The All Blacks' Secret: Why Performance Needs Care
⚠️ Please note: this conversation talks about depression and mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling, free help is available through Lifeline - call 0508 TAUTOKO, that's 0508 828 865.
Sir John Kirwan is one of New Zealand's greatest All Blacks — but, while he lived the life of a champion, his mental health suffered. He's since become one of the country's greatest wellbeing advocates - speaking openly about his own depression, the night on tour when he wanted to jump out of a window, and rebuilding his entire life from scratch.
In this conversation with Kaila Colbin, JK talks about what depression actually felt like from the inside, why he had to treat himself like he was dead before he could start again, and the system he built - and now teaches - to make sure he never goes back there.
This isn't a rugby episode - though there are some great stories. It's a conversation about what it takes to perform at the highest level of anything - and why care isn't the soft option.
In this episode:
Why JK says balance is bullsh*t - and what to do instead
The night he wanted to end his life, and what his mum said that changed everything
How he put his life into boxes and rebuilt it from the ground up
The All Blacks' performance-care philosophy - and why he believes it's why they finally won the World Cup in 2011
The six daily pillars he uses to protect his mental health
Why the care conversation and the performance conversation are the same conversation
What a Catholic priest told him before his wedding that became some of the best advice he's ever received
Why the badge of honour around working yourself to exhaustion is destroying people
The "to-done" list - and why it matters more than your to-do list
What it means to manage your imbalance instead of chasing balance
📚 JK's Books
All Blacks Don't Cry: A Story of Hope - https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/All-Blacks-Dont-Cry-John-Kirwan/9781776950492
Stand By Me: Helping Your Teen Through Tough Times - https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Stand-By-Me-John-Kirwan/9780143570639