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What happens when the only life you’ve known as an athlete suddenly stops? For many, the answer is silence, confusion, and a deep sense of loss.

Emily Huston, a former USA volleyball player and founder of Home Team, joins Ryan for a real, thoughtful conversation about life after sport. From discovering her love for the outdoors to navigating identity, burnout, and depression, Emily’s story is a powerful example of how difficult it can be to “move on” and why getting a job after sport isn’t the whole answer.

She opens up about retiring twice from volleyball, what it felt like to free-fall without a parachute, and the personal pain that led her to create Home Team, an organization dedicated to helping injured and retired athletes find community, direction, and healing after sport.

This episode explores the hidden costs of life beyond competition and why support for athletes must go beyond job placements and highlight reels.

What You’ll Hear:

- Why Emily retired from sport twice, and what brought her back
- What athletes lose when they leave the game (and why a job doesn’t fix it)
- The “cliff effect” and how it impacts identity, eating habits, and mental health
- How NIL and social media bring fame too early, and the crash that follows
- What it's really like to go from being “Superman” to not recognizing your body
- Why working at a desk feels unbearable for so many former athletes
- The patterns of disordered eating and control that emerge post-retirement
- Why Emily believes athletic departments have failed retired athletes
- The emotional weight of being labeled “irrelevant” after sport
-  How Home Team is creating a new kind of support network for athletes
- The power of awe, nature, and adventure in post-sport healing

Golden Nugget:

“Most people think if an athlete gets a job after sport, they’re fine. But that job can feel more disorienting than retirement itself.”

Want to Go Deeper?

 If you've ever felt like your post-sport life is harder than you expected, or like you’re the only one who’s lost, you're not alone. The good news? There’s help, there’s community, and there’s hope. Vvisit www.2ndwind.io
to learn more or book a consult.