Sportish

When Aidan Toua left his home in Papua New Guinea and landed in Brisbane to start highschool, he quickly figured out that the connections forged through sport were of critical importance. And so began his relationship with rugby. What started out as a way to make friends quickly became an opportunity to play professionally. In 2011, Aidan was recruited into the Queensland Reds and also went on to play for the ACT Brumbies and the Japan based Honda Heat. Unfortunately, a string of injuries meant that he sometimes spent more time rehabbing with the physios then with his teammates. 

Why does this matter? Because Aidan was forced pretty early on in his career to confront the fact that rugby might not be the only thing in his life. That didn’t mean that he missed being told what to wear and where to be when he retired. And he’s honest about the fact that he couldn’t work out why no was just offering him a job. But when retirement slowly dawned on him, it was almost out of necessity - rugby actually became the thing that needed to end to create space. 

Understanding what your motivations are as an athlete is everything. To know what drives you makes the transition into the next stage of life just that little bit easier. Go listen - I think you’ll be able to hear Aidan’s enthusiasm for what comes after sport. 

Libby x 

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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As a refugee who grew up in relative poverty, Jelena Dokic figured out that not only did she love tennis, she was really good at it. Tragically for Jelena, as her career took off, so did the abuse from her father. Despite reaching a #4 world ranking, and seemingly on a career high, in the background her father was mentally  and physically abusing her. 

At 29 years of age, Jelena was forced to retire due to injury. Almost overnight, life became so different and the thing that was so wrapped up in her identity - playing tennis - was gone. Jelena didn’t know what she wanted to do or what she was good at, but she knew tennis, in some form, still needed to be part of her life. 

Inspirational is a term that is frequently overused, but in this instance it is absolutely relevant. To have endured the level of trauma that she did and rise to the top of her sport, and then transition to a successful career in commentary, is amazing. But to then relive her trauma to educate the public about family violence, and to provide sporting commentary that is informed by her trauma, is incredibly generous and nothing short of inspirational. 

Libby x

You can follow Jelena @dokic_jelena

*Please note that this episode discusses family violence. If this raises any concerns for you, please seek help at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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Rachael Walsh was drawn to classical ballet because it was hard. And being a country kid, she was told many times that she would never make it. But thanks to a wonderful ballet teacher, Rachael discovered that her body could become an amazing instrument of dance. For 18 years she danced with the Queensland Ballet, and for 13 of those years she was the Principal Dancer with the Company. 

In 2014, a chronic hip issue meant that Rachael had to retire from the profession and artistic outlet that she loved.  In the years leading up to retirement, Rachael had been deliberately absorbing the inner workings of the Queensland Ballet Company -  she seems to have instinctively known that if she wasn’t dancing, she needed ballet to be a part of her world. And under the fresh leadership of Li Cunxin, Rachael has delighted in working in the organisation and is now the Director of Foundation for the Company. 

Like so many retired athletes (myself included!) Rachael still feels like she’s in transition. I absolutely understand how she feels when she says that nothing can really replace the experience of elite athletic perfection. And what is your identity if you can no longer refer to yourself as an athlete in your sport?

Enjoy listening to this more artistic athletic chat - it really was so good for my soul.

Libby x 

You can find more about Rachael Walsh and the Queensland Ballet at:

https://www.queenslandballet.com.au/company/team/dancers/rachael-walsh-1

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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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

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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Growing up on the Mornington Peninsula, Bianca Chatfield was happy to try any sport she could. And while it wasn’t visible in the media, netball was the one place where Bianca felt like she fitted in and could hold herself up high.

Through a lot of determination and grit, Bianca played at the highest levels of the sport. And the longer she played, the more she realised that it was less about the competition (although really, does that competitive edge really ever leave an athlete?) and more about the team, the experience and the joy of being out on court.

Bianca’s story beautifully explains why sport is so much more than sport. How the relationships you foster can support you well into life in the real world. How problem solving skills make going on TV shows like The Block a very non-nonsense affair. And how moving your body in any way is always a good idea.   

I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did! 

Libby x

You can follow Bianca @ bianacachatfield and find out more about her and her netball academy at https://www.biancachatfield.com/

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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Hi All that Glitters listeners, 

I'm dropping this episode of The Sport Social into your feed as it's all about athletes that 'retired'....and then came back (something I know a little bit about). 

The Sport Social is a weekly podcast I do with Georgie Trickett (my sister-in-law), a self-described jack of all sports (softball, running, snow sports, even javelin), at a less Olympic, more amateur level. 

In each episode, we talk about the week in sport (but you'll rarely hear a score), interview athletes or sports experts about something interesting, and round it out with some grassroots sporting gold or a recommendation. 

If you like what you hear, head on over to The Sport Social and check it out!

*****

Producer Jase is away on his honeymoon, and while he said we could try and record our normal weekly episode ourselves, we all agreed that the likelihood of us mucking something up was HIGH. 

So that we could keep delivering some relevant sports chat, we’ve called up two exceptional athletes, Lauren Jackson and Cody Simpson, to talk to them about their respective comebacks to basketball and swimming in 2022.  Even if you’ve never heard of Cody or watched Lauren, we think you’ll love these stories. 

Back in 2021, Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson started returning to the gym, just to get fit and healthy. She started shooting some hoops with her best friend and decided it would be fun to play for Albury (the local team she’d always wanted to play for). And then she had a look at the fitness requirements for the national squad and she was fit enough to meet some of them. You know where this is going. But what she didn’t expect was how much she would re-live the pain of her first retirement and how important that process was. 

In 2009,  Cody Simpson walked away from junior swimming to go and live out his music dreams. Regarded by greats such as Ben Harper as “one of the guitarists of his generation”, by 2019 Cody couldn’t shake the feeling that he was meant to swim. Knowing that music was for a lifetime, he started training again to see what he could achieve. And while there’s a drive to succeed in arenas like the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, he’s found that purity of sport that was missing from music. We can’t wait to see what’s to come. 

Show Notes:

Lauren Jackson: @laurenelizabethjackson

Cody Simpson: @codysimpson

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What happens when you reach the pinnacle of your sport behind two of the best swimmers of all time? Jason Cram lived in the shadow of greats such as Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett and left the sport thinking he had never achieved anything. He drifted into retirement with no real idea of what he would do next. 

But while setting up surf life saving events, managing Disney Cruises and working on James Packer's yacht (just google Mariah Carey jetski guy), Jason discovered that life has chapters, and that swimming was just one of them. 

There are so many unexpected twists and turns in this conversation, and I was left with the feeling that there really is so much life to experience after sport. 

Enjoy! 

You can find Jason’s business, Swimly, at www.swimly.com.au and @goswimly

Lifeline: 13 11 14

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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Breaking onto the world cricketing scene at the age of 20 and maintaining an international career until he was 39, Shane Watson seems to have been acutely aware that cricket was just for a moment and not a lifetime. Four years before retiring, Shane started putting in place structures to help him move into his post cricket life: some worked, some didn’t. In all my conversations with retired athletes to date, this is the first chat I’ve had with someone who had that much foresight. 

Regardless of whether you’re a follower of cricket, there is so much to take away from this discussion. Mental skills impact all aspects of our life, mentors are important, luck plays a part and you’ve got to be willing to put yourself out there and be prepared (and comfortable) to fail. 

Enjoy! x

You can follow Shane @srwatson33 and check out his range of affordable cricket gear for all ages at: https://www.t20stars.com/

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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Global NBA superstar Andrew Bogut!

This conversation was fascinating, from the struggles to find courts to practice on when he was young to parking his ego to be part of an NBA championship winning team, all the way through to the specific kind of challenges that basketball players face and why so many become bankrupt despite earning millions of dollars.

You’ll love this conversation! Enjoy x

Instagram: @andrewbogut

Podcast: The Rogue Bogues Podcast

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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Matt Poole. A legend of surf lifesaving.

My most vivid memory of him was when he had BRIGHT PINK hair - I was shocked to learn that he only had it for one season!

We spoke about the difficulties of social media, finding your new passion, what happens when the job you’d initially put into place fall away?

Matt is funny, kind and incredibly generous with his experiences.

I loved this conversation and I know you will too. Enjoy x

Instagram: @matt_poole1

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Host: Libby Trickett

Instagram: @allthatglitterspod

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

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