“I’ve been on a good amount of podcasts but the depth of stuff we covered I don’t think I’ve ever touched.” - Patrick Laird, NFL Running Back
Olympic Bronze Medalist tennis player and HIA Founder Marcus Daniell interviews world-class performers from a wide variety of sports and backgrounds.
He dives deeply into the lesser-known aspects of athletes’ professional and personal lives and explores their giving journeys.
You’ll see a side of many athletes that hasn’t been seen before.
THE HIA PODCAST
EPISODE #17
Liv Boeree
Professional Poker Player
Marcus chats with Liv Boeree, one of the most successful female poker players of all time. Liv is the only woman to have won both a European Poker Tour event and a World Series of Poker bracelet, and she has amassed tournament winnings of over $3.5 million over her career. They talk about what makes a world-class poker player, whether poker skills are born of nature or nurture, the experience of being a woman in a majority male-dominated game, and how to exploit that fact.
Liv was a co-founder of Raising for Effective Giving, which educated poker players about the ideas of giving effectively and managed to raise over $14 million for top charities over its lifetime. This idea of creating win-win scenarios is a persistent theme in Liv's life, so much so that she is now hosting her own podcast called Win-Win with Liv Boeree and has given two TED talks on the main stage, the latest of which is specifically focused on the win-win mindset and its potential to counteract Moloch traps and races to the bottom.
EPISODE #16
David Nyika
Olympic Bronze Boxer
HIA Founder Marcus Daniell chats with David Nyika, one of New Zealand's most successful boxers. Olympic bronze medalist, Commonwealth Games double gold medalist, undefeated as a professional: Dave is a shining talent in the ring and he's just getting started. He also has a huge heart and is known as 'The Nice Guy'. Covering all things boxing as well as a variety of topics outside the ring, including his Ugandan heritage, his love for animals, and 'Dave Logic'.
Dave also is the main man behind our current campaign Fight Against Malaria. Pledges $10 per punch landed in the upcoming Fury vs. Usyk Card in Saudi Arabia. You can get in Dave’s corner and fight with him here.
EPISODE #15
Fernando Martin-Gullans
Vet. Ballet Dancer
Fernando is a veteran ballet dancer, having spent years at Houston Ballet after graduating from the Royal Ballet School in London. Fernando dives into the pressures and social difficulties of being a male ballet dancer as an adolescent, the struggles of constant rejection, and the power of fully expressing your feelings through dance.
Fernando has a profound and pragmatic approach to the food he eats and the way he thinks about
consumption, which has led to some rethinking of my own eating habits.
Outside of dance, Fernando has been charitable for many years. He has taken the 10% Giving What We Can Pledge, was one of the only HIA athletes who discovered effective giving before HIA existed, and has started a sister organisation called Artists of Impact, designed to be the HIA for actors, musicians, dancers, writers, all types of artists who want to use their resources to do maximum good in the world.
Follow Fernando: @fernandomartingullans on Instagram
EPISODE #14
Ellis Spiezia & Ellysium Racing
Electric Racing Driver
"The quickest way to become a millionaire in racing is to start out as a billionaire."
Ellis Spiezia is known as the electric renegade and is the first native electric racing driver. He, along with his parents Michelle and Francesco, comprise the Ellysium Racing Team.
Marcus chats with the team about the pros and cons of electric vs combustion racing, the financial and lifestyle realities of getting to the top of the racing world, the fears of a parent watching their child crash at high speed, and the lowdown on working and travelling together full-time as a family.
Off the track, Ellysium is pioneering a new way of developing a brand in sport. They are leaning into the metaverse and blockchain technology, having created their own virtual fan space. They also donate to animal welfare and climate change organisations through HIA, and aim to increase these donations as they move up the world rankings.
Check out their website https://www.ellysium.co/
EPISODE #13
Julia Ratcliffe
Commonwealth Games Champion Hammerthrower
Julia is a Kiwi Olympian and triple Commonwealth Games Medalist hammerthrower, winning one gold and two silvers across 12 years. She has snared six national titles and set 8 national records. Julia is also a weapon in the classroom, having been Head Girl and Dux at high school and graduating in economics from Princeton, where she became Princeton’s first female track & field athlete to win an NCAA title. Alongside her throwing career Julia has worked for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and now works at SuperFund.
Marcus and Julia dive into the mental side of sport and the importance of staying true to your values whilst competing, dealing with adversity around big events and how Julia bounced back from being quarantined with covid to winning a Comm Games medal, the importance of family in an athlete’s life, and what it’s like having your father as your coach.
Off the field we talk about what compels Julia about effective giving and why she reached out to get involved with HIA, the issues she’s most concerned about in the world today, type 2 fun, and much more.
You can follow Julia on instagram at @jtotherat
EPISODE #12
JAMIE FARNDALE
Scotland Rugby 7s Captain
Jamie is an athlete scholar. He was captain of the Scotland Rugby 7s team, which made history in beating New Zealand (the first Scottish team in any version of rugby to do so) and in winning a world series. He is also studying business sustainability at Cambridge University alongside his pro athlete career. Jamie chats with Marcus and Hugo about his atypical pathway to becoming a professional rugby player, along with all the special moments in his career. We dive into the pros and cons of collating British nations into the GB team, leadership responsibilities within the squad, and the highs and lows of sport and how to handle them.
Off the field, Jamie talks about growing up in nature and exploring the Scottish highlands, the studies he’s pursued alongside a professional sporting career, how he sees businesses being run in an ideal world, why so few athletes speak up about what they believe in, and much more.
Follow Jamie on Instagram and Twitter @farndalej.
EPISODE #11
ERIN ROUTLIFFE
WTA Titleholder Tennis Player
Dylan Moscovitch (HIA athlete and Olympic Silver Medalist) hosted this episode with Erin.
Erin is New Zealand’s best female tennis player, a 3-time WTA Tour Titleholder and double NCAA Champion. Erin and Dylan talk about her dual citizenship and how that came about, why she chose to represent NZ instead of Canada, her pathway to pro tennis with all of its lumps and bumps, and the factor that allowed her to move from an also-ran to a top 30 tennis player.
Off the court, Erin talks about who taught her to be charitable, her experience of pledging a percentage of her income, the organisations she chooses to support and why, and the flaws and flourishes of humanity.
Follow Erin: @erinroutliffe
EPISODE #10
RYAN FOX
PGA TOUR & OLYMPIC GOLFER
Marcus chats with Ryan Fox, PGA and DP World Tour golfer and winner of the Dunhill Links Championships and Ras Al Kaimah Classic in 2022. They dive into the compelling nature of golf, what makes it so hard, and why people keep coming back. Golf is mentally excruciating, and Foxy shares some of the methods he uses to keep his mindset on track. Foxy comes from an insanely impressive line of world-beating athletes, with NZ legends as both father and grandfather. He is adding to the legacy, footing it with the best golfers in the world on the biggest stages in the world.
Foxy has been with HIA since near the beginning and has a grounded and generous way about him. He’s passionate about the environment. This shows in the way he speaks and the actions he takes to protect it, which is covered in depth in the podcast. This was a wide-ranging conversation, from musings on the GOAT of tennis to dredging up obscure Matrix quotes.
Follow Foxy: @ryanfoxgolfer
Twitter: @ryanfoxgolfer
EPISODE #9
NAYA CRITTENDEN
PROFESSIONAL VOLLEYBALLER
Naya comes from a family of track athletes and football players. She came to volleyball late but has had a stellar career spanning many countries and awards. After discussing the pathway to professional volleyball (definitely not a typical one), Marcus and Naya dive into the unseen side of sport - abusive coaches, negative environments, and speaking up for what’s right despite pushback.
Off-court topics include climate action, corporate responsibility, and the best and worst of humanity. Naya is a strong and energetic person who has a lot to give. You’ll love this episode!
Follow Naya: @nayacrittenden
Youtube: @nayacrittenden9220
EPISODE #8
SASHA DE SOLA
PRINCIPAL DANCER, SAN FRAN BALLET
Marcus and Dylan chat with Sasha de Sola and dive deeply into Sasha’s on and off-stage life.
On-stage topics include: Sasha’s journey from the Kirov Academy as a young woman to Principal Dancer at the San Francisco Ballet, her insanely physical daily schedule, the most difficult thing about ballet, what happens when dancing ends, and whether ballet dancers are artists or athletes (or both!).
Off-stage topics include: Sasha’s academic career and how Sasha and Marcus met, On Tiptoes - her childrens book, Sasha’s personal experiences with poverty and generosity, her charity work with High Impact Athletes and Barre None, the biggest questions and challenges facing our planet, and her doggo. This was a deep and vulnerable conversation, with Sasha opening up about some aspects of her life for the first time in public.
Follow Sasha: @sashadesola
Shop Barre None: Barre None
EPISODE #7
PATRICK LAIRD
NFL RUNNING BACK
In this episode, Marcus and Dylan chat with Tampa Bay Bucs NFL player Patrick Laird about his winding journey to pro football, how he became known as “The Intern”, his first NFL touchdown, reading and teaching kids to read, his short-lived career as a hip-hop producer, charity and giving back, and dietary choices.
In Patrick’s words, “I’ve been on a good amount of podcasts but the depth of stuff we covered I don’t think I’ve ever touched.” This is a side of Patrick you haven’t seen before.
Follow Patrick: @patricklaird
Read his book reviews on Twitter at @PatrickMLaird
EPISODE #6
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS
TENNIS SUPERSTAR
In this episode, Marcus and Dylan team up with professional tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas to discuss the pressure of representing his country at the highest level of competition from junior to professional, his passion for filmmaking and storytelling, the recent uptick in the popularity of tennis in Greece, and the importance of family and charity.
Follow Stefanos: @stefanostsitsipas98
Twitter: @steftsitsipas
Youtube: Stefanos Tsitsipas
EPISODE #5
DYLAN MOSCOVITCH
OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALIST FIGURE SKATER
In this episode, we turn the tables and interview our host Dylan! Marcus and Dylan discuss Dylan’s experience as an Olympic silver medalist with Canada, his life-threatening accident just before the 2018 Olympics, and his perspectives on relationships in skating. Dylan offers his outlook on giving, and talks about what drew him to HIA.
Follow Dylan: @dylan.moscovitch
EPISODE #4
GABY DABROWSKI
GRAND SLAM CHAMPION
In this episode of Larger Than Ourselves, Marcus teams up with professional tennis player Gaby Dabrowski to discuss the pressure for success at an early age, the weight of athletic potential, and the deeper meaning in a career. Gaby expands on her experience playing Mixed doubles at the US Open, the WTA player council, and the importance of charity selection.
Follow Gaby: @gabydabrowski
EPISODE #3
KATE STRONG
WORLD CHAMPION TRIATHLETE
In this episode of Larger Than Ourselves, Dylan teams up with static bike triple world record holder to discuss her rise to the top of the triathlete podium, and her training to cycle 3000 miles around the coastline of the UK’s main island to raise awareness for global health. Kate expands on how sport can transcend entertainment, how to fight against societal pressures not to be charitable, and Kate’s most personally resonant cause areas.
Follow Kate: @katestrong01
EPISODE #2
HUGO INGLIS
3-TIME OLYMPIAN FIELD HOCKEY PLAYER
Hugo is a triple Olympian and a veteran of the New Zealand Black Sticks hockey team. He has been considered one of the best hockey players in the world, and vice-captained the NZ team at the Tokyo Olympics.
Hugo is one of HIA’s earliest pledgers, and after receiving his MBA with distinction from the Heriot-Watt Edinburgh Business School he worked in business development with Lever Room and banking with ANZ, New Zealand’s largest bank. He also has experience with startups, founding a sustainability based company called Borrowed Goods.
Follow Hugo: @hugo.inglis
EPISODE #1
MARCUS DANIELL
OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST TENNIS PLAYER
In our very first episode, Marcus discusses the organization's backstory, his work to connect athletes with effective, evidence-based charities, and just how important it is to harness the power of the collective athlete voice. Marcus expands on how he found inspiration in Peter Singer and the ideas of effective altruism, his 10% pledge and the meaning it added to his career, and his long-term vision for how athletes can create positive change in the world.
Marcus is a tennis player from New Zealand with 5 ATP titles, quarterfinal appearances at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open (twice), and numerous caps for the NZ Davis Cup Team. On January 4th, 2021, Marcus took the Giving What We Can pledge to donate at least 10% of his annual winnings to effective organizations for the rest of his life. Alongside his tennis career, Marcus has been awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his work with HIA, joining recipients such as Nelson Mandela and Roger Federer.
Follow Marcus: @marcusdaniellnz