This week I’m delighted to bring you a chat with someone who grabs life by both hands, former footballer Darius Charles.Darius retired from professional footballer just a matter of weeks ago after playing professionally for sixteen years for the likes of Wycombe Wanderers, Brentford and most recently, AFC Wimbledon.We talk about how he feels about that and also the journey football has taken him on personally. His mum had him when she was sixteen years old and Darius has had plenty of obstacles over his life that he has managed to overcome and use as the energy he brings to everyone he meets. We had this conversation in a recording studio close to where Darius spent a large part of his childhood, in Hanwell, West London. Darius is currently being followed by a documentary crew and our conversation in the studio will be part of a programme called ’Sidelines’, which will be out later in the year.I got to know Darius about a year ago and since then I’ve always enjoyed and looked forward to every conversation we have ever had. As he says himself, he’s a very fiery character and I think by the end of this conversation you will see how he is using that desire in a positive way, a passion that will change lives. We talk about role models, creating opportunities and being self-sufficient, the fear of your career always being one manager’s decision away from ending as well as dealing with being loaned out and Injured. But we start with that difficult decision to hang up his boots.Show Notes: Brentford Football Club - https://www.brentfordfc.com/Helen Keller - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_KellerScott Fitzgerald - https://bit.ly/3ysK4y0Thurrock Football Club - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurrock_F.C.Nathan Broome - https://bit.ly/3wlzQggGareth Ainsworth - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_AinsworthGraham Westley - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_WestleySocial Identity Theory - https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-identity-theoryPaulo Coelho book ’The Alchemist’ - https://amzn.to/3vYJcj1Don Miguel Ruiz book ’The Four Agreements’ - https://amzn.to/3yu8KXeThe Last Dance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQk2hJs2ToAMichael Jordan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_JordanBill Cartwright - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_CartwrightChicago Bulls - https://www.nba.com/bulls/Steve Kerr - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_KerrPhil Jackson’s book ‘Eleven Rings’ - https://amzn.to/3yrOFk4Jay Shetty’s Podcast - https://apple.co/3yrOQMgJake Humphrey's High Performance Podcast - https://apple.co/3whdZ9YSteven Bartlett’s Podcast - https://apple.co/3l0BdMhErwin Valencia’s Podcast Episode - https://apple.co/38gxqaIMaya Angelou - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_AngelouKendrick Lamar - https://www.kendricklamar.com/More About Darius Charles:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/everybody_lovesd/?hl=enTwitter - https://twitter.com/dariuscharles00LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3L0qKeqWikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_CharlesListen & Subscribe to The Ben Ryan Podcast:Ben’s Website - http://benryan.co.uk/bio/Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ben-ryan-podcast/id1553400216Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/3iUL1eLA7HFKt5gxO7Uf4j?si=oN9YN6uFRSSGbO6kR01ONQAmazon Music - https://amzn.to/3shGDnOTuneIn - http://tun.in/pkdsmBen On Social:Follow me on Instagram - https://bit.ly/2Z5QSitFollow me on Twitter - https://bit.ly/3ph5W7oFollow me on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3ah8FtvRead about me - https://amzn.to/2NLu0Ck
