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'Missed out on £100k insurance payout by 43 seconds'
By Liam Heagney
Former Harlequins and Worcester winger Sam Smith has mentioned how a 43-second appearance for the Warriors cost him £100,000 in 2016. The ex-England age-grade player played 78 times for Quins and was part of their breakthrough Premiership winning-squad in 2012. He switched to Worcester in 2014 but a fourth quad tear in nine months meant he had to retire at the age of just 26.
The recently turned 33-year-old is now seven years retired as a player and he explored this milestone in 15 insightful steps in a post shared on LinkedIn:
1. April 2016: 15cm tear to my quad. The fourth time in nine months. Operated on. Rehabbed. Couldn't run faster than 90 per cent top speed. Game over.
2. Missed out on £100k insurance payout by 43 seconds. Took poor advice – there was a 10-match limit from the first tear. I played 43 seconds of the 11th game. Devasted.
3. Re-mortgaged my house. Took out a personal loan. Used the last of my savings. I needed to raise that £100k from somewhere and I couldn't find it down the back of the sofa.
4. October 2016: Opened Wayland's Yard in Worcester. Chaos. Never been swept up in something so much in my entire life. Imposter syndrome – what on earth was I doing?! But, I loved it.
5. April 2018: Opened our second store in Birmingham. Realised that growth doesn't = happiness. World came crashing down around me. Had to stop hiding amongst the busyness and face up to the fact I had retired from rugby.
6. Dark, dark times. Busy. Drinking. Busy. Hopelessness. Busy. Drugs. Busy. Trying to be as numb as possible.
7. Met Huw who became my coach. Things started to change. I started to change. I realised I hadn't been me since I was a kid.
8. Met Emma and we had two beautiful little boys – Fred and Nel. Found the real Sam. (Thank you, Em).
9. Moved to Bristol. Opened a third shop and Odd Kin Coffee Roasters. Realised a second time that growth doesn't = happiness.
10. Started asking myself big questions: Who do I want to be in the world? Who can I help? How can I help?
11. Went up a mountain in Spain with a group of strangers. Learnt a lot.
12. Trained to become a coach. Learnt some more.
13. Started coaching other athletes treading similarly difficult paths. Realised that for me, stepping into a coaching conversation is as electrifying as stepping out at Twickenham in front of 80,000 people. Different. Yes. Still electric.
14. May 2023: Sold Wayland's Yard. Decided to practice what I preach and simplify my life. To focus on what matters to me: relationships, my boys, me. Space never felt so good. Surrendering to life never felt so good.
15. Now: coaching other humans to move into the next chapter of their lives in the most unbelievably exciting of ways. The end of your sporting career isn't game over – it is only half-time. And this doesn't only apply to sport.
“Transition and change might feel f***ing scary. But, if you're willing to walk down that tunnel you will discover a new world waiting for you on the other side. A world full of light and opportunity. If you need some help with this, I offer a free 90-minute coaching conversation. We will go until you have a life-changing insight. DM me to find out more.”
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