Michigan State Spartan Basketball program was a dark horse pick to win the 2020 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship heading into March Madness, which was never played because of the start of the Covid pandemic. What happens after your career gets cut short by things completely out of your control?

Conner George progressed from walk-on, to scholarship player, to fan favorite on a stretch of historic MSU teams. His resume includes Big Ten Championships, March Madness runs all the way to the Final 4, and several other awards recognizing his grit and work ethic on top of a great prep career. But how has that helped him after the biggest "What If" of his basketball career?

Some things we touch on in our conversation:

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What's the difference between making a play and avoiding a mistake? Why does it matter even if there is one?

If you were in the Garden of Eden and were told you can't have fruit from one tree, your mind likely would go to the forbidden fruit. If you only focus on not eating the fruit, you become stagnant and may ignore the other fruit you can go an eat. Eventually if you stay focused on the forbidden fruit, you'll make the mistake you were so intently trying to avoid.

Tony Robbins has said "Where focus goes, energy flows". While the shift in approach may seem is minor, the difference in outcome can be major.

Things we discuss from our experience:

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"Working while you wait" is a concept that we experienced in different shapes and forms as student-athletes. How have we found ways to work while we wait in our current Next Acts of our lives?

Things we discuss from our experience:

Watch the full episode and episode clips - https://www.youtube.com/@thenextactpod

The first installment of a new series titled "Biggest Adjustments", where I talk about the most significant changes that I had to adjust to when I transitioned out of my First Act and into my Next Act.   

There is a certain physical expectation you develop for what your body is able to do as an athlete. I spent years pushing my body to its limits and beyond, both in performance of my sport and in the strength and conditioning side of being an athlete. I naturally was able to do more than the average person and I got accustomed to meeting certain standards because of the amount of effort that was being put into my body.   

But what happens to those expectations when you retire? How do you navigate not being able to perform like you used to when your success and confidence came from that performance? Listen to hear some things that I've found to be effective in my experience dealing with this adjustment.   

They say "Experience is the best teacher", and when you listen to Tom Lewis, there's a lot of experience to learn from in all areas of life. Growing up playing sports and then going into coaching didn't make his story unique, but the way he's leveraged his experiences has. 

I'm honored to have a guest with such wisdom, credibility and success to open Season 2, let alone to have been impacted by him personally at key points in my life. Tom has over a decade of experiencing coaching, helping lead the Williamston Boys Basketball program to a 10 year stretch of 10 straight conference, 5 district, and 4 regional championships, 2 Final Four appearances, and the first Michigan State Championship in 80 years. 

We talk about how he was able to find that elusive competitive juice after his playing career that many former athletes crave, what having an edge means and looks like, and how he was able to navigate uncertainty in the midst of transitions in different stages of life. 

Tom shares the importance of knowing what balance in life looks like for you, continuing to parent and coach those who need you, and other stories from a decorated career. 

If you've ever felt like you lost a piece of your identity after your First Act ended, like you're drifting through days without an end goal, or that you haven't found that new passion or purpose that will leave you fulfilled, join us as we learn and grow together on The Next Act. 

Grit. Grace. Beauty. Brains. World class physical and mental performance. Hannah Miller makes you think her last name is Montana the way she has embodied the best of both worlds in her life.

A First Act made up of national and international figure skating while maintaining valedictorian status is ambitious and impressive to merely set as a goal, let alone actually achieve it (spoiler, she did). However, the glory and the accolades rarely ever tell the full story.

We talk about the importance of, and what balance in life actually looks like, the exhilarating highs of performing on a world stage, and the unseen struggles of mental health in athletic performance that's become so prevalent today. Hannah shares how her impossible decision to step away from her life in figure skating not only helped her regain her mind and happiness, but also uncovered her desire to become a sport psychologist and help those who go through what she did.

If you've ever felt like you lost a piece of your identity after your First Act ended, like you're drifting through days without an end goal, or that you haven't found that new passion or purpose that will leave you fulfilled, join us as we learn and grow together on The Next Act.

Robbie Johnson is a prime example of who The Next Act is about. A former teammate of mine at Manchester University, I had never seen anyone eat, sleep, and breathe basketball like Robbie, and his ability on the court proved it. 

He found great success in his First Act, finishing his college career as the 4th all-time leading scorer in Manchester program history. So how does one find ways to follow such an impressive success in their Next Act?

We talk about the growth he experienced personally and professionally both during college and in his career since graduating, using the resiliency he developed as a college athlete as he moves into a role as a health specialist in Indianapolis, and what success looks and feels like in his Next Act.

If you've ever felt like you lost a piece of your identity after your First Act ended, like you're drifting through days without an end goal, or that you haven't found that new passion or purpose that will leave you fulfilled, join us as we learn and grow together on The Next Act.

Joining the The Next Act as the first former soccer player, Matthew Roop is the embodiment of carrying the competitive edge of one's First Act into their Next Act.

A leader of the winningest class in Manchester Men's Soccer history, Roop was one of the most respected student athletes I had the privilege of sharing a campus with during our college careers.

We talk about the importance of balance in life, how being at different stages of life from your peers is OK, how he has used his time as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Illinois as a stepping stone on the path to his Next Act of impacting people through coaching at the college level, and what he does on a daily basis when he feels successful in his new phase of life.

If you've ever felt like you lost a piece of your identity after your First Act ended, like you're drifting through days without an end goal, or that you haven't found that new passion or purpose that will leave you fulfilled, join us as we learn and grow together on The Next Act.

Riley Lewis joins The Next Act as the first former basketball guest. Riley is the all-time leading scorer at Williamston High School, was one of the most talked about prep players in the Lansing, Michigan area, and played for the storied program at Hope College. 

One of my favorite former teammates, we talk about our experience as teammates, life of a Division 3 athlete, highs and lows of finding his identity outside of basketball, the importance of who you surround yourself with, and what success looks like for him in his Next Act as a coach and financial professional. 

Have you ever felt like you lost a piece of your identity after your First Act ended? Like you're drifting through days without an end goal, or that you haven't found that new passion or purpose that will leave you fulfilled? Then join us as we learn and grow together on The Next Act.

What happens when you fail in your First Act, and there is no next time to get it right? When I came to the end of my playing career, there was an unprecedented weight of finality that came with not achieving the some of my big goals and dreams. At that moment, I was faced with a question:  

How does one handle the realization that they have spent years on years, and thousands on thousands of hours going after a lifelong dream and STILL not achieving it?

If you've ever felt like you lost a piece of your identity after your First Act ended, like you're drifting through days without an end goal, or that you haven't found that new passion or purpose that will leave you fulfilled, join us as we learn and grow together on The Next Act.