From Rugby to Netflix to Business School | Dave Birtwistle on Reinvention, Ego Death & Growth

Most people fear change.Former rugby player and fitness entrepreneur Dave Birtwistle has made it his life’s habit.From the pitch to Too Hot To Handle on Netflix to studying an MBA at Imperial College London, Dave shares the unfiltered truth about reinvention, ego death, and sustainable growth — in sport, business, and life.We talk about:🔥 The ego death that comes with leaving pro sport🔥 The burnout cycle of strength & conditioning and how to escape it🔥 Lessons from building a million-follower online fitness business🔥 What happens when fame hits before systems are ready🔥 Longevity, identity, and finding meaning beyond sport🔥 Going back to school at 30 and redefining successThis is one of those rare, mature conversations — two ex-rugby players talking openly about life, purpose, and the long game.🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.📲 Follow Dave: @davebirtwistle🧠 Subscribe for weekly conversations on sport, business, and transformation.Timestamps:00:00 – The ego death of reinvention02:00 – How shared rugby trauma shaped perspective04:30 – Injury, pain, and emotional numbness from years in sport06:45 – Longevity vs short-termism in team environments09:00 – Rugby as corporate entity: replaceable bodies11:00 – The shift from athlete to coach to PT13:00 – Why most people don’t care about S&C theory16:00 – From science to service — how to coach for humans, not papers19:00 – The ego trap of S&C vs “PT”23:00 – Starting online coaching before it was cool29:00 – Pre-2020 online fitness world — the wild west33:00 – Too Hot To Handle: what fame really did to business36:00 – The 1,400-lead problem and scaling chaos43:00 – Building systems that can actually handle success49:00 – Retention > acquisition: building a business that lasts53:00 – The modern trust crisis in online coaching57:00 – How storytelling and authenticity now beat information1:00:00 – Going back to school and learning humility again1:03:00 – The freedom in letting your identity evolve