The Athlete's Advocate

Welcome back advocates for another episode of the athlete's advocate. This episode, we sit down and talk to special guest, Stephanie Rosado. Stephanie is a former college and professional athlete who is now on a mission to advocate for and promote athlete wellbeing and social justice by utilizing unique skill sets and values of social work. she is a member of Alliance of social workers in sports and serves as the executive committees student at large. She is also a current PH.D student at the University of South Florida, school of social work to expand on sports social work research. In this episode, we talk about what sports social work is, the transition from sports to real life, and the importance of educating and advocating for yourself as an athlete. listen to Stephanie's story and Make sure to connect with her on Linkedin.

In this week's episode, I sit down and talk to Forbes 30 under 30 Honoree, WNBA Insider, and Founder of GirlsTalkSportsTv, Khristina Williams. As one of the leading voices of the WNBA, Khristina is giving us featured interviews, sports news and league updates. In this episode, Williams and I discuss her digital sports media platform GirlsTalkSportsTV ,how she is advocating and sharing stories of the Women in the W, the lack of coverage of the women's game, how she determines which stories to tell and which to leave up to the players to tell themselves, creating her own lane, and so much more. Make sure to follow GirlsTalkSportsTv on all social media platforms ahead of the historical 25th WNBA season. 

In this exciting episode, I sat down with Australian native, Former professional basketball player and Founder of Athletes2Business, Alex Opacic. During the episode, Alex and I discus his journey to America from Australia and the culture shock he experienced, His time at Furman University and playing against some legends of the game including NBA champion Stephen Curry, The brutal truth about valuing your education in college, Athletes2Business and how he is helping athletes transition into professional careers after sports, and the corporate world and how most athletes feel they do not belong. To connect with Alex or inquire about his services, Follow him on LinkedIn and Instagram at @Athletes2Business and check out their website at Athletes2Business.com.au

In this episode of the Athlete's advocate, I sit down with former elite volleyball player Jaila Tolbert to discuss her journey at Virginia Tech and her role on numerous NCAA committees and representing current and former student-athletes at the Division 1 level. During this episode, Jaila and I will talk about NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), the transfer portal and the buzz surrounding that, early signing, early recruiting, and more! To connect with Jaila, Please find her on Linkedin at Jaila Tolbert and on Instagram and twitter at @iamjailatolbert. 

Welcome to Season 2 of The Athlete's Advocate Podcast. In today's episode, I am joined by Professor Charles Grantham, M.B.A. 

Mr. Grantham is a former Executive Director of the NBA players' Association and Director of the center of sport Management in the Stillman school of business. Charles Grantham was also voted into the Cheyney University Hall of Fame in 1992. He has been featured in the Harvard Journal of sports and entertainment and media throughout the country including but not limited to USA Today, Sports Business Journal, CBS Sports Radio, and many more.  During this Episode, we discuss The fight for athlete's and their wellbeing, the unspoken problem facing the NCAA, Academic Fraud, ED 0 Bannon case, and more. To learn more about Mr. Grantham and how he played a pivotal role in the revitalization and advancement of the NBA, please check out and read his articles listed below. 

Make sure to follow and keep up at @Acheiltac @theathleteadvocate on Instagram and twitter. 

Professor Charles Grantham's Published articles: 

Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law: https://harvardjsel.com/2020/08/it-is-time-to-share-revenue-with-collegiate-athletes/

https://www.si.com/college/2015/05/19/ncaa-problems-race

https://www.shu.edu/business/news/charlie-grantham-change-agent.cfm

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/18/sports/basketball/nba-schedule-contract.html

In this episode of the athlete's advocate, we sit down with former college athlete and founder of the Playoff Dating App,  Amanda McGrew. During the episode, Amanda talks about traveling across the country to play at Rhode Island and the struggles she faced her senior season, what initially provoked her to create a dating app only designed for athletes, the concept behind "Playoff", and how it compares to other dating apps that are already operating in the dating world. Get a unique perspective and understanding behind playoff and how inclusive, but safe they are about creating a safe space for athletes to interact, connect, date and network! Follow our podcast page on social media at @theathleteadvocate and  connect with Amanda at @playoffdatingapp or on LinkedIn.  Also, download the app now which is available both for iPhone and Android users in the app store. We have the platform, so let's start using it !

For our ninth episode we decided to travel virtually to East Africa, Uganda to be exact! In this exciting episode, we interviewed former Ugandan National athlete and current Head Coach of the Ugandan National team, Mavita Ali. Mavita is a trailblazer and amongst Women who are making a difference through sports, especially in Africa. In this interview, Mavita discusses what it was like coming up as an athlete in Uganda, her organization "Score Beyond" and what they are accomplishing through the org, the buzz about African athletes and the possibility of exploitation, the important ages and stages of development for girls in sports, the lack of support for Women and Girls in sports in Africa due to cultural beliefs, and much more. Connect with Mavita on Social Media and check out Score Beyond and all the cool things they are doing to help Women and Girls in Uganda using sports. @score_beyond @Mavitamoses @theathleteadvocate

This episode features Stanford Women's basketball Forward, Maya Dodson. During this episode, Maya gives us the scoop on why she opted out of her senior season at Stanford, Covid-19 and it's impact on her and her family, what it is like being a Black Female athlete in the world of college athletics, creating her own engineering major, and the powerful statement and example she is setting for other athletes in the world  of college athletics. Also, get the scoop on if there will be a fifth year in store for Maya! Connect with Maya on social media and follow our podcast social media pages to get an exclusive look at our episodes before we air them. Our podcast Instagram and twitter account is @theathleteadvocate

Welcome to another episode of the athlete's advocate! Our guest this week is Former Clemson rowing star, Lydia Hanewich. In this episode Lydia discusses struggling to find her career path after graduation and eventually getting into sports technology, pursuing her MBA right after her undergrad, how she is changing the ratio by advocating for athletes and Women in sports tech, and the different unique opportunities Women in Sports tech provides for athletes and women looking to get their foot in the door for an exciting career in sports technology. Connect with Lydia on LinkedIn and check out WiST and Catapult for sports tech opportunities. 

Injuries are no fun and people tend to neglect and forget the fact that there is a process that athletes go through that the public do not get to see. There are stages in-between getting injured and rehabbing back to health and recovery that a lot of athletes do not willingly talk about or often expose. In this jam packed episode, Baylor elite athlete Tristan Clark and I sit down to dissect his most recent retirement letter and explore his mental and physical journey with an injury that recently drove him into early retirement.  Additionally , Tristan is unguarded and transparent as he authentically opens up about going through depression and how he was able to eventually pull himself out and into a positive mental space. Though the Baylor standout is retired from basketball physically , he is optimistic about his future away from the game and is looking forward  to using his experience to help athletes through sports psychology. Listen to his story here and keep with Tristan's journey on twitter at @Tristanclark25 .