“I Played Rugby for England… and Felt Like a Fraud”

Andy Long is a former England international rugby player. He captained England under 19s and 21s, captaining and playing with the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Lewis Moody and Ben Cohen.He is now a performance coach, specialising in mindset and self-awareness.In this episode, Andy talks about finding his dad dying at just 10 years old, the impact that had on his life, and the drive that took him all the way to his England debut at Twickenham 10 years later, aged just 20.He opens up about the pressure of elite sport, feeling like a fraud despite reaching the top, and how those experiences shaped the work he does today helping others perform at their best.We also talk about his close friendship with Alex Gibson, who is living with motor neurone disease, the reality of that diagnosis, and why Andy is taking on the Marathon des Sables in support of Challenging MND.This is a conversation about resilience, perspective, and making the most of the time you have.Support Andy's fundraising for Challenging MND by donating here: https://givestar.io/gs/andy-long--marathon-de-sables-2026Follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/andy_long_impact2/=====Interviews that might just change your life. And if not…? You’ll probably enjoy them anyway.While we're all trying to be better versions of ourselves, this podcast asks: 'what's truly possible?'Project Possible, hosted by me, Rich Leigh, explores this with incredible guests from the world of business, sport, entertainment and academia.Between the second and third series, I made the decision to go full-time on this show.I sold my successful 10 year old PR agency after my youngest brother Jordan took his own life. I realised that I needed to run towards passion, purpose and positive impact, and my dream of this being my career.Possibilists, pull up a pew.=====Sign up now to the free weekly newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://projectpossible.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for behind the scenes, giveaways, ways to get involved and more.=====Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Project Possible website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.projectpossiblepod.com