Career Clarity with Athletes: A 2ndwind Podcast with Ryan Gonsalves

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For years, Cathleen Santoso had a clear goal: play professional golf.

She represented New South Wales and Australia, played college golf at the University of Oregon and had the funding and support to pursue the LPGA Tour. But when the opportunity finally arrived, Cathleen realized she wasn't excited by it anymore.

In this episode, Cathleen shares why she chose not to turn pro, despite everyone around her expecting her to, and how an internship helped her discover that she could enjoy something outside of golf.

She and Ryan also talk about identity after sport, learning to trust your own decisions, building a career through curiosity and conversations, and why figuring out what you want next sometimes starts with knowing what you don't want now.

What You’ll Hear

•  Why Cathleen chose golf at just 11 years old 
•  Playing for Australia and competing at the University of Oregon 
•  The phone call that made her realize she didn't want to turn pro 
•  Why telling her dad was one of the hardest parts of the decision 
•  How her Nike internship opened her eyes to a career outside golf 
•  Adjusting to life without competition, coaches and a structured training schedule 
•  Using coffee conversations to explore new career opportunities 
•  Why knowing your values can make difficult career decisions easier 
•  How she approached her latest career transition 

Golden Nugget

Want to go deeper?

If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io to learn more or book a consult. 

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Dr. Halaina Winter spent eight years with the Australian Ballet after leaving school at 15 to pursue the career she had trained for most of her life. But even after achieving that dream, part of her knew she wanted something different. 

In this episode, Halaina shares what it was like to walk away from ballet without a clear plan, spend several years figuring out who she was outside of dance, and eventually rebuild her career as a clinical psychologist and business owner.

She and Ryan also explore the pressure of starting again, the discipline she carried from ballet into her studies, and why the different chapters of a career don't always make sense until much later.

What You’ll Hear

•  Why Halaina walked away from ballet despite achieving her childhood dream 
•  Starting again in Germany without a clear career plan 
•  Going from professional dancer to clinical psychologist 
•  The pressure of working while completing multiple degrees 
•  How ballet shaped the way she approaches work and high performance 
•  Why career transitions don't need to follow a straight line 

Golden Nugget

Want to go deeper?

If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io to learn more or book a consult. 

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For most of her life, Ambika Pande knew exactly how to introduce herself.

She was a tennis player.

She represented India internationally, competed on the junior circuit, won tournaments overseas and eventually moved to the US on a full scholarship to play Division I tennis. The plan was to use those years to develop her game and then turn professional.

Then injuries started changing the plan.

A torn rotator cuff and labrum led to surgery, rehab and eventually another shoulder injury. As the possibility of playing professionally began slipping away, Ambika realized she wasn’t only losing tennis. She was losing the way she had defined herself since she was 10 years old.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Ambika to talk about that period, the three difficult years that followed, and how she eventually found her way into a completely different world of startups, fintech, investing and product.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• How Ambika went from winning junior tournaments to representing India internationally
• Why she chose Division I college tennis as her route towards going pro
• How a serious shoulder injury changed the direction of her career
• The moment she realized the tennis dream was getting away from her
• Why losing sport also felt like losing her identity
• The anger and resentment she carried after returning home
• Why working in sport wasn’t the answer she expected it to be
• How rediscovering music, reading and other interests helped her find parts of herself outside tennis
• Why an MBA gave her permission to try things she had never considered before
• How an opportunity in venture capital eventually led her into fintech, strategy, investing and product
• The skills from tennis she still uses when making decisions in uncertain environments
• Why she now believes athletes need to build an identity beyond their sport

GOLDEN NUGGET:

“You’re more than just the sport you play. You’re more than just the athlete.” 

Want to go deeper?

If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io to learn more or book a consult. 

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What separates great athletes when physical ability alone is no longer enough?

In this episode of 2nd Wind, Ryan speaks with sport and exercise psychologist Tyler about the mental side of performance, from managing negative self-talk and perfectionism to handling mistakes, pressure and the uncertainty of career transition.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why the mental side of performance is often overlooked in sport
• Tyler’s experience of burnout and the impact of athletic identity
• How thoughts, feelings and behaviours influence performance
• Why perfectionism and fear of mistakes can work against athletes
• Managing negative self-talk with the Three C’s: Catch, Check and Change
• How these mental performance tools can help athletes navigate career transition and life beyond sport

Golden Nugget

“Perfection doesn’t exist. It’s not physically possible to achieve that. But do we try to aspire to reach those levels? Yeah, of course we do.”

Want to go deeper?

If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io to learn more or book a consult. 

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Neil Mann didn’t have the perfect path into professional football. 

He didn’t get the scholarship.
He didn’t get picked when it mattered most.
And at one point… he was working as an electrician while chasing the same dream everyone else was chasing full-time.

But he didn’t stop.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Neil to walk through what it really looks like when your journey isn’t straightforward and why that doesn’t mean it’s over.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

- Playing semi-pro while working a full-time job

- The pressure of trying to prove yourself when your dad is the coach

- How rejection can either stop you… or sharpen you

- The moment Hull City noticed him and everything changed

- Making his debut before even becoming a full-time pro

- Why talent alone isn’t enough (and never was)

- The things he wishes he did differently during his career

- How injuries forced him to step away from the game

- The reality of transitioning when you’re not fully prepared

Golden Nugget:

“You just never know who’s watching… so play like somebody’s watching you. You don’t know who’s in the crowd.” 

Want to go deeper?

If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io to learn more or book a consult. 

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Matthew Hodgson spent his entire career knowing he had the ability and never quite trusting it. The moment basketball was gone, so was everything he thought he knew about himself.

He made the Boomers. Had a stint with the Dallas Mavericks. Won championships.

And still felt like a loser.

When the phone stopped ringing, he was sitting on a beach in Hawaii with an 18-month-old daughter and no plan.

What came next was messy. 

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Matthew Hodgson, former NBL pro and founder of People Performance Advisors, to talk about what it actually looks like to rebuild an identity from scratch.

What We Get Into:

- Why making the Boomers and having a stint with the Dallas Mavericks still wasn't enough to make him feel good enough

- The injury that ended his career and the free agency that confirmed it was over

- Sitting on a beach in Hawaii and realising the phone wasn't going to ring

- Turning down a masters degree the day after getting accepted and why it was the right call

- The job he took that he knew he'd hate and what it taught him anyway

- The $100,000 he spent trying to fix his own head while he was still playing

- Why he was punishing himself and calling it discipline

-  How a kid who wanted basketball coaching accidentally opened the door to his entire career

- What he actually does now and why it finally feels like using his strengths

- Why he threw out the AI content and started recording straight after training when the feeling hit

Want to go deeper?

If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io
to learn more or book a consult.

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Jack’s career didn’t end on his terms.

It ended with a letter.

No warning.
No backup plan.
No income.

Just a moment where everything he had built… stopped.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Jack to unpack what it really takes to rebuild your life after sport when you’re forced to start again.

From surviving the brutal, cutthroat world of professional umpiring to being released with nothing, Jack shares how he turned one of the hardest moments of his life into the foundation for a multimillion-dollar business. 

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

- The reality of chasing a professional sports career (and how few make it) 

- What it feels like to be cut without warning 

- How Jack turned frustration into a clear plan 

- Why writing things down changed everything 

- The simple math behind building a successful business 

- Why athletes must stop expecting to “start at the top” 

- The importance of starting from zero and earning your way up 

- How discipline from sport translates into business success 

- Why most people don’t prepare for worst-case scenarios 

- The mindset shift from athlete to business owner 

This episode is about ownership.

Not of a business…
 but of your next move.

Jack didn’t wait for someone to show him what to do next.

He sat down, faced reality, and built a plan.
 Even when he didn’t know exactly where it would lead. 

And that’s the difference.

Because most people stay stuck in the moment.
 He used it.

Want to go deeper?
If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io
to learn more or book a consult.

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Joe thought he knew what life after football would look like.

He had the degree.
 He had the plan.
 He had a clear next step.

But the reality felt completely different.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Joe to unpack what really happens when your identity is built around sport… and suddenly, it’s gone.

From growing up in a football family to playing professionally for over a decade, Joe shares how the transition out of the game hit harder than expected and why most athletes aren’t prepared for what comes next. 

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

- What “player care” actually means and why it’s missing the mark 

- The hidden pressures athletes face when they leave the game 

- Why most players don’t feel “ready” for life after sport 

- The identity and ego shift that hits after retirement 

- How relationships change when roles reverse financially 

- Why choosing the wrong second career is more common than you think 

- The mistake of jumping into the “obvious” next step 

- How Joe realized journalism wasn’t the path for him 

- The importance of creating calmness before making big decisions 

- Why uncomfortable environments accelerate growth 

This episode goes deeper than just career transition.

It’s about identity.

Joe opens up about leaving football with fear, not clarity.
 About losing his role as the provider.
 About not knowing how to carry “Joe the footballer” into the next phase of life. 

And that’s the part most people don’t see.

Because from the outside, it looks like a career change.
 But internally, it feels like starting from zero.

Want to go deeper?
If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io
to learn more or book a consult.

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Josh Allan thought he had it figured out.

He was fast. Really fast.
Running national-level 400m times.
Training with some of the best athletes in the country.

But deep down, he knew something most athletes avoid admitting.

This wasn’t going to be his career.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Josh Allan, now Head Coach of Men’s Rugby at the University of Toronto, to unpack the real decisions behind leaving one path… and choosing another.

From growing up in Halifax and playing multiple sports at a high level, to representing at national level in both rugby and athletics, Josh shares what it actually looks like when you’re good at everything… but forced to choose one thing. 

And more importantly, what happens when none of those paths turn into the future you imagined.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

•  Why being talented at multiple sports can actually make decisions harder 
•  The moment Josh realized track wasn’t going to be his career 
•  What it really takes to “go all in”… and why most people don’t 
•  Walking away from elite rugby pathways and what that felt like 
•  The reality behind the “3%” who make it professionally 
•  How he ended up moving to Chicago with no real plan 
•  Why sport became his gateway into life, not his destination 
•  Building confidence through coaching, gyms, and personal training 
•  The identity shift every athlete has to face 
•  What he now tells 18-year-olds who think they’re going pro

This episode isn’t about success in the traditional sense.

It’s about awareness.

Josh knew early on that continuing down a path just because he could… didn’t mean he should.

And that honesty changed everything.

From stepping away from track after hitting a ceiling, to returning to rugby, to eventually realizing sport wasn’t going to be the end goal, this is a story about making decisions before life forces them on you. 

It’s also a reminder that just because something doesn’t become your career… doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it.

Want to go deeper?
If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io
to learn more or book a consult.

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In this episode, Brad Stanton shares his raw, unfiltered journey from world champion fighter to entrepreneur, coach, and founder of a new wellbeing venture in Abu Dhabi. 

Brad opens up about growing up in a disciplined, athletic household, overcoming bullying through martial arts, and rising to the top of his sport. But behind the success came personal challenges that forced him to step away from fighting, including his father’s illness and the emotional toll that followed.

From working in a warehouse after being at the top… to rebuilding his life in the UAE… to burning out from a successful gym… this conversation dives deep into what it really takes to start again.

Key Topics Covered

•  How early discipline and family shaped Brad’s mindset 
•  Overcoming bullying and finding confidence through Muay Thai 
•  The reality of becoming a world champion at a young age 
•  Walking away from sport at the peak of success 
•  The emotional impact of his father’s illness and passing 
•  Losing identity after sport and starting over from scratch 
•  Why success in business led to burnout 
•  The hidden danger of building a brand around yourself 
•  Lessons from closing a successful gym 
•  Rebuilding with purpose through wellness and community 
•  Why athletes must think beyond sport early 
•  The importance of financial structure when starting a business

Golden Nugget:
 “You are your own worst enemy. The moment you let doubt in, you’ve already failed at day one.” 

Want to go deeper?
If you are looking for career clarity for your next step, visit www.2ndwind.io
to learn more or book a consult.