The Sportz Lounge

Basketball to Entrepreneurship

This episode explores journey of mental health from being in a dark place to a happy place in life. Transitioning from sports to life after sports can be challenging. I had the opportunity to interview Jessica Ogunnorin. She's a top-notch serial entrepreneur from Dallas, TX. We talked about her journey from playing professional basketball to taking over the world with her multiple businesses. We discussed her trails, tribulations and mental health from playing basketball for multiple colleges and playing on 3 professional basketball teams. Jessica Ogunnorin went into details about her mental health from playing professional basketball to living her best life basketball.  Name: Jessica Ogunnorin Title: CEO and founder Brands:1. JUST ELEVATE Activewear (Motivation Clothing Line) 2. MAADGA Sports and Wellsness (fitness, mental health, nutrition) Public Speaker for panels, podcast, speeches, book clubs/, Artist (Music, Spoken Word, Podcast) Location: Dallas, TX Sport: BasketballDivision: D1 High School: ACS Athens College: UC Riverside, Stony Brook University, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityYears played: 13, 6 college, 3 years of professional ball Accolades/Awards high school: MVP - 2010 Accolades/Awards college: MVP of the week, commissioner's honor roll, certificate of achievement (GPA 3.5 or higher), All Academic Team, All Defensive Team (America East Conference), All Championship Team (American East Conference), Dean's List (Stony Brook), Outstanding Tutor of the year award, chancellor's honors list, dean's list for UC Riverside, All academic - Big West Conference Team (UC Riverside), Female Student Athlete of the Year (ACS Athens)

Basketball to Real Estate

This episode explores mental health and politics in college sports and transitioning to life after basketball. I had the opportunity to interview the great Kiara Jackson. She is a top-notch Loan Officer from Sacramento, CA. We talked about her journey from playing basketball for UC Riverside to transitioning to Real Estate world. We discussed her trails and tribulations and mental health from navigating through her basketball scholarship, dealing with politics in her basketball program, to taking over the world by being the best Loan Officer. Name: Kiara Jackson Title: Loan Officer Sport: Basketball Division: D1 College: UC Riverside & CSULA Contact: @themortgagehipster

16. Tackling the stigma of mental health

This episode explores mental health in sports, on and off the field. I interviewed Deatre Rogers, a top-notch social worker from the San Francisco Bay Area who specializes in mental health. We talk about her work in the field of mental health and resources that are available to athletes. Deatre Rogers is active in the community and talks about her work with Soul Space in Berkeley and Sacramento, Calif.

15. High school hops

I had the opportunity to interview the great Elijah Ingram. He is a community activist and the Founder of The City Lounge & Restaurant in Newark, NJ. Ingram is a top-notch D1 athlete from St. John's University and New Mexico State University. We talked about his journey from high school basketball to playing on courts internationally. We discussed his trails and tribulations, mental health and journey to owning the best bar and lounge in Newark, NJ.  Highlights: Community Activist, Founder/CEO of The City Lounge & Restaurant in Newark, NJ College - D1 athlete for St. Johns University and New Mexico State University Professional: Albuquerque Thundercats in the G - League

14. Follow your calling

In this episode, I sat down with professor, diversity trainer, TEDx Speaker and entrepreneur Dr. Shaun J. Fletcher who talked about his football career, mental health and transitioning to life after sports. Dr. Fletcher shares his journey as a top-tier collegiate athlete for San Jose State University, and later following his calling to become the Assistant Professor of Public Relations & Sport Communication at San Jose State University. Dr. Fletcher also runs the successful ShaunJFletcher Consultancy. He talks about sports mental health, issues with diversity in corporations, and the key to maintaining mental fitness during and after the game.