<p>This week I’m delighted to bring you a chat with someone who grabs life by both hands, former footballer Darius Charles.</p><p><br></p><p>Darius retired from professional footballer just a matter of weeks ago after playing professionally for sixteen years for the likes of Wycombe Wanderers, Brentford and most recently, AFC Wimbledon.</p><p><br></p><p>We talk about how he feels about that and also the journey football has taken him on personally. His mum had him when she was sixteen years old and Darius has had plenty of obstacles over his life that he has managed to overcome and use as the energy he brings to everyone he meets.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>We had this conversation in a recording studio close to where Darius spent a large part of his childhood, in Hanwell, West London. Darius is currently being followed by a documentary crew and our conversation in the studio will be part of a programme called ’Sidelines’, which will be out later in the year.</p><p><br></p><p>I got to know Darius about a year ago and since then I’ve always enjoyed and looked forward to every conversation we have ever had. As he says himself, he’s a very fiery character and I think by the end of this conversation you will see how he is using that desire in a positive way, a passion that will change lives.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>We talk about role models, creating opportunities and being self-sufficient, the fear of your career always being one manager’s decision away from ending as well as dealing with being loaned out and Injured. But we start with that difficult decision to hang up his boots.</p><p><br></p><p>Show Notes:&nbsp;</p><p>Brentford Football Club -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brentfordfc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.brentfordfc.com/</a></p><p>Helen Keller -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller</a></p><p>Scott Fitzgerald -&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/3ysK4y0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3ysK4y0</a></p><p>Thurrock Football Club -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eastthurrockunited.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurrock_F.C.</a></p><p>Nathan Broome -&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/3wlzQgg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3wlzQgg</a></p><p>Gareth Ainsworth -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Ainsworth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Ainsworth</a></p><p>Graham Westley -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Westley" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Westley</a></p><p>Social Identity Theory -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-identity-theory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-identity-theory</a></p><p>Paulo Coelho book ’The Alchemist’ -&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3vYJcj1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3vYJcj1</a></p><p>Don Miguel Ruiz book ’The Four Agreements’ -&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3yu8KXe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3yu8KXe</a></p><p>The Last Dance -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQk2hJs2ToA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQk2hJs2ToA</a></p><p>Michael Jordan -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan</a></p><p>Bill Cartwright -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cartwright" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cartwright</a></p><p>Chicago Bulls -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/bulls/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nba.com/bulls/</a></p><p>Steve Kerr -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Kerr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Kerr</a></p><p>Phil Jackson’s book ‘Eleven Rings’ -&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3yrOFk4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3yrOFk4</a></p><p>Jay Shetty’s Podcast -&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.co/3yrOQMg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apple.co/3yrOQMg</a></p><p>Jake Humphrey's High Performance Podcast -&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.co/3whdZ9Y" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apple.co/3whdZ9Y</a></p><p>Steven Bartlett’s Podcast -&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.co/3l0BdMh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apple.co/3l0BdMh</a></p><p>Erwin Valencia’s Podcast Episode -&nbsp;<a href="https://apple.co/38gxqaI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apple.co/38gxqaI</a></p><p>Maya Angelou -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou</a></p><p>Kendrick Lamar -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kendricklamar.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.kendricklamar.com/</a></p><p><br></p><p>More About Darius Charles:</p><p>Instagram&nbsp;-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/everybody_lovesd/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/everybody_lovesd/?hl=en</a></p><p>Twitter -&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/dariuscharles00" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/dariuscharles00</a></p><p>LinkedIn -&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/3L0qKeq" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3L0qKeq</a></p><p>Wikipedia -&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_Charles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_Charles</a></p><p><br></p><p>Listen &amp; Subscribe to The Ben Ryan Podcast:</p><p>Ben’s Website -&nbsp;<a href="http://benryan.co.uk/bio/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://benryan.co.uk/bio/</a></p><p>Apple Podcasts -&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ben-ryan-podcast/id1553400216" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ben-ryan-podcast/id1553400216</a></p><p>Spotify -&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3iUL1eLA7HFKt5gxO7Uf4j?si=oN9YN6uFRSSGbO6kR01ONQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/3iUL1eLA7HFKt5gxO7Uf4j?si=oN9YN6uFRSSGbO6kR01ONQ</a></p><p>Amazon Music -&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3shGDnO" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3shGDnO</a></p><p>TuneIn -&nbsp;<a href="http://tun.in/pkdsm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://tun.in/pkdsm</a></p><p><br></p><p>Ben On Social:</p><p>Follow me on Instagram -&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/2Z5QSit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2Z5QSit</a></p><p>Follow me on Twitter -&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/3ph5W7o" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3ph5W7o</a></p><p>Follow me on LinkedIn -&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/3ah8Ftv" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3ah8Ftv</a></p><p>Read about me -&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/2NLu0Ck" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/2NLu0Ck</a></p><p><br></p>