E176: Maro Itoje

E176 - Maro Itoje: The distinction between High Performance and Elite Performance

Maro Itoje is a rugby union player, currently playing for Saracens and the England national team. Having joined Saracens at 16 years old, Maro shares how the kindness, manners and dedication of the senior players has shaped him. He discusses how his parents never pushed him to focus on rugby, so all of his motivation was internal. 

Maro claims to not be the most talented player, rather his skillset is based on output and how hard he can work. This allowed him to take ownership of his commitments and efforts. Maro shares how rugby will never be his “true identity”, as it’s crucial for him to have varied interests and hobbies outside of rugby. He is currently studying for his Master of Business Administration at University of Warwick. 

In this episode they discuss authenticity, what it means to be a cultural architect and the role trash talk plays in his life.