Fit across Cultures Podcast

BASKETBALL: Marissa Kastanek, a professional basketball player in Puerto Rico, is my guest for episode 44 of the Fit across Cultures Podcast.  As always, you can listen here, by clicking the play button above or subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

“Going abroad was not only it a great way to propel my basketball career, but it was also a great way to travel. This may be my only chance to travel for extended periods of time. Not just as a vacation for 2 weeks. That’s probably my favorite part [of playing abroad].”

Marissa played college ball at North Carolina State University, but wanted to maximize her athlete career before entering “the real world”. She played professionally overseas in Sweden, Czech Republic, and now Puerto Rico.

In this podcast episode, we talk about:

* getting to the highest point in your sports career

* Marissa’s first unique season of playing abroad in Sweden, staying with a host family

* getting a first contract overseas via agencies

* the mindset of a professional player and being a product

* choosing an offer and having an advisory board and transparent agent

* social media’s influence on the transparency and honesty in the system of professional sports

* nerve-wracking cultural differences when grocery-shopping abroad

 

The life of a professional athlete abroad

“I’m a product, I am the thing that is being sold. I need to perform. Get my reputation out there that is making me a good product.”

“The simple things that you are used to don’t exist overseas. Budgeting is a nightmare when everything is in a different currency. Grocery trips that should take 15 min take an hour. On the flip side, it helps me as a person. In the U.S., there is no situation where I would feel that uncomfortable. It helps me grow.”

 

Marissa’s Advice for Athletes Abroad

* Bring along some familiar products to start off with something you like.

* Live in the moment! This is a chance of a lifetime. If you don’t like it, you can always come back.

* Embrace where you are. Accept that you are not home anymore and that things are different. When you are in a place, be there and be there fully.

Get in touch with Marissa

If you have questions about playing abroad, reach out to Marissa via email (Listen to the episode to find her email there).

“Embrace where you are and accept that things are different. Be there and be there fully.”…
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MINDFULNESS: Jenny Ebermann joins me on this episode to talk about mindfulness for athletes. Her background is in sports science & sports management, with her sport being basketball. She worked in the sports industry on “the other side” as well, in governance & sport (FIBA), fundraising & advocacy in sports for development programs, and the anti-doping agency (in Canada & Switzerland).

Jenny and I took the time to chat about:

* what is mindfulness and what is it NOT

* brain science and research on using techniques such as mindfulness for athletes

* giving example on mental exercises and how they improve your mental toughness

* the importance of breathing

* our evolutionary instincts and how they are sometimes preventing us from performing better

* getting rid of emotional hijacking, accepting your emotions when being out of your comfort zone

* what influence has the situation of playing abroad

* incorporating mindfulness in an active lifestyle

* effects on your immune system, body health, and well-being

 

Why is mindfulness a useful technique for athletes?

“Through mindfulness, you learn how to accept what comes up without judging and being able to react. Training the brain not to freak out during a competition and to use the adrenaline to perform better and channeling your energy. It is also used for team building, so that diverse teams play together in a harmonious and effective way.”

 

I don’t have time for mindfulness exercises.

Research has shown that 8 weeks of 10-15 minutes a day of mindfulness exercises are enough to change your brain structures. It’s just like gym for your brain. Just like for your body, you need to have a regular, daily practice.

 

Find out more about Mindfulness (for Athletes) and Jenny

Join Jenny’s blog www.jennyebermann.com or join her on her Facebook page 

Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the Mindfulness approach 

 

Jenny’s Advice for Athletes Abroad

Whenever you arrive in a country, don’t start to work or practice directly. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Observe what is happening around you. Pay close attention to how your body is reacting. Your body will show you. Pay attention to your mood. Do it at your own pace.

“When you arrive abroad, pay attention to your body. Adjust at your own pace.” @bxljenny
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If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to share it with a friend that could benefit. Jenny and I would appreciate it a lot.

Pictures Source: Jenny Ebermann

BASKETBALL: Former international basketball player Howard Brown hails from Pottstown, PA, a tight knit community with a sports fanatic family background. After trying out multiple sports, he stuck with basketball and went on to win the state championship during his high school years (going head to head with Kobe Bryant). He played Villanova college ball, received an invitation to try out with a NBA team but couldn’t find his way until 1.5 years later when he went overseas to continue his basketball career abroad in Portugal, Israel, Venezuela, and mainly Spain. There, Howard won two Spanish championships, but that was not the highlight of his time abroad. In his opinion, it was the moment when he meet his Spanish wife. While still playing abroad, he started iballunited, a full service sports management agency, helping players build and sustain successful basketball careers.

 

What is the one thing that is missing for players that do not make it?

“At the end of the day it comes down to THE opportunity, finding that open door. Whether it is going to a camp, knowing which ones are productive, sending your resumes, and finding and signing with the right agents. A lot of hustle, relationship and luck.”

In this podcast interview, Howard and I took the time to talk for 30 minutes about

* taking care of your opportunities as a pro player abroad

* the crucial first year abroad

* owning your resume and video, and taking control of how you are marketed as a player

* his own business development process of founding a company abroad while still playing

* having mentors to develop a post-active career

* his non-profit foundation “Live the dream” to support first generation student athletes

* his 5 years plan for his business

* the need to share information about overseas exposure camps, combines, and transparency within the industry

* the difficulty of managing the transition and stepping into a post-active career

“My biggest challenge was understanding my worth and whether I was working with the right people. Looking back, it’s really important. I was a player with solid stats from a good school and an invite to try out with the Nets. But it didn’t work out and it took me 1.5 years to find something. It’s difficult to say that talent supersedes that label that people put on you. Once you go out and prove yourself, understand what it is worth and how it translates to the international market.”

 

Contact Howard

Check out his website iballunited.net and the iBall Career Advancement Network that will help you advance your basketball career abroad. Follow them on Twitter @iBallUnited

 

Howard’s advice for a successful basketball career abroad

“Take ownership of your pro career. Ask questions and keep banging.” @iBallUnited
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Embrace it and take advantage of it as much as you can. Not only for basketball, but to build a business, or give back to your community. Being abroad and being away from your community for an extended period of time is not easy for a career.

My Dad always said “Keep banging“. So keep pushing and banging on new doors. When the door opens, step through it and embrace every aspect and opportun...

SOCIAL MEDIA: Kevin DeShazo from Field House Media, started his business with the idea that social media in the sports industry shouldn’t be treated like “the bad guy”. Kevin moved on to educate thousands of athletes and athletic directors about the advantages and potential pitfalls of social media, using it as a tool and not a toy. In this episode of the Fit across Cultures Podcast, we talk about social media for athletes abroad.

“If you walk out of a meeting and you are only being told what not to do, you don’t know what you could do. In Sports, every day you are being told how to be the best possible by giving advice, and I think we should take the same approach with social media.”

Kevin and I talked about

– The negative conversations about social media and college sports

– His approach to grow his business and success stories

– Impact of social media on player’s confidence

– Balance between social media activity and your athletic activity

– How social media can help you transition to after pro life

– Letting your personality shine through, finding a balance between promotions or bland posts

– Benefit of clubs choosing athletes with big media following

 

Benefits of social media for athletes (abroad)

1) Connect with fans and followers to tell your story

2) Get sponsorship, endorsements, business deals

3) Separate yourself from the average job applicant after sports

4) Marketing advantage in contract negotiations

“Build your core- build a foundation of your strength and reason online. It should be more than just saying that you are an athlete. Whether that is to sell a product, get a sponsor, or build a business, you should have a purpose.”

Reach out to learn more about social media for athletes

Tweet him @kevindeshazo personally or @fieldhousemedia  or check out his company www.fieldhousemedia.net

 

Advice for athletes abroad

“Don’t forget the fans abroad. You are building a double-whammy for potential sponsors having a fan base at home and abroad. It will help you feel more connected to that culture. It can make that time abroad more productive and you can focus on the work at hand.”

“Learn to embrace the social media of the culture that you are playing in.” @kevindeshazo
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Picture Source: Fieldhousemedia.net

FOOTBALL: Born in Alicante, Spain, Ramon Soria Alonso started playing the national sport of football with 6 years old , moved to the famous youth academy of Villareal F.C. and represented Spain in the youth national team, and later played professionally in 2nd division in Spain. Since then he decided to pack his bags and make a living overseas, playing football abroad in Norway, Canada and now Slovenia. Ramon is bilingual because of school education and parents that spoke two languages to him (Spanish and French), which has served him as a great starting point.

“I felt that I was growing more abroad. If you stay at home, you never know what is going to happen. You will never have this option of experiencing life abroad.”

Ramon and I also talked about

* The time it takes for an agreement between the agent, club and player

* Test periods and trials

* How his experience of an international school in Spain helped him in playing football abroad

* How crucial patience is in the process of going as a pro athlete abroad

* What to look for in a foreign team

* Being out of your comfort zone

* Setting goals and how to improve and take a step-by-step approach

* Managing your mindset of what you can control and what you cannot control

“Every country has a different point of view and you can learn a lot about their point of view and perspectives. In every city, I try to enroll in university courses, learning the language, and getting to know people.”

Reach out to Ramon about playing football abroad

Tweet him @rsoriaalonso and watch hisYoutube channel

His advice for athletes abroad

Very simple, just GO. Don’t fear, you are going to grow as a professional (because you will learn different way to play your sport) and as a person.

“When you are abroad, you can only manage what is in your control!” @rsoriaalfonso
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VOLLEYBALL: My interview guest in Episode 39 is Crystal Palmer, a former DIV I volleyball player at East Tennessee University. The U.S. American learned early on to sell her skills and market her talents to get into a major college after junior college, and used it to her advantage to land contracts abroad in multiple countries such as Finland, Germany, and Croatia.

“Selling yourself is a huge part of your success. It’s not just your athletic ability. You are selling yourself as adaptable, a catalyst of change, not a downer who happens to be a good volleyball player.”

Click the play button up above to listen to our interview (or download on Stitcher/iTunes). In this episode, we talk about

* the differences between backpacking and living abroad

* selling yourself as a player

* advantages of in person try-outs for volleyball overseas

* alternative career paths as pro players that are hard to comprehend for the non-athlete population

* managing the relationship with another pro athlete abroad (Crystal’s boyfriend Eryk Thomas plays professional basketball overseas)

* the reasons to take a break from pro volleyball overseas and her transition process to work

* the right mindset to embrace opportunities

* benefits of playing volleyball overseas for Crystal

“Probably the hardest part of playing overseas is going home. You feel like “Yay I am so excited to see my family”, but at the same time your mind is racing during the transition period. Where am I going to play? Where will I be next season?” – Crystal Palmer

Contact Crystal

Crystal has a blog where you can read up on her adventures abroad, travel stories and fitness tips

Follow her on social media Twitter @see_c_go Instagram @see_c_go

Crystal’s advice for athletes abroad

Take the opportunities while you have them!

“It’s all the aspect besides the volleyball that makes the experience abroad so different and interesting. Your whole day revolves around your sport and team mates. So that is a lot of your emotions invested in that one thing. if you don’t pick up something outside of that area, you have nothing else to focus on. If things start to go less well in your sport, you will have no other focus. It makes your life more well-rounded and gives you something to lift you up when pressures are mounting.”

“Probably the hardest part of playing volleyball overseas is going home.” @see_c_go
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Picture Source: Crystal Palmer’s blog