From professional footballer to athlete career coach - with Ryan Gonsalves of 2nd Wind

Change Work Life

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#173: Ryan Gonsalves is a former professional footballer and founder of 2ndwind Academy, a platform empowering former elite athletes in their transition to fulfilling careers. He explains the transferable skills professional athletes have, the challenges athletes face when their career ends and how to make the most of new opportunities.
What you’ll learn

• [1:34] Why Ryan wanted to coach elite athletes.
• [2:16] The unique challenges elite athletes face when they stop competing in their sport.
• [3:10] The way your career is linked with your identity.
• [4:10] The limited lifespan of being a professional athlete.
• [6:38] The players Ryan Gonsalves played with at Leeds United.
• [7:47] How Ryan became a professional footballer.
• [9:26] Why Ryan wanted to play football professionally.
• [12:47] The goals Ryan had for his footballing career.
• [14:38] What Ryan’s career as a professional footballer looked like.
• [17:06] What it means to be a semi-professional footballer.
• [18:08] How Ryan’s mother influenced his decision to stop playing professional football.
• [19:45] The amount you can learn from life regrets.
• [23:47] The continuous pressure professional footballers are under.
• [27:09] How Ryan transitioned to a more conventional life and career.
• [31:20] The amount of luck involved with being successful.
• [32:36] How to get more luck in your life.
• [35:23] How Ryan got a job working with HSBC in Hong Kong.
• [37:25] The importance of being optimistic about new opportunities.
• [38:52] Why Ryan transitioned from banking to career coach.
• [41:00] How what you value in life can change over time.
• [42:38] How Ryan started the 2nd Wind Academy.
• [43:13] The ways Ryan wants 2nd Wind to grow and expand.
• [44:24] The essential nature of human-played sports as entertainment.
• [45:52] The transferable communication skills you learn as a sportsman.
• [47:25] The value of feedback in the workplace.

Resources mentioned in this episode

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• Thanks for the Feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen

For the show notes for this episode, including a full transcript and links to all the resources mentioned, visit:
https://changeworklife.com/from-professional-footballer-to-athlete-career-coach/

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