Podcast 292: Athlete to Advocate: Keegan Hipgrave's Journey Through Sport, Injury, and Mental Health

On this week’s episode, WHOOP Director of Sports Marketing, Jeremy Powers welcomes former Australian National Rugby League (NRL) player, Keegan Hipgrave.

Jeremy and Keegan discuss Keegan’s background in sport, the in's and out's of rugby league, Keegan’s NRL career, rugby’s culture around playing through injury, and Keegan’s medical retirement due to concussion. Keegan shares his insights on navigating retirement from professional sport and the importance of implementing mental health resources and representation in sports.

Episode Chapters

• 00:39 - Introduction
• 1:48 - Keegan’s Background
• 3:52 - What is Rugby League?
• 7:12 - Keegan’s NRL Career
• 14:28 - Playing through injury
• 21:46 - Medically retiring from Rugby League
• 27:19 - Inner Ad
• 27:53 - Navigating Retirement and Purpose
• 30:47 - Mental Health in the NRL
• 34:20 - Adjusting to retirement
• 38:19 - Mental Health Advocacy in sport
• 51:35 - Outro

Research Links:

Keegan’s Instagram