Follow us on Patreon for bonus content, extended interviews, and exclusive clips. Patreon: patreon.com/divebeyondsportpod In this episode, Paralympian, world champion wheelchair basketball player, and actor Gaz Choudhry joins Dive Beyond Sport to reflect on a life shaped by resilience, leadership, and purpose. Gaz shares how surviving childhood cancer and losing his leg at the age of 10 transformed his outlook on life, before unexpectedly stepping into the role of player-coach at the Tokyo Paralympics. He explores how confronting mortality changed the way he approaches success, identity, and high performance, and why he believes athletes must build a life beyond sport. Gaz also discusses transitioning into acting and storytelling, the challenges of retirement, the realities of meritocracy, and why finding joy, purpose, and meaning has always mattered more than chasing medals. Show Notes • How does surviving childhood cancer shape an athlete's identity, purpose, and approach to life. • What happens when you're unexpectedly asked to lead your team at the Paralympics as both player and coach. • How can facing mortality at a young age change the way we pursue success, fulfilment, and happiness. • Why is identity beyond sport one of the biggest challenges every athlete must eventually face. • What does elite sport teach us about resilience, leadership, delayed gratification, and personal growth. • How can athletes successfully transition into a completely different career after retirement. • What role do storytelling, creativity, and the arts play in finding purpose beyond competition. • Why is sport one of the closest environments to a true meritocracy, and what happens when athletes enter the real world. • How can embracing uncertainty, adapting to change, and letting go of control unlock new opportunities. • What can Gaz Choudhry’s journey teach us about leadership, resilience, identity, and building a meaningful life beyond sport. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:43 Tokyo Coach Crisis 06:28 Earning Team Buy In 08:41 Scorer to Strategist 11:20 Pressure and Control 16:20 Karachi to UK Childhood 17:00 Cancer and Identity 19:23 Make a Wish Memory 21:01 Back to School and Sport 24:11 Recurrence and Basketball 26:55 Mortality and Values 33:56 Joy Beyond Sport 37:46 Life After Sport Planning 38:23 Mentors and Team Bonds 41:57 Acting by Accident 44:02 Sport vs Arts Mindset 45:57 Handling Critics and Regrets 50:23 Grenfell Verbatim Theatre 55:59 Auditions and No Feedback 57:36 Transferable Skills Debate 01:03:51 Meritocracy and Disability 01:12:41 Finding Meaning Finale Guest Pick:Book: The Mamba Mentality - Kobe Bryant

Link: https://amzn.to/4nPhWgs Subscribe to DIVE Beyond Sport Podcast for weekly episodes diving into athlete stories, mindset, and motivation. Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dive-beyond-sport/id1832706678⁠

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Gaz Choudhry: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/georgiatb⁠

Freddie Woodward: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/freddie_woodward⁠

Yona Knight-Wisdom: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/yonakw

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