Auscast Network

Recover Hard, Recover Smart

Health EN ↓ 7 episodes

Recover Hard Recover Smart is a podcast for athletes recovering from serious injury. Host AJ Davis, a state-level kayaker nine months into ACL rehab, talks with athletes, physios, coaches, and experts about the physical, mental, and social sides of getting back to sport. Recovery isn't just physical, and you don't have to figure it out alone.

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Auscast Network

Episodes

Self-Doubt, Loneliness, and Getting Back: Harry Moffitt 11.10.2025 21:28

Harry Moffitt  is a former SAS soldier turned psychologist who’s been blown up, burned, had a machete to his leg, and torn just about everything in his body over his career. He wrote a book called  The Fourth Pillar  about performance under pressure, and this conversation covers what he’s learned about injury recovery from both military and psychology perspectives. Harry...

When Your Teammates Keep Playing Without You: Zara Walsh 11.10.2025 13:31

Zara Walsh plays footy for  Sturt in the SANFL  Women’s  competition . She ruptured her ACL in round five going up for an uncontested mark and spent months working through recovery to get back on the field. This conversation is about the mental challenge of flipping the switch from feeling sorry for yourself to actually doing the rehab. Zara  talks about losing motivation...

Pain Is Inevitable, Suffering Is Optional: David Olney 11.10.2025 19:28

David Olney spent years working as a remedial therapist with elite athletes before becoming a university professor and consultant who worked with Special Operations Command, and currently working as a  strategist with Talked About Marketing . He’s got a unique perspective on injury recovery because he’s seen how professional athletes, amateur athletes, and elite soldiers all handl...

The Medical Side of ACL Recovery: Dr Travis Brown 11.10.2025 16:32

Dr Travis Brown is a pathologist and co-host of the  This Medical Life podcast . He doesn’t specialise in ACL injuries, but he knows plenty about what can go wrong after surgery. This conversation covers the medical stuff that matters during recovery: why they tell you to keep your scars clean, what blood clots actually are, and how to know if something’s wrong. Travis explains wh...

From MVP to Second ACL Surgery: Lucinda Silvestri 11.10.2025 12:42

Lucinda Silvestri is an Australian lacrosse  player who won MVP at senior national champs after recovering from her first ACL. Five months after returning to play, she did her second ACL in the grand final. This conversation is about what it’s like to go through ACL recovery twice and how your mindset changes when you already know you can get back. Lucinda talks about the first ACL happ...

Three Phases of ACL Recovery: Hamish Eglinton 11.10.2025 11:58

Hamish is a strength and conditioning coach at  SASI (South Australian Sports Institute)  who wrote AJ’s ACL rehab program. This conversation breaks down what actually goes into building a recovery program, from the first phase focused on getting normal range of motion back, through to sports-specific movements and running. Hamish explains why ACL rehab is so different from regular...

Rebuilding After Knee Surgery: Erin Inglis 11.10.2025 10:07

Erin Inglis was a  state hockey player for SA  Under 16s when her knee kept dislocating. Three times. In November 2024, she had surgery to repair her patella tendon and move the bone to stop it happening again. Now she’s nine months into rehab, and she talks honestly about what that’s been like. This conversation covers the physical side of losing 90% of your quad strength an...