My guest is Bill Mayew, a former UNC-Wilmington basketball standout who is now Professor of Accounting at Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Bill's story is especially powerful for two reasons: (1) He did something that most athletes don't do - he pursued an advanced degree and works in the most rigorous academic research; and (2) He says that sports prepared him for that path.

 

In Today's Episode:

See a day in the life of a university professor - see what it's like to get paid to research topics you're passionate about.

Discover how to communicate the value of "stress-testedness" to future employers.

Learn why former athletes so often make excellent teachers and coaches.

 

Show Notes

https://blog.parallelplatform.com/ep8-bill-mayew/

 

Connect With Us

Twitter

Instagram

 

Recommend A Former Athlete

Know a former athlete who's doing big things in life after sports? If so, email us at [email protected] and let's chat about having them on the show.

My guest is Sebastian Little, a former Yale football player who is now an associate with the McChrystal Group, a world-renowned leadership and performance consulting company.

Seb found his career niche FAST after college. It can take college athletes years to find careers that they enjoy. Within just a few months of leaving Yale, he had secured an entry-level role in a field he was passionate about. How'd he do it? By focusing on everything but that thing in college. Through intentionally diversifying in college, Seb identified exactly what he wanted to do after college. And it has paid off big time.

In Today's Episode:

Why sometimes, the best thing for the team is for you to be 100% you.

How thinking outside the typical "student-athlete" box multiplied Sebs opportunities at Yale.

How to turn LinkedIn contacts requests into interviews, internships and jobs.

How to craft compelling interview stories that get you remembered...and hired.

 

Connect with Seb

Twitter 

Instagram 

Facebook 

 

Show Notes

https://blog.parallelplatform.com/

 

Connect With Parallel

Twitter 

Instagram

My guest is Chris Spatola, sports writer, commentator, and host of the SiriusXM show, "ACC Today."And that's just the most recent of Chris's transitions to fast-paced, high-pressure environments. Since he graduated from the US Military Academy in 2002, each of his career stops have been more intense than the last-- from serving in Iraq, to serving as an assistant coach on the Duke Men's basketball team... Chris Spatola knows how to transition well when it counts.

In Today's Episode:

One thing that can save you from alienating everyone around you after a tough transition.

Practical tips for landing your first job in broadcasting.

The Army Ranger mentality that Chris uses to continue performing at the top level.

 

Show Notes

https://blog.parallelplatform.com/ep6-chris-spatola-transitioning-well/

 

Connect with Chris

Twitter

 

Connect With Parallel Twitter

Instagram

In this episode, we talk with Karlie Smith, a former East Carolina softball player who has hit the ground running since graduating in May 2018. In less than a year, she's become a rising star in sports media broadcasting. She's an SEC Digital Network color commentator, and she works in digital production at the University of Georgia.

 

In today's episode:

1. What it is like to talk sports in front of a live tv audience

2. The formula Karlie used to land internships with local TV, radio and sports media companies

3. How Karlie was able to get broadcasting experience well before she ever went live on TV

 

 

Show Notes

https://blog.parallelplatform.com/las-ep5/ 

 

 

Connect with Karlie

https://twitter.com/KarlieSmith_17 

 

 

Connect with Parallel

https://twitter.com/parallelco

 

https://www.instagram.com/parallelplatform/?hl=en

 

 

Connect with Tyler

https://twitter.com/tylerwbaker

My guest is Zach Maurides, who is the founder and CEO of Teamworks, the leading software provider of operations software to athletic organizations world wide. 

The phrase "a glutton for punishment" comes to mind when listening to Zach explain his football career. When Zach talks about his 9 orthopedic surgeries during his college football career at Duke, there isn't the slightest invitation for sympathy. Instead, he tells the story with a sense of genuine accomplishment. After all, not quitting after your 2nd surgery is impressive, but 9 is just insane. And that pain tolerance (i.e. perseverance) is what Zach attributes as the primary reason for his success with Teamworks. In this episode, Zach shares what he's learned in growing a software startup from 4 guys with a dream to the 100 person machine it is today. If you're an athlete, you'll especially appreciate the unique perspective that Zach provides on how to get started in life after sports.

 

Show Notes

Website

 

Connect with Parallel

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/parallelco

► Blog: https://blog.parallelplatform.com/

► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parallelpla

 

Connect with Zach

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/zmaurides

 

Connect with Tyler

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/tylerwbaker

There is a lot of talk about the transferable skills athletes develop while playing sports. Society praises the work ethic, teamwork, and perseverance it takes to compete at the highest levels in sports. However, the talk is often nothing more than general platitudes lacking specificity on how these transferable skills play out in the real world. In this episode, former Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Thomas Sanders, takes us step by step through the ups and downs of his pro basketball career. He shares how his experiences as an athlete prepared him to start and grow a thriving Photo Booth company that is currently worth over one million dollars. He shares how pro basketball shaped his perspective and prepared him for life after sports.

 

Show Notes

► Web: https://blog.parallelplatform.com/ep3-pro-basketball-to-business-owner-thomas-sanders/

 

Connect with Parallel

► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parallelpla

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/parallelco

 

Connect with Tyler

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/tylerwbaker

To some degree, we are all a product of our environment. But it's the choices we make that ultimately determine where we end up.

Fortunately for Johnny, he was able to escape the troubling environment of his youth and choose basketball as a path towards a much brighter future. Today, Johnny is widely known by his Instagram handle @dribble2much and is the founder of HandleLife, a lifestyle brand with over 1.5 million followers across platforms.

Creativity, skill and perhaps perfect timing propelled his personal brand into one of the most recognizable names in professional basketball training. Johnny has trained a number of NBA superstars such as Glibert Arenas, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Demar Derozan. He shares is perspective on why following your passion is actually good advice.

--

Show Notes

https://blog.parallelplatform.com/johnny-stephene/  

 

Connect with Parallel

Twitter @parallelco

Instagram @parallelplatform

 

Connect with Johnny

Instagram @dribble2much

Find HandleLife on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HandleLife 

Visit HandleLife on the web: https://handlelife.com/ 

 

Connect with Tyler

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tylerwbaker

Tim is the lead developer and co-founder at Parallel, a software company that helps athletic departments build community for career. He played basketball at Colorado State before transferring to finish his playing career at Liberty University. 

 

Like many classic technology stories, Tim's ventures outside of basketball started in a college dorm room. However, it's probably not what you're thinking. In 2008, Tim started playing online poker and quickly worked his way to earning over $100,000 a year. Realizing poker isn't what he wanted for his life, he gives it up and accepts a tech support role at Liberty University. It's here, Tim's curiosity and drive shifts to computer programming and a new journey begins. In a few years, Tim goes from complete novice to full stack developer. During this time, he and co-founder Tyler Baker, grow a software company called TeamSynced from zero to over 350 customers in the college and pro athletic space until ultimately exiting for multiple seven figures. Tim shares his perspective on why the "programming culture" needs the "athletic culture" and how anyone with determination and patience can learn to code.

 

Show Notes

https://blog.parallelplatform.com/tim-layer/

 

Connect with Tim

Twitter

 

Connect with Parallel

Twitter

Instagram

 

Connect with Tyler

Twitter

Competing in sports prepares elite athletes for ANY professional challenge.

Coming this March, Life After Sports is a bold new podcast from Parallel that tells explores the stories, ideas , strategies and methods elite athletes are using to transition from playign sports to their next career.

Host and former Division I athlete Tyler Baker digs into guests’ playing careers, their exits, and how they used the lessons of elite athletics to reinvent themselves after sports. Hear how they became top creators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and more.

If you’re a current college athlete, a recent graduate, or anyone struggling to move from sports to the next chapter-- this show is for you. As you explore the mindsets, practices, and strategies of other top athletes, you’ll uncover your own superpowers as a former athlete. And you’ll be ready to crush it in your next chapter: life after sports.