Athletes to Entrepreneurs: The Alumni Journey

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Eric Mader, former college football player and the founder & CEO of Sodalis Solutions. Eric talks about growing up in sports and all it taught him, his dream of going pro one day, and what he's up to today as the CEO of Sodalis Solutions. Eric's advice for student athletes:...

On this very special episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we turn the tables on our host, founder & CEO of Alumni Direct, Rob Finkelstein. Rob is interviewed by his son Ryan, and tells us about how sports shaped his life, and the hard work and perseverance he learned from being a long-distance runner. Rob's advice for current athlet...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Jason Price, former All-American track athlete and founder & COO of NextPlayU. Jason talks about growing up playing sports and how he ultimately settled on track. He shares what he learned through sport, his advice for current athletes, and what he's doing today. Jason's ad...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Tom Nolan, former college baseball player and golfer, and the CEO of jewelry brand Kendra Scott. Tom talks about everything that sports offered him, including the chance to go to college: "The more I put into sports, the more it gave me back, and the better I got, and I really kin...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Dalton Crossan, former professional football player and Managing Director for Hotaling Insurance Services. Dalton discusses the impact sports had on his personal development, the importance of financial literacy for athletes, and the role of networking and connecting while still playin...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Jay Dixon, former Division 1 football player, entrepreneur and founder of Success Coach, an organization with a mission to empower former athletes to thrive in the business world after their sport ends. Jay talks about growing up in sports, his dreams of going pro one day, and everythi...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Dre Baldwin, former professional basketball player, author, speaker & entrepreneur. Dre talks about growing up playing sports and how it shaped him, plus he shares some valuable advice for current student athletes: "Take advantage of the college experience! Enjoy yourself and...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Chris Soulier, former professional baseball player & coach, consultant & founder. Chris talks about the values he learned through sports and how his grandfather encouraged him to have a learning and growth mindset from early on: "There are people that you can tap into as m...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Samuel Barrington, former NFL player and the President of Sky Limit Crane & Rigging. On learning the ins and outs of networking: "My first few years out of the NFL, every networking event that was had...I was making sure I was there front and center. And I think what I gained...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to McKenzie Hollenbaugh, professional soccer player, event planner, and marketing coach. McKenzie discusses the impact sports had on her life, the importance of networking and connecting as an athlete, and the pros and cons of NIL. She shares some advice for student athletes and tells us...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Sierra Hendrix-Williams, professional runner and founder of Great Start Mental Wellness Training. Sierra discusses his transition from sports to entrepreneurship and his passion for mental health and wellness. He shares about his experiences growing up playing sports and how it shaped...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Jori Davis, professional basketball player, founder and CEO of WEVOLV. Jori discusses her journey from sports to entrepreneurship and the challenges athletes face during their transition. She emphasizes the importance of networking and building relationships, as well as the need for be...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Walter Sabrin, former college tennis player, entrepreneur, and the Chief Talent Officer of Vensure. Walter talks about the need for better transition support for college athletes, the importance of networking and connecting, and the value of athletes in the workplace. He also shares ad...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to AJ Donaldson, former college football player, mentor, and founder of the EPIC Foundation and United Mentors. AJ discusses the lack of support for athletes to help them prepare for the transition out of sports, and emphasizes the importance of networking and building relationships. AJ a...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Larry Long Jr., former college baseball player, author, founder & motivational speaker. Larry talks about growing up playing sports and what it taught him: "I moved around a lot as a youngster. Sports is that universal language that everyone speaks. I remember going to middle...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Josh Burger, former tennis player, professional tennis coach, sports psychologist and founder of TieBreaker Psych. Joss discusses his journey from playing sports throughout his youth, discovering tennis, playing at the collegiate level, and eventually transitioning into a professional...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Mark Thompson, former professional football player, human resources leader and founder of the Career Transformation Academy. Mark discusses the impact football had on his leadership and life skills, the importance of networking and alumni engagement, and shares his thoughts about Name...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Brett Hundley, former NFL quarterback, entrepreneur & philanthropist. Did you dream about becoming a professional athlete? "I really always wanted to play football. My Dad and my uncle played football, so I came from a football background, and I always knew that I wanted to ma...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to J.R. Butler, former college hockey player and the founder & CEO of Shift Group. Talk about how growing up playing sports shaped you. "I really grew up in the rink. I would say a lot of the ways that I approached life, like my mindset, I owe it all to hockey and growing up in t...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Lexi Mickens, former college basketball player and the founder of the nonprofit organization Run It Back. Tell me about how growing up in sports shaped you. "I think growing up in sports shaped me entirely. There were so many different life skills that weren't taught in the cl...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Bo-Dean Sanders, former college football player, motivational speaker, author and TV host. Bo-Dean talks about his mother's reluctance to allow him to play sports, his passion for it, and everything he learned along the way. Share your thoughts on NIL: "I knew folks' paren...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Blake Williams, former football player & NFL coach, entrepreneur, financial advisor and podcast host. Blake talks about the lessons he's learned through sports. "There's a lot of life lessons in sports, I tell people all the time. I think it's the ultimate microcos...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Ben Fagan, former college baseball player, author, motivational speaker and co-founder of the DNB (Define New Boundaries) lifestyle brand. Tell me about how sports shaped you growing up? "There was nothing more fun to do than being on the ballfield, getting to play, getting to pla...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Erika Fay, former water polo player, marathon runner, therapist and coach. Erika shares about the health challenges that she had prior to playing sports, and how her sport helped her get her health back. Erika's advice to athletes to help them establish an identity outside of sport...

On this episode of Alumni Direct's show "ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey," we talk to Kathy Judson, former college runner, pro triathlete, author, and pharmacist. Kathy shares about her dream of becoming a professional athlete: "I started dreaming of becoming an Olympian when I was 12 years old, because at that point that's the highest that women could go.&quot...