Kane Williamson is already a legend of New Zealand sport, as one of our greatest ever cricketers and someone whose work ethic and dedication are globally respected. His mindset and attitude are seen as huge strengths, and this episode of What I Know Now offers incredible perspective for listeners of all ages.

It revolves around the idea of balance, which might seem odd given Kane’s renowned dedication to his sport. He talks to School Sport NZ CEO Mike Summerell about:

• Being involved in a LOT of sport growing up - cricket, rugby, soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey, athletics, and how he balanced them all
• Having a desire to get better and win, while also not being too affected by results
• Learning resilience through sport
• How team culture impacts enjoyment and results on and off the field
• Why focusing on results as an outcome isn’t ideal
• How he transitioned into specialising in cricket, and why he needed to find other hobbies when he did
• How he finds balance so he achieves in everything in his life, not just cricket
• Why he cringes when he heard people talk about early specialisation
• The best attributes of the coaches that stand out for him growing up

For most of her storied Silver Ferns career, Laura Langman was also juggling studying and working as an accountant. That she is recognised as one of our best-ever netballers shows how anyone can balance sport with a working career.

In this episode of What I Know Now, Laura talks to School Sport CEO Mike Summerell about how she did it, with loads of great lessons for young people today.

They touch on:

• The benefits of playing lots of different sports growing up
• Making her pro debut as a high school student, having only trialled to make up the numbers
• How her teachers supported her netball career
• Balancing studying for a degree with pro netball
• Becoming the master of her diary - meeting deadlines, dealing with pressure, and achieving her purpose
• Getting a job with Deloitte and juggling both
• How her sporting involvement and teamwork benefited her career
• Why sport at any level is important for young people
• Finding a balance between sport and other important aspects of your life - why variety is key
• How Pilates made a huge difference in her netball
• Achieving in what she was doing, not just participating in things
• How sport celebrates uniqueness
• The benefits of sport - resilience, problem-solving, and social awareness

This is an awesome chat that shows all the ways being involved in sport can benefit your career. That it’s lessons learned the hard way from a kiwi sporting great just carries more weight.

Tom Walsh is one of the most successful, and perhaps one of the most liked, Kiwi athletes of all time. He’s a world champion shotputter and Olympic medallist, as well as a down-to-earth character who hasn’t been afraid to do things his way.

This episode of What I Know Now puts a bunch of sporting issues under the microscope, such as specialisation and the popularity of mainstream sports. Tom is down to earth, bringing a valuable perspective on a lot of the big issues in school sport in New Zealand.

School Sport CEO Mike Summerell and Tom talk about:

• Why he gets frustrated hearing kids are being forced to specialise in sports from a young age
• How he favoured rugby and cricket over athletics for quite a long time
• How playing sport helped his social life when he moved from Timaru to Christchurch
• Being tempted to play a more mainstream sport, and why he ended up going with athletics
• Why he thinks we tie too much importance to rugby
• How sport has grown his self-awareness and ability to check himself sometimes
• The perspective and learning and value he’s gained from losing

This is a great all-round episode that touches on the many different values of sport, and how to get the most benefit from it.