The SHIFT Podcast

In this episode of The SHIFT Podcast, we connect with Riann Grant founder of Beyond: The League. Riann shares her story and journey of success as a youth athlete and going into university. Over the course of her university career, Riann experienced multiple ups and downs. Taking those lessons learned and her experiences, Riann is now investing and building into athletes to help champion them to succeed in their next careers! 

Enjoy the show!

Episode 026 of the SHIFT Podcast, we sit down with Juan Guzman, a current professional soccer player with New Mexico United of the United Soccer League Championship. 

We connected with Juan shortly after COVID 19 hit our world and the reality of being in isolation and quarantine became a norm in our language and experience in sport and life. We talked about the power of taking ownership of your routines, habits, and daily schedule. How including others in the process for accountability, builds strength personally and collectively on your team. How he experienced a breakthrough when he stopped comparing himself to others in order to pursue being at his best each day!

Enjoy the show!

Dennis Chin -- After been seen at a 7 v 7 tournament by a pro coach, his professional career began that morphed him into the man he is today. Chin overcame obstacles from competing in his backyard in Orlando, FL with his first pro contract, to moving to Europe and realizing that the obstacles to overcome were not on the field of play and what learned through his time overseas. 

Over the course of a successful pro career, Chin, recognized his value and significance was not determined by the number of goals scored on the field. Whether he was injured or starting, he could have a positive impact on his teammates and the space around him by just being himself. 

By clarifying his why, Chin established a healthier perspective about sport, his performance, and how he invested in others. You don't want to miss the journey and story of Dennis Chin - listen in and learn from his experiences as a professional athlete and now as he embarks on this next step in life as a player agent with CHYN Sports. 

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dennis Chin:

In the 24th Episode of the SHIFT Podcast, we welcome back Amobi Okugo and get caught up on continuing playing at the professional level for over 10 years now, and managing a growing business in A Frugal Athlete, multiple media platforms, cooking, and much more.

In this episode we talk about:

• The different arenas Amobi has stepped into to explore what is a good fit for him after he is done playing. Why it is important as an athlete to start exploring early and often.
• How exploring different arenas doesn't have to be a long-term commitment: contrasting externships and internships.
• Why discipline is an essential and needed ingredient that keeps you playing year after year, game after game.
• He realized the most important thing is getting his foundation and structure right, and then build out the systems and roadmap, and after that, your destination becomes clear.
• And much more....

Hit up Amobi at:

Nikki Phillips grew up in the famed hotbed of soccer, Cliffton, NJ. First-round draft pick for the Women's Professional League, Conference player of the year at U. Virginia, Played for the Poland National Team, and played in the NWSL. Growing up Nikki was invited to play for the US Women's Youth National Team, her coach emphasized the importance of being present and in the moment. And while traveling to countries all around the world, make the most of the experiences in the places the beautiful game of soccer takes you. 

Nikki and Jonathan also talked about:

• Nikki taking a year off from playing professionally to focus on her marriage and build into her relationship with her husband John. 
• Why it is important to recognize you have been placed in the space you are in for a reason -- be intentional!
• Word of advice: Nikki would have started investing earlier in her career, and why there is value in taking advantage of the financial opportunities and options available to you as a professional.
• Life's realities and struggles being married to a pro athlete - Nikki's husband played in the NFL.

And so much more, enjoy Nikki's story, her heart, and the power sport has to forge strong and beautiful friendships along the way!

In this episode of the SHIFT Podcast, we hang out with Devala Gorrick, a 12-year professional soccer player. Gorrick competed in Europe and throughout North America and now resides in Denver, CO.

We discuss the lie or myth about being invincible as a pro athlete, thinking that your career will last forever, then the reality of one day waking up and it's over.

The reality hit hard when he finished playing, “I’m done”, then he thought, “oh man, what now?” 

His ability to take risks and experiencing failure was important to his development as a pro. He took that same skill and applied it to life after sport.

Lessons about making the most of the moments and truly be present and enjoy the relationships and experiences around you.

Enjoy the openness, honesty, and stories shared in today's show with Devala Gorrick!

After hitting rock bottom with a failed business after his NFL career, Marques Ogden embarked on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Marques clarified his why to help athletes and others to inspire and be successful by guiding others to not make the same mistakes he made as an athlete and business owner.  

Hindsight is 20-20, recognizing that he was not ready to make the transition to life after sport, lost was a word that continued to be shared during our conversation. We discuss the importance of starting now, don't wait, take small steps if that's all you can, but start now to prepare for the transition. 

Enjoy the show!

Dasan Robinson was drafted in 2006 by the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. He went on to have a successful career playing for the Chicago Fire, Toronto FC, and LA Galaxy. 

After retiring in 2012 Dasan began his journey of life beyond sport and realizing he didn't really have a plan. His plan to retire was more out of fear because numerous injuries prevented him from competing! 

He also shares about the impact of discovery and willingness to take risks in sport and life and the importance of finding jobs that you can compete in helping him find his next career. 

Dasan opens up about the ups and downs of sport and life and how his experience as a professional athlete shaped who he is today. 

Enjoy the show!

In this episode of the SHIFT podcast, we connect with Tom Heinemann, husband, father, entrepreneur, and retired pro soccer player. Tom is now the assistant coach at Belmont University in Nashville, TN as well as on the Executive Committee for the United Soccer League Players Association and Match Evaluator for Major League Soccer. 

You will hear about how humility and hard work helped propel Tom throughout his career from high school to the professional ranks.

The Importance of staying connected to your network, even though he was in pre-season without a contract, he maintained connections with other coaches by maintaining a line of communication in case things didn't work out. That practice landed him his first pro contract. 

Hakeem Valles shares his powerful story of the moment that shifted and changed his perspective for the rest of his life. His willingness to take risks, put in the work, and maximize moments that have created more opportunities as he continues to move forward as an athlete and in his businesses.

Risk is something that we all need to take in order to grow and succeed in sport and life. Hakeem shares, "yeah I think it takes time, patience, and the elimination of the fear of judgment. I think a lot of people fear judgment too heavily to ultimately go towards whatever their true calling is or what their true north is because they are scared to be called corny or called different or called weird. Like when I was in middle school, I used to go at 6 am to meet with a substitute teacher to do magic tricks because I wanted to be the next David Blaine, and my teammates all thought I was weird for that but I didn’t care!"

Overcoming Fear: We talked about fear and how fear holds you back from taking risks. Valles' advice to practice overcoming fear, he said, "This is going to be the wildest piece of advice, go to a mall and lay on the floor for 90 seconds, get up and walk away." It will help you practice overcoming fear so that in the moments when something of value is on the line, you are prepared!  

You don't want to miss this one, enjoy!

Connect with Hakeem Valles:

For Austin Da Luz, soccer was in his blood! He grew up on the soccer fields at Wake Unversity with dad coaching the women's program. After a successful university career and a national championship, Da Luz was drafted in the first round of Major League Soccer by NY Red Bulls in 2010. 

After a few years in the MLS, Austin signed with the then Carolina Railhawks in 2012.  Other than playing one year in Orlando, Da Luz made Raleigh home and played for 7 years for the Railhawks and rebrand North Carolina FC.

Austin sharing a bit about himself, "I’ve always sort of bucked against the idea that all I am is a soccer player. That idea is always in the back of our heads as athletes but my personality and the way I’ve tried to make this transition [to life after sport] easier over the past several years to buck against that idea and to do things away from soccer to give myself the confidence that i would be ok when it ended." 

After retiring, the struggle was real when interviewing and talking to potential employers: "I found that when people are looking to hire they really value the skills that athletes bring, they really value the non-traditional experience you know, but when it came down to it [I was told] 'you don’t have enough tradition experience for us to give you a chance.'" 

Hear the authentic and real ups and downs that Austin experienced as he navigated retirement, the job market, and the joys of the birth of his son; all in the midst of COVID, quarantine, shutdowns, and all that 2020 has brought us. 

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Austin:

In this episode of the SHIFT podcast, we connect with Steve Ralston, legendary MLS player and original MLS draft pick in 1996 to the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Steve's journey to the professional ranks was anything but normal. He never started on his high school team, wasn't the best player on his club team, and attended a local community college in St. Louis his first year of college. Steve then transferred to Florida International U, where he says the coach never actually saw him play - crazy! Steve went onto lead the nation in scoring his junior year, and shares about the surreal experience of going from having a poster of Carlos Valderrama in his dorm room to sitting next to him in the locker room!

Through the ups and downs of his successful pro career, Steve dives into what he believes gave him the greatest success, his character, consistency, and grit! You will also hear some good stories from Wells and Steve during their playing days together with the New England Revolution. 

After Steve's playing career ended, he moved into coaching with the Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes with former teammate Dominic Kinnear and recently moved cross country with his family to Philidelphia in another significant transition. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Steve:

Raymond Harrison grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and when he started playing football, the moments he loved were when "you hit someone's head off!" Competing against his older brother, Rodney, pushed Raymond to love the game and pursue the opportunity to compete at the University of Cincinnati. After an up and down career and multiple coaching changes, Raymond made the transition to life after football and began competing in a new arena -- the athletic department where he began building into athletes. 

When reflecting on growing up, where he came from, and what has shaped him:

 "Hey man, I’m a young black dude growing up in Chicago. I wasn’t supposed to be where I am, I wasn't supposed to be. I wasn’t a very good football player I mean I can hit somebody. I got a chance to go get a degree from a place I ended up getting 2 degrees from. A place my boys lived a life totally different than the life I lived.  Yes, this is my job, man, I haven’t worked a day in 22 years. I serve. I get a chance to live out ministry .. serving people!"

When asked about the power and impact of football on his life:

"The thing that prepared me more than anything else, was sport. So many transferable skills about life, we talk about life skills and that’s always there - my background is academics and life skills. This is life and death. You can either set your life on the right path or the wrong path."

Raymond currently is an Associate Athletic Director at NC State, Go Wolfpack! With previous stops at the University of Louisville, University of South Carolina, and Texas A&M. Raymond's heart to invest in the lives of athletes and assist them in the process of seeing themselves as more than an athlete inspires his work and focus. The athletes' value and significance goes far beyond what they do in athletic competition! 

Hear Raymond's story and an amazing "small world" moment with co-host Jonathan, even though they met each other for the first time on the show! Enjoy!

Connect with Raymond Harrison:

Jesse Anthony grew up grinding through the mud, gravel, and obstacles competing in cyclocross; shorter courses consisting of pavement, hills, gravel, and grass. Cyclocross forces riders to quickly get off their bikes to overcome obstacles and jump back on and keep riding. Jesse eventually made the full transition to professional road cycling in 2008. He retired in 2018 after a successful 13-year career! Shortly after retiring, he was approached by USA Cycling to become the manager for USA Cycling's cyclocross program. 

Anthony now coaches, builds into, and helps develop riders for USA Cycling Cyclocross. Jesse shares his incredible story, including overcoming an almost 18-month hiatus due to injuries and mono, and the breaking point that allowed him to fully commit, take the risks necessary, and race with freedom. 

Connect with Jesse: 

This episode focuses on the power of our choices and controlling what you can control! Decisions at the end of the day are something that we all have control over. Matt Pickens opens up and shares about the ups and downs of the decisions he’s made throughout his amazing 16-year pro career. 

From deciding to attend a community college his first year to being selected in the first round of the MLS draft in 2004 and even a brief stint in Europe. Eventually, Pickens finishing his career in the USL Championship with Nashville SC by winning the Golden Glove award in 2019!   Pickens transitioned shortly after retiring at the end of the 2019 season into coaching full time and currently serves as the goalkeeping coach for MLS's Nashville SC. 

Matt invites us into his world and the transition he’s made from playing to coaching, how it SHIFTed his mindset as an athlete from focusing on self to being more focused on others, and how that change has impacted his life, his family, and those he’s coaching! 

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Matt:

Omar Cummings was a special player, and is a special man. He's always smiling, has a positive outlook on life, and leaves you feeling better about yourself and the world around you. On the pitch, he was a true competitor! He played professionally for 11 years, winning an MLS Cup with co-host Wells Thompson and was 'capped' 35 times, scoring 7 goals, for the Jamaican National Team. 

Join us as Omar takes us back to where it all started, his beloved homeland of Jamaica, and gives us an inside look into his youth, relationship with his brother and extended family, and the journey he took to becoming the player he was and the man he is today! 

Connect with Omar:

Kelly played professional soccer in the NWSL for the Sky Blue FC and Houston Dash, played in Sweden, and played collegiately for Virginia Tech from 2009-2013. She discusses the concussion issues she faced, having to sit out 2 years at Virginia Tech because of them, not being able to play in the Final Four, and her year with Coaches Across Continents to teach soccer to disadvantaged kids. She's bright, energetic, and bold; chasing her dreams, achieving them after a three-year hiatus from the game. Her story will inspire you to chase your own dreams, and not to give up on them, regardless of the circumstances. Enjoy!

Connect with Kelly:

Othello "OT" Johnson was born in Liberia and has an amazing story of survival, persistence, endurance, and the will to live well! He's a childhood friend of Wells and is currently in his 10th season at the helm of the UNCP wrestling program, having already turned in five of the finest seasons in its history. He's a husband and father to two beautiful girls and his story will leave you inspired, encouraged, and more grateful for the gift of life!    

Connect with OT:

Growing up in the mountains of Virginia to climbing mountains in the Tour de France - Pro Cyclist Ben King shares his journey through the ups and downs as a pro cyclist and the significant transitions he experienced along the way! Cycling gives you the opportunity to explore your world and King was introduced to the sport through his father, who also rode professionally. Cycling created freedom at a young age for King and he matched that freedom with his strong desire to compete which has propelled him to elite levels and world tour of professional cycling!

"Every time that I took a step up in the sport it was like being a freshman all over again. Getting my face smashed in and struggling just to finish races… but it always just motivated me to work harder, to learn more." (3:10)

"I would tell myself the same thing that people were telling me, my coaches and mentors, to trust in the process. You will get beat, and you will be discouraged, but just to trust that if you keep working, getting up every day and training, eventually you’ll see the improvements." (36:26)

Connect with Ben King:

Highlights from the Show: Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Michael moved to the Washington, D.C. area with his family at the age of six (tune in to hear this incredible story). Our stories are the most powerful things that we have about us. What do you do if you’re a refugee as a 6-year-old and now you have to start a new life in America? It wasn’t until I found the commonality that I experienced in Africa, soccer, that gave my life and gave me direction. Soccer was my way out, was my way forward. I chose Wake Forest University because I wanted to make history! Surrounding yourself with mentors who see your story and invite you to be the best version of yourself you can be What helped me to have peace of mind and get settled in was to remember my story. Retirement: I now know who I am, without the soccer ball. It’s what’s allowing me to walk away from the game and transition into what's next. I can say 'thank you' soccer for everything you’ve afforded me. I don't need you in the same way I did before. In order to transition well, you have to start that process while you’re playing, Vulnerability creates connection. Connection creates commitment. 

Connect with Michael:  

Amobi Okugo is an entrepreneur, pro athlete, educator, and the founder of A Frugal Athlete network. 

Highlights from the show:

• A few things in life are consistent, and change is one of them.
• What separates the good from the great in any aspect or sphere of life is doing the little things consistently.
• No matter how much you prepare, there’s still going to be an adjustment period when you retire.
• Taking a year off from playing professionally: "I was able to learn a lot about myself, learn a lot about patience, reflection, verbalizing my emotions because you don’t have a field to take it out on anyone anymore."
• Control what you can control!
• Advice for his younger self: Start earlier - Value your relationships - Time is relative.
  

Connect with Amobi:

Welcome to the first episode of The SHIFT Podcast, assisting athletes through successful transitions in sport and life. In this episode we hear from our co-host, Wells Thompson, who shares his story of growing up in NC, being kidnapped at 16, 'walking-on' the men's soccer team at Wake Forest University, to eventually being drafted by the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. We also explore the harsh realities of transitioning to life after playing professionally and the process of learning how to make the most of the smalls moments in life.

Connect with Wells: