The Ospreys lock has extra time on his hands due to the Covid-19 pandemic leading to the indefinite postponement of all rugby and he is putting it to good use. Ashley has launched ‘Living Well with Lloyd Ashley’ – a company he hopes will help both rugby players and the general public look after themselves better.
“It’s a tough time at the moment and some people are being hit a lot harder than others. It’s also a bit weird for us as players with lots of downtime,” Ashley said.
“I’ve been doing a few bits and bobs off the field for a while and right now it’s a really important time for people to look after their wellbeing. That’s why I’ve launched my own business.”
So, what does Ashley’s work away from the rugby field entail?
“I go into schools and discuss making healthier life choices – especially when it comes to diet and physical activity,” he explained. “Alongside that I became an ambassador for Hafal – the Welsh mental health charity – last year. I did an introduction to counselling course and really found an interest in mental health and how that impacts your wellbeing. We always speak about your health and mental health as two separate things – but there is a huge crossover.
“I hadn’t seen many people speak about things from an overall wellbeing point of view. The main aspiration for the company is to get people speaking about their mental health as they do their physical health. We need to talk about everyone’s wellbeing as a whole. If we can get work places to do that then we’ll be a lot better as human beings and a lot more productive.”
Ashley knows all too well the toll professional rugby can take both mentally and physically. He has had his fair share of injuries and the current Covid-19 situation has left many players with worries which are also replicated by others in different walks of life.
“Mental health is hugely important in professional rugby, but also for today’s society,” Ashley added.
“The more we speak about issues the better. In rugby we go from week to week and game to game with huge highs and lows. Winning and losing changes you completely.
“Men do find it hard to talk and in rugby we’re often asked if we’re fine. Most people say ‘Yes’ when the reality is they probably haven’t slept because they’re in pain, they might have just had an operation, or they’re in the last year of contract and don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Ashley – who has played more than 100 times for the Ospreys since his 2011 debut – is already working with the region’s academy to support their mental wellbeing.
He is also in close collaboration with the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association and hopes to take his structured and big picture approach into businesses all over Wales.
“The situation right now has given a bit of perspective. When I’m playing and someone tells me ‘It’s only a game’ you think that’s not the case because you live and breathe rugby,” Ashley said.
“When you sit back now you realise the most important things in life are your family, friends, community and your health. We need to try and live as well as we possibly can right now.
“I listened to a webinar the other day and they called the current situation ‘The great pause’. At the moment I think you can either get depressed about what you haven’t got or get excited about what you have. That’s given me an incentive to get my business up and running.
“When you get caught up in the rugby bubble you don’t get a chance to do other things. As players we think the only thing we really enjoy is rugby, but having the chance to do something as simple as sit down and have breakfast with my wife in the morning is a huge boost at the moment.”
