Almost Pro Podcast

This week, before we kick off the stories of 2026, we wanted to take a moment with you to look back on the year that was and launch the first episode in our Best Of series — celebrating our 2025 most streamed episode. In August 2025, we released our first-ever guest episode with Phil Stewart — an episode that quickly became our most streamed of the year and our end-of-year chart topper. Phil’s sto...

In this special New Year’s episode of Almost Pro, we explore what New Year’s resolutions really look like in sport. For many athletes and those working behind the scenes, seasons don’t pause at midnight and expectations don’t reset with a new calendar year. Decisions about pushing on, slowing down, or letting go are often shaped by much more than January 1. This conversation is an invitation to re...

🎄 Christmas Day Sport: The Reality Behind The Tradition While most people switch off over Christmas, for some sports it’s one of the biggest times of the year. Do athletes actually get Christmas off? Who’s working behind the scenes while the rest of us rest? And what does tradition really cost the people delivering it? In this Christmas special of Almost Pro, we pull back the curtain on Christmas...

An inside look at what it takes to become an elite figure skater, from 5am rink mornings to international competition. Toni Cooke began skating at two years old and went on to represent Great Britain for seven years, competing internationally and medalling at the British Championships. From early mornings on the ice to navigating rankings, testing, funding and judging systems, Toni shares what eli...

Most people see the medals and PBs. Almost no one sees what it costs. By 14, Renee Fox was training in high-performance squads alongside fully developed male athletes. She was fast, talented and driven — but the workload, expectations and intensity pushed her body to breaking point. A fractured spine. Spinal surgery during lockdown. A hopeful comeback. And eventually, chronic fatigue that forced h...

Part 2 of The Athlete’s Sponsorship Playbook takes us from mindset to execution. Last week, Richard Thompson shared the foundation of his approach to sponsorship — from the mindset that shaped his rise to two-time Ultraman world champion, to understanding your value and crafting a story that stands out. In Part 2, we shift into the practical tools athletes need to secure meaningful sponsorships. R...

Part 1: The Athlete’s Sponsorship Playbook Today’s episode is a masterclass in mindset, storytelling, and the real strategy behind funding a sporting career through sponsorships. Richard Thompson shares his journey from placing last in his first triathlon to becoming a two-time Ultraman world champion — and how he transformed one of the most niche, non-paid sports into a fully funded professional...

Growing up on the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia, Australian rules football was not the obvious choice. Rugby league ruled the landscape, soccer filled the fields, and hardly anyone recognised the oval shaped AFL ball in Jay Lewis’ hands. But at 10 years old, he picked up an Aussie rules footy and never put it down. By 15, Jay was on scholarship with the Sydney Swans, one of Austral...

Fandom isn’t a side-piece to sport – it is the heartbeat. The colours, the chants, the rituals, the shared wins and collective heartbreaks. In this host episode, Frances and Laura explore how fandom shapes identity, builds community, and why the psychological impact is so real – activating the same centres of the brain linked to love, loss and belonging. From billion-strong global fanbases to the...

How do friendships shape the way we experience and stay connected to sport? In this host episode, Laura (individual sports: tennis/athletics) and Frances (team sports: football) dive into the power of connection in sport - how it can drive performance, ease loneliness, and even determine how long we stay in the game. From the family-like bonds of team environments to the independence (and isolatio...

Navigating life after sport isn’t just about what comes next. It’s about learning how to respond, reset, and move forward with confidence. In Part 2 of our conversation with leadership coach and communicator Carol Fox, we explore practical ways to steady yourself in high-pressure moments. From a grounded confidence stance you can use anywhere to simple reframes that shift focus and calm emotional...

Navigating life after sport can be one of the toughest transitions an athlete faces, which is why having the right tools and mindset matters. This week, we had the incredible privilege of being joined by Carol Fox – a leadership coach, facilitator, and advocate for women in sport – who shares practical strategies to help athletes, coaches, and leaders around the globe build self-belief, presence,...

From Australia to New Zealand, Texas to Rome and the UK, former long-distance swimmer Noah Newnham spent his youth chasing lanes across the world. 🌍 Training over 30 hours a week, earning a top-eight Texas state ranking, and winning bronze at the Welsh National Championships, Noah’s story is one of dedication, disruption, resilience and comeback after comeback. After major surgery and multiple in...

When Dr Michelle Pain first set out to study sport psychology, she was told it didn’t exist to study in Australia – so she helped create it. 💪 From building the country’s first master’s program to helping sport psychology become a recognised specialist field in Australia, Michelle’s story is one of quiet confidence, persistence, and innovation. Today, she’s helping athletes around the world acces...

What does it take to walk away from one dream to chase another? In this episode of the Almost Pro, we sit down with Will Clift - a former Australian Rugby Union player who traded the intensity of professional sport to follow his passion for music. From playing for the Melbourne Rebels to alongside his brother at the Warringah Rats, Will’s journey shows both the highs and the hard truths of life in...

What does it actually mean to make it “pro” in sport? In this episode of Almost Pro, Laura and Frances unpack how the traditional definition of professional applies in today’s sporting world. From minor leagues and Olympic “amateurs” to NIL deals and docuseries, we explore how money, media, and systems shape who gets called pro. We also introduce the 7 Pillars of Athlete Success framework (develop...

From tennis courts to Muay Thai rings to the fairways of golf, Nathan Ejindu’s sporting life has been anything but predictable. Nathan’s story begins with judo at seven and a junior national tennis ranking as a teenager. But it was in Muay Thai that he found his power, competing at semi-professional level before injury forced a change of direction. Instead of walking away, Nathan reinvented himsel...

From what was supposed to be a "quick" video and sound quality test call comes the birth of our favourite new game, now played with every Almost Pro guest - Rapid Fire: This or That. . We took a sharp left turn off track and started firing off quick questions: ice bath or sauna? Pregame music or silent focus? Mentor for life or high-performance coach? Welcome to Rapid Fire: This or That | Host Edi...

In this episode, we sit down with Renae Jones - a rising Australian athlete in Trap Shooting who has experienced the thrill of international competition, the pride of reaching Olympic selection trials, and the challenge of redefining success. Renae’s story begins in regional Victoria, where her family and weekends at the local gun club shaped her love for sport. What started as helping out at juni...

In this episode, we turn the mic on ourselves. You’ve been asking to know more about the voices behind Almost Pro, so today we share our journeys, our love of sport, and the story of how a bar in Boston sparked the creation of this podcast. From childhood memories on tennis courts and soccer fields to the highs, lows, and the transition out of playing competitively, we open up about the experience...

Phil Stewart returns with Part 2 of his story — this time not as the athlete, but as a coach, leader, and high performance coordinator shaping the future of gymnastics. After retiring from competition, Phil transitioned into coaching, business management, and leadership. From co-founding a gymnastics business, to serving on Gymnastics Australia’s Athlete Commission, to now coordinating elite pathw...

Phil Stewart joins us with Part 1 of his story as an Almost Pro Athlete — from breaking his neck at 19 to making an international comeback. Phil’s gymnastics journey began at just five years old, leading him to the Victorian Men’s High Performance Centre and a sporting scholarship to the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, where he trained 30 hours a week. At 19, a trampoline accident...

From travel costs and training fees to the hidden price of equipment and recovery, we break down the financial reality of chasing a professional sporting dream. In this episode of Almost Pro, we explore the sacrifices families make, the advantages financial backing can provide, and the inspiring exceptions that prove it’s still possible to succeed without deep pockets. Drawing on personal experien...

Not every athlete’s story ends with going pro — and not every success is defined by the scoreboard. In this short welcome episode, meet your hosts Laura and Frances as they introduce Almost Pro — a sports podcast dedicated to the powerful, untold stories of athletes whose journeys didn’t follow the script. Each week, Almost Pro dives into the moments that shift an athlete’s path — from career-endi...