LFG is all about building community. How did being a college athlete prepare you for building the AthletEX community?

 Being a college athlete at a top university helped prepare me for building our AthletEX community by leveraging my team building and leadership skills, providing me with instrumental mentors and resources, and offering the knowledge and experiences needed to build a business. AthletEX is built by athletes for athletes. We strive to replicate the best parts of the athlete experience through the events and resources we offer our community– combining fitness, wellness, and social experiences. Our key offerings were inspired by mine and so many of my former teammate’s stories, their struggles with transitioning out of college sports, and out of a need to fulfill core parts of the athlete identity and community. Personally, serving as team captain, becoming an All-American and National Champion, and playing at the collegiate and professional level provided me with the drive, ambition, communication, leadership, team-building, perseverance, empathy, confidence and connections needed to build and run our community.

Which players or teams are you most excited about watching? Is there someone’s story that you connect with? 

I am most excited about watching the USWNT, the NWSL, and specifically Angel City FC. These organizations are pushing forward so many aspects of women’s soccer beyond the game  - through business development, league expansion, community and partnership campaigns, increased pay and player initiatives, and growing opportunities for current players, retired players, and future players. I love how much women’s soccer has grown in the last few years and even though my favorite player (Alex Morgan) is recently retired, I am excited for what continues to unfold in her legacy and watching the women of the USWNT and the NWSL dominate on-field, set the standard for women’s sports culture globally, and push women’s sports forward.

What is the most rewarding part of having built AthletEX? Most people think of doing things but then get stopped. Tell us how you kept going! 

The most rewarding part of building AthletEX is the genuine connections I watch happen every time we bring our community together. The athlete world is small – it is special to see so many people with such a big part of their identities in common gather together and feel instant connection, relate on shared backgrounds and experiences, become friends with those they once competed against, and continue to build on those connections outside of our events. I receive genuine “thank-you’s” all the time for building a community that provides a space to feel like you are part of a team again. That was the mission I set out on when I created AthletEX – to find your purpose and people after sport - and I get to feel the power of that mission every day.