The now 36-year-old has transitioned to leadership consultancy, having worked on his qualification during his playing career.
However, speaking to Paula Bennett on her NZ Herald podcast, Ask Me Anything, Read admitted it has been hard to transition from that life and he doesn't think there is much support for players as they transition out of the professional game.
"I don't think it's enough. I think it is really hard. Like, even for me, I feel like I was pretty over what I was wanting to do, and in a position where I could take my time to figure out what I wanted to do as well, you still struggle. You still go from this whole structure and seeing some of your best mates every day, and doing that to suddenly being at home and, you know, not getting an end of that stimulus or anything."
He said there can be a Kiwi attitude of not asking for help, but many sports players should reach out if they are struggling to leave the playing careers.
"It comes down to the individual as well in some aspects to utilise that help during their career, which is sometimes you don't think you need. And then when you finish the Rugby Players Association is pretty brilliant.
"It still comes down to you as an individual willing to admit that maybe you're not quite right and putting your hand up and say, look, I need some help rather than people putting the help on you. You know what it's like in New Zealand, we're not good at putting our hand up and saying, I need some help."
Bennett, who quit politics before the 2020 election, admitted to being a bit jealous that Read was able to go to Japan and have a transition period down from the highs of the All Blacks.
"I was in my 50s when I left and I was like, right, I know I want another career. And you know, where do old politicians go? That's very varied as to how successful a post-politics career is. For me, I went, well, I've gotta go while people still might pick up the phone to me.
"A lot of people did take 12 months off. I probably needed it, but I didn't feel like I had the luxury of that, because then by the time I'd be putting my hand up for another career, everyone would go, well, where have you been?"
Read said that when it comes to that adjustment from his career, he's happy with how things have played out.
"I think mentally I'm pretty content that I'm not gonna get what I got playing for the All Blacks and doing that. I know some people say, look, you gotta find that next thing that's got that same feeling that you had, like running out in front of thousands of people and representing your country ...
"I'm content to not have to be in that space and have to do something that's, you know, remarkably crazy. I feel like I've got something that I've, you know, in terms of leadership, and teams that I can really help. And I actually genuinely love helping people and imparting that stuff onto people."
Listen to the full podcast above for more from Paula and Kieran on changing careers, finding new passions, his own leadership icons- and choosing between cricket and rugby!
• Ask Me Anything is a NZ Herald podcast, hosted by Paula Bennett. New episodes are out every Sunday.
• You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
