The Rut
By James Roycroft-Davis
Welcome to The Rut. We’re here to explore the stories, psychology and deep intricacies of men’s mental health.Our mission is very, very simple: we want to finally get men talking. Talking about their issues. Talking about their problems. Talking about their mental health. There's still way too much stigma around men's mental health so we want to break down toxic masculinity one podcast at a time. If we talk, we save lives. It's that simple.We break down elements of toxic masculinity one podcast at a time. The stories are grounded, emotional and are inspiring men to open up…Talking saves lives! And now listening might too…
The RutMar 10, 2021
00:00
01:13:29
SEASON FINALE! Ben Smith, The Man Who Ran 401 Marathons in 401 Days
Hello and welcome to the final episode of season 2! To the hundreds of you who are continuing to download and listen to the podcast week in week out, you have no idea how much your continued support of this podcast means and we’re so, so grateful to you...
Mar 10, 202101:13:29
Alex Staniforth: How I survived the two biggest consecutive disasters in Mount Everest history
This week, I’m joined by an extraordinary human being. Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete, international motivational speaker, author and mental health activist. All at the age of 25!!!But Alex’s story hasn’t always...
Feb 23, 202101:14:31
George Mycock, Founder MyoMinds: How Eating Disorders Destroyed My Life
Episode 16… the journey continues and my word do we have one hell of a listen for you today… Welcome to The Rut, the podcast which delves into the minds of men from all walks of life to find answer to the burning questions around the mirky world of...
Feb 16, 202102:02:51
Will Hurrell, Bristol Bears, Bath and Tigers: How Having A Stroke On The Pitch Changed My Life Forever.
Episode 14 of season 2 is here but first I want to say a huge thank you to the hundreds and hundreds of you that are tuning in week in week out, listening to people’s stories on their mental health challenges and most importantly, never judging anyone...
Feb 10, 202101:29:33
Damian Browne: Rowing The Atlantic Solo. How To Overcome The Battle Between Mind And Body
I have another special episode lined up for you this week on The Rut; the podcast which delves into the minds of men from all walks of life to try and answer the burning questions about men’s mental health. Some of you might know Damian Browne as a hard...
Feb 02, 202102:00:38
Simon Thomas, Sky Sports Presenter and Podcaster: A Life, Interrupted
This week, I am so excited to welcome someone to the podcast who I’ve admired for a very long time. Simon Thomas is a genuine inspiration to so many people out there who have suffered or are suffering with unfathomable grief, the loss of a loved one and...
Jan 26, 202101:50:02
Simon Bates, The Cognitive Hypnotherapist: A Therapy Session With...
Simon Bates MNCH(Acc) BSc Cog. Sci. MNLP is my therapist, and one of the leading hypnotherapists in the country. I’ve been working with him for a long time and he’s brought me back from the brink a few times. He first qualified as a hypnotist in 1995...
Jan 19, 202101:18:59
Oliver Kamm, Leader Writer and Columnist, The Times: Mending The Mind- Exploring The Science Behind My Clinical Depression
And welcome back, a very happy New Year to each and everyone of the hundreds of you who are listening to this podcast now. I mean, 2021 kicked off with a monstrous bang and it’s increasingly looking like a rocky ride up ahead too. And on that note, I...
Jan 12, 202101:40:60
Denny Solomona, Sale Sharks and England: The Full Story of Drugs, Alcohol, Rugby and Recovery
Hello everyone and welcome to The Rut, the podcast which delves into the minds of men from all walks of life to try and find answers to some of the burning questions in and around men’s mental health. A couple of months ago, this guy sat down with the...
Dec 21, 202001:38:32
James Sutliff, Dystonia Fighter: The Story Of The Man Who Lost His Speech Overnight
This week we have one hell of an episode for you. In 2008, this man was flying high- he had a well paid career, he was playing semi professional rugby and he’d just met the woman of his dreams. And then, on May Bank Holiday in 2008, his life changed...
Dec 15, 202001:21:25
Craig Maxwell-Keys, 2020 Premiership Final Referee: Battling Anxiety and Being Gay in Rugby
Another week and another episode of The Rut where we explore, in many instances to new depths, the world of men's mental health from all angles and try to find answers to the burning questions which still swirl around by exploring people's minds. This...
Dec 07, 202001:29:08
Luke Sutton- How Addiction Almost Destroyed My Life As A Professional Cricketer
On the podcast this week it’s a real pleasure to welcome a man who is one of the kindest human beings I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing. His story is immense for multiple different reasons. His story covers professional cricket, playing for...
Nov 30, 202059:16
Alex Davis, England 7s Rugby Player: Grief is Love with Nowhere to Go
This is a pretty timely episode for my next guest, England 7s rugby player, Alex Davis. We recorded this episode in late August, just after it had been announced that the RFU was cutting the 7s programme. However, the five year anniversary of his Dad's...
Nov 23, 202001:24:21
Luke Tyburski, Extreme Endurance Athlete: Depression, Using Extreme Challenges as Self Harm and Overcoming It all.
This is one of the most fascinating and topsy turvy episodes we've done so far. It's an astonishing listen. I am very, very excited to welcome a good mate of mine to the pod this week… Luke Tyburski is an extreme adventurer, coach, speaker, author and...
Nov 16, 202002:21:50
Luke Chadwick, Manchester United and West Ham Winger: United, Mental Health, and Finding the Meaning of Happiness
This week on the podcast I sit down with former Manchester United winger Luke Chadwick for a brilliantly open discussion about his career and his battles with his mental health. Luke joined Manchester United at at 16, rising up their infamous academy as...
Nov 09, 202001:28:31
Nick Ede, TV Presenter and Pop Culture Expert: Eating Disorders, Depression, Grief and I
This week on The Rut, I’m really excited to welcome TV Presenter and Pop Culture Expert, Nick Ede to the podcast. Nick is an amazing man with a really amazing story. Since his teenage years he’s struggled with his mental health. It seemingly started in...
Nov 02, 202001:14:29
David Birtwistle, Netflix's 'Too Hot Too Handle': Bullying, Netflix, Social Media and Self-Love
Season 2 Episode 3 is here! I sit down with the one of life's really good guys, David Birtwistle. David is one of the stars of Netflix's reality TV show Too Hot To Handle which saw 14 young, very good looking singles from around the world come...
Oct 26, 202054:30
Alastair Campbell: Surviving Depression and Tony Blair!
This week, we sit down with Alastair Campbell, one of the UK's most prominent political and media figures and one of the world's leading mental health campaigners.Alastair has battled mental illness for 40 years. He's experienced psychotic breakdowns,...
Oct 19, 202001:28:23
Joe Bryan, Premier League Footballer at Fulham FC: Depression, Anxiety and Football
The Rut is back for Season 2 with a cracker to open this epic series of podcasts on men's mental health (if we may say so ourselves!). We sit down with Premier League Footballer, Joe Bryan, who plays for Fulham.Joe is not your average footballer. First...
Oct 11, 202001:17:32
Thomas Roycroft-Davis, the Sibling Episode: "There were points when I was 16 when all I wanted to do was end my life because..."
This week, I sit down with my brother, Tom in the last episode of season 1. Tom’s had a chequered history with mental health problems over the years, suffering from severe depression through his teens after he never felt like he fitted in at school. The...
Aug 19, 202001:19:08
Daz Jegon (Clarke)- Grief, Depression and Anxiety, and Discovery of a New Journey
In this episode I'm so pleased to sit down with my old Uni friend, Daz Jegon, who talks openly for the first time about his long battle with depression and anxiety at Uni and beyond. Daz’s grandmother passed away suddenly at university and he had his...
Aug 06, 202059:45
Kaivan Faria- Young Entrepreneur, Founder of Ask Winston: "One minute he's there, the next minute I'm doing his eulogy in front of 400 people I don't know"
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with young entrepreneur, co-founder of AskWinston, Kaivan Faria. Kaivan rang me up when I launched the podcast to say he wanted to share his story for the first time publicly because it’s one which will effect a...
Jul 29, 202045:35
Will Fraser- Triple Premiership and Double European Champion, Saracens: "that day was the worst day of my life and also the best day of my life"
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with former professional rugby player, Will Fraser. Will was part of the famous Saracens’ class of ‘08 with the likes of Owen Farrell, Jamie George, George Kruis and Jackson Wray, and is a three-time Premiership...
Jul 14, 202001:14:60
Nick Rothwell- Former Sky TV Presenter, Hockey Player and Founder of Re-Tribe: "I was living a lie... a complete lie. And I hated myself for it"
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with former Sky presenter and Hockey player, Nick Rothwell, who talks to me about:👉 What it was like battling drug and alcohol problems whilst being on TV👉 How drugs and alcohol pushed all of his relationships...
Jul 08, 202050:00
Dr Karl Morris- One of Golf's Leading High Performance Mindset Coaches: Exploring the Mind of an Athlete.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr Karl Morris who is one of golf’s leading high performance mindset coaches. Karl has coached 6 major winners including Louis Oosthuizen, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood. He’s also worked with members of the Ashes ’05...
Jun 30, 202054:10
Jack Willis and James Gaskell- Wasps Rugby Players: Being Injured.
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with professional rugby players Jack Willis and James Gaskell. Jack and James both play for Wasps and have recently both had serious injuries which led to their mental health suffering. Jack broke into the Wasps...
Jun 17, 202056:40
Brian Mayne- Global Speaker, Best Selling Author and Creator of Goal Mapping: "I was 29, £1million in debt and couldn't read or write... what the hell do you do?!"
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with Brian Mayne: International Motivational Speaker, Best-Selling Author and the creator of the Goal Mapping technique which has touched over 5 million lives. Brian has an unbelievable story. Born into a...
Jun 12, 202001:07:36
Jono Kitto- Worcester Warriors and New Zealand U20's rugby player: "I believed I had to be perfect for people to love me".
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with professional rugby player Jono Kitto who opens up about his incredible story battling depression and anxiety in his teenage years back in New Zealand. Jono has played for some of the biggest names in English...
Jun 08, 202001:11:19
Abi Carpenter- The Partner's Perspective: "I felt totally helpless...It was heartbreaking to know you didn't want to wake up in the morning"
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with Abi Carpenter, my girlfriend and partner, to discuss the partner's perspective; her side of the story about what it was like living and breathing my depression and anxiety. This is a side of the story which is...
Jun 03, 202001:14:55
John Bargh, Professor of Psychology at Yale University: Mental Health and the Unconscious Mind
In this special episode of The Rut, I sit down with the Professor of Psychology at Yale University, John Bargh.John is an award winning psychologist, author, researcher and has battled with depression himself between 2011-2013. He is one of the world's...
May 30, 202001:18:39
Tom Lindsay- Former England Saxon and Bristol Bears rugby player: "I just hated myself... I had to numb the feeling"
In this episode of The Rut we sit down with professional rugby player and coach, Tom Lindsay. Tom has played for some of the biggest clubs in English rugby: Wasps, Gloucester, Saracens, and is now plying his trade at Bristol Bears. He also represented...
May 27, 202050:19
LooseHeadz and Scotland International, John Hardie
In this episode of The Rut I sit down with LooseHeadz, the rugby charity raising awareness for mental health issues, and Scotland International John Hardie. We discuss how LooseHeadz started: 3 blokes who noticed mental health issues were pretty common...
May 22, 202001:00:35
Louis Bird- Head Chef: "Everything was boring if alcohol wasn't involved"
In this episode of The Rut, I sit down with Head Chef of a top French restaurant in London and amateur rugby player, Louis Bird. We discuss sibling rivalry, being an alcoholic at 18, taking an overdose, and how cooking and rugby has formed the crucial...
May 20, 202047:51
Nick Frendo- Cyclist, Movember Ambassador: "I got up in the morning and just said, 'That's it... I'm done'"
In this episode of The Rut we sit down with Nick Frendo, Cyclist, Movember mental health ambassador and Founder of the AFGO Project. Nick tells us how he would put on a façade, all whilst ripping himself up inside. A self-professed man-child up until...
May 17, 202054:23
Alex Rieder- Former Wasps Professional Rugby Player: "Is it worth it anymore?"
In this episode of The Rut we sit down with ex-Wasps rugby back-row forward, Alex Rieder, who tells us how he grew up with a ‘thick upper lip’ mentality having brushed off little setbacks here and there. Then at the age of 26, during a game against...
May 12, 202001:03:52