Ep79 - Kruise Leeming "This Five-Year Test Changed my Life"

Rugby league player Kruise Leeming joins the Immerse podcast to discuss how loss, travel, and listening to other people can challenge the assumptions that shape a life. He also reflects on returning to Huddersfield, shifting from personal achievement toward mentoring, and learning to support children without forcing them onto your own path. Rugby player and coach he reflects on how fatherhood, faith, and forgiveness shape the person he wants to be, then explains his coaching venture, Soaker, and his decision to live alcohol-free. The hosts, including Alex and another co-host, draw out practical examples of breaking inherited patterns, building honest relationships, and choosing actions that align with personal goals. keywords rugby league, Huddersfield, personal growth, perspective, grief, travel, parenting, mentorship, mindset Cruz rugby, faith and forgiveness, fatherhood, alcohol-free life, coaching, Soaker, generational patterns, personal growth key topics Kruise describes how losing his father at age eight and thinking about his dad’s short life sharpened his awareness that time is not guaranteed. He uses the image of tinted glasses to explain how upbringing and experience shape perception, and why staying open means being willing to revise your views. A visit to Swaziland and a long drive to Johannesburg showed Cruz how much people can take travel and freedom of movement for granted. Kruise discusses changing his nutrition after high-protein, low-carb eating left him feeling unwell, and adapting food choices to what works for his body and background. After a season with Catalans Dragons, Kruise explains how a relationship with coach Jim Lenehan led to a three-year signing with Huddersfield Chapters 00:00 Nutrition coaching starts with what works for the person 00:29 Fatherhood as Kruise ultimate measure of success 02:27 Three tiers of role models, from family to Jesus 04:08 Kruise returns to the Amherst podcast 05:04 Faith as a guide to life’s gray areas 05:56 How upbringing shapes the lens we see life through 08:23 Why forgiveness must be practiced again and again 09:44 Losing his father made time feel precious 12:36 Travel, roots, and the value of seeing another way of life 13:38 Breaking the cycle of anger passed through families 15:29 A border crossing changes Cruz’s perspective 17:34 The monkey story and questioning inherited habits 18:50 How saying hello changed Kruise view of Halifax 20:18 Gratitude, possessions, and France’s slower pace 22:43 Why Kruise signed a three-year deal with Huddersfield 23:16 Soaker: coaching built around honest, personal support 25:04 Moving from personal ambition to servant leadership 28:15 Connection and contribution over money and trophies 29:44 The five-year letter exercise 31:06 Nearly three years without alcohol and a changing social circle 32:04 Planning with the future in mind while valuing the present 34:08 Helping younger players learn from experience 35:08 Sobriety, identity, and the quiet work of sorting things out 38:41 Written goals help Cruz stay alcohol-free 39:11 Alex on fatherhood and learning through mistakes 40:36 Evolving as children grow and finding the parenting balance 42:32 Choosing connection without making drinking the center 45:46 Living for your children, not only saying you’d die for them 46:30 Why no book can replace the experience of being a dad