What a Lad

Sam Lane is one of NZs very best hockey players and an absolute lad! He is 100+ gamer for the New Zealand Black Sticks, two-time Olympian, captain and full-time financial advisor… somehow all at once. His journey is one of the most unbelievable combinations of talent, tragedy, resilience and pure Kiwi grit you’ll hear.

This episode has everything — the brutal reality of playing for a national team with almost no funding, a run of injuries that would end most careers, the inspirational comeback to make the Paris Olympics, and the heartbreaking loss of his mum during the biggest years of his life.

In this episode, Sam opens up on:

- How NZ Hockey lost 60% of its funding overnight

- How humble the Black Sticks set up is with players literally having to take unpaid leave to represent their country

- The injury setbacks he's had including his knee exploding and his foot collapsing

- The emotional toll of losing his mum to cancer

- His partner Greta's horrific accident after being hit by a car

- The challenge to be available for the Paris Olympics

- What it’s really like playing in the Indian Hockey League

- And the mindset that’s kept him going through it all

He’s humble, tough, honest and one incredibly inspiring lad. I know you'll enjoy this one with the great kiwi Sam Lane!

Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens is one of the most electric players in New Zealand rugby!

A proud Taranaki man, who went from Blues prospect to a Highlanders star as his story takes a wild turn when a routine game left him with a fractured neck!

What followed is a powerful story of perspective, gratitude, and rediscovering his love for the game. Jacob’s honesty and maturity in this chat is incredible and the way he speaks about identity, family and resilience is seriously inspiring.

Some parts that stood out for me were..

• Growing up in Taranaki with his Fijian/Dutch heritage

• Breaking into Super Rugby straight out of school

• Losing the love for rugby and finding it again in Dunedin

• The incredible story of playing on with a broken neck

• How close he was to being paralysed

• The mindset shift that changed everything

• Life beyond rugby — content creation, purpose and gratitude

And heaps more

Jacob is genuine, humble and wise beyond his years. He's a real talent and someone I believe will have a massive future in the game. I'm sure you will enjoy this one!

Steve Devine is one of the toughest men to ever pull on a rugby jersey. A proud Aussie who moved over to NZ for an opportunity with Auckland, where he quickly made NZ home. Where the fearless competitive halfback played a huge part in Auckland and the Blues success. From that came an his chance to wear the All Black jersey which he managed to do 10 times.

But behind that toughness was a brutal reality, years of repeated head knocks that left him battling crippling migraines, light sensitivity, and a fight just to feel human again.

In this episode, Steve opens up on:

- Life growing up in Australia and why the move to NZ

- Stories from the Auckland and Blues glory days

- The 40+ concussions that changed his life

- The miracle treatment that helped him get his life back

- How he’s now leading the charge with NeuroCheck, a game-changing concussion scanner

- How he's found his transition with life after rugby becoming a fireman

And heaps more

Steve story is honest, powerful, emotional and even shocking at times. Sharing his story from a place of just wanting to help others and for no one having to go through what he has been through. He is such a champion lad and let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments.