Portia Woodman - Building Culture, Success, & Wanting to Quit

Portia Woodman is an Olympic gold medal winner, the all time leading women’s try scorer on the World Series, and in 2020 was named Sevens Player of the Decade. She is also the only person ever to have been named both World Rugby 7s and 15s Player of the Year. 

We chat about her journey from athletics, to professional netball to rugby, all the way up to winning gold in Tokyo last summer. Portia opens up about the struggles she’s had in her career, and what she has done to overcome them. She speaks about why she recently wanted to quit the game and we also talk about the below;

Leaving a professional Netball contract to pursue her rugby dream.

Her PreMatch routine. 

How she felt she let her teammates down in what was the biggest game of her career.

The one day in her career she would like to relive.

The mental skills that have helped her have control how she feels about her performances.

What she did over over Covid and lockdowns.

Going against her mums wishes to pursue a different path.

The legacy that she wants to leave behind her.

How the Black Ferns sevens coaches treat people who are suffering mentally.

She details how the Black Ferns 7s built their culture.

The importance of knowing what your superpower is as a player and how to align that for the team.

How she stayed motivated during her lengthy injury rehab.

What her Māori culture means to her.

Leading the Haka and why Black Ferns and All Black have different Haka's 

The forward position she would like to play in 15s.

How she copes with the pressure that the media puts on her.

The sports she thinks are the best base for young players.

How she feels about being a role model to female rugby players all over the world.

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