She’s Gotta Try

It's launch week for the Peerless Pack — the last one before September — and I'm knee deep in it. So this week I'm talking about the thing my mate said to me that's stuck in my head all week: what you forget to do in July gets remembered in September. I've taken on two new 1:1 clients this week, both women in their 40s finding their way in rugby, and like clockwork, they've turned up thinking they...

In this episode, I sit down with Holly Montabelli (known on Instagram as "The Rugby Midwife") to tackle a critical, yet often ignored, topic in our sporting community: pelvic health. Holly opens up about their personal journey as a lifelong rugby player and midwife who experienced a prolapsed cervix and pelvic floor dysfunction while training. Together, we bust common strength-training misconcepti...

This week I’m taking a step back to answer a question that came up in my business mentoring group: what do I want to be known for? The result is a properly honest rundown of what sits behind the Peerless Pack and my coaching, from my childhood at the rugby club to why a no bullshit, common sense approach to nutrition and training matters more than ever in a world of conflicting advice and AI gener...

This week I'm back on my own and we're getting into something that's been on my mind after a very normal, very human weekend involving three consecutive days of drinking. Did it ruin my life? No. Did I still get the job done on Monday? Yes. And yet somewhere out there, a man with millions of podcast listeners is telling the world that two glasses of wine ruined his life for three days. So let's ta...

This week I'm joined by Becky Jones, otherwise known as the Empower Coach, and honestly this conversation went places I didn't expect. Becky is an anti-diet coach who helps women break free from diet culture and unrealistic beauty standards. She grew up being bullied in a small Yorkshire village, developed a disordered relationship with food at 12 years old, and spent her 20s fighting the messagin...

At 39 I genuinely believed I had no business playing rugby anymore. So I hung up my boots, missed an entire season, and told myself that was just what happened when you got older. Spoiler: I was completely wrong. In this episode I am shooting from the hip and sharing the five things that took me from retirement to county trials at 43. Not theory. Not things I read in a book. The actual stuff I did...

I’m going to be honest with you. The last few weeks have been a lot. Socialising, eating on the fly, poor sleep, and a body that was absolutely cooked after our cup final. I intentionally took a week off the gym because I knew I needed it. But the other stuff? That crept in and I can feel it. So this week I’m doing what I tell my clients to do when things have slipped. I’m going back to my Tight 5...

This week I’m getting something off my chest. I’m part of the most successful team at my club, league winners, National Plate winners, three-time County Cup holders yet when we won the league last weekend, nobody from the board came to watch and there was nothing on the club’s social media. Not a word. In this episode I’m talking about what that feels like, why I think silence is compliance, and w...

We won the league. 13 seasons in the making, two near-misses, one absolutely rank mud bath, and a day trip to Guernsey that cost more than a week away and we finally did it. In this episode I’m unpacking what winning the league with Seaford Scarlets actually taught me about goal-chasing not the glossy version, the real one. Because it wasn’t one game or one season that got us here. It was the bori...

I’m 14 seasons deep, a qualified nutritionist, mid-way through my gym instructor exams, and feeling the strongest and fittest I’ve ever felt. But it wasn’t always like this. In this episode, I’m fessing up on some of the genuinely daft things I used to do in the name of “health” from 5am HIIT sessions on an empty stomach to kebab-shop pre-game meals and full-blown meltdowns when my pre-match routi...

I went to county trials for the first time ever. I didn’t get picked. And honestly? It was one of the best things I’ve done in a long time. In this episode, I’m reflecting on what it actually meant to put myself in that room surrounded by some of the best women’s rugby players in Sussex and what I took away from the experience beyond the result. Because if you only measure success by whether you g...

I went to County trials at 43 and absolutely showed up and this episode is all about that energy. Whether you’ve got two games left or you’re playing into June, this one’s for you. I break down her Tight5 Method — the five non-negotiables that underpin everything she does with her clients and maps out exactly how to layer up from there, from strength training structure to the supplements actually...

I’m writing this one with a hot water bottle strapped to my waist and a lot of feelings about cookie cutter fitness advice. This week I’m talking periods — specifically why the cycle-syncing trend sweeping social media right now doesn’t translate to rugby players who have games, training sessions, and real life getting in the way. I cover what’s actually happening hormonally across your cycle, why...

In this episode of The Five Points Podcast, I take a trip down memory lane after redisiting a photo from my first (and only) half marathon—10 years on. What started as a goal to “just get round” turned into a sub-2-hour finish… but more importantly, it became a turning point in how I viewed myself, my training, and what my body was actually capable of. I share the messy reality behind that race—fr...

Join Laura and Kany as they dive into the raw, honest, and often humorous reality of hitting 40 and hitting the "reset" button on their careers. After leaving high-pressure roles in banking and cyber security, both women have embraced self-employment and the grit of contact sports. In this episode, they discuss: The Identity Shift: Navigating the "identity crisis" that comes with leaving a corpora...

I recently completed a 4-week fat loss experiment not extreme dieting, just being intentional with my food while still showing up to rugby, gym, and life. In this episode, I share the lessons I learned about myself: the importance of planning, old habits creeping back, my love for food, why meal structure matters, and why even someone like me still struggles. If you’re a rugby player wanting to lo...

This week on The Five Points Podcast, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my current fat loss phase. I’m in the middle of building up to a big game, carb loading strategically, expecting the scale to spike (because glycogen, not body fat 🙃)… and focusing on performance first. But this episode isn’t about calories, macros or training plans. It’s about the five non-negotiable systems I use to stay...

In this episode I’m joined by Georgia Donati Clark “The Female Parkour Coach” to discuss training specifically for the sport you love. What’s useful, what’s overrated, and how to build a body that’s strong, fast, and resilient without overthinking every session. This is a grounded, coach-led chat for rugby lovers who care about long-term performance, not viral workouts.

Do you actually want a snack… or is something else going on? In this episode, I break down evening snacking for rugby players — when it’s absolutely fine, when it might be a sign that something’s off, and how to tell the difference. I talk you through the five questions I ask myself (and my clients) when the inner fridge rummager appears, including whether you’re fuelling enough during the day, ho...

In this episode of The Five Points Podcast, I dive into a question that’s been popping up more and more lately: can AI really replace a coach or personal trainer? After being sent a reel about an AI-powered “PT mirror” promising workouts, motivation, form checks and encouragement for £1,000, I started reflecting on where technology fits into training – and where it seriously falls short. I talk op...

Welcome to the first episode of The Five Points Podcast for 2026! In this episode, I’m sharing the five words that will guide how I show up this year — in rugby, coaching, and life. From intent and clarity to structure, fun, and community, these aren’t just words, they’re action points to help you move forward, feel your best, and enjoy the journey. Whether you’re a rugby player, a coach, or just...

On the final episode of 2025, I reflect on a year of growth, challenges, and lessons learned both on and off the rugby field. I share the five key things I quit in 2025 to become a better coach, teammate, and person: 1. Saying yes to everything 2. Focusing only on the tryline and ignoring the phases in between 3. Overcomplicating and overthinking 4. Procrastination and avoidance 5. Looking at the...

Christmas can feel like the official pause button on training… but does it have to be? In this episode of The Five Points Podcast, I share a real-life, no-pressure take on how I’m approaching training, movement and routine over the festive period — and why “parking it till January” often makes January feel ten times harder. From dark evenings, cold pitches and Christmas indulgence, to why somethin...

Christmas is two weeks away and the festive chaos is officially here — the food, the drinks, the parties, the dark mornings, and the fading motivation. If you’re someone still pushing toward performance or body composition goals, this time of year can feel like a minefield. In today’s episode, I’m sharing five powerful mindset shifts to help you avoid hitting the “f**k it button” this Christmas. W...

Team socials are the heartbeat of any rugby club — but they can also be the thing that derails your training, your recovery, and your Sunday morning game if you’re not careful. In this episode, recorded on the way to a cup game, I break down five practical, no-nonsense strategies for enjoying a rugby night out without ending up blitzed, dehydrated, or drowning in beer fear the next day. We cover:...