Joe Marler: His Story of Rage, Regret and Redemption

The High Performance Podcast

High Performance

Sports, Self-improvement, Mindset, Growth Mindset, Health & Fitness, Non-negotiables, Education, Life Lessons, High Performance

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 November 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

England and Harlequins rugby legend Joe Marler opens up like never before, about the moment in 2018 when he hit breaking point, walked out on his family, and believed the world would be better off without him. What follows is an unfiltered journey through mental health, accountability, and rediscovering purpose.

Joe reflects on the catalyst for his breakdown, the decision that saved his life, and the teammate’s message that made it all worth sharing. He also reveals what it was like to play under Eddie Jones, the pressure of “Test Match Tuesdays,” and the emotional drive that makes great teams go beyond just winning.

Raw, honest, and deeply human, this is Joe Marler finding strength through vulnerability and proving that the bravest thing you can do is ask for help.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Unlock it early on the high performance app, Gareth Southgate,
0:03.6	England's former manager who opens up about life leading his country.
0:12.3	I was at a pretty low point in my life and had a bit of a breakdown.
0:16.8	And I just didn't know who I was, what my purpose was, where I was going in life.
0:23.0	And yet I had so much going for me.
0:27.3	That is the voice of Joe Marla, England and Harley Quinn's rugby legend,
0:32.7	celebrity traitors finalist and one of the most honest and filtered voices in sport.
0:38.7	And we started this chat. It was fascinating. Joe came in and was nervous.
0:43.4	It was really nervous. He told us that he didn't know what he had to offer to high performance
0:48.9	because in his words, I've been shit at most things. But the interesting thing is we're not here just to
0:54.7	talk about rugby. We're here to talk about life and how it throws us challenges that we need to
1:01.0	learn how to overcome. He'll share the moment in 2018 when he stood in his kitchen, having turned
1:07.1	his house upside down and left his wife of seven months pregnant crying on the floor,
1:12.6	before driving off thinking, the world would be better off without me.
1:16.6	This is Joe Marla unfiltered.
1:18.6	Just straight out of the darkness, the breakdown, and more importantly, how he clawed his way back.
1:24.6	We're going to dive deep into the catalyst for his mental health breakdown and the best decision
1:30.3	he ever made.
1:31.3	The teammate who sent him a touching message after watching the revealing documentary that
1:37.3	he'd made.
1:38.3	How Eddie Jones' test match Tuesdays left England players shaking with nerves and why the best teams have always got something
1:45.6	bigger than simply wanting to win. The emotional glue that makes you go that extra mile.
	...

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