talk about his career, what coaches had lasting impressions on him, why he's returning to England and the craziest thing he's seen on a rugby pitch.

00:00 Intro
03:05 Life in France
05:35 Becoming a Pro Rugby Player
09:45 What his England coaches taught him
15:00 Eddie Jones' impact
19:45 World Cup Final
24:35 Different types of teams
27:10 The art of the Lineout
31:20 Courtney's return to England
36:40 England's current side
39:32 Courtney's legacy
40:40 Quickfire Questions
46 min
October 27, 2025 John Mitchell - Episode 90
In this episode, I sit down with legendary rugby coach John Mitchell for an in-depth conversation about his incredible journey through the sport. We talk about his time coaching the All Blacks, the lessons learned working alongside Eddie Jones, and his inspiring experience leading the Red Roses to a World Cup victory. John shares his philosophies on leadership, culture, and what it takes to build winning teams at the highest level.Rallen's Rant YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/UC7figpYlzwDgI9wHu5eyAZARallen's Rant Spotify - open.spotify.com/show/3gcUGQrJzDdCxYKnWfbSjG
54 min
October 05, 2025 Jason Sobel - Episode 89
Jason Sobel is one of the most respected golf writers in the world. In today's episode we talk about the Ryder Cup, why Rory McIlry was wrong to critique the US fans, why Tiger Woods should be captain, was the course set up a joke, will Brooks Koepka win again and much much more.Jason's Twitter - https://x.com/jasonsobelgolf?lang=enRallen's Rant YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7figpYlzwDgI9wHu5eyAZARallen's Rant Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/3gcUGQrJzDdCxYKnWfbSjG
1 hr 6 min
September 29, 2025 Steve Keen - Episode 88
Steve Keen is an Australian economist and author. He considers himself a post-Keynesian, criticising neoclassical economics as inconsistent, unscientific and empirically unsupported. Today we talk about the financial crash, Donald Trump, Ireland's economy & why planet earth is trillions in debt.
Steve Keen's Website - https://www.stevekeen.com/
Rallen's Rant Spotify Page - open.spotify.com/show/3gcUGQrJzDdCxYKnWfbSjG
Rallen's Rant YouTube Page - www.youtube.com/@Richieallen2
Richie's Instagram Page - www.instagram.com/richie_allen23/
1 hr 6 min
August 05, 2025 Eric Johnson - Episode 87
In this episode, I sat down with Eric Johnson, CEO of SurveyMonkey, to explore his journey from Princeton to being CEO of Survey Monkey. Eric shares key leadership lessons, tips for current and aspiring CEOs, and how to build trust in teams. We also talk about the tough lessons he’s learned along the way, his thoughts on AI's role in business, and his experience at companies like CBS, Morgan Stanley and Survey Monkey.
Eric's Linkedin Page - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-johnson-0618a71/
Rallen's Rant Spotify Page - https://open.spotify.com/show/3gcUGQrJzDdCxYKnWfbSjG
Rallen's Rant YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/@Richieallen2
Richie's Instagram Page - https://www.instagram.com/richie_allen23/
52 min
April 28, 2025 Thomas Erikson - Episode 86
Thomas Erikson is a Swedish behavioral expert, active lecturer, and bestselling author. He wrote the best selling book Surrounded By Idiots. In this episode we talk about writing books, how leadership can be terrible, why narcissist's are on the rise, how vital is communication and why hoovering houses is no fun.
Thomas' Website - https://www.surroundedbyidiots.com/en/
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@Richieallen2
Spotify Link - https://open.spotify.com/show/3gcUGQrJzDdCxYKnWfbSjG
1 hr 14 min
April 01, 2025 Charlie Morgan - Episode 85
Charlie Morgan is a journalist for the Telegraph. In today's episode we talk about all things rugby. 6 Nations review, how the Champions Cup is shaping up, why Saracens playing their second string team isn't a good look, we talk about the Lions coaches, how Australia can shock the world & much more.
Charlie's Twitter Page - https://x.com/CharlieFelix?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Rallen's Rant YouTube Page - www.youtube.com/channel/UC7figpYlzwDgI9wHu5eyAZA
Rallen's Rant Spotify Page - open.spotify.com/show/3gcUGQrJzDdCxYKnWfbSjG
1 hr 4 min
December 18, 2024 Rory Sutherland - Episode 84
Rory Sutherland is a British advertising executive. He is the vice chairman of the Ogilvy & Mather group of companies. He has written several books, including Alchemy: The Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense. In today's episode, we talk about marketing, AI, working from home, Jaguar, making mistakes and much more.
Rory's Twitter - https://x.com/rorysutherland?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Rallen's Rant YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7figpYlzwDgI9wHu5eyAZA
Rallen's Rant Spotify Page - https://open.spotify.com/show/3gcUGQrJzDdCxYKnWfbSjG
54 min