Athlete Transition Accelerator

What happens when the goal you've chased for years is no longer there? For many athletes, that question arrives suddenly. For former Dutch international rower Bo Wullings, it became an opportunity to explore something many athletes struggle with: who they are beyond performance. Bo's journey is unique, he began as a competitive swimmer, earning the opportunity to study psychology in the United Sta...

Emily Craig spent nearly a decade inside one of the most demanding performance systems in global sport, the Great Britain Rowing Team, where everything is measured, selected, and optimised for one outcome: Olympic success.   Across her career she became: Olympic Champion (Paris 2024) in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls World Champion (2016, 2022, 2023) European Champion (2022, 2023) Mult...

We sit down with Steve Bate MBE, a Paralympic gold medallist, 5x World Champion, and one of the most decorated para-cyclists in British sporting history. With visual impairment caused by Retinitis Pigmentosa, which has left him with just 6% field of vision, Steve competed in tandem para-cycling at the highest level for over twelve years on the Great Britain Cycling Team's Paralympic performance pr...

We sit down with professional footballer Jack Baldwin - a player who refused to wait until retirement to start building his future. At 21 years old, Jack sat in a surgeon’s office after a devastating knee injury, facing the possibility that his career could end overnight. Since then, he’s approached football with a different mindset: Stay curious Explore early Build relationships Create options be...

We sit down with Catherine Spencer, former England Women's Rugby Captain, World Cup finalist, six-time Six Nations champion, five-time Grand Slam winner, and one of the most decorated players in the history of English women's rugby. 63 international caps, over three years as captain, two World Cup Finals, and a career that defined an era of the women's game. And she walked away from it on her own...

On 1st September 2022, Tom Bosworth woke up unemployed for the first time in his life. For thirteen years, he had been an athlete. A Double Olympian, a three-time World Record holder, a six-time British Record holder, the captain of England's athletics team at the Commonwealth Games, TeamGB's first ever openly gay track and field athlete. Someone who always had something to aim for, a big race, a...

What happens when you stop waiting and start building your next chapter while you’re still competing?   This week, we sit down with Cameron Mackenzie - Olympian turned world-leading entrepreneur, and the driving force behind one of the most awarded gin brands globally.   But this isn’t just a story about success after sport. It’s a masterclass in thinking ahead, acting early, and buildin...

When you've spent your entire life being an athlete, that identity isn't just what you do, it's who you are.   So what happens when the game ends?   We sit down with Lauren Ferreira, a former professional golfer who competed on the Ladies European Tour for four years before navigating one of the most emotionally complex transitions any elite athlete can face. Lauren's story is one of hon...

When you’re young and chasing the dream, you don’t think about the end. You’re focused on selection, contracts, and performing next week.   But at some point, every athlete faces the same reality: the career ends far sooner than expected.   In this episode of Athlete to Athlete: Lessons for Life Beyond the Game , we sit down with former professional cricketer Matthew Lamb, who spent a de...

Most athletes don’t plan their exit, it happens to them, an injury, a contract ending, or a conversation they didn’t expect. For Toby Salmon, former professional rugby player with Exeter Chiefs, Newcastle Falcons, Agen Rugby and Rouen Normandie Rugby, injury was the catalyst, instead of ignoring it, he used it.   In this episode of Athlete to Athlete: Lessons for Life Beyond the Game , Toby s...

What happens when the pressure lifts, but the drive doesn’t?   In this episode of Athlete to Athlete: Lessons for Life Beyond the Game, we sit down with Shea McAleese - Olympian, Commonwealth Games medallist, Olympic coach, and one of New Zealand hockey’s most respected high-performance leaders.   Across more than 20 years in elite sport, Shea has lived every angle of performance: athlet...

Dara Alizadeh - Two Olympic Cycles, One Hard Stop: Navigating Life After Elite Sport   For most athletes, retirement isn’t a single moment. It’s a psychological shift, a loss of structure, and a quiet question that lingers long before the final race.   In this episode of Athlete to Athlete: Lessons for Life Beyond the Game, we sit down with Dara Alizadeh - two-time Olympian, Cambridge Bo...

Michael Wells played Super Rugby for nearly every major Australian franchise, the Brumbies, Waratahs, Rebels, and Western Force, and represented his country in Sevens. But the story he shares in this episode isn’t about tackles or caps, it’s about the mindset that allowed him to step into retirement with confidence instead of fear.   While many athletes reach the end of their careers unsure o...

Marcus Watson’s career spans Premiership rugby, international Sevens, and an Olympic silver medal, but the story he shares with us goes far deeper than medals or appearances.   A player who moved between formats, countries, and teams, Marcus built his second chapter with intention before he retired, through education, curiosity, family support, and staying connected to the game in a way that...

Shelley Dowling-Holroyd lived a career most athletes only dream of. The sixth British woman ever to throw over 60 metres, English Schools record-holder, A World Championships competitor at 19, An Olympian before she turned 23, and then, in an instant, it was gone.   Two major accidents, a broken elbow, and years of fighting to keep her career alive eventually forced, Shelley out of the only l...

This week, the podcast takes a different turn, because we’re announcing something that changes the landscape for athlete transition. After speaking to hundreds of former elite athletes, a message became impossible to ignore: “I wish I had explored options earlier.” “I felt I had no time, no structure, no flexible opportunities while competing.” “I didn’t have the confidence or the commercial skill...

Few athletes have conquered the sporting world like Joyce Sombroek. Olympic gold and silver medallist, double World Goalkeeper of the Year, and Dutch field hockey legend, Joyce has stood at the pinnacle of elite sport, and faced the difficult reality of what comes next.   In this powerful and honest conversation, Joyce opens up about the injury that ended her career, the emotional challenges...

Three-time Olympian and one of Britain’s most decorated divers, Tonia Couch knows what it means to live life on the edge, literally and figuratively. After nearly two decades competing at the highest level, Tonia opens up about what happens when the roar fades, the funding stops, and you have to rebuild life outside the pool.   In this powerful and refreshingly honest episode, Tonia shares: W...

After 15 years in professional rugby, former England international Tommy Taylor knows what it means to prepare for what’s next. With over 200 Premiership appearances for Sale Sharks and Wasps, and a reputation built on hard work and humility, Tommy’s story is one of curiosity, reflection, and quiet preparation for life beyond the game.   In this episode, Tommy opens up about how injury gave h...

Charlie Sharples lit up Kingsholm with his speed and finishing ability, racking up 266 appearances and 455 points for Gloucester, plus four caps for England. But what really sets Charlie apart is how he approached life after rugby.   In this episode, Charlie opens up about: Why witnessing teammates struggle in retirement sparked him to prepare early. How studying for a degree and financial pl...

Mike Brown is one of the most decorated players in Premiership Rugby history, 382 appearances for Harlequins, 72 England caps, three Six Nations titles, and two Premiership titles. But while fans saw the fierce competitor under the high ball, few see the challenges that come when the lights fade and a new identity must be built.   In this powerful episode, Mike opens up about: The importance...

Rhys Williams, European Champion, Olympian, and one of Britain’s finest 400m hurdlers, joins us for this week’s episode of Athlete to Athlete: Lessons for Life Beyond the Game .   Rhys lifts the curtain on the realities of transitioning from the Olympic stage to the working world. From growing up as the son of Welsh rugby legend J.J. Williams, to competing against the best in the world, his j...

What does it take to compete at the Winter Olympics, lead Great Britain’s no.1 bobsleigh sled, serve in the British Army, and then redefine success as a mother and professional?   In this powerful episode, we sit down with Paula Jackson, Olympian, retired bobsledder, Junior World Champion, and Corporal in the Royal Corps of Signals, to uncover the lessons that sport can’t help but teach, less...

What athletes wish they knew sooner. What do elite athletes wish they’d done before hanging up the boots, taking of their pads for the last time or laying down their ore? What conversations do they look back on and wish they’d had? What preparation really counts? This week, we take a different approach. Instead of a guest, Karl and James dive into the biggest lessons, recurring themes, and behind-...

Former Cheetahs, Kings, Bath, and Zebre Parma hooker, Jacques du Toit, has lived the highs of professional rugby, winning Currie Cups, playing in Super Rugby and the Premiership, and representing South Africa at the U’20’s World Cup, but also the deep challenges that come when the game ends. In this episode, Jacques shares a raw and honest reflection on his transition journey, from struggling to l...