Career Clarity with Athletes: A 2ndwind Podcast with Ryan Gonsalves

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1967051/open_sms] Jimmy Gavin’s path took him from crushing self-doubt and a life-changing health diagnosis in high school to seven seasons of pro basketball across Europe, through a humbling tech-sales gig, and now into a leadership role directing sports initiatives. Along the way, he discovered that raw honesty, relentless hustle, and a tight-knit support crew can flip every “end” into the start of something even bigger.  In this episode, we talk about: - Ego vs. Teammate: Why Jimmy’s drive to build himself up sometimes clashed with coaches and peers, and how he learned leadership by first becoming a follower - Early Adversity: How Crohn’s diagnosis and a family tragedy wiped out his high-school basketball dreams, then sparked a comeback that led him to JUCO, Division I, and NBA workouts - Pro Life Abroad: Rookie jitters in Lithuania, adapting to European training (yes, judo at dawn), and finding his true role by leaning into his strengths - End of the Court: Health complications that forced him to hang up his sneakers, and the therapeutic 50,000-word manuscript he penned to capture that “roar of the crowd” feeling - Tech Sales Wake-Up Call: What it’s like to swap the hardwood for CRM dashboards, discover you’re not great at it, and question your sense of self all over again - Friends as Coaches: How three brothers who trained alongside him helped Jimmy rediscover his passion, with one impromptu coaching gig reigniting his energy and sense of purpose - New Venture: From late-night book drafts to joining Goldfinch Capital as Director of Sport Initiatives, and why relationships, responsiveness, and being the best follower can unlock unexpected doors - Career-Transition Advice: The single most practical tip Jimmy offers young athletes, show up, stay responsive (yes, reply to that coach’s text), and treat every next thing as the most important thing you have 💎 GOLDEN NUGGET: "Give it everything you’ve got, even if you’re ‘the least qualified person in the room’—that irrational belief will at least get you through the door.”  Loved the episode? Drop us a review & share your biggest takeaway! Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io [http://www.2ndwind.io/]

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1967051/open_sms] In this episode Ryan sits down with Lexi Chambers, an adaptive athlete who has shattered expectations and set multiple world records—all while using a standard NHS wheelchair. After a below-the-knee amputation due to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Lexi refused to let disability define her. Instead, she turned to endurance sports, becoming the first person to wheel from John O’Groats to Land’s End (1,500km) in an everyday wheelchair. Now, she’s preparing for 10 ultramarathons in 10 days (50km/day) and an even bigger challenge: wheeling coast-to-coast across the USA (5,000km) in 2027. Lexi shares her journey of resilience, how sport became her therapy, and her mission to inspire others to embrace movement—no matter their circumstances. What You’ll Hear - Lexi’s life-changing CRPS diagnosis, amputation, and why she refused to hang up her athletic dreams - How a kitchen “test spin” led to her first world record and eventually wheeling John O’Groats → Land’s End in a standard NHS chair - The surprising role of extreme training as pain therapy and mental escape - Balancing a punishing training schedule, gruelling winds, and 4 am starts—plus the “test weeks” that make or break prep - Building and motivating a novice event-planning crew to pull off “impossible” challenges - Lessons learned fundraising hundreds of thousands, nailing keynote speeches, and embracing vulnerability on stage - Upcoming feats: 10×50 km ultramarathons in 10 days for Rugby World Cup charity, then a 5 000 km coast-to-coast across the U.S. - Lexi’s simple message to anyone doubting themselves: you never know what you can do until you try Ready to rethink your limits? Tune in and get inspired to take that first (or next) rotation. 💎 Memorable Quotes: * "The NHS told me I’d ‘grow into’ my wheelchair. I decided to prove them wrong." * "Pain is my constant companion, but it doesn’t get to dictate my life." * "Nobody believed a standard wheelchair could do these distances. Now they know it can." * "If you wait for the ‘perfect’ conditions, you’ll never start. Just go." Need career clarity?  Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io [http://www.2ndwind.io/] o4-mini

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1967051/open_sms] What happens when an 8-year-old’s Olympic dream doesn’t pan out? For Jess, a former elite taekwondo and boxing athlete, it meant reinventing herself—twice—while battling concussions, identity crises, and the harsh realities of transitioning out of sports. In this episode, you’ll hear: - How a diagnosis of low muscle tone led her to taekwondo, and why she became the kid opponents feared - The brutal truth about combat sports: why concussions in taekwondo went unchecked for years - Her shocking career pivot: from taekwondo to boxing (and why she almost became the first Aussie to compete in both at the highest level) - Why she traded kicks for contracts: how a law degree became her backup plan (and turned into a passion) - The loneliness of elite sports: missing friendships, "normal" uni life, and why athletes struggle post-retirement - Her new mission: building "Next," a platform helping athletes navigate life after sports 💎 GOLDEN NUGGET: "It’s okay to grieve your sport. It’s a loss. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise." – Jess WHO SHOULD LISTEN? ✔ Athletes thinking about life after sports ✔ Anyone facing a major career pivot ✔ Coaches/parents supporting young competitors ✔ Fans of underdog stories & personal reinvention Loved the episode? Drop us a review & share your biggest takeaway! Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io [http://www.2ndwind.io/]

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1967051/open_sms] In today's episode, we dive deep into the real psychology behind career transitions, decision-making, and finding your true path after sport — and why it’s way less logical and way more emotional than you think. We are joined by Gavin Freeman, a sports psychologist, MBA lecturer, and corporate strategist who shares fascinating stories from working with elite athletes, Olympic teams, and CEOs leading thousands. Together, we uncover why so many people struggle with change — and the surprising skills you already have to make smoother, smarter career moves. Inside this conversation: - Why it's not just what you’re good at — it's how it makes you feel that matters - How to recognize when a chapter is closing (even if your emotions resist it) - The "Superstar CV" exercise that helps you rebuild confidence and clarity after leaving sport or any major career - Why hindsight makes everything look seamless (and why you shouldn't trust it too soon) - What business leaders, athletes, and everyday professionals really have in common - How to reframe failure, motivation, and risk so you thrive in your next career move - A sneak peek into the next episode: Making life-changing decisions under pressure, with no time and incomplete information Loved the episode? Drop us a review & share your biggest takeaway! Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io [http://www.2ndwind.io/]  Some more about Gavin He is a fully registered psychologist with experience in the sporting and corporate worlds.  He has held a directorship within a large consulting company and was the head of HR internally. His  20 years of experience in human capital consulting have been with blue-chip Australian and International organisations across numerous industries, including banking, construction, mining, telecommunication and government.   Gavin consults across Australia and Asia to CEO, Executives, Managers and  Elite Coaches  delivering a variety of experiential Crisis Management Workshops, Change Leadership Consulting, Strategic workshop facilitation,  Executive Coaching, and Team Building experiences. As a psychologist his insights bring an understanding of human behaviour, and how to best create a high performing culture. His first book, “The Business Olympian” released in June 2008 captures the mental toughness lessons learned from elite athletes and how these skills can be easily transferred into the corporate world. His second book, released in 2016 “Just stop Motivating Me” explores the complexity of motivation and examines how a motivational continuum explains not just our motivations but the behaviours associated with them. His third and possibly final book “Don’t let me die in economy class: how the ordinary become extraordinary” was released in Feb 2025, explores how ordinary people went onto to do extraordinary things.  He  can usually be heard on one of the business radio  and TV shows across Australia. Gavin was the team psychologist for the Winter Olympic team in Turin 2006 and the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. He was also the Team Psychologist for the Olympic Archery Team in Sydney 2000. At the professional level, he has worked with various athletes from the best sporting leagues around the world, including the NBA, WNBA, and PGA. Additionally, he was the Psychologist for a Team at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Website www.gavinfreeman.com.au [http://www.gavinfreeman.com.au/] Amazon books -  https://www.amazon.com.au/stores/author/B00KXIR0WK

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1967051/open_sms] Greg's journey isn't your typical athlete-to-executive story. This is about what happens when you walk away from elite sport cold turkey (for 10 years), then suddenly find yourself pulled back in – while building a career, starting a family, and even stepping into a boxing ring. In this episode, we get raw about: * That moment a 24-hour bus ride revealed his untapped swimming potential * Why he took a demolition job after retiring from international competition * The $35,000 mindset shift he wished he'd had earlier * How getting knocked out in business (figuratively) prepared him for getting in the ring (literally) * Why "perfect practice makes perfect" applies to spreadsheets just as much as sprints Key Moments You Can't Miss: 1. The Unconventional Comeback * Why returning to elite swimming at 35 with three kids was harder (and more rewarding) than his first career * How shaving 0.6 seconds became an obsession – and what that teaches us about incremental business growth 2. Career Transition Truth Bombs * "I didn't want to be 28 trying to start a career" – the harsh reality of post-sport timing * His biggest regret? Not leveraging his athletic network sooner (and how to avoid this mistake) 3. The Anchor Words That Changed Everything Discover the 3-word performance framework Greg uses for: * Racing 100m butterfly * Leading multi-million dollar deals * Parenting three kids under 10 4. When the Goggles Come Off For Good Why COVID wasn't actually what ended his second swimming career – it was something far more relatable Why This Hits Different: This isn't another "transferable skills" lecture. It's the unfiltered story of an athlete who: ➜ Walked away completely (twice) ➜ Found success in finance without playing the "former swimmer" card ➜ Proves high performance isn't about constant grind – it's about strategic comebacks "The pool taught me that failure isn't falling short – it's not showing up prepared. That lesson alone built my entire career." Listen Now If: * You've ever felt "too old" to pivot * You're struggling to translate competitive fire into career fuel * You want proof that work-life balance IS possible for type-A personalities Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io [http://www.2ndwind.io/]  Tag us @2ndwind.academy with your biggest takeaway!