About
Being a former student athlete myself, I know full well the challenges that face young men and women navigating the inevitable transition to life after sports. As an 18-year-old kid from Southern California I accepted a full athletic scholarship to attend The Ohio State University as a member of the football program, a dream come true. Like many others in my situation, I felt bullet proof, my entire life to that point had been one success after another. Why would the next few years be any different?? With these successes, came an inflated ego and strong tendency to be complacent. Five years of eligibility seemed like an eternity. Certainly, enough time to accomplish all my college goals and have some fun along the way...right? Well it wasn’t until I was blind-sided entering my redshirt junior year by some bad news that I realized I had slept walked through the majority of my career! Finally aware of my situation, I came to a conclusion that I had become my own worst enemy. Constantly blame shifting and finding excuses for why I hadn’t lived up to my potential coming out of high school. All was not lost though. I still had time to right the ship. Fighting from behind the 8 ball I ascended the depth chart positioning myself for the opportunity I had originally set foot on campus for, but like many others before me it was too little too late and I was befallen with injuries, capping off my senior season with a torn hamstring in the Sugar Bowl. What had seemed like an eternity was now over in a blink and I was left with more questions than answers. Suddenly, all the support and guidance offered from being a part of a program like Ohio State was gone. Sure, I had learned many valuable lessons about in my time but I had no idea how to apply them. After several failed attempts at extending my career professionally I was adrift. In a confused place, I turned to partying to ease my discomfort. This went on like that for a year. Luckily for me with a supportive family I realized there was more to life than just being an athlete. Getting myself together, I landed a job like many former athletes do, in sales, I quickly realized success, receiving accolades, bonuses etc but couldn't help but feel empty and unfulfilled. As someone who had always imagined having money would fill that feeling of incompleteness this was scary time. I decided to in search for a different path and with the help of books, podcasts and mentors, I discovered the practice of mindfulness and the cultivation of positive habits. The changes in my life were dramatic and too numerous to name here. Then one day it hit me, if only I could have applied this lifestyle while I was an athlete and immediately after how much of a happier and actualized life could I have lead? It was then I realized what I wanted to do. To help others navigate the difficulty of finding who you are after sports end.