Jonny Wilkinson is one of the most decorated and recognisable faces in rugby history and he’s probably best known for kicking the winning goal in 2003 to help England win the Rugby World Cup. But this episode of my podcast is not a conversation about rugby. It’s a conversation about what it truly means to live a meaningful and contented life.

Jonny shares how winning the World Cup led to disappointment, discontentment and a mental health crisis. He explains how he spent his entire life trying to realise his dreams, only to discover that achieving them did not make him happy. In this deep and soulful conversation, Jonny explains how his relationship with rugby changed from initially being a ‘celebration of his talent’ to later becoming something that only caused him stress, anxiety and made him fearful.

Jonny has been to the extremes of life – extreme levels of success but also extreme levels of discontentment. And, by going to those extremes, I think Jonny has learned some incredible truths and wisdom, which he shares in our conversation. We talk about the difference between success and happiness, the price we often pay for pursuing our dreams, the importance of awareness and living in the moment, as well as the importance of letting go of old beliefs when they no longer serve us. We also talk about identity and how limiting the labels we put on ourselves can be, how we can use micro-moments of resistance in our daily lives to grow and learn, and how our past can actually change, depending on what perspective we put on it in the present moment.

This is a powerful, thought-provoking and engaging conversation with an incredible human being that I truly believe has the potential to transform the way you look at life – I hope you enjoy listening.

Watch the video version of this interview – click below.