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Episode 016 - Austin Da Luz - Bucking the Trend, Becoming a Dad, Struggles of retiring, and the Pursuit of a new career!
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:
Connect with Jonathan:
Connect with Wells:
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By Jonathan Van Horn
4.6
1414 ratings
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:
Connect with Jonathan:
Connect with Wells: