Podium Podcast

CATH BISHOP on life as a diplomat and the brutality of elite rowing.

From World Champion rower to Foreign & Commonwealth Office Diplomat, this week’s Podium Podcast guest brings quite the CV to the mic, and with it some fascinating insights and observations from the world of elite sport and international politics.
Three-time Olympian Cath Bishop joins Tom and Simon to discuss…
Dealing with Olympic blues - finding motivation after the high.
Making pressured decisions where lives are at stake.
The importance of having an intrinsic love of what you do.
The dark world of the indoor rowing machine.
Learning and improving every day.
The Lottery-Olympic funding transition.
The value of losing and what it teaches you.
To watch the show, visit our You Tube channel

Kenny Logan reminisces on rugby life & learning to trust in the white collar world.

Kenny Logan is a retired Scottish rugby union player who played wing for Wasps RFC, London Scottish and Scotland. He won three English Premiership titles with Wasps and one Scottish Premiership title with Stirling County RFC in 1995.
Kenny is married to sports presenter, Gabby Logan.
In this episode of Podium Podcast we discuss:
The value, or not, of consuming alcohol as part of a pro sport training regime.
Rugby’s slowest runners!
Ensuring you don’t become too focused on indulgent marginal gains at the expense of the important stuff, namely having fun.
Kenny’s current work projects, including the incredible Doddie Weir foundation, My Name’5 Doddie
Entrepreneurship
Dyslexia
The Bullshit of Business! Learning to trust people in a work environment.
Strictly Come Dancing – Gabby Vs Kenny

Season 1 Recap - ”If you’re a d**kh**d, nobody will deal with you”

In what seems like the proverbial flash, we bring season 1 to a close. But not before our esteemed hosts, Simon & Tom, expertly cast their eyes over the insights and observations offered up by our wonderful guests in this inaugural season.
From the importance of relationship building to finding work-life balance, there are some great lessons to remember, but the most profound comes from Mr Tom May: "If you're a d**kh**d, nobody will deal with you". Very true! 
 
 

S1:E9 - Paul Sculthorpe MBE extols the virtues of just keeping things simple.

After a glittering career in rugby league that included captaining Great Britain and picking up two consecutive Man of Steel awards, you’d think this week’s Podium Podcast guest might slow the pace a little in his second career.
But if anything he’s picked it up, with an impressive portfolio of commercial interests and coaching duties with England Rugby League, Paul Sculthorpe MBE, is a man who, by his own admission, just can’t stop!

S1:E8 - Mike O’Connor on the tough reality of pro sport in the USA

THE TOUGH REALITY OF PRO SPORT
We’re back across the pond for this week’s PODIUM PODCAST (US Series), for a warts and all chat with former Major League Baseball pitcher, Mike O’Connor.
Mike represented several of the world’s most recognisable baseball teams, including the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Washington Nationals.
But behind the iconic brands is a story of grit and determination to make it as a pro sportsmen in one of the world’s most ruthless sports leagues.
 

S1:E7 - Rugby World Cup winner Bob Skinstad talks changing room politics and the dark art of private equity.

“I DISAGREE & IT’S A STUPID IDEA”
This week’s PODIUM PODCAST guest, South African rugby international Bob Skinstad, reminisces on ‘disagreements’ with the team selection committee, before providing a fascinating insight into one of rugby’s global powerhouses at a critical point in their evolution through the noughties.
The 2007 Rugby World Cup winner also shares some of the highs & lows of transitioning to commercial life after rugby, including taking on the particularly tricky world of venture capital.

S1:E6 - A wonderful tale of triumph over adversity with former premiership rugby star, Ed Jackson.

It’s a phrase we throw around very freely these days, but it’s not until you hear stories like Ed’s that you’re reminded of what real adversity looks like, and what it takes to tackle it.
From Bath and Wasps to London Welsh and Dragons, Ed represented several of the UK’s leading rugby clubs and was a highly respected pro, when in his late twenties he suffered a severe spinal injury that abruptly ended his rugby career.
Fast forward five years and Ed can be found atop some of the world’s highest mountains and broadcasting in front of the TV cameras, whilst also raising huge sums for charity.
Simon & Tom pick up the story in this week’s Podium Podcast.

S1:E5 - Meet Tommy Duquette, former USA boxer & co-founder of one of the world’s most dynamic connected fitness brands: FightCamp

Tommy Duquette was a very handy boxer in his time. Inspired by a family tree of Boston-based pro boxing champs, he was part of the USA national boxing team from 2008-2012, but narrowly missed out on a place on the team for the 2012 London Olympics.
Undeterred, he channelled his energy into his entrepreneurial activities. In 2015, he co-founded what has become one of the most exciting brands in the connected fitness industry: FightCamp, an at-home boxing gym that provides access to a huge library of boxing & kickboxing-inspired workouts.
Our connections in the US will most likely be familiar with FightCamp. Here in the UK, we’re still waiting for the brand to formally hit our shores, but with increasing commercial support for the business, it surely won’t be long.
FightCamp’s most recent fundraise - $90m in June, 2021 – included the likes of Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather and UFC superstar Georges St. Pierre. It’s an exciting support line-up for a business that has very serious global objectives.