Norris Frederick is an NCAA All-American, Team USA athlete and professional long jumper who has built a successful career as an influencer turned entrepreneur.

Growing up in Washington, as a child, Norris and his family experienced homelessness. He shares with us the pivotal encounter as an elementary

Using that identity as his beacon, Norris set out to achieve big goals. He highlights the unexpected way he got involved with track and field and the unique strategy he used to create accountability for success in the sport.

Norris competed in track and field at the University of Washington, where he became one of the most decorated athletes in UW history. A five-time NCAA All-American, he is the only Husky to ever jump 25 feet and high jump seven feet. Norris explains the mindset he utilizes in approaching the long jump and how it has carried him other places in his life.

Norris also discusses his decision to go pro, signing his first endorsement and how he built a successful--and lucrative career--as an influencer. In the age of NIL, he tells college athletes what they should focus most on and how they can set themselves apart for endorsement opportunities. He also tells us about his entrepreneurial endeavors and founding his own videography company, Frederick Films.

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Myriam Glez is a two-time synchronized swimming Olympian. She first competed in the 2000 Olympics Games for her home country, France. Born and raised near Lyon, Myriam began synchronized swimming at age six. Despite her success in the Olympic Games, her career for the French team was unexpectedly cut short, leading her to retire from competition in 2002. Thereafter, she finished business school, worked globally and moved to Australia. Surprisingly to her, Myriam would exit retirement and compete in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games for Australia.  

Myriam’s athletic career has run the gamut, as she not only competed at the highest level, but coached premier athletes and even became the CEO of USA Synchronized Swimming. Her varied experiences and own transition from sport made Myriam realize the unique challenges athletes face when transitioning from competition. These insights led her to found Athletes Soul, a nonprofit supporting athletes in their transition from sport.

In this episode, Myriam discusses:

Tapping into her deep knowledge of the subject, Myriam also:

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David Bagga was a walk-on member of the University of Arizona Men's Basketball team from 2005 through 2009. David embraced the opportunity to train alongside some of the greatest basketball players in the nation and under a Hall of Fame

In this episode, David discusses the work ethic he developed as a Division I men’s basketball player at a top program. He also explains the process of penning his first book. To date, David has written three books.

After careers in sport broadcasting and outside sales, in 2013 David founded the David Bagga Company, where he is CEO. The David Bagga Company places medical device and B2B sales representatives throughout the country. David discusses building his business, which has become in the top 1% executive sales recruiters in the United States.

Desiring to help the individuals he works with win their sales job and a career they’re passionate about, David explains why athletes are uniquely positioned for successful sales careers. He gives great advice to athletes who are interested in breaking into sales careers. David also tells athletes why they need to prepare for non-athletic careers during college, even if they plan on going pro.

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Ray Austin is a former NFL player who was drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1997 Draft. After football, he went on to successful modeling and acting careers. Today he is the co-founder of Fan Controlled Sports, where he is the commissioner of the Fan Controlled Football League. He also is a co-founder of Athlyt, an NIL platform.

Ray calls being drafted into the NFL, "a blessing and a curse." He uses this point to highlight for listeners that setting a goal is just the start of success; the ability to look beyond even one's biggest goal is what propels one to new heights.

In this episode, Ray discusses his childhood journey as an "Army brat," and how his football career unfolded. He shares a hilarious recruiting story featuring one of the greatest college football coaches in history and highlights the major risk he took to land at his dream college.

Playing alongside players like Peyton Manning, Ray explains how he approached the locker room and how it improved his game.

Ray tells listeners the gumption-filled story of how he transitioned into modeling and acting after the NFL.

He also imparts great advice for entrepreneurs. Using real-life stories from Fan Controlled Sports, he explains:

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Misi Simms is a former NCAA men's basketball player who competed at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Washington College. For nearly two decades he has worked in finance for TIAA, where he is presently a portfolio manager. In this role, he helps investors ensure their strategies are correctly balanced to meet their financial goals.

In this episode, Misi tells us how playing college basketball prepared him for life after the game. He gives college athletes advice on how to find mentors outside of the athletics department.

Most of all, Misi discusses the major crisis facing many Americans in retirement: outliving their savings. He shares the root causes of the problem and provides notable solutions for how to better safeguard retirement savings.

This is an important listen to gain a better sense of how to financially prepare for retirement and navigate around potential pitfalls. Misi provides critical building blocks to develop a retirement game plan.

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Val Ackerman is the current BIG EAST commissioner, the founding president of the WNBA and a past president of USA Basketball. A scholarship women's basketball athlete at the University of Virginia, Val played basketball professionally in France before attending law school. She is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

In this episode, Val discusses what has been critical to her professional success and how her mother’s journey as the youngest child of immigrants from Czechoslovakia inspired her.

She discusses her athletic career and delves into what it was like growing up during a time when there were no organized sport opportunities for girls. Val reflects on the impact Title IX has had in her life.

Val then highlights the role female-focused philanthropy can play in growing and shaping college sports. She examines whether NIL can help women’s sports and athletes. Val outlines issues that must be addressed for the growth of women’s sport to be optimized.

Finally, Val discusses what is on the mind of everyone who loves college sports: where is it headed? She pinpoints critical issues facing intercollegiate sports to discuss its future.

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Lisa Leslie is a two-time world champion, three-time league MVP, four-time Olympic gold medalist, entrepreneur, team owner, head coach and broadcaster.

A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee, Lisa didn't pick up a basketball until the age of 12. Considered "behind" in the sport, she tells listeners how she leaned into that moment and instead of giving into fear, committed herself to becoming the best the sport has ever known. 

In this episode, Lisa discusses her childhood to explain where her competitive nature comes from. She highlights the benefits of a competitive nature. Committed to greatness from a young age, Lisa shares a hilarious story around sibling rivalry that shows just how far she has gone to be excellent.

A former USC women’s basketball athlete, Lisa shares advice for today’s college athletes on monetizing their NIL. She tells us what she thinks about the current state of women’s basketball and provides advice for up-and-coming female athletes.

Lisa discusses mentorship—what it means to be one and what she’s learned from her mentors. She tells us about the two people who have been the greatest mentors to her. Here, Lisa explains what it means to sacrifice to be amazing. 

Currently, Lisa is partnering with Mucinex on the brand’s "Ultimate Comeback Pick-Me-Up" campaign. She discusses how she motivates players to comeback as the head coach of the Triplets in the BIG3. She describes the greatest comeback of her life, the disappointing moment that led to it and how it ultimately reshaped her life.

Throughout the conversation, Lisa details how hope can be used as a tool to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness. Lisa makes clear that hope—or belief that things can get better—is one of the greatest drivers of change.

Learn more about Mucinex's "Ultimate Comeback Pick-Me-Up" campaign here. 

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L. Renee Blount is a Harvard-trained designer, creative strategist, adventurer, storyteller and founder of WNDR Haus, a creative agency. She has appeared on the cover of Outside Magazine and worked with clients including, National Geographic, Patagonia, The North Face, Athleta and more. Through her work, L. seeks to showcase joy and engagement in the outdoors by underrepresented people.

In this episode, L. discusses her journey as a first-generation college student to the halls of Harvard University to explain that even with an Ivy League degree, career challenges exist for underrepresented people. She talks about the “hustle tours” she went on, where she traveled the nation meeting with C-suite executives for coffee, seeking to find an ally who would help her break into the industry. In this conversation, L. provides listeners with great insights into building a group of mentors and the type of information they should seek therefrom.

L. is transparent about her educational journey and what she wishes she would have known before completing multiple degrees. This is an insightful take, especially for first-generation college students, on navigating college and maximizing opportunities from a degree.

L. next explains how she got into climbing. Here, she highlights the barriers that exist to the sport for Black people. She provides actionable insights for how others can come alongside underrepresented people as allies in the outdoors space.

Finally, L. outlines the process involved in starting her business, WNDR Haus. She explains how she came to realize that her passion was something she could pursue entrepreneurship around. L. explains how creators should price their services and negotiate deals.

This conversation not only gives athletes and creators insights into turning a passion into an impactful business. More important, though, it highlights for educators and corporate leaders the implicit and unconscious biases that persist in their systems. L.’s transparency in her career journey serves as a beckoning call to leaders in academia and corporate America to question whether people of all races have full and fair opportunities to achieve their greatest potential therein.

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Doug Sanders is the founder of Sanders Sports and Entertainment. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Doug grew up around the entertainment industry. In college, he became best friends with Channing Frye, who would be drafted by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA Draft. Seeing Channing’s NBA life unfold sparked a reality for Doug that an exciting opportunity existed blending entertainment and sport.

After career stops at CAA and The Chamber Group, Doug was ready to step out on his own, and founded Sanders Sports and Entertainment to fill holes he saw in the agency business. Here, he talks about risk taking being a mindset that can drive opportunity.

In this episode, Doug walks us through three case studies involving his clients to provide listeners with important lessons.

First, he discusses the importance of building legacy brands for athletes. He tells us how he helped Channing Frye in this regard build a brand that will last well beyond his playing days.

He then explains the need for authenticity in building athlete brands. On this, he highlights an example involving Chad Ochocinco’s partnership with EA.

Finally, Doug and Alicia examine the concept of abundance versus scarcity mentality and how it plays into sports. Doug discusses how an abundance mentality factored into growing Nick Young’s personal brand and business opportunities in China.

This episode provides athletes with key insights into how to build their brand beyond the ordinary. It is also a great listen for agents and aspiring agents on how to disrupt the business and create opportunity for clients.

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Darnell Jones is the co-founder and CEO of POWERHANDZ, an athletic training and rehabilitation company. The company’s products are used and endorsed by top professional athletes across multiple sports. In 2022, POWERHANDZ received a multi-million dollar round of funding from Vanguard Holdings Group.

In this episode, Darnell explains how competing in college basketball prepared him for entrepreneurship, especially for its lessons on resilience. He explains to listeners why resilience is a key attribute of a successful entrepreneur.

Darnell then provides listeners with incredible insights for successfully navigating entrepreneurship. Here, he explains:

· Why focusing on the consumer is the key to entrepreneurial success;

· Why entrepreneurs should ask for negative feedback about their product or service at the early stage of the company’s existence;

Darnell discusses founding his first company, Tukz, a patented underwear design meant to keep shirts tucked in. Here, Darnell walks listeners through the entire life cycle of the entrepreneurial process, discussing and providing strategies for:

· Ideation;

· Design;

· Manufacturing; and

· Getting the product to market

He even tells listeners about how the product landed him on the hit television show, “Shark Tank,” and how an unexpected outcome with the product led to other opportunities.

In detailing the founding of POWERHANDZ, Darnell explains the value of being flexible in business plans. He explains why passion must be the guiding light for any entrepreneurial path. 

Finally, Darnell highlights for listeners how Powerhandz obtained millions of dollars in funding and his strategy for financing start-ups. He also discusses the keys to building a brand that athletes and celebrities love. You’ll want to listen to the end, as he shares an incredible story of the late Chadwick Boseman.

This episode is like a real-life MBA degree in less than 30 minutes. It will inspire athletes and non-athletes alike that even after great success, more opportunity awaits, so long as one ignites a new passion.

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