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© 2023 Behind the Dream
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Sharing stories that tell you more about what really goes on in the hearts and minds of professional athletes - the ups and downs, the good times and the challenges. This podcast offers a behind the scenes glimpse into the world of sport.
27 Episodes
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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.
Bruce MacLarty is widely considered to be the worlds best Polocrosse coach, and when you look at his win record, he is certainly one of the most successful coaches around across all sports. He has lead South Africa to back to back World Cup titles as well as multiple international series wins over the 8 year period he has been in charge of the national side. In this episode Bruce talks about the psychology of a high performance team, his philosophy on creativity and practice and his love (or rather obsession) with continually finding new ways to improve and bring the best out of players and a team. An avid reader, Bruce draws inspiration from diverse people and situations, and talks about how he integrates these ideas into his own coaching style.
"It was pure excitement" is how Lawerence Brittain describes the moment he and rowing partner Shaun Keeling realised they were going to win the silver medal in the Coxless Pair at the Rio Olympic Games. Fulfilling a childhood dream is exciting enough, but add to this the fact that Lawrence was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma just 2 years before the 2016 Games and you can begin to understand quite what that medal meant to him. In this episode Lawrence talks about the importance of perspective and mindset when facing life's challenges, and what kept him focused and motivated during the dark days of his cancer treatment. His love of life and obvious enjoyment of competing come though in all he does, and his story has valuable lessons for all of us as we face uncertain and difficult times.
In this special, and quite harrowing episode, former elite South African gymnast Glenn Joselowitz courageously shares his story of sexual abuse by his coach when he was a young athlete, and how he ultimately found healing and peace.It took Glenn many years to speak about what happened to him, but now freely tells his story in the hopes that it will help others that may have also gone through the same experience, and to highlight the need for better safeguarding policies within sport.
Shaun Tomson is a true sporting legend. Not only has he been named as one of the 25 most influential surfers of the century and one of the top 10 greatest surfers of all time, he is also considered the architect of the modern professional surfer. He is described at the ultimate stoked surfer, and when asked what gave him an edge on other competitors he says "I just loved it more".Over his 14 year professional career he became world champion, won 12 world tour events, and ended in the top 10 in the world most of those 14 years. Shaun is also an astute businessman, having founded two multi-million dollar clothing companies, is a best selling author, and is a board member of Surfrider Foundation, the world's largest environmental group dedicated to ocean conservation. In this episode we talk about the stoke, lessons learnt through surfing (and what it takes to ride the most dangerous waves in the world), and the transition out of pro surfing into the business world. [This episode was recorded with a howling Southwester wind outside so sound may be a bit sketchy at times - but is somehow appropriate as surf conditions the next day were beautiful thanks to the wind!]
Born in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, Odwa Ndungane and his twin brother Akona initially dreamt of a career in football, but went on to become the only twins ever to play for the Springboks. During his remarkable 17 year career, Odwa earned the reputation as one of the most professional, humble, hardest working and dependable players on the rugby field. After a difficult start at the Sharks when he wondered if he was on the right path, Odwa is now a member of an elite group of players with over 100 caps for the Sharks, and at the time of his retirement, was their most-capped Super Rugby player with 135 appearances. His Springbok debut came in 2008, and he earned 9 test caps. After retiring in 2017, Odwa applied the same focus and discipline he had on the field to life after rugby. He now owns his own construction business, and together with his brother, started the Ndungane Twins Foundation as a way to give hope and provide opportunity to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In this episode he talks about his love of the game, what kept him motivated and focused during the difficult times, and how he prepared for life after rugby.
Lancashire cricket captain Dane Vilas has had nothing short of an exceptional career - scoring over 15 000 runs (with a First Class high score of 266 and List A score of 166) and taking over 500 catches. However, the Johannesburg born wicket-keeper batsman has had his fair share of ups and downs. Being awarded the Newcomer of the Year in 2009, Dane was called up to the Protea squad in 2012, making his international debut in a T20 against India. But over the next three years he could never quite solidify his place in the national team.Then in 2017 he made the decision to move the UK - and what has followed has been an incredible display of his cricketing prowess. Joining Lancashire, in his first season Dane won no fewer than 3 club awards, including the coveted Player of the Year, scoring two double tons. He was named as captain in 2019, with Director of Cricket Paul Allott calling his leadership 'exceptional'. In this episode Dane talks about keeping grounded, his love of the game and how he is preparing for life after cricket one day.
Olympic double gold medalist, and 14 x world record holder, Penny Heyns changed swimming history. However, success brings its own challenges, not least of which is coping with leaving the swimming world and adjusting to 'normal' life. In Part 2 of this episode, Penny talks about the process of how she found new purpose, meaning and identity when she got out the Olympic pool for the last time in Sydney.
From growing up in the small coastal town of Amanzimtoti on the Kwa-Zulu Natal South Coast, Penny Heyns went on to re-write history in the swimming world. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games she became the first woman ever to win both the 100m and 200m breaststroke, she broke 14 world records in a 4 year period, and remains the only person ever to hold world records in all 3 breaststroke distances (50m, 100m & 200m) at the same time. After winning bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games, Penny retired from swimming and is now a business woman, international speaker and head of the FINA Athletes Committee. However, by her own admission, her journey has not been an easy one, and both during her career, and afterwards in life outside the pool, she has dealt with many ups and downs, not least of which was coping with the everything that comes with being an Olympic double gold medalist. In Part 1 of this 2 part episode she talks about what it took to reach the top of the Olympic podium.
After making his first class debut in 1998, spinner Paul Harris went on to have a 15 year professional cricket career, taking over 100 wickets for South Africa (and close to 400 in domestic cricket) and was named Newcomer of the Year in 2007 by Cricket South Africa. Paul, by his own admission, was an intense competitor that loved the game and it was a big adjustment to 'normal' life when he decided to leave the game. He talks openly about the ups and downs of this transition, and has some good advice for young players.
After playing for his home town club TPS Turku for 4 years, goalkeeper Peter Enckelman signed his first Premier League contract with Aston Villa. He went on to play for another 15 years at various clubs including Blackburn Rovers, Cardiff City and St Johnstone FC, and was also a member of the Finnish football team for 10 years. In this episode Peter talks about what drove him during his football career, gives an interesting perspective on the transition out of football, and discusses how important it is to look after your mental health.
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