Awen Guttenbeil was suggested to us 18 months ago as a guest with ‘serious depth’.

And he did not disappoint.

In fact, we loved this ep so much we’re re-releasing it this week for all those who may have missed it a year ago.

You may know Awen as one of New Zealand’s greatest rugby league players, with 170 caps for the Warriors over a professional career that spanned 15 years. What you might not know, is that in the first five years of his career he spent more time under general anesthetic then he did on the field.  

In this episode we talk about the mental toll of 60 hours under GA and how he got his career back on track, the hustle, grind and drive to set up his thriving business career post footy, reflections on the Warriors’ most famous scraps, the best end of year trip stories, why he didn’t fancy a career as a broadcaster, meeting the queen, what he’s learned as a dad, golf, what the next chapter looks like and much much more. 

This ep was really special. Awen is such an eloquent speaker with a lifetime of important lessons to share. We asked him some ‘big picture’ questions at the end, and the impromptu, thoughtful, articulate answers blew us away. You'll love this one. 

We’re also super stoked to tell you about the business we’ve built. If you’d like to hire one of our incredible guests to speak or MC your event, check out our epic lineup at B2Bspeakers.co.nz and get in touch. And while there sign up to our weekly newsletter with all the biggest news from us and the podcasting space in NZ.  

Listen on iheart or wherever you get your podcasts from, or watch the video on Youtube.  

This episode was brought to you from the Export Beer garden studio. Enjoy.   

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.