Run Along

As the best female boxer in the world, Lucia Rijker’s career focused on damage — the ways to inflict it, the ways to overcome it. How might the type of sport an athlete plays affect them in the post-sports chapter? Now a coach and a speaker, Rijker has focused on turning the dysfunction she embraced as a fighter into a force for good. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

What sort of factors affect the post-athlete transition and coping process (e.g. gender, type of sport, how a career ends)? What initiatives can individuals and organizations implement to both prepare athletes for and support them in retirement? For 25 years, Professor David Lavallee has focused on self-identity and coping processes in sport. Lavalle, who has studied over 15,000 athletes, is perhaps the world’s leading expert on retirement from sport and managing transitions across the career of athletes and coaches. Today, he shares his research with Run Along. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Being the women’s golf GOAT is only part of Annika Sörenstam’s story. She’s also a philanthropist, a businesswoman, a mom, and a wife. What does it mean, though, to start all these new chapters having closed the last one with the title of “best ever”? What happens when you walk away from one world having done it all? Sörenstam’s story of life after golf encourages us to reimagine the process of closing/opening doors in life. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

At 14 years old, Cody Simpson had a decision to make. He could stay the course he was on — a path he and others hoped might lead to the Olympics. Or he could dive into a shimmering unknown, a leap that meant leaving behind his friends, his passion for swimming and moving across the world. Now, at 22, he has no regrets but his love for the sport has stuck firm. And sometimes, yes, even music stars and actors can’t help but think what could have been. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Ragnhild Myklebust contracted polio at 18 months old, rendering her partially paralyzed from the waist down. This is the beginning of her story. No doubt, it’s a fact that has life-defining significance — but how? In a practical, moving-about-the-world-way, yes. Perhaps more importantly is the mentality that circumstance instilled in the Norwegian. The idea of pushing on in the face adversity and exceeding expectations has been a guiding force throughout her life. Whether that be off the mountain as a physiotherapist and world-traveler — or on it, as the greatest Winter Paralympian ever.

Kaj Larsen knew he loved the water. He knew he was good at being in the water. What he didn’t know was to what shores that would take him in life. Kaj never had a set path, rather, he just kept building up experiences by sticking to and honing in on his already-existing abilities. From the pools of Santa Cruz to the Persian Gulf, Kaj Larsen tells his story. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Content Warning: This episode contains audio pertaining to the attacks on September 11th.

For much of her life, Natalie Florescu was attempting figure out the relationship between self-acceptance and playing the sport she loved. Stuffing down her sexuality to play college basketball told her that maybe those ideas could not together. Though, on the other hand, the sport had always been a great gift, providing her with confidence and a sense of belonging. Today, Natalie shares her story of how the game that shielded and hindered part of her identity for so long, ultimately became her means of becoming 100% comfortable in her own skin. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Putting people in categories make them easier to understand. “Artist” and “athlete” are labels that tell us how one might exist in their environment — what kind of friends you have and how you feel (or don’t feel) things. Of course, it’s not that simple. In what ways do these identities exist together? How do you give up one world and fully embrace the other? Meet Daniel Davila. Former high school baseball player, current professional singer and musician. Take a listen to his story about figuring out what you really should be doing with your life. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Also be sure to check out Fabriq: https://ampl.ink/dVaZe

Antoine Taylor always knew football was going to get him places. Growing up as a kid with a single parent mom, he had dreams of sold out stadiums and making it to the league. Things didn’t quite go that way. At first, it was hard for him to accept. But Antoine is familiar with adapting to plays and standing on his feet in the face of hard hits. Though football was not going to be a part of his future like he imagined, the sport did help to propel his life to new heights. It allowed him to become the first person in his family to go to college. It gave him the confidence and connections to start a business. It led him to his calling. Check out Antoine's story.⁣ Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. ⁣⁣

When Swedish legend Pia Sundhage walked away from the game at 36, she was a pioneer, had been at the top of her field, and inspired millions. That’s pretty much more than anyone could ever hope to do in a life. However, Sundhage did not stop when she became a retired athlete. Apparently, blazing trails and achieving greatness are kinda just ingrained in her DNA. For 20 years, the joy and passion Sundhage possessed saw her become one of the best players in the women’s soccer history. For nearly 25 years (and counting), it is those same qualities that have made her one of the world’s best coaches. Check out her story. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts