The Athlete2Business Podcast

Athlete2Business
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Welcome to the Athlete2Business Podcast – where former athletes showcase their success in business. This is the go-to podcast for athletes who want to dominate their next chapter beyond sports. We dive into the real, raw stories of former athletes who have turned their competitive edge into thriving business careers. Not only will you learn how to transition with confidence, but you’ll also discover why athletes make some of the most successful business leaders. Whether you're planning your next move or already in the game, this podcast is your playbook for winning in business after sports. Game on!

  1. Sep 15

    #65 - Michael Rix - From AFL footy to chief of staff in NYC

    Most athletes think their playing career is the hard part. Michael Ricks proves the real edge is what comes after — and how you turn rejection, reinvention, and raw resilience into a high-performing business career. From late-blooming AFL rookie to engineering, Shell, McKinsey, and now Chief of Staff at eGym in New York, Michael shares the exact mindset that carried him through delistings, failed interviews, global moves, and high-stakes roles across wildly different industries. You’ll discover: Why Michael didn’t get drafted until 23 and how he still carved out a successful AFL careerThe “make the spreadsheet” method he used to map his next move after footballHow he trained for consulting interviews like an elite athlete trains for finalsWhy McKinsey became a crash course in preparation, commercial thinking, and influenceThe transferable skills athletes already have — and the ones they still need to buildMichael also opens up about the emotional side of transition, including the sting of being delisted, the importance of letting failure hurt before moving on, and why the locker room bond is so hard to replace in corporate life. We also get into his extraordinary time working across Malaysia, Nigeria, and Houston, including a wild story involving a kidnapping, a British consulate rescue effort, and a Nokia phone negotiation that sounds more like a movie script than real life. This episode is essential listening if you’re an athlete navigating life after sport, a leader looking to understand athlete talent, or anyone trying to build a career that can survive change, pressure, and uncertainty. Michael’s story is a reminder that the skills forged in sport can absolutely translate — if you know how to tell the story, do the work, and keep running toward the next opportunity. Michael Ricks is Chief of Staff at eGym in New York and a former AFL player whose career has spanned elite sport, engineering, strategy, and consulting. His path shows what’s possible when resilience meets preparation.

    #65 - Michael Rix - From AFL footy to chief of staff in NYC

  2. Aug 17

    #64 - Philip Hover-Smoot - How to be relentless in chasing your dreams

    What if the next great sport doesn’t happen in a stadium — but in orbit? In this episode, I sat down with Philip Hover-Smoot, founder of Atlas Cup, to explore his ambitious vision for competitive spacecraft racing. Philip explains how satellites could race through space, why storytelling is the real key to making the sport resonate, and how the venture could create an entirely new global media and sponsorship category. We also talk about entrepreneurship, endurance training, sleep, discipline, and the trade-offs of building something that never really leaves your mind.

    #64 - Philip Hover-Smoot - How to be relentless in chasing your dreams

  3. Jul 21

    #63 – Dorry Kordahi – Towel Boy to Co-Owner of the Sydney Kings: What Basketball Taught a Garage Entrepreneur About Building Global Businesses

    Dorry Kordahi failed his HSC, has no university degree, and started his business from a table in his parents' garage with no clients and no capital. Twenty four years later he runs DKM Blue, one of Australia's most respected promotional merchandise agencies, co-owns the Sydney Kings, and built Swanky Socks from a $40,000 hobby into a global brand shifting over 3.5 million socks a year. In this episode, Dorry breaks down the mindset that got him there — including why he deliberately maps out every negative before he takes a single step forward, and how that mental rehearsal has meant he's never experienced what he'd call a catastrophic failure. He also gets into what basketball gave him that no degree could, how he spotted gaps in markets nobody else wanted to go near, why he went to China at 25 when the whole industry said don't, and what he actually said to Glenn Saville and the Sydney Kings squad when he walked into the locker room as a 33 year old co-owner. Raw, honest and full of lessons for any athlete thinking about what business can look like after sport.

    #63 – Dorry Kordahi – Towel Boy to Co-Owner of the Sydney Kings: What Basketball Taught a Garage Entrepreneur About Building Global Businesses

  4. Jun 29

    #62 – Susannah Klean – Headhunting CEOs, High Performance Habits and Why Athletes Make the Best Hires: Lessons From a Decade at the Top of Executive Recruitment

    Susannah Klean has spent a decade recruiting CEOs, founders and heads of investment banks and private equity funds. She works at the very top of the market and she's seen what separates the people who get there from the ones who don't. In this episode, Susannah breaks down the high performance habits she sees consistently in the highest earning, highest performing leaders she works with — and why athletic background keeps coming up as the common thread. She also gets into corporate wellness, why deals are now being cut in saunas instead of pubs, fasting, breath work and the 30 to 60 day habit challenge she believes every high performer needs to do. She also shares her take on AI in recruitment, why the human element of placing people at the top level can never be replaced, and the wellness concept she's building to connect leaders in a completely different environment. Raw, honest and genuinely fascinating from someone who sits inside the world most people only read about.

    #62 – Susannah Klean – Headhunting CEOs, High Performance Habits and Why Athletes Make the Best Hires: Lessons From a Decade at the Top of Executive Recruitment

  5. Jun 8

    #61 – Jack Oujo – Too Smart to Be an Umpire, Too Hungry to Fail

    Jack Oujo spent 8 years grinding through the minor leagues as a professional baseball umpire. 1,500 games. Rock bottom pay. One shot at the majors. At 30, he got released. A supervisor told him he was "too smart to be an umpire." So he went back to zero. Ernst & Young hired him. He studied every single night for four straight years — CPA, CFP, Master's in Taxation, securities and insurance licences — while working full time, not knowing exactly where it would lead. It led to Oujo Wealth Strategies, one of the nation's largest tax-focused wealth management firms, and a seven-figure income built on the same process-driven discipline he learned calling balls and strikes behind home plate. Jack breaks down how he navigated the identity crisis of leaving sport, why your athletic work ethic doesn't disappear when the career ends, and the mindset shift that took him from counting hats in an audit room to managing wealth for some of America's most successful people. His new book, Too Smart to Be an Umpire, is out now.

    #61 – Jack Oujo – Too Smart to Be an Umpire, Too Hungry to Fail

  6. May 19

    #60 – Ben Madgen – NBL Rookie of the Year to Wealth Management: How to Back Yourself After Sport

    Ben Madgen won NBL Rookie of the Year in his first professional season after being dropped after just four games. He went on to captain the Sydney Kings, play in Europe against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, complete a 14 year MBA, become CEO of the Sydney Basketball Association; and then walked away from everything he knew to start again from scratch in wealth management. In this episode Ben opens up about growing up as a late bloomer in South Australia, how adversity at a young age became his superpower, and the frameworks behind having difficult conversations that shaped him as a leader and captain. We get into the 80 coffees he had before landing his role, how he pitched a job that did not exist, why your network as an athlete is bigger than you realise and the financial advice he wishes someone had given him earlier in his career. If you are an athlete figuring out what comes next, or someone mid transition wondering whether the grind is worth it; Ben's story is proof that backing yourself and getting out of your comfort zone is always the right call. Hosted by Alex Opacic, founder of Athlete2Business and former professional basketball player. 🎧 Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. 📲 Follow us on Instagram @athlete2business 🔗 Learn more at athlete2business.com

    #60 – Ben Madgen – NBL Rookie of the Year to Wealth Management: How to Back Yourself After Sport

  7. May 7

    #59 - Patricia Amalm - 10m Platform to Med-Tech Leader. How an Olympian Found Her Second Sport in Sales

    What happens when an Olympic diver hangs up her chamois and walks into a pharmaceutical sales role with zero experience, and then spends 15 years quietly becoming one of the best in the medical device space? That's exactly what happened with this week's guest, Patricia; former Australian Olympian in platform diving (Sydney 2000) and now Head of Regenerative Aesthetics and Medicine. In this episode, Alex and Patricia get into the full journey: growing up at the pool chasing her brother, making the national team, competing at a home Olympics, dealing with injury at the event, and then navigating the messy, non-linear path into a career she didn't plan for. They cover: Why Trish didn't fall in love with sales until year 15 (and what finally changed) How the discipline of elite diving translated directly into business performance Why sales is the best unpaid university degree you'll ever get, except it pays you The leadership principle she borrowed from her coachWhat athletes get wrong about sales (hint: it's not about pitching) This one is for every former athlete who's ever thought "what now?" and who hasn't quite found their second sport yet. 🎙️ Presented by Athlete2Business | athlete2business.com

    #59 - Patricia Amalm - 10m Platform to Med-Tech Leader. How an Olympian Found Her Second Sport in Sales

  8. Apr 20

    #58 – Michael Reid – From Enterprise Sales to Entrepreneurship: Mindset, Manifestation and the Leap of Faith

    Michael Reid is back for round two — and a lot has changed since we last spoke. In his first episode, Michael broke down the mechanics of high level enterprise sales. This time, he opens up about walking away from all of it. The secure salary, the corporate ladder, the identity he'd built over 15 years — and why he gave it all up to bet on himself. We get into the raw reality of leaving corporate for real estate, nearly going broke, discovering high ticket sales, and how one conversation with a mindset coach changed the entire direction of his life. Michael now runs his own mindset coaching business and in this episode he breaks down the science behind manifestation, why your subconscious mind is either working for you or against you, and the daily practices that separate people who achieve their goals from those who just talk about them. This one goes deep. Whether you're an athlete figuring out your next move, an entrepreneur in the middle of a leap of faith, or someone who just knows there's more — this episode will hit differently. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify.

    #58 – Michael Reid – From Enterprise Sales to Entrepreneurship: Mindset, Manifestation and the Leap of Faith
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About

Welcome to the Athlete2Business Podcast – where former athletes showcase their success in business. This is the go-to podcast for athletes who want to dominate their next chapter beyond sports. We dive into the real, raw stories of former athletes who have turned their competitive edge into thriving business careers. Not only will you learn how to transition with confidence, but you’ll also discover why athletes make some of the most successful business leaders. Whether you're planning your next move or already in the game, this podcast is your playbook for winning in business after sports. Game on!

Information

  • Creator
    Athlete2Business
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Athlete2Business
  • Show Website
    The Athlete2Business Podcast