Arteta, Cancel Culture & Knowing When to Step Back
Power & Purpose returns for Series 3, with Maro Itoje and Leon Mann together in person to talk leadership, sport and the value of stepping back.
Maro shares what he learned from spending time with Mikel Arteta and how taking a break from rugby renewed his motivation. They also discuss cancel culture and genuine apologies, why building something great takes patience, and the changing relationship between sports journalism and content creators. Leon reflects on how losing a valued colleague became an opportunity to rethink his business.
William Troost-Ekong couldn’t join this episode, but remains part of the Power & Purpose team.
16 Jul 2026
The Retirement Plan — Two Captains Choose Their Endings
When would you walk away from something you love — and on whose terms?
Maro Itoje is back on Power and Purpose. He's sitting out England's entire summer tour on the recommendation of head coach Steve Borthwick and head of performance Phil Morrow — a "factory reset" after twelve months that included the Lions series win in Australia, a Six Nations, and his mother's passing. William Troost-Ekong joins from Doha where he's back in preseason after five weeks broadcasting the FIFA World Cup 2026 for SuperSport. Leon Mann is in London. First all-three episode in a while.
Two captains at this virtual table, both of whom chose their endings before anyone told them to. Maro on why he plans to retire at thirty-five and what his two-word Instagram post — "mine won't" — actually meant. Will on eighty-three caps for Nigeria and being a custodian of the shirt, not the owner. Contentment as the hardest skill. And the workload debate the whole game is quietly having — Fabio Capello, Maheta Molango, Van Dijk, and PSG's Enrique.
This is the conversation that reframed the summer for us. The body is fine. It's the mental load that decides.
Listen to the full episode below:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose
10 Jul 2026
World Cup 2026: The Phone Call That Changed The Rules
When was the last time a player sent off at a World Cup was allowed to play the next game? 1962. And who made the call this week that changed that?
In this FIFA World Cup 2026 special, William Troost-Ekong joins Leon Mann live from Doha, where Will is back in preseason with his Qatari club after a summer broadcasting for SuperSport. Maro Itoje is away. Together they tell two stories from the same fortnight: nine African teams in the knockouts of Africa's best-ever World Cup, and one phone call between the White House and FIFA that overturned a red card.
Will opens up about Nigeria not being there — taking personal responsibility, retiring from international football, and preparing for post-playing life through a sports directorship course at the University of East London. Leon lays out the 85-seats question: Africa's 54 FIFA Congress seats plus the Caribbean's 31 equal Europe's 55 — so why aren't they moving together? And they close with what has to change before the World Cup lands in Africa in 2030.
This is the conversation that reframed the summer for us. Africa has the talent. The question now is who gets to shape what happens next.
Listen to the full episode below:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5acio7AdrIGnrGU7pXgrv2
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/power-and-purpose-podcast/id1838671753
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@listenpowerandpurpose
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