Engage with David Walker

#34: Geza Hajgato | Three Games to Save My Football Career

Geza Hajgato is a former professional footballer. He excelled in the sport as a teenager and represented Wales up to under-18 level. After scoring a hat-trick for Cardiff schools in their cup final, he went on to play for Chelsea and later, Cardiff City. However, injury and fitness issues hampered his progress and by his own admission, his dream of playing senior professional football had ended by the age of just 18. He went on to play for Port Talbot Town in the Welsh Premier and other clubs in the Welsh pyramid... Before reuniting with his old school friends at Cardiff-based STM Sports. Also acting as chairman, he joined the club on their remarkable rise through the leagues over the course of a decade. The club folded in 2020. Their last ever match saw them finish as runners-up to Cymru Premier champions Connahs Quay Nomads in the Welsh League Cup Final. Quote: "There's always someone better. That's a fact of life. But, if I could be the best I could be, then I could be happy with that" - Geza Hajgato. Geza Hajgato Reveals: - Scoring a cup final hat-trick for Cardiff Schools which lead to him joining Chelsea as a schoolboy... where he shared digs with ex-England captain John Terry! - How he kept a torn hamstring secret and scored a hat-trick in 35 minutes against Wimbledon... after being issued a three-match ultimatum to save his injury-hampered career at The Blues! - How his eldest son played for Wales under 18s... 18 years to the day after he represented his country at that level himself! - Drifting into the Welsh League to play part-time football... where he earned more money than if he played in the Welsh Premier League! - Rising through the leagues with STM Sports alongside his childhood friends... reaching the second tier of Welsh football before the club folded in 2020. - How STM Sports beat Newton and Aberystwyth enroute to the Welsh League Cup Final... and finished as runners-up to Cymru Premier champions Connahs Quay in the club's last ever game! - How he's a UEFA B License holder and would like to work at a football academy... to pass on his 30+ years of football experience to the next generation! Resources From Geza Hajgato: Connect with Geza via https://movoinsurance.com/ Resources From David Walker: If you enjoy Engage, please show your support here: http://www.engagersclub.com Check out the Engage with David Walker website here: http://www.engageshow.com Check out David's blog for more free content and training: https://www.davidwalker.net Engage with David Walker socials: YouTube: https://eng.show/yt Facebook: https://eng.show/fb Music by Peyruis : https://www.youtube.com/c/Peyruismusic

#33: Mark O'Brien | Against All Odds

Mark O'Brien is a former professional footballer. He left home in Ireland to join Derby County in his teens and made his first team debut at just 16-years-old. Shortly after, a routine heart scan revealed a leaking aortic valve. Surgery was required and Mark didn't know if his career would come to and end from one season to the next. He also had spells at Motherwell, Luton Town and Southport, before joining Newport County. The club were bottom of the Football League and 11 points from safety when he arrived... But he secured the club's survival with his first professional goal - a last minute winner against Notts County - on the final day of the 2016/17 season. O'Brien retired from playing at the age of 27, after requiring further open heart surgery in 2020. In this episode, he speaks openly about the mental health issues he battled against after his playing days ended... And what he's working on now as he adjusts to life after football.  Quote: "If I'm able to share my troubles with other people and people can relate to me and it helps them, then that's my new purpose in life" - Mark O'Brien. Mark O'Brien Reveals: - His rapid progress as a teenager at Derby County which saw him appear for the first team at the age of just 16... and how his father knew about his debut before he did! - How his heart was revealed to be three times the size it should be... with the threat of death within months if he didn't get open heart surgery! - Dealing with two serious injuries shortly after recovering from heart surgery... and how he was determined not to let anything prevent him from having a professional career in football!  - Not being given the chance to prove himself at Luton Town and being frozen out of the first team... which lead to a move to rock-bottom League Two side Newport County! - Scoring a last minute winner for Newport County, his first professional goal, which spared the club relegation from the Football League... and saved many jobs in the city as a result! - How the realisation of retiring from professional football at just 27 years old affected his mental health... and how he overcame depression, anxiety and PTSD! - His new venture as a keynote speaker... where he shares his experiences of resilience and adversity! Resources From Mark O'Brien: Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-o'brien-3167a4229/ Follow Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mark_obrien92 Resources From David Walker: If you enjoy Engage, please show your support here: http://www.engagersclub.com Check out the Engage with David Walker website here: http://www.engageshow.com Check out David's blog for more free content and training: https://www.davidwalker.net Engage with David Walker socials: YouTube: https://eng.show/yt Facebook: https://eng.show/fb Music by Peyruis : https://www.youtube.com/c/Peyruismusic

#32: Andrew Heath | Playing Pro Basketball & NBA Coaching in China

Andrew Heath is a basketball coach based in San Francisco. He got passed over for jobs early in his coaching career... Making it as far as the final two candidates before ultimately missing out. He needed overseas experience to plug the gaps in his CV... And so began a three-year adventure in China. There, he coached an NBA academy... While also playing professional basketball in the minor leagues. He now directs and coaches at a school in San Francisco... And runs his own coaching program - Andrew Heath Basketball. Quote: "I had a mindset of just say 'yes' to everything. Every opportunity that comes up, just say 'yes' to it. Try new food. Hang out with new people. Experience new stuff" - Andrew Heath. Andrew Heath Reveals: - Why he doesn't tell every child he coaches they are capable of playing at college or professionally... and saves that conversation only for those genuinely able to play at a higher level! - How he began coaching immediately after graduating from college... and his surprise at professional players taking on board the advice he gave them!  - His frustration at losing out to the other candidate at the final round of job interviews... which lead to a three-year stint in China to plug the gaps in his CV! - His mantra of "say yes to everything" when living in China... where he didn't know anybody or speak the language! - Playing in China's second-tier pro-basketball scene... including shooting television commercials, appearing on posters and getting paid! - Coaching the San Francisco Power in the WUBA on his return from China... and guiding them to play-offs in their first season! - How his Ball to Books program grew from a simple month-long social media challenge... to running free basketball camps over the past two years for children who can't afford them, providing free educational resources and donating to organisations affected by the recent pandemic! Resources From Andrew Heath: Check out Andrew's coaching here: http://www.andrewheathbasketball.com Follow Andrew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewheathbasketball/ For more details on Ball 2 Books, visit: http://www.ball2books.com Resources From David Walker: If you enjoy Engage, please show your support here: http://www.engagersclub.com Check out the Engage with David Walker website here: http://www.engageshow.com Check out David's blog for more free content and training: https://www.davidwalker.net Engage with David Walker socials: YouTube: https://eng.show/yt Facebook: https://eng.show/fb Music by Peyruis : https://www.youtube.com/c/Peyruismusic

#31: Kieren "Beefy" Blake | The World's Number One Sports Fan

Beefy Blake is officially the world's number one sports fan. In 1997, he had an idea... To travel the world for an entire year, watching as many sports as possible. 365 Days of Sport. He didn't tell anyone about it for a long time... Fearing somebody else would do it before he did. But, after three years of solid planning, in 2015 it became a reality. Beefy enjoyed Formula One in Dubai, the Tour de France and also watched his home nation, Wales, reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016. After a lot of back and forth with Guinness it became official: 306 different sports in 365 days... Crowning Beefy the number one sports fan in the world! Quote: "If you get opportunities then bloody well take them!" - Beefy Blake. Beefy Blake Reveals: - Playing against the late, great Shane Warne on his senior cricket debut for Newport... and installing his tennis court in Melbourne years later! - Featuring for Sheffield Hallam University against Sheffield University in his one and only game of rugby league... a curtain raiser for Sheffield Eagles vs Australia held at Don Valley Stadium! - How being denied the opportunity to play American Football in Denton, Texas led to playing for the local rugby team... and enabled him to get around the country's strict alcohol laws! - How he thought up the original idea of "365 days of sport, 365 days of beer" in 1997... and why he didn't tell anybody about it for 13 years!  - Inexplicably landing a meeting with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo while attending the F1 in Abu Dhabi... with the driver hailing it the best interview he'd done that year!  - Jousting being the most violent of the 306 sports he watched... with it also scoring highest on his "Chance of Death" rating! - Watching Wales in their agonising semi-final defeat against Portugal in the semi-finals of 2016... and missing out on appearing in Jonny Owen's documentary about their run in the tournament! Resources From Beefy Blake: 365 Days of Sport: https://www.365daysofsport.com/ 365 Days of Sport Radio Show: https://anchor.fm/365daysofsport Follow Beefy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/365DaysOfSport Resources From David Walker: If you enjoy Engage, please show your support here: http://www.engagersclub.com Check out the Engage with David Walker website here: http://www.engageshow.com Check out David's blog for more free content and training: https://www.davidwalker.net Engage with David Walker socials: YouTube: https://eng.show/yt Facebook: https://eng.show/fb Music by Peyruis : https://www.youtube.com/c/Peyruismusic

#30: Brian "The Bull" Holstein | The Fight of My Life

Brian Holstein is a professional boxer from Columbus, Ohio. He has fought at four different weight classes and is a former Ohio State Cruiserweight champion. Having been knocked out just once in his career, he considers himself to be the "litmus test"... As in, if a trainer wants to know how good their boxer is, put him toe-to-toe with "The Bull!" However, Brian faced a different kind of fight in October 2021... When he was diagnosed with leukaemia following some irregularities during a routine medical ahead of a bout against Frederic Julan. Fortunately, Brian made a swift recovery and is looking to make a return to boxing... This time of the bare knuckle variety! Quote: "I made my name across the boxing world as the "litmus test". If you want to know how good your guy is, you put him in with "The Bull"... and you'll find out real quick" - Brian Holstein. Brian Holstein Reveals: - How he was a "straight A" student with no fighting background... until a break up and growing tired of being taken advantage of meant he needed a place to vent! - His first taste of boxing in a local "tough man" competition... where he beat two fighters before getting knocked out in the final, pocketing $500 for his trouble! - How he was annoyed by his chosen ring attire for his first professional fight - pink trunks and gold shoes... which lead to him knocking out his opponent inside 11 seconds! - "Forgetting how to fight" during his televised match against an undefeated Trevor McCumby... which lead to is first and only knockout defeat! - How he made weight at the last minute to take on a heavyweight whose opponent no-showed... by stuffing a chunk of asphalt into his belt line! - Being rejected to fight the UK's Tommy Fury, younger brother of WBC Heavyweight champion Tyson, in Trillerverz II... for being deemed "too tough of an opponent!" - How his leukaemia was discovered during a medical one week before his fight against Frederic Julan... with a white blood cell count which had his oncologist questioning how he wasn't already dead! Resources From Brian Holstein: Follow Brian on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebullchampion Follow Brian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebullchampion/ Follow Brian on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebullchampion Resources From David Walker: If you enjoy Engage, please show your support here: http://www.engagersclub.com Check out the Engage with David Walker website here: http://www.engageshow.com Check out David's blog for more free content and training: https://www.davidwalker.net Engage with David Walker socials: YouTube: https://eng.show/yt Facebook: https://eng.show/fb Music by Peyruis : https://www.youtube.com/c/Peyruismusic