Run Along: Recent Episodes
Hannah Lichtenstein
People share their stories of the major life change that comes with saying goodbye to their sport and finding success in the next phase.
Basketball gave Jerod Carrier a sense of purpose, an understanding of what he truly loved and a whole bunch of life skills. When his college career ended, he felt adrift -- unsure of where to go next and what his "why" was for doing so many things. Jerod, who now works in sports, came to learn that the knowledge and belief in himself he gained through basketball were trusty tools to turn to when facing uncertainty. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Years of competitive sports and a serendipitous experience in junior high left Nyasha Abrams with a deep-rooted love for movement. Now pursuing a career in physical therapy, she’s an advocate for kinetic learning, extending compassion to our bodies and reframing our “why” behind moving. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
When COVID hit and college sports were thrown into limbo, Saint Anselm quarterback Philip Tran started an online business that quickly became an intense passion. The fire he felt in combo with the energy demands of the entrepreneur life all of a sudden meant his lifelong love of football scooted to the back burner of his world. As he geared up for the 2021 season, Philip began to realize that it wasn’t fair to himself or his team to give only 50/50 to both of these commitments. He knew he’d have to make one of the hardest decisions of his life. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
When Emily McGee decided on a plan for herself, there was no going back. Whether it was getting a Division 1 volleyball scholarship or working in investment banking, she did everything possible to achieve the goals she set and excel. Though that quality had seen her become an incredible student-athlete, it also nearly broke her. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Content warning: This episode contains references to physical abuse and suicide.
Check out Emily’s podcast, More Than My Stats
Devon Harris’ first-ever bobsled competition was the 1988 Olympics. The army lieutenant was representing a country that had never appeared in the Winter games. He knew very little about the sport. He was afraid of heights and speed. Harris dug deep within himself to rise above all those challenges, learning some important lessons that have stayed with him long after retiring. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
After an eye-opening, hours-long conversation with a retired athlete, Dr. Daniel Zimet got an idea. Three years later, that idea has evolved into one of the world’s most ambitious and important retired athlete projects. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Check out athletetransitionstudy.com
Paige Fescke gave her everything to basketball. That’s what made her so good and so happy with a ball in her hands. Establishing herself as a star at Pepperdine, Paige had her eyes set on playing pro. Then, shortly after her fifth year season started, her feelings completely changed. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Jared Wickerham loved playing sports, but he knew early on that he wasn’t gonna be some big-time star. He played soccer competitively, closed that door once high school finished and then leaned fully into a passion that he felt he could make a career out of in sports photography. Shooting photos from the sidelines of NFL games and US Opens, Jared has found that his athlete background comes in handy every once in a while. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Check out Jared's work at wickphotography.com.
Funny-looking. Somewhat confusing. Makes your hips hurt just watching it. Yeah, yeah Jane Saville already knows what you think about her sport. For nearly 20 years, this Australian legend committed herself to becoming one of racewalking’s best. On the brink of gold at her home Olympics in 2000, Jane became famous for a heartbreaking disqualification. Determined to not give up and come back stronger, she medaled in Athens in 2004. Her storied career came to an end in 2009 when she decided to hang up the spikes. Now, a mom with three kids and perpetually-aching hamstrings, she finds herself reflecting on the memories and most important lessons of her time as an athlete. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
PLUS: An announcement from your host.
The darkness that enveloped A’Shon Riggins got harder and harder to shake as his college football career wore on. He was a starter at a Big 10 school. He had plenty of people around him who loved and cared about him. By the looks of it all, A'Shon was having an ideal student-athlete experience at Indiana. Underneath though, he was suffering. He didn’t know how to make it stop or how to move forward. Then, September 25, 2018 happened. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
CW: This episode contains references to a suicide attempt.
In March 2019, Fraser Franks sat up in the middle of the night knowing he needed to go to the hospital. Over the following week, he’d undergo a number of tests that would soon reveal serious issues with his heart…the kind of issues that could kill him if he continued to play professional soccer. So, at the age of 28, Franks was told he’d need to walk away from his livelihood, his boyhood dream and the one thing that “made him interesting”. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
What kind of toll does being an Olympian take on the body? How does the life span of Olympians compare to us average folks? That and more on this pre-Opening Ceremony mini show!
Abby Dunkin’s diagnosis in 2013 caused her to plummet into a deep depression. Her life had done a 180. She needed a wheelchair now and was told she’d never be able to play sports again. She turned to pills to cope. But then, while browsing YouTube one day, Abby discovered wheelchair basketball and knew right away this would be her new love. Through playing the sport, Abby found community and a comfort that encouraged her to embrace every aspect of who she was. In 2016, she won a gold medal in Rio. She had hopes of more success in Tokyo until she learned a decision was going to be made that barred her from competing. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
In 2003, Andrew Goldstein became the first American male team-sport professional athlete to come out as gay during his playing career. Being a star goalie helped give Andrew the confidence to tell his loved ones and step into the limelight as a trailblazer. After two seasons in Major League Lacrosse, he retired to get his PhD in molecular biology and embarked on the rest of his life of as a gay man without sport as a crutch. He now has his own lab prostate cancer research lab at UCLA. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Justine Cherwink didn’t want to just excel as a student-athlete at Minnesota, she wanted to excel as a human. To do that, she pushed herself to the limit in the gym and pretty much everywhere else on campus. Several times through her college career, outside forces shook her to her core, forcing her to confront issues with intensity and her gymnastics identity. Now retired, she still gets pangs of wanting to take things to the extreme, but has tools now to help her manage that desire and give herself more grace. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
On March 20, the night before VCU men’s basketball’s first March Madness game, the Ram’s season was ended after several of the team’s COVID tests came back positive. Corey Douglas was a senior captain on the team. On today show, he talks about his basketball journey up until that moment, hearing the news and saying goodbye to the sport. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
From a very young age, racehorses get used to strict schedules and keeping their body maintained for optimal performance. Like humans, transitioning out of sport can be pretty jarring for racehorses. Executive Director of the Retired Racehorse Project Jen Roytz explains the changes a horse undergoes during this time, how RRP raises awareness about the needs of these animals and what goes into figuring out which career they should be placed in next. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
There’s a curious moment many have when meeting Ashton Pollard. You find out pretty quickly that she’s obsessed with Notre Dame athletics. It’s an eat, sleep, breathe kinda thing. But then...you find out she didn’t actually go to Notre Dame. This is the story of why, a look into her journey of pursuing a sport that defined who she was for over 15 years. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
For 20 years, Paul Montague Jr. was a gymnast. A great gymnast. He trained at elite gyms, won state championships and competed at the Division 1 level. When his time at the University of Minnesota came to a close, he was ready. He felt at peace with his athletic career. As a self-described “fidgety” guy, though, he immediately began to contemplate what he could throw himself into next. He turned to the outdoors. For the fun, adrenaline and ability to challenge himself at first...then a reality tv producer approached him. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
A look into Dr. Natalia Stambulova's 5 step career planning strategy for athletes in transition. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Beating her dad in golf. Making varsity as a freshman. Playing at the Division 1 level. Shivani Majmudar achieved goal after goal she set for herself as a golfer. As a young student-athlete, while her success in and passion for golf grew, so did her plans for the future. Shivani came to see how important pursuing a special kind of path in medicine was to her. It was so important, in fact, that she decided that her junior golf season at UIC would be her last. Then, almost a year ago to the day, that last season was taken away and Shivani was forced to process a loss she didn’t anticipate to be so painful. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
As a kid, Larry Callies didnt have a doubt about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wanted to be a cowboy. In 1960s Texas, it wasn’t common to see a young Black man wearing cowboy boots to school and competing in the rodeo. Though he was picked on and told he didn’t belong, Callies believed deeply that this was the world he was supposed to be in. More than that, he believed he had a calling to educate others on Black cowboys and help to re-write a whitewashed history of the Old West. So, in 2017, Callies opened the Black Cowboy Museum. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
To learn more about how to support the Black Cowboy Museum, check out blackcowboymuseum.com.
She’d just give it a shot. That’s how tackle football started for Whitney Zelee. Twice a week, after long days at work, she’d travel to late night practices with the Boston Militia (now Boston Renegades). Soon, the sport gave her an intensely bonded community, a partner, and a sense of purpose beyond what she could have ever anticipated. Life as a star running back though took a toll on her body. After 4 major surgeries in 3 years, she made the decision to retire from the sport that unexpectedly nudged its way into her heart and transformed her life. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Exhaustion. The need to know a little bit of everything. Performing under pressure. These are the realities for life as an ER nurse. Now add in a global pandemic. Former Delaware soccer player-turned-Philadelphia ER nurse Andrea Gunderson loves her job and knows this is right where she’s supposed to be. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Every time Carter Byrd got injured, he worked hard to come back. That grit was part of what made him a good baseball player. But then, one day, his body told him once and for all his time was up. Carter saw more than ever how all those frustrating stints on the sideline ended up giving him something really helpful for the transition — diversified interests, a. sense of himself outside of baseball and a really, really great sports mind. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The last home game of the season. Walking out with loved ones. Flowers. A commemoration of commitment to the program. Senior Day is a time-honored tradition in American high school and college sports. What’s its significance? How have people celebrated it? Is a team more likely to win or lose on this emotion-filled day?
LaShawn Gee was an All-American track star in high school. She earned a full scholarship to UNC and became the first person in her family to go to a four-year college. The sport tested her. She faced injuries. She left Chapel Hill thinking about how her career could have turned out. Both her time in sport and transition out helped show her how discipline, resilience, and authenticity could be superpowers — and ultimately gave her an “a-ha” moment. Now, through Elle Gee Discipline Solutions (theellegee.com) teaches female student-athletes discipline and focus strategies to navigate academics, athletics, and life after sports. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Since picking up a racket at 4 years old, Shaaz Peerani has only ever had a love-love relationship with tennis. A fourteen year journey in the sport ultimately landed him at Troy University. The chance to play Division 1 tennis was not something he took for granted — he wanted to work hard and play. Heading into junior year, Shaaz felt like there was nothing else to prove on the court. He was beating guys. He had the highest doubles ranking on the team. But none of it mattered to his coach. Feeling powerless and frustrated, Shaaz knew he had a difficult decision to make. In the process, he was forced to think about when being selfish in sport might actually be the best thing. Listen to his story now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
There was understanding that Dana Vollmer would have a special relationship with swimming since the moment her mom went into labor with her while doing a swim workout. The love and passion she grew for the sport would lead her to clinching Olympic medals and smashing world-records. But it also led her astray — from herself and her sense of what she actually wanted and needed. Through overcoming setbacks and becoming a mom, Vollmer worked to develop a confidence in herself that lay outside of her accomplishments and any other external force. A year out from retirement, it is a skill that she continues to tap into. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
For Colin Cerniglia, playing baseball provided unparalleled feelings of joy and fulfillment. It wasn’t just about the high of games but also all the moments before and after — connecting with teammates, hitting a ball off a tee in his parents driveway for hours just trying to improve. So, it was all pretty discouraging when he retired and couldn’t find a job that excited him quite like baseball did. After a few years though, things started to clicked. Now, Colin runs his own business grounded in some of the most important lessons he learned as an athlete. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Jen Armbruster’s life changed forever when she lost her vision at 14 years old. Not long after, she embarked on a path that would lead her to 7 Paralympic Games and a reputation as one of the greatest American goalball players of all time. The sport got her through emotional periods, tightened bonds with her family and even gave her a child. Now, 4 years out from her final game, she’s finding ways to carry over the lessons she cherishes most from her 28-year career. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
While playing pro overseas, Malcolm Lemmons realized he hadn’t thought a lot about what he might want to do after basketball. So he started writing. Now, the entrepreneur and author helps athletes build their personal brands and prepare for life after sports. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
In collaboration with Women Don’t Do That podcast, the host’s story of athlete identity and transition to life after sport.
Why do so many retired pros file for bankruptcy? How are the athletes of today in a better position to financially protect themselves than those from decades past? What do female pro athletes need to consider in planning for their financial future? Carlos Dias Jr., a financial advisor experienced in working with pro athletes, discusses it all on today’s show. He also drops a nug or two of wisdom for us regular retired athletes. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Sports shaped Michelle Staggers. It provided her with the most formative experiences of her life, taught her lessons and led her to her people. But there’s a difference, she recognized, between a “ball is life” mentality and a “ball helps life” one. In sport, Michelle strove to conceptualize herself as worthy beyond her athletic abilities and now works to help other Black athletes do the same. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
John Wilson IV has played tennis for pretty much his whole life. So did his dad John. So did his grandpa John. This John learned early on that the path these male athletes in his family chose was an uncommon one. Growing up in Dallas and then going on to play collegiately at an HBCU, his experiences in tennis helped to reveal his passion in speaking up to remedy deeply harmful status quos -- both on the court and off. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Is there any difference between the retirement experience of a Swedish athlete vs. an American vs. a Russian? Today, a look into research that shows the powerful ways culture influences the transition to life after sport.
Former USWNT goalkeeper Saskia Webber was a part of one of the greatest moments in sports history. 4 years after that summer, Webber put away her gloves for good, burnt out from the grind of being a pro female athlete. She separated herself from the sport for years...or at least, tried to. Now, she’s UCLA’s goalkeeper coach and an owner of the brand-spankin’ new Angel City SC. Listen to her story now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Competitive eating came into Tim “Eater X” Janus’ life in a really serendipitous way. For a long time, he felt like the fun, financial reward and sense of structure he enjoyed being in this world was what mattered most. That was until he really started to grasp what his pro eating lifestyle might put him at risk for. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Millions of those who have faced the athlete transition do so in quiet and without direction. Many do it in pain. Classye James was one of those millions. But, James was not okay with herself, her colleagues, and the greater athlete community having to grit their teeth and bear this monumental change without loud and proud support and resources. So, she did something about it. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
To learn more about Shakeout and Classye James, check out shakeoutllc.com.
Growing up, Isa Berardo didn’t feel like the labels of “male” or “female” quite fit. Processing their gender identity as an athlete become complicated, however, in sport, an activity which really loves a binary. So, how did this All-American goalkeeper come to find acceptance in the very space that once isolated them? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Ryan O’Callaghan didn’t have a plan for life after football. Stuffing down his sexuality for over 15 years had dragged the NFL player down to an incredibly dark place. Then, a meeting with a Kansas City Chiefs psychologist in 2011 changed everything. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicidal ideation.
Check out rofdn.org to learn more about his foundation that aims to support LGBTQ+ youth.
On today’s show, former SF State long jumper Hilary King talks about her track journey, finding a next chapter, and her experience being a Black police officer in June 2020. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Dr. Brandon E. Martin comes on the show to discuss his work “Athletic Voices and Academic Victories: African-American Male Student-Athlete Experiences in the Pac-10” and his current role as an NCAA athletic director and educator. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The folks who dedicate their lives to non-traditional sports are a special kind of athlete. They know how to leave their ego at the door, what it means to work tirelessly far away from the perks of the mainstream...and they probably have the most interesting fun fact to share in any social situation. Today, a curler and a team handball player talk about their journey to the Olympics and the power these unique sports communities harbor off the rink and court. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Colleges and universities are places for learning, research, and finding community. They're also businesses. And, like all businesses during a pandemic that has choked the economy, they are looking for ways to save money. For a few of these institutions, this has meant making difficult decisions—decisions like eliminating entire sports programs. So, what’s it like to have your athletic career come to an end because your sport was deemed less “valuable” than others? Today, twins wrestlers at Old Dominion discuss moment they were told their program would be cancelled and their time as members of the Monarch’s final wrestling team. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Every spring sport athlete saw their season end due to the spread of COVID-19. For the seniors of these programs, this meant having their last run grounded before it really even took off. No traditional senior days. No last games against conference rivals. Today, two spring sport seniors share their stories of coming to terms with their collegiate experience and the final season that never was.
The release of “The Last Dance”, the announcement by Rob Gronkowski...we’ve got un-retiring on the mind. Today, an expert explains what motivates this group of athletes to return to the game, what sports might see more of these stories than others and what can determine whether the success of the comeback. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
By the time March rolls around, only the best of the best collegiate winter sports teams still stand. For these most talented student-athletes, making it to March means a chance to fight for a national championship. Most years, that is. Not this one. So, what’s it like to watch a dream end to a season slip away at the hands of a pandemic? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Chase Brannon had been pursuing the Olympic dream for over a decade. A serious shoulder injury in 2018 led the pole vaulter to decide that he would give it his all to make the 2020 trials, but that after, he would retire. That was the plan…until March 24th when the IOC announced Olympics would be postponed to next summer. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Every year, coaches welcome a group of student-athletes into their program. And every year, these coaches say goodbye to a group of student athletes leaving their program. They’ll do this hundreds of times in their career. Today, a high school football coach and a college basketball talk the sadness and fulfillment that comes with watching student-athletes walk away. Listen now on Spotify and Apple podcasts.
To what extent is the experience of retirement between para-athletes and able-bodied athletes the same? What support can be provided for some of the specific post-sports challenges athletes with disabilities face? No one really knew these answer to these Qs. That was until 2016, when a group of researchers conducted a groundbreaking study on this community. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Kathy Switzer will forever be known as the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant. Today, running is just as central to her life as it was over 50 years ago. It’s not the story of a retired athlete like previous episodes. It is the story of how to jump off from a big, identity-defining athlete experience and take the love of sport with you. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
For Aric Rodriguez, a big, burly high school powerlifter, cheerleading started off as a joke. Then it stole his heart. Going on to cheer at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, the sport ended up forever changing his life. Now, Aric is a firefighter. What’s it like to say goodbye to a sport as uniquely finite, aesthetic, team-centric and physically-demanding as cheerleading? Oh, and what’s it like when Netflix produces a wildly popular docuseries on your alma mater? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Sean and Brittany met in college. Together, they were athletes. Together, they retired. Now, they’re married with careers. In what ways does a shared athlete experience matter (and not matter) in a relationship? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Jim Brown is widely considered one of the best to ever play the game of football. In 1966, at 29, he was in his athletic prime. So, when he announced his retirement, the country was shocked. Brown walked away to pursue something more, in one of the most critical and turbulent times in American History. While he did do a lot of good in his time after sport, he also abused his power and hurt many. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Content Warning: Sexual Assault
Lauren Hall, the diver. The athletic identity that had once provided so much confidence and strength became a source of insecurity as Lauren transitioned to her job as an investment banker on Wall Street. The move from wearing t-shirts and leggings to less-than-comfortable skirts and pantsuits also wasn’t helping her feel good. Then, late to work one day, her skirt ripped while running up the subway steps and she got an idea. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
To learn more about Poshlete and how to get their products, check out poshlete.com
It’s January 28th, 2020 and that means the final round of CONCACAF Women’s Soccer Olympic qualifying is kicking off. 8 teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean will be battling it out for the next week and a half to see who will represent the region in Tokyo this summer. The far and away underdog of the tournament is St. Kitts & Nevis, ranked 127th in the world. At the helm of this tiny island’s women’s soccer program is Jené Baclawski. Her impact with this team so far has been remarkable. How’d an American coaching in Texas get here? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The parent-athlete relationship is simultaneously one of the most important and neglected issues in youth sports. The bond and what it comes to be based on is key in defining an athlete's sense of identity and attachment to their sport during a career...and after. Many athletes go on to be parents of athletes. What work can be done to establish a healthy parent-athlete relationship? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
A softball Hall of Famer and 2x Olympic medalist. The first female broadcaster of an MLB game in the history of ESPN. It’s hard to find a dull spot on Jessica Mendoza’s resume. For Mendoza, fearless decisions and a passion for competitive sport has fueled her success in post-athlete life. Inspiring millions of women and girls in her barrier-breaking pursuits? That’s just a cool byproduct. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
What does it do? Does it get you “high”? In recent years, CBD products have exploded in popularity. Retired athletes have fallen in love with the stuff, praising it as a natural remedy for pain and other ailments. Two former pros in Matt Lombardi and Kevin Moran wanted to share the goodness of CBD and started Beam. Through the highest quality products, superior branding and partnerships, and spreading CBD awareness, Beam aims to standout above the rest. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
No more 15+ hours of working out a week, no more readily-available post-game meals. Retiring from sport means leaving behind a whole way of life designed to keep your body fit and healthy…It can be a shock to the system. Lauren Link is working to make this lifestyle shift less daunting. A registered dietician and board certified specialist in sports dietetics, Link is the author of “The Healthy Former Athlete: Nutrition and Fitness Advice for the Transition from Elite Athlete to Normal Human”. Today, we talk about the body changes and challenges athletes undergo post-sports and how to overcome them. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The letterman’s jacket. It is an iconic symbol of athletic identity in the United States. Today, I unbutton the history of and understandings behind this sacred jock attire. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Aisyah Rafa’ee is Singapore’s first and only Olympic rower. Getting to this stage in 2016 required a baffling amount of sacrifice and struggle. The adversity she overcame contributed to the “high” of her success. However, it also ground her down and led her to leave the sport that gave her so much. Listen to her story now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Kyle Peters always thought he might be a business owner. Then two things happened. College lacrosse led him to discover a love for fitness and nutrition. Time spent with his mom who was battling cancer helped him see an unfilled need and sprung him into action. The result? Six Pack Creamery (now Carter & Oak). Listen to his story now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
A figure skater. A soccer/cricket player. A sprinter. 3 stories of the journey from an athlete’s world to a lawyer’s world. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The 2017 Northwest Mustangs were one of the worst high school football teams in the nation. This was Colton Younger-Loesing’s senior season. How does having an experience like this affect you as an athlete and as a person? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
In 1991, Villanova basketball star Shelly Pennefather turned down an overseas contract that would make her one of the world’s richest female players. She decided instead to pursue a radical path. Pennefather joined one of the strictest religious sects in the world, a choice that has come with unimaginable commitment and sacrifice. This past June, 28 years since entering the monastery, Pennefather (now Sister Rose Marie) had her first physical contact with loved ones. The next time she’ll be able to do so will be in 25 years. Listen to her story now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Two athletic training rooms. One, at a Division 1 university. The other, at a high school. Through the stories of two athletic trainers, we get a window into this challenging, all-consuming but downright rewarding job. Athletic trainers are a special breed and they can come to play a pretty special role in an athlete’s life. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Paula Weishoff’s first contact with volleyball was an impactful one. It included a national championship, 3 Olympics and 11 club seasons on 3 continents. Her career as one of the sport’s great talents positioned her for a next step that was all at once natural and a new challenge. As a coach, Weishoff has mentored dozens of women at the collegiate and international level. Listen to her story now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Being an Olympian or Paralympian often comes with some pretty cool things. Pretty cool things like clarity of purpose, confidence, sponsorship deals, traveling around the world with random life stuff taken care of because of Olympian status. Stepping away from that unique experience can be uncomfortable and unforgiving. Cue the skies parting and sun beaming from heavens. This is where Terris “T” Tiller comes in. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
For large portions of her soccer career, Sommer Denison felt burnt out. She had lost her heart for the game. Much of her competitive desire went away. Overall, her positive experiences in the sport felt fewer and farther in between. Still, she kept going. That perseverance — and a twist of fate — saw her end her career in a blaze of glory. Make no mistake though...when it was time to turn her jersey in, she couldn’t have been happier to do so. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The practice of retiring numbers is a not-so-straightforward one. A number that "hangs from the rafters" can get us thinking about some stuff. Like whose idea was this? What might be the best way to honor a legacy? Can retiring numbers go too far? Here's a short history, analysis, and entertaining anecdote hybrid episode on the sports ritual.
Introducing Run Along's new round of mini shows. “Intervals” is a lil platform for the cool, random stuff about athletic retirement and post-sports life in general. Did you hear the story about college basketball star who went on to become a nun? Have you ever wondered about the history behind “retired numbers”? What exactly happens when pro athletes go broke? That and more will be coming to you in these every-so-often jolts of auditory pleasure. It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be interesting and it’s all gonna happen in bite sized episodes under 10 minutes. Nice.
Matt Bracegirdle ate, slept and breathed hockey. Not everyone who commits their life to their sport like this wins national titles or gold medals. They are average people who gave an extraordinary amount of themselves to the game. Loving something in that way is no doubt special and it can make leaving behind the experience devastating. How do you use what you once loved as a healthy (!) emotional measuring stick to find new passions? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Shannon Miller is the most decorated American gymnast of all time. As far as athletic successes go, her career was an extreme. Gymnastics — Female gymnastics. In the US. — is also an extreme. The discipline required, injury risk, relative retirement age, and the veneration our best and brightest young women garner every 4 years are elements that elevate the sport to a tier of its own. What happens after you leave behind a life that’s so exceptional in all these ways? List now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
How does the way a sport is introduced define an athlete’s relationship to it? To the Iroquois, lacrosse is considered a gift from a higher power. Neal Powless is one of the greatest players the Onondaga Nation has ever produced. A life-threatening disorder ended his career. In the midst of his grief, he saw the ways being a pro athlete had hurt him and re-committed himself to promoting the Creator’s Game in the ways from which he had strayed. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The 6 individuals in this show were all confronted with a decision. They could potentially harm their well-being in an irreparable way by continuing to do something they love, something that has always defined them. Or they could say goodbye. They could weigh logic over emotion and walk away in order to protect their future. Navigating a scary end to their sports careers, these former athletes struggled through pain, found hope and learned a lot of lessons along the way. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Kikkan Randall had a fairytale ending to her athletic career. She helped win the US’ first ever gold in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Olympics. Just weeks later, her retirement started off with a nightmare. Randall was diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, a story of side-by-side emotional extremes and putting the champion mindset to an unthinkable test. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
As the best female boxer in the world, Lucia Rijker’s career focused on damage — the ways to inflict it, the ways to overcome it. How might the type of sport an athlete plays affect them in the post-sports chapter? Now a coach and a speaker, Rijker has focused on turning the dysfunction she embraced as a fighter into a force for good. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
What sort of factors affect the post-athlete transition and coping process (e.g. gender, type of sport, how a career ends)? What initiatives can individuals and organizations implement to both prepare athletes for and support them in retirement? For 25 years, Professor David Lavallee has focused on self-identity and coping processes in sport. Lavalle, who has studied over 15,000 athletes, is perhaps the world’s leading expert on retirement from sport and managing transitions across the career of athletes and coaches. Today, he shares his research with Run Along. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Being the women’s golf GOAT is only part of Annika Sörenstam’s story. She’s also a philanthropist, a businesswoman, a mom, and a wife. What does it mean, though, to start all these new chapters having closed the last one with the title of “best ever”? What happens when you walk away from one world having done it all? Sörenstam’s story of life after golf encourages us to reimagine the process of closing/opening doors in life. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
At 14 years old, Cody Simpson had a decision to make. He could stay the course he was on — a path he and others hoped might lead to the Olympics. Or he could dive into a shimmering unknown, a leap that meant leaving behind his friends, his passion for swimming and moving across the world. Now, at 22, he has no regrets but his love for the sport has stuck firm. And sometimes, yes, even music stars and actors can’t help but think what could have been. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Ragnhild Myklebust contracted polio at 18 months old, rendering her partially paralyzed from the waist down. This is the beginning of her story. No doubt, it’s a fact that has life-defining significance — but how? In a practical, moving-about-the-world-way, yes. Perhaps more importantly is the mentality that circumstance instilled in the Norwegian. The idea of pushing on in the face adversity and exceeding expectations has been a guiding force throughout her life. Whether that be off the mountain as a physiotherapist and world-traveler — or on it, as the greatest Winter Paralympian ever.
Kaj Larsen knew he loved the water. He knew he was good at being in the water. What he didn’t know was to what shores that would take him in life. Kaj never had a set path, rather, he just kept building up experiences by sticking to and honing in on his already-existing abilities. From the pools of Santa Cruz to the Persian Gulf, Kaj Larsen tells his story. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Content Warning: This episode contains audio pertaining to the attacks on September 11th.
For much of her life, Natalie Florescu was attempting figure out the relationship between self-acceptance and playing the sport she loved. Stuffing down her sexuality to play college basketball told her that maybe those ideas could not together. Though, on the other hand, the sport had always been a great gift, providing her with confidence and a sense of belonging. Today, Natalie shares her story of how the game that shielded and hindered part of her identity for so long, ultimately became her means of becoming 100% comfortable in her own skin. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Putting people in categories make them easier to understand. “Artist” and “athlete” are labels that tell us how one might exist in their environment — what kind of friends you have and how you feel (or don’t feel) things. Of course, it’s not that simple. In what ways do these identities exist together? How do you give up one world and fully embrace the other? Meet Daniel Davila. Former high school baseball player, current professional singer and musician. Take a listen to his story about figuring out what you really should be doing with your life. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Antoine Taylor always knew football was going to get him places. Growing up as a kid with a single parent mom, he had dreams of sold out stadiums and making it to the league. Things didn’t quite go that way. At first, it was hard for him to accept. But Antoine is familiar with adapting to plays and standing on his feet in the face of hard hits. Though football was not going to be a part of his future like he imagined, the sport did help to propel his life to new heights. It allowed him to become the first person in his family to go to college. It gave him the confidence and connections to start a business. It led him to his calling. Check out Antoine's story. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
When Swedish legend Pia Sundhage walked away from the game at 36, she was a pioneer, had been at the top of her field, and inspired millions. That’s pretty much more than anyone could ever hope to do in a life. However, Sundhage did not stop when she became a retired athlete. Apparently, blazing trails and achieving greatness are kinda just ingrained in her DNA. For 20 years, the joy and passion Sundhage possessed saw her become one of the best players in the women’s soccer history. For nearly 25 years (and counting), it is those same qualities that have made her one of the world’s best coaches. Check out her story. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
What happens after you capture the hearts of a nation and etch your name into the history books? Move to a tiny island off the coast of Italy. Sit in your ice house in Minnesota and contemplate your past and future. That’s what Carson Shanks did at least. Carson was a member of last year’s Loyola Chicago Ramblers, a team that went on one of the most unbelievable and inspiring runs college sports has witnessed. Like ever. He has embarked on new adventures since then. Carson is retired now and has found a way to repurpose his love for basketball. Take a listen to his story.
The scoreboard buzzer sounds one last time. Now what? People share their stories of the major life change that comes with saying goodbye to their sport and finding success in the next phase.