Ayden Johnstone grew up in Waikato wanting to play professional rugby. He made it. NZ U20 Baby Blacks, Super Rugby with the Highlanders, and eventually the captain's armband for Waikato Rugby. He did it as a prop, which is not the glamour position, and he did it without making a lot of noise about it.

Ayden joins Jason at the Shedquarters for Episode 3 of ShedLife.

He walks through the path from Waikato kid to Baby Blacks and what that jump actually felt like. Moving to Dunedin, working his way into the Highlanders squad, getting on the field in Super Rugby. He is honest about what that process looked like, the parts that were hard and the parts that made it worth it.

The Waikato captaincy is something he talks about with real weight behind it. Pulling on that jersey in this region means something, and carrying the armband on top of it adds a layer that most people do not see. He talks about what the responsibility of that role actually looks like week to week.

He also gets into the mental side of professional sport. Injuries, missing out on selection, the public side of playing in a well-known competition. Ayden is straightforward about all of it. He talks through what has helped him stay level through the rough patches, and it is practical stuff, not motivational poster material.

There is also good advice in there for young Waikato players who are serious about going all the way. The kind of perspective you only get from someone who has actually been through it.

Listen to the full episode on all major platforms

[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXACmwaWRhY)

[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/72KnBcFkM1r3xm2YyVujJR)

[Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shedlifenz-podcast/id1857464528)

[iHeart Radio](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shedlife-nz-308999038/)