Learn from athletes who made the jump.

I played four years of D1 soccer as a center mid, and when my career ended I honestly had no idea what came next. I spent a year in customer success, learned SQL at night, and moved into product management. Running a product team feels a lot like running the midfield: you read the whole field, communicate constantly and make the people around you better. I love helping athletes see that the way they already think is exactly what tech teams are looking for.

I was a catcher at Arizona State and spent two summers in independent ball before hanging it up. The hardest part was not the career change; it was realizing I had never built a budget or thought about money beyond meal money. Today I help young professionals and former athletes build real financial foundations. A catcher calls the game one pitch at a time, and money works the same way: small, consistent decisions compound into freedom.

I ran the 400 and the 4x400 at Oregon and tore my hamstring twice. My physical therapists became the people I trusted most, and that is how I found my path. Grad school was a grind, but nothing a two-a-day training block had not prepared me for. I work with athletes and weekend warriors every day, and I love talking with students who are curious about healthcare careers, prerequisites and what grad school applications really look like.

I was a backup point guard at Villanova, which taught me more about preparation and communication than being a starter ever could. After graduating I took an entry-level partnerships role with a minor league team, moved into brand marketing and now lead athlete partnerships for a national apparel brand. I want athletes to know the sports industry is huge beyond coaching and playing, and relationships are the currency that gets you in the door.

I was an outside hitter at Texas and thought I would coach forever. I did coach for six years, and along the way I discovered I loved building the whole culture of a school, not just a team. Now I lead a staff of ninety educators. The skills that made me a good captain, like hard conversations, holding standards and caring about every person on the roster, are the same ones I use every day. I love helping athletes explore teaching, coaching and school leadership.

I played linebacker at Michigan and was sure the league was my plan A, B and C. When it did not happen I felt lost for the better part of a year. What pulled me out was building something: I started a meal-prep business from my apartment kitchen, and it grew into a nutrition brand in over 400 stores. Entrepreneurship is film study, practice and fourth-quarter grit rolled into one. I mentor athletes who want to start something, and anyone who is still figuring out who they are without the helmet.