What happens when the game ends... and the person you’ve always been no longer exists in the same way?
I sit down with Oliver Hoskins, former professional rugby player, Wallaby, and now high-performance coach, to talk about one of the biggest challenges any athlete faces: life after sport.
Oliver opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of retirement, from the moment he realised his rugby journey was coming to an end, to redefining who he is beyond the pitch. We talk about the identity shift that comes with stepping away from something you’ve devoted your life to, and how he’s channelled that energy into helping others, self-reflection, and helping others perform at their best.
This isn’t just a conversation about rugby. It’s about transition, mental health, and rediscovering fulfilment when the structure, routine, and noise fade away. Oliver shares stories from his time with the Wallabies, London Irish, and Saracens, lessons he’s learned about preparation, mindset, and perspective, and how he’s finding peace and purpose in this next chapter.
If you’ve ever gone through a major life change, a career shift, a loss of purpose, or a reinvention of who you are... Oliver’s story will hit home. This is a conversation about letting go, starting again, and learning that identity isn’t something you lose, it’s something you keep evolving.
Follow Oliver's Open Book page: https://www.instagram.com/theopenbookomd/
Support the show and what's next: https://www.instagram.com/changing.lanes__/
