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

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Sebastien Bassong, an ex-international football player,  who was born and raised in the rough streets of Paris but opted to play for the Cameroon National Team. He is currently a keynote speaker and a certified life and performance coach specializing in personal development. 

Sebastien, having gone through his football career caught up in the football world with the mindset of ‘there's plenty of room to transition later' is now leaving a profound mark on young footballers by providing them with what he didn't get during his time. He is a dynamic and detail-oriented coach elevating the game through empowering, inspiring, and motivating the younger generation of footballers. He is keen on helping them overcome life obstacles and unlock their full potential. 

Tune in to learn more about:

• How playing football as an escape from home and the rough streets of Paris landed him in the best pre-academy in the world
• Sebastien's experience in Claire Fontaine and how it shaped his sporting career
• The thin line between aggression and passion and how he tamed it
• The big role family and community played in spiking up his hunger for sport
• Why PFA talks almost have no impact on younger footballers 
• His life-changing insight on finding the mix between just studying and gaining knowledge 

…and so much more! 

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

Links 

Website: www.Sebastienbassongnguena.com  

YouTube: Sebastien Bassong Nguena EN

LinkedIn: Sebastien BASSONG NGUENA

Instagram: @officielsbn

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Growing up, Tenaya did most of her career together with her twin sister, Kiara. And by the age of 16, things started to get really serious for them, and so they had to start identifying their individuality. Tenaya has since become a long-time Rangers star, and she talks all about it in this episode. The always busy Tenaya is a passionate musician & fashion designer, giving her projects to work on during those lockdowns, but sport is still her core focus. Tune in to find out how she went from being in an Institute of Sport scholarship, getting the court off her back, and finally getting back to speed into the game.

In a nutshell, we chat about:

• What sport was like for her growing up
• What has contributed to the strong relationship in her team
• Where academics ranked in her life and what she did to prioritize it
• A time when she found out she had a bone tumor in her femur and how that affected her psychologically.
• Her recovery journey and the birth of her clothing line, TEP clothing.
• The highs and lows of her playing career
• Her definition of success.
• … and so much more!

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

Links:

Twitter: Tenaya Sooalo (Phillips)

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Conrad Balatoni, a former full-time professional footballer who at the tender age of 31 is playing semi-professional. He featured for several clubs across Scotland's Premier League and Championship. 

After 11 years of being a professional footballer, Conrad decided to steer away from full-time football to fulfill a new career in financial advice. He’s focused on helping those in professional sports as well as those in full-time work to achieve their financial goals and objectives. Mr. Balatoni helps clients with retirement planning, protection policies, investment planning, savings, and inheritance tax planning.

Tune in to learn more about:

• Conrad's time in professional and semi-professional football 
• The career goals he set for himself and great foresight in his transition
• His kickstart on a dual career in football whilst establishing himself as a financial planner 
• How does he determine his worth during payment negotiation and  financial savviness amid the uncertainty of contracts
• What he was able to clean from the football career that is helping him in his financial practice

… and so much more! 

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

Links

LinkedIn:Conrad Balatoni DipPFS

Twitter:@conradbalatoni

Email: [email protected] 

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Rachel Newborough, a professional footballer from Charlton Athletic and founder of SunUp Creative, a marketing company predominantly for startups. At about six years old, she was one of only two girls in the league playing football. 

After years of personal and professional experience, she founded SunUp Creative to help start-ups and small businesses grow their businesses through the power of marketing. The company specializes in website design, social media management, and traditional marketing such as presentations and brochures.

Tune in to learn more about:

• Rachel's early experience as one of only two girls in the league playing football 
• The limited space for full-time football profession for women in the past 
• Striking a balance between job, football, social life, and studying.
• Rachel's switch from semi-professional to professional in the women's football space
• The decisions she made to start a business in her area of interest

… and so much more! 

Links: 

Company Website: www.sunup.creative.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Rachel Newborough

Instagram: @rachelnewborough

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Chris Irwin, a former rugby league player and founder of The EdStart Group incorporating EdStart Specialist Education and EdStart Sports Coaching. He is also the Director of Wellbeing Through Sport and a  board member of the Children's Activity Association. 

Chris is an innovator of models to tackle childhood obesity and mental health. Starting his career as a professional rugby league player, he later channeled his love of sport into the world of teaching where he saw a real need for a fresh approach to children’s fitness. His mission has been to encourage children to develop a lifelong positive attitude to physical activity & healthy living.

Tune in to learn more about:

• Chris's experience playing for one of the biggest clubs in the country
• How he balanced playing rugby, being a practical teacher, training, and family 
• Being fearless at opportunities that come your way during your career transition 
• How he's heightening the emotional intelligence that most athletes lack in the emergent talent group he's working with 

… and so much more! 

Links:

LinkedIn: Chris Irwin 

Twitter: Chris Irwin 

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Rob Young, the CEO at Switch The Play Foundation and a board member of Greater Sport. Rob has a passion for the positive role that sport can play in changing lives, and has a track record of working across the sport and physical activity sector. 

Switch the Play was set up in 2014 by a group of sport specialists and former sportspeople, with the team now including the Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, International Badminton player Emma Mason and former England and Leicester Tigers rugby union player, Leon Lloyd. In 2020 it gained charity status, allowing them to help more people than ever before. Its mission is to empower sportspeople to plan for and manage a successful transition to life outside of sport. 

Tune in to learn more about:

• The role sports people have in creating social impact
• Rob's inspiration behind Switch the Play and the impact it has had on athlete
• The role of identity in an Athlete
• The 90/10 principle of creating healthy distractions away from competing 
• The importance of creating a healthy environment where athletes can grow and develop as individuals first

… and so much more! 

Links:

Company's Website: www.switchtheplay.com  

Rob's LinkedIn: Rob Young MBE

Rob's Twitter: @RobYoung78

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Ewan Dowes, a former rugby league football player with a prestigious career in both national and international rugby. He's represented England, Leeds Rhinos, and Hull, winning the 2005 Challenge Cup and 2006 Super League as well. 

Ewan is the director at Dowes Wealth Management Ltd, a company that provides bespoke financial services to both private and business clients, with advice tailored to meet clients' personal and business objectives. 

Tune in to learn more about:

• How Ewan got involved in Rugby League after growing up playing the opposite code
• The balance between the focus on sports and that on academic work 
• How he toggled through tough times and depression at some point in his professional career 
• What made him start thinking of his after-sports life

… and so much more! 

Links

Company's Website: https://doweswealthmanagement.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Ewan Dowes DipPFS

Twitter: @EwanDowes

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Jack Madgen, a professional Australian rules footballer playing for Collingwood in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played professional basketball for Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League (NBL) and College Basketball at Delta State University.

Jack's outstanding passion for creating relationships through storytelling and shared experiences, especially in the sports industry, has helped him build a small business called Athlete Inspired. Athlete Inspired is a platform where athletes share their stories and experiences through articles and blogs to humanize athletes, educate, inform and inspire other athletes and the general population. 

Tune in to learn more about:

• His life as a youngster coming up through sports in the USA 
• Jack's smooth transition from NBL to NFL
• What he's doing to prepare himself for a career after sports
• Educating and humanizing fans in the media 
• His Passion project and the steps he has taken to get it running right

… and so much more! 

Links

LinkedIn: Jack Madgen

Instagram: @big_jack_madgen

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Kaarle McCulloch, a former Australian professional track cyclist, four-time World Championship in the team sprint, and 15-time national champion. She also won three golds at the Commonwealth Games and an Olympic bronze medal. 

Kaarle is passionate about awakening and coaching athletes to find interests and skills that could turn into a passion. According to her, adopting interests outside athletics will help them find better focus pre and post-retirement, and acknowledge the importance of dual careers without them waiting for ‘the trauma'. 

Tune in to learn more about :

• Insights Kaarle grasped at after her deselection due to injury
• How funding has changed the nature of Olympics in Australia
• The shift from pre-injury to when she decided she still had a crack at the sport
• Her passion for coaching and the essential role coaching took in the making of her career
• How athletes can get engaged post-retirement without first undergoing ‘the trauma

… and so much more! 

Links

Twitter: @kaarlemcculloch

Instagram: @kaarlemcculoch

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io 

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In today's episode, Ryan speaks to Ollie Phillips, ex-England 7s captain, and multiple world record holders. Philips's 14year professional rugby career was prematurely terminated in 2014 due to an injury, having captained England to 3 World series Cups. He is the founder and director of Optimist Performance, an organization that helps leaders to develop strong teams with resilience to grow, face the challenges of change and personal development, and reach a new level of performance. 

Tune in to learn more about:

• The start of his good career at the age of four
• Phillips's amazing but traumatic early retirement experience after an injury
• How he structured his career after the injury
• Running his successful business ( PwC) and other things he is working on currently 
• Their amazing opportunity to become head of performance for China Rugby

… and so much more! 

Links

Company's Website: www.optimistperfomance.com 

LinkedIn: Ollie Philips 

Twitter: @olliephillips11

Instagram: @olliephillips11

Are you looking for Career Clarity for your next step, for more information, or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io