It's spring, a season of rebirth and blooming. We are in the second quarter of 2022, a new year and new hope after so much difficulty the past few years. And the DEIBJ office has OFFICIALLY launched!
What is most important about transition and change is that it's not easy; it's after months and years of "planting the seeds" that we get to watch the beginnings of new growth rise above the surface. And I would be remiss to not acknowledge what is happening globally. As millions flee Ukraine in a global war that affects us all, we are tasked with assessing our options and being grateful for what we have while planting the seeds to begin anew.
It is difficult to sum up what "transition" and "change" mean. While some grieve the death of a loved one, others celebrate the birth of children, a new business, or a new dream. While some have lost jobs and livelihoods, others are launching new careers and new businesses.
What does this have to do with Cal student-athletes? Everything. Because I was one. And I am a proud alumna. Little did I know that my experience as a Cal student-athlete would transcend every single career path I have taken since graduating in 1994. Eek – that feels so long ago and yet I remember it like it was yesterday.
My experience at Cal felt like my favorite pair of jeans. I never want to take them off. I bleed Blue and Gold. Do I think my experience was perfect? Nope - I actually quit the women's soccer team my senior year due to differences with the coach, yet I still maintained my scholarship. I cannot tell you how hard it was to walk away - to leave everything I knew to worlds unknown.
I graduated with a psychology degree and also minored in African American studies. My favorite professors challenged me to think outside of the box and to expand my horizons and question my privileges. But what does a psychology graduate do when so many other students graduated with the same degree? I chose to go back to school and to obtain my Master's Degree and moved to Michigan to become a family therapist.
I pursued my first career with the same vigor I pursued soccer. I put my heart and soul into my sport and into my career. Becoming a family therapist at the young age of 25 only to become disheartened by the reality of the world and the abuses we inflict upon children was a hard pill to swallow. At age 29, I left the career I had spent my entire education pursuing. It was the second time I left something I had put my heart and soul into: first soccer, and then my first career.
The move to Michigan was difficult and the lessons I learned there are many: Don't be afraid to move and try something new. You aren't stuck. You can move. You can adapt. You can grow. If you so choose.
Once I left the field of therapy, I chose to move again. This time to Colorado and began a career in sales - a very common experience for college athletes. Companies pursue college athletes because we are primed to take on risk, we are disciplined, and many of us are team oriented. Don't let companies describe your athletic experiences as "soft skills". These intangibles are highly sought after and qualities for which you should be proud.
However, there are no guarantees in life. Just because you are a collegiate athlete does not promise that you will be successful outside of your sport. Just because you have a degree doesn't mean that you are guaranteed a job. So how do you tip the scales in your favor upon graduation?
Obtaining a job and finding a career path are two different things. When I work with my clients, I help them tap into what they love the most about their sport and experiences and look for areas of interest that are relevant in jobs or businesses. Being a beginner again is something that many of us have difficulty doing. But you can make a game out of searching for a job. Who do you want to meet? What jobs seem interesting to you? And what do you NOT want to do?
In 2010, after years in sales, I found myself lost. I didn't have any passion for my career at the time and was just going through the motions. I missed playing soccer and I had to retire due to injury. And that's when I took a giant leap of faith and bet on myself. I quit my corporate job and decided to build a business in the middle of the recession.
I tapped into my strengths as an athlete and applied those skills to becoming a business owner. And while soccer is a team sport, becoming an entrepreneur is the ultimate team sport because people are depending on you in more ways than one. To be successful, I found mentors and coaches. I tapped into my network and asked to learn from others. I worked side by side with people who were doing what I wanted to do and I learned from them. And I designed my own business, growing it over 10 years to eventually sell it in 2020.
In January 2022, I wrote a book about my journey from athlete to entrepreneurship and how soccer principles gave me all of the tools I needed to design my business and to coach others my way.
At some point, we all leave our sport and stop competing, but that doesn't mean being an athlete ever goes away. I was, first and foremost, an athlete, and I work with athletes now as a soccer coach and business coach and help others create their own teams and expand their dreams again.
Find joy in your journey. Plant seeds. See what grows and water where you are wanted and appreciated. Spread your wings and your heart muscles to pursue your dreams in and outside of your sport. Tap into new opportunities and take a chance on yourself. You have one life, but many chapters have yet to be written. New beginnings don't have to be scary. After all, if you have already been successful, you can be successful in many other areas as well. And no one can take your experiences away from you - just look forward to adding to the trophy collection in different ways. Happy Spring!
Kim Brady is a former Cal women's soccer student-athlete.
