Managing Up — When Performance Isn't Enough

Managing Up — When Performance Isn't Enough

Where's the line between being strategic and being fake? In this episode, Maro Itoje, William Troost-Ekong and Leon Mann dig into one of the least-talked-about skills in sport and business: managing up. Maro reframes it as a family skill before a workplace one. Will pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to address a Nigerian football federation — and shares a costly story about throwing his boots at 20. Leon asks the question most people are too polite to: is "managing up" just a polite way of saying playing the game? The conversation lands on a two-word closer from Maro that's hard to argue with. Listen to the full episode below: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose

Why No One Succeeds Alone - And How To Build Something That Gives Back

Who was there for you before anyone else believed in you? In this episode, Maro Itoje, William Troost-Ekong and Leon Mann go back to the very beginning, to the parents, coaches and unsung heroes who carried them before success arrived. Then they pull back the curtain on what they are building off the pitch: Maro's Pearl Fund supporting children in Lagos and London through education, Will's Troost-Ekong Foundation empowering young people in Nigeria, and Leon's BCMS changing the face of sports journalism in the UK. This is the conversation that reminded us why we started this podcast. Support is not just something you receive. It is something you owe. Listen to the full episode below: Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2%E2%81%A0] Apple Podcast: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753%E2%81%A0] Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose%E2%81%A0]

Ex-England Cricketer: Why Your First Leadership Failure Matters Most - Ebony Rainford-Brent

What do you do when your first big moment as a leader falls completely flat? In this episode, World Cup winning cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent tells us about the captaincy speech that bombed, the moment she was told she was the first Black woman to play for England and felt dread instead of pride, and the belief that carried her from street cricket in South London to two World Cups, the ECB boardroom and building one of the most important grassroots programmes in English sport. This is one of those conversations where every answer makes you rethink how you show up as a leader. Listen to the full episode below: Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2%E2%81%A0] Apple Podcast: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753%E2%81%A0] Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose%E2%81%A0]

What Does it Mean To Be A Man in 2026

What happens when three men in sport stop performing masculinity and start talking about it? In this episode, Maro Itoje, William Ekong and Leon Mann have one of the rawest conversations we have had on this podcast. They open up about fatherhood, vulnerability, the men who shaped them and the moments that forced them to rethink what strength really means. Then UN Women UK Executive Director Tabitha Morton joins to reveal what young men are actually finding when they go online looking for guidance and how the Same Side campaign is using athletes to offer something better. This is the episode I wish existed when I was growing up. I think a lot of people will feel the same way. Listen to the full episode below: Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2%E2%81%A0] Apple Podcast: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753%E2%81%A0] Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose%E2%81%A0]

Football Transfers, 100 Caps & Losing A Parent: Nothing Was Off Limits

What happens when you strip away the headlines and let three men talk about what really matters? In this Season 2 opener, Maro Itoje, William Ekong and Leon Mann are back together for one of the most open and honest conversations we have ever had. Will pulls back the curtain on the real business of football, from contract negotiations to choosing family over ambition. Maro reflects on reaching 100 caps for England before sharing something deeply personal about losing his mother, grief and learning to keep going when the world feels different. This episode reminded me why we started this podcast. It is not about performance. It is about purpose. Listen to the full episode below: Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2%E2%81%A0] Apple Podcast: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753%E2%81%A0] Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose%E2%81%A0]