From tennis courts to Muay Thai rings to the fairways of golf, Nathan Ejindu’s sporting life has been anything but predictable.

Nathan’s story begins with judo at seven and a junior national tennis ranking as a teenager. But it was in Muay Thai that he found his power, competing at semi-professional level before injury forced a change of direction. Instead of walking away, Nathan reinvented himself, taking on new challenges, rediscovering motivation, and ultimately finding a surprising new passion in golf.

Today, he is chasing senior tour professional status, proving that the athlete mindset never really leaves, it just finds new arenas. Along the way, he reflects on resilience, mental toughness, and what it takes to start again.

🎧 In this episode, we cover:

• The lessons learned from early success and missed opportunities in tennis

• Why Muay Thai’s power and intensity drew him in

• Injury, setbacks, and the impact on support networks

• Finding new challenges in triathlon and golf

• Setting ambitious goals later in life and building the roadmap to reach them

  
  

📣 Question From the Grandstand: Let us know your thoughts
Do you think it is ever too late to take up a new sport seriously, even to the point of chasing professional goals?

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From what was supposed to be a "quick" video and sound quality test call comes the birth of our favourite new game, now played with every Almost Pro guest - Rapid Fire: This or That..

We took a sharp left turn off track and started firing off quick questions: ice bath or sauna? Pregame music or silent focus? Mentor for life or high-performance coach?

Welcome to Rapid Fire: This or That | Host Edition.

PS: The quality test eventually got done… the next day 😂

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🌐 Check out more at www.almostpropodcast.com

In this episode, we sit down with Renae Jones - a rising Australian athlete in Trap Shooting who has experienced the thrill of international competition, the pride of reaching Olympic selection trials, and the challenge of redefining success.

Renae’s story begins in regional Victoria, where her family and weekends at the local gun club shaped her love for sport. What started as helping out at junior shoots soon turned into competing on the world stage, travelling across Europe and the Americas before she’d even finished high school. By 2020, she was in Olympic contention, balancing training, study, and selection events just as COVID brought everything to a halt.

Now, with her junior shooting career behind her, Renae is carving a new path. She’s studying Sport Management at Deakin and working with Football Victoria and Commonwealth Games Australia, while keeping the door open for a return to competition. Along the way, she reflects on discipline, resilience, and why Trap Shooting is one of the safest and most misunderstood sports.

This conversation is about more than results on a scoreboard. It’s about the bond of family in sport, the courage to pause without closing the door, and the ways athletes carry their experiences into new roles.

🎧 In this episode, we cover:

• What Trap Shooting is - and why it hooked Renae

• The mental toughness and mindset behind elite performance

• Travelling internationally as a teen and competing against world champions

• Olympic selections and navigating the next steps

• Balancing study, work, and leaving the door open for a return

• Why challenging perceptions matters for the future of shooting in Australia

  
  

📣 Question From the Grandstand
Trap Shooting is taught with some of the highest safety standards in sport. Do you think it should be offered through schools alongside other mainstream sports?

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In this episode, we turn the mic on ourselves. You’ve been asking to know more about the voices behind Almost Pro, so today we share our journeys, our love of sport, and the story of how a bar in Boston sparked the creation of this podcast.

From childhood memories on tennis courts and soccer fields to the highs, lows, and the transition out of playing competitively, we open up about the experiences that shaped who we are today. We talk identity - what it feels like to step away from a dream - and how the lessons sport taught us now drive how we lead, work, parent, and show up for the Almost Pro community.

You’ll also hear how Almost Pro began: a late-night conversation among Aussies, a shared belief in the value of untold stories, and the moment we named the show and built a vision to give athletes and industry experts their long-overdue platform.

This episode is a chance to get to know us not just as interviewers, but as athletes, coaches, business leaders, and storytellers who live the same themes our guests bring to the table - and why this podcast means so much to us.

🎧 In this episode, we cover:

• Our earliest sporting memories - and what kept us hooked

• The identity shift when stepping away from sport

• How tennis and soccer shaped our values, leadership, and careers

• Why we started Almost Pro - and where we hope to take it

• How we split the roles to bring each episode to life

Whether you’re an athlete, coach, sports professional, or simply curious about who’s behind the mic, this conversation shares the passion and purpose driving our work on Almost Pro.

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Phil Stewart returns with Part 2 of his story — this time not as the athlete, but as a coach, leader, and high performance coordinator shaping the future of gymnastics.

After retiring from competition, Phil transitioned into coaching, business management, and leadership. From co-founding a gymnastics business, to serving on Gymnastics Australia’s Athlete Commission, to now coordinating elite pathways at the State Gymnastics Centre in Victoria, Phil has built a career defined by authenticity, passion, and purpose.

In this episode, Phil shares how he balances the demands of high performance with athlete wellbeing, why athlete voices and mental health must be at the centre of sport, and how technology and AI could transform judging in gymnastics. He also reflects on the financial realities of international competition, the importance of building strong athlete–parent–coach relationships, and the values he believes every coach should bring into the gym.

Join us as we explore Phil’s story as an industry expert — the lessons, challenges, and opportunities of shaping the culture of gymnastics and creating pathways for the next generation.

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Phil Stewart joins us with Part 1 of his story as an Almost Pro Athlete — from breaking his neck at 19 to making an international comeback.

Phil’s gymnastics journey began at just five years old, leading him to the Victorian Men’s High Performance Centre and a sporting scholarship to the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, where he trained 30 hours a week. At 19, a trampoline accident left him with a broken neck, but instead of ending his career, it became a defining turning point.

Phil fought his way back, made his international debut at 21, and became the first Victorian gymnast to land a highly difficult dismount in competition. He went on to compete internationally until 26 and today is the High Performance Coordinator at the State Gymnastics Centre in Prahran, Victoria.

In Part 1, we dive into Phil’s story as an athlete — the highs, the lows, and the resilience it takes to fight back when everything is stacked against you.

Next week, join us for Part 2 as Phil shares his journey from Almost Pro Athlete to Industry Expert.

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From travel costs and training fees to the hidden price of equipment and recovery, we break down the financial reality of chasing a professional sporting dream.

In this episode of Almost Pro, we explore the sacrifices families make, the advantages financial backing can provide, and the inspiring exceptions that prove it’s still possible to succeed without deep pockets.

Drawing on personal experiences and real-world examples, we reveal how financial stress can shape an athlete’s opportunities, career decisions, and confidence, and why some athletes never get the chance to be seen.

We talk about:

- The true cost of pursuing elite sport.

- How resources and support influence an athlete’s pathway.

- The barriers faced by athletes without financial backing.

- Stories of those who achieved success against the odds.

🎧 Join us as we shine a light on the costs, challenges, and inspiring journeys in sport.

💬 Which sport do you think is the most expensive to pursue? Share your thoughts in the comments or on our socials, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Not every athlete’s story ends with going pro — and not every success is defined by the scoreboard.

In this short welcome episode, meet your hosts Laura and Frances as they introduce Almost Pro — a sports podcast dedicated to the powerful, untold stories of athletes whose journeys didn’t follow the script.

Each week, Almost Pro dives into the moments that shift an athlete’s path — from career-ending injuries to sliding door decisions — through the voices of those who’ve lived it: athletes, coaches, industry experts, and game changers.

This is where the human side of high performance takes centre stage.

Because being almost pro doesn’t mean you failed.

It means you dared.