Steve Bate MBE - The Hardest Decision in Sport: Choosing to Walk Away When You Still Can Win

Steve Bate MBE - The Hardest Decision in Sport: Choosing to Walk Away When You Still Can Win

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 programme.   His record is extraordinary. Gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in both the individual pursuit and road time trial. Double World Champion in 2018. Silver at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, where he and pilot Christopher Latham set a new world record in qualifying, and in October 2025, gold at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships - the final world title of his career.   Then, at the peak of what any athlete could achieve, Steve Bate announced his retirement, not because he had to, because he chose to.   In this episode of Athlete to Athlete: Lessons for Life Beyond the Game, Steve speaks with rare honesty about what it takes to make that call, and the years of planning that preceded it. His transition wasn't impulsive, it was, in his own words, three years in the making - shaped by the honest admission that he stayed longer than he might have because he didn't yet know what he was stepping towards.   This episode is for every athlete who is somewhere in the middle of their career, who knows that transition is coming but hasn't yet looked it squarely in the eye. Steve's message is direct, practical, and delivered from the perspective of someone who has just lived it.   Key Takeaways from Steve Bate MBE •  Choosing to walk away when you're still competitive is the hardest retirement of all - and one of the most courageous decisions an athlete can make • Appreciate the environment you are in right now, world-class coaching, world-class support, world-class people, because it is not ordinary and it will not last forever • Have a plan, and start building it early, Steve's transition plan was a year in formal development and three years in total in the making • Uncertainty about what comes next is one of the main reasons athletes stay in sport longer than they need to, clarity about your next chapter is the most powerful exit strategy •  Be honest with your organisation, if you've given your sport everything, most bodies will want to support your transition out if you have those conversations early and openly • Don't wait to be forced out, take control of the conversation and the timeline while you still have the leverage to shape it • The world-class environment of elite sport is a privilege, recognise it, absorb it, and carry everything it has taught you into what comes next   About the hosts James Rule, Co-Founder of ATA, is a seasoned leadership coach and former professional rugby player with extensive experience in high-performance sports management. Having held CEO roles at Super League clubs and senior positions in major sporting organisations, he understands the pressures of transitioning beyond elite competition. A passionate advocate for athlete development, James drives ATA’s mission to provide structured, research-driven support, ensuring athletes are equipped for long-term success beyond the game. Karl Birch, Co-Founder of ATA, is a former rugby player turned coach, mentor, and leadership specialist. With over a decade in medical sales, where he led a team, he combines industry expertise with a deep understanding of the athlete mindset to help athletes transition into meaningful careers beyond sport. Passionate about early preparation and proactive career planning, he has guided former athletes through transition, ensuring they step confidently into their next chapter. Connect and Contact www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com [https://open.acast.com/networks/6509b3acfaa77c00112357e1/shows/67a61baf3ef0b176eaecf607/www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/] Instagram: @ataccelerator https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator [https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator] Email: support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com [support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Jack Baldwin - Building Your Second Chapter Before Football Ends

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 before you need them Through conversations, networking, and a willingness to step into unfamiliar spaces, Jack discovered an interest in property and entrepreneurship. Now, while still actively playing professional football, he has: ·       Completed the ATA x Associate Yopa property programme ·       Undertaken industry training and onboarding ·       Built relationships with leading figures in property ·       Launched his own estate agency - Jack Baldwin Property The pressure and fear that many athletes carry around transition has been replaced with confidence, direction, and purpose. In this episode, Jack shares: * How injury forced him to think differently about his future * Why curiosity is one of the most important traits athletes can develop * How LinkedIn completely changed his perspective on networking * Why athletes massively underestimate how much free time they actually have * The mindset shift that allowed him to explore opportunities without fear * How building something outside football improved his mental clarity inside it * Why every athlete should start conversations long before they retire Website - Jack Baldwin | Bespoke Agent [https://www.yopa.co.uk/as/jack-baldwin/] LinkedIn - Jack Baldwin | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-baldwin-00ba471b4/] Instagram - jackbaldwinproperty About the hosts James Rule, Co-Founder of ATA, is a seasoned leadership coach and former professional rugby player with extensive experience in high-performance sports management. Having held CEO roles at Super League clubs and senior positions in major sporting organisations, he understands the pressures of transitioning beyond elite competition. A passionate advocate for athlete development, James drives ATA’s mission to provide structured, research-driven support, ensuring athletes are equipped for long-term success beyond the game. Karl Birch, Co-Founder of ATA, is a former rugby player turned coach, mentor, and leadership specialist. With over a decade in medical sales, where he led a team, he combines industry expertise with a deep understanding of the athlete mindset to help athletes transition into meaningful careers beyond sport. Passionate about early preparation and proactive career planning, he has guided former athletes through transition, ensuring they step confidently into their next chapter. Connect and Contact www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com [https://open.acast.com/networks/6509b3acfaa77c00112357e1/shows/67a61baf3ef0b176eaecf607/www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/] Instagram: @ataccelerator https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator [https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator] Email: support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com [support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Catherine Spencer - Retiring on Your Terms: What Every Elite Athlete Needs to Understand Before the Game Ends

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 terms. What followed was, in Catherine's own words, a wobbly path. Development roles with the RFU, setting up Inspiring Women, teaching, coaching, writing, commentating. A journey shaped not by a clean plan but by a willingness to step into the unknown and figure it out along the way. Key Takeaways •      Retiring on your terms is one of the most powerful decisions an athlete can make •      Purpose is not optional. Without something to aim for, transition can have a serious impact on mental health, and that must be confronted honestly •      Athletes are adaptable by nature •      The ability to communicate with a wide range of people is a world-class professional skill, even if it doesn't feel like one •      Your network is one of the most valuable assets you carry out of sport - most people in business spend years trying to build what you already have •      Don't be afraid to ask for help •      Recognising your own value is not arrogance •      A wobbly path is still a path www.inspiringwomen.co.uk [http://www.inspiringwomen.co.uk/] Catherine Spencer – Inspiring Women [https://inspiringwomen.co.uk/the-speakers/catherine-spencer/] LinkedIn - Catherine Spencer | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinespencerinspiringwomen/] About the hosts James Rule, Co-Founder of ATA, is a seasoned leadership coach and former professional rugby player with extensive experience in high-performance sports management. Having held CEO roles at Super League clubs and senior positions in major sporting organisations, he understands the pressures of transitioning beyond elite competition. A passionate advocate for athlete development, James drives ATA’s mission to provide structured, research-driven support, ensuring athletes are equipped for long-term success beyond the game. Karl Birch, Co-Founder of ATA, is a former rugby player turned coach, mentor, and leadership specialist. With over a decade in medical sales, where he led a team, he combines industry expertise with a deep understanding of the athlete mindset to help athletes transition into meaningful careers beyond sport. Passionate about early preparation and proactive career planning, he has guided former athletes through transition, ensuring they step confidently into their next chapter. Connect and Contact www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com [https://open.acast.com/networks/6509b3acfaa77c00112357e1/shows/67a61baf3ef0b176eaecf607/www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/] Instagram: @ataccelerator https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator [https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator] Email: support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com [support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Tom Bosworth MBE: The Day the Race Ends

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 championship, a personal best to chase. And then, suddenly, nothing. "From September the first I was basically unemployed, and I'd never been in that position before. I always had something to aim for. So it was daunting. It was terrifying." We sit down with Tom Bosworth MBE for one of the most candid, wide-ranging conversations we've had on this podcast. Tom talks openly about the terror of stepping into the unknown, the challenge of learning to communicate in a world that doesn't operate at the pace and intensity of elite sport, the identity that comes with being an athlete, and why he believes most athletes don't celebrate their achievements nearly enough. Tom's post-sport journey has taken him into sports media, commentary, broadcasting, and athlete management as a Sports Agent at Blue Carpet Sports Management, as well as founding Walking With Purpose, a movement championing the transformative power of walking for mental and physical health. A campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality in sport, and having faced his own battle with depression in 2018, Tom is also one of the most authentic voices in conversations around mental health in elite performance environments. Key Takeaways from Tom Bosworth MBE •       Retirement can feel like sudden unemployment, even for a Double Olympian, the first day after sport ends can be terrifying •       Entering the workplace as an athlete is a collision with a world that doesn't operate at high-performance speed and learning to adapt is its own skill •       Athletes carry an abundance of skills most people don't have - commitment, dedication, resilience, the ability to show up and figure things out •       Identity in sport is powerful but limiting •       Elite athletes don't just accept difficulty, they expect it and move forward anyway •       The best days in sport should be celebrated more •       Dragging out a career past its natural end serves no one •       The values that drive an athlete – self-motivation, discipline, resilience, are exactly what the business world struggles to develop •       Sport helps you become you. What you do next builds on that foundation Find Tom Bosworth: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombosworthathlete/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/tombosworth?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] | walkingwithpurpose [https://walkingwithpurpose.co.uk/] About the hosts James Rule, Co-Founder of ATA, is a seasoned leadership coach and former professional rugby player with extensive experience in high-performance sports management. Having held CEO roles at Super League clubs and senior positions in major sporting organisations, he understands the pressures of transitioning beyond elite competition. A passionate advocate for athlete development, James drives ATA’s mission to provide structured, research-driven support, ensuring athletes are equipped for long-term success beyond the game. Karl Birch, Co-Founder of ATA, is a former rugby player turned coach, mentor, and leadership specialist. With over a decade in medical sales, where he led a team, he combines industry expertise with a deep understanding of the athlete mindset to help athletes transition into meaningful careers beyond sport. Passionate about early preparation and proactive career planning, he has guided former athletes through transition, ensuring they step confidently into their next chapter. Connect and Contact www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com [https://open.acast.com/networks/6509b3acfaa77c00112357e1/shows/67a61baf3ef0b176eaecf607/www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/] Instagram: @ataccelerator https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator [https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator] Email: support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com [support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Cameron Mackenzie OLY - From Olympic Track to Building a Global Brand

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 building leverage while others wait. After an injury forced time away from the track, Cameron didn’t sit still. He drove into an industry he knew nothing about, knocked on doors, asked questions, and that single moment turned into a 3-hour conversation, and ultimately, a job.   In this episode, Cameron shares: * Why knowing “what the next day looks like” changes everything * How curiosity and action open doors faster than waiting ever will * Why athletes underestimate their most valuable skills * The truth about feedback, and why it’s a superpower in business * How pressure, accountability, and organisation translate directly into success * Why being “comfortable being uncomfortable” is your greatest advantage * How building a network while competing creates momentum post-sport   About the hosts James Rule, Co-Founder of ATA, is a seasoned leadership coach and former professional rugby player with extensive experience in high-performance sports management. Having held CEO roles at Super League clubs and senior positions in major sporting organisations, he understands the pressures of transitioning beyond elite competition. A passionate advocate for athlete development, James drives ATA’s mission to provide structured, research-driven support, ensuring athletes are equipped for long-term success beyond the game. Karl Birch, Co-Founder of ATA, is a former rugby player turned coach, mentor, and leadership specialist. With over a decade in medical sales, where he led a team, he combines industry expertise with a deep understanding of the athlete mindset to help athletes transition into meaningful careers beyond sport. Passionate about early preparation and proactive career planning, he has guided former athletes through transition, ensuring they step confidently into their next chapter. Connect and Contact www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com [https://open.acast.com/networks/6509b3acfaa77c00112357e1/shows/67a61baf3ef0b176eaecf607/www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/] Instagram: @ataccelerator https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator [https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator] Email: support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com [support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.