Known for his role as competitive team mentor on Ireland's Fittest Family, as well as being a passionate GAA coach, former Clare hurler Davy Fitzgerald knows a thing or two about perseverance.
In his documentary series, Davy's Toughest Team, he implements skills honed during his 30 years on the field to motivate and inspire a group of young men, aged 18-24, with each coming from a different background and hoping to create a brighter future. This is a team starting from scratch.
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With just three months to prepare for an ambitious Icelandic trek set to test limits, Davy must find a way to build physical stamina as well as emotional trust and mental resilience within a team of individuals battling a range of personal issues.
No mean feat for a man in his 50s.
"Oh, man," he laughs. "Physically, was I really for it? Probably not but, do you know what, it's a good lesson in life: sometimes you're not ready for what comes at you but you have to find a way to hang in there.
"That's the message we give to the lads," he adds, "that sometimes life isn't fair and it throws you a few curveballs but you have to stay with it and get to the other side. It certainly happened for me on this show, that's for sure, and you'll see it in a big way, but that was no harm."
"It's a lot of responsibility. Was I nervous? I was definitely nervous doing it because you have young guys who are willing to come forward and talk and address some issues, and that's massive."
Reflecting on his team of seven young men, Davy says that he believes that physical and mental resilience go hand in hand, and that inspecting how someone handles a challenge can reveal a lot about their character.
"It's the challenges along the way that allow you to see different things in their personalities," he explains, "whereas the final challenge was more a mental one to teach them that, in life, things are going to get tough but are you going to give up or are you going to stay with it?"
"I was challenged massively, so all of us were in the same boat, which is a good thing," he says, reflecting on the physical demands on the show. "The message is: when life gets tough, hang in there."
Joined by performance coach Mattie Rice and wilderness expert Dane Galligan, as well as a team of mental health professionals, the GAA coach provides a range of support to the men as they train in the cold wilds of Clare.
"With some of the lads, we just walked and talked and I'd tell them about things that were bothering me, and they wouldn't believe that I was actually opening up to them, and that actually encouraged them to talk to me a bit more," he says. "They like being appreciated as well. Younger people like to know that they're valued."
"The lads were mad anxious to make differences in their own lives," he muses, "but they also wanted to say to other people who were struggling: talk and get out there. They wanted to make a difference to people in the same position as them."
Speaking on the impact of the show, and the differences made to the men who have taken part over the years, Davy says that this project truly stands out from the rest.
"I'm used to doing GAA matches and Fittest Family but this is definitely different gravy," he says.
"I'm a person that loves seeing people happy - that would mean a lot to me. There is so much negativity, especially in Ireland, we have a tendency to knock people before we think anything good about them. I know not perfect, I know I have faults, but I try to see the best I can in other people before I see the worst.
"I just want to see people happy because life is difficult enough."
You can watch Davy's Toughest Team on RTÉ One, Wednesdays at 9.35pm.
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