From Waratahs to Western Force to Walking Away: Tiaan Tauakipulu's Story | Becky Felstead | The Resource

Send us Fan MailMost people look at a 24-year-old walking away from a professional rugby contract and assume something went wrong. For Tiaan Tauakipulu, everything had finally gone right, he just wasn't the person the sport needed him to be anymore.In this episode of The Resource Podcast, Becky sits down with Tiaan Tauakipulu, a former Waratahs and Western Force prop who made the New Zealand Schoolboys team, signed his first professional deal before he'd even finished school, and spent nearly a decade building an identity entirely around rugby, before choosing, on his own terms, to walk away.Tiaan opens up about the week his career and his family's world collided: the day he signed a long term deal with the Waratahs was the same day he learned his mum had been diagnosed with leukemia. He talks through the sixteen month injury battle that followed, the identity crisis of being a professional athlete who never got to just be a normal teenager, and the text to his brother, "I want to do it," that ended his rugby career for good. Becky and Tiaan get into what it actually took to break a professional contract on compassionate grounds, the fear that hit right after ("did I just ruin my life?"), and why he now believes finishing a career on your own terms is rarer than people think.This episode is for anyone standing at the edge of a decision they know is right but are terrified to make, whether that's an athlete, an employee, or anyone who has built their whole sense of self around one thing and is wondering who they are without it.In this episode they cover:The scale moment at 14 that turned him from "the big kid" into someone obsessed with work ethicMaking the New Zealand Schoolboys team and hearing his mum cry on the phone from the other side of the worldSigning a long term Waratahs deal and getting the leukemia diagnosis call within the same hourSixteen months of re-injury, and the mental health toll nobody talks about when an athlete's body breaks downThe five day scramble that took him from Sydney to a new three year deal at Western ForceThe exact moment, mid training session, he texted his brother "I want to do it"Why breaking a professional rugby contract on compassionate grounds is almost unheard ofThe fear that hit after he retired: "did I just ruin my life by walking away?"What his dad said on the phone that reframed the entire decisionWhy he believes most athletes wait too long to ask "what happens after this?"His new mission: becoming a player agent so more Pacific Islander athletes have someone in the room who looks like them➡️ FOLLOW TIAAN HERE ➡️ instagram.com/_tiaantauakipuluTiaan's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TauakipuluTiaan  Catch his podcast, The Proposition, wherever you listen.👋 About Becky Felstead | The Resource Podcast hostBecky launched The Resource Podcast during the FIFO Inquiry to spark real talk about culture, mental health, and the hard stuff no one wants to touch. Think truth bombs, tough convos, and healing with humour.Now she’s back, flipping the script again. After 40 episodes and 15,000 mining crew later, the podcast is diving deeper into money stress, mindset shifts, relationships, and the stories we tell ourselves.Expect raw chats, zero fluff, and life-saving honesty. If you’ve ever felt stuck, broke, or burnt out, this one’s for you.Subscribe🌐 Learn more at: https://www.beckyfelstead.com/podcast📩 Reach out to Becky for podcast & speaking enquiries here: [email protected]🔗 Links & Resources //Instagram: ...