In today’s episode I interview WNBA Atlanta Dream player Elizabeth Williams on playing a game with no fans (b/c of COVID-19), the value of education, and her love of jeopardy.
Elizabeth’s parents were born and raised in Nigeria. After getting married, they moved to England so her dad could enroll in pre-med classes. While there, Elizabeth was born, and shortly after, they moved to the United States.
Elizabeth started playing basketball because a family friend mentioned that Elizabeth’s tall stature could make the sport a good fit for her. So, Elizabeth joined a team and ended up loving it. Eventually, she found a trainer who turned into a mentor, and got her to believe that she could be really good at this basketball thing.
Throughout her childhood, her parents, both in the medical field, instilled the importance of education.
Elizabeth decided to go to Duke to challenge herself both off and on the court. While at Duke, she studied pre-med with the intention to become a surgeon. On the court, Elizabeth earned National Freshman of the Year and NCAA Defensive Player of the Year honors She set school records for blocking shots, and was the first duke player to be named AP all American her first two years.
After college, Elizabeth continued her career into the WNBA. She has earned accolades as WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year and is a 2017 WNBA All-Star. She has played overseas in Turkey, China and Russia, and has represented the US at the U-16-U-19 levels.
Elizabeth was playing overseas in Turkey when the COVID outbreak began, forcing the league to cancel their season.
In our conversation, Elizabeth talks about:
-what it was like playing a game with no fans (because of COVID-19)
-why she watches jeopardy every night
-the time she sat in on an 8 hour spinal surgery
-what it was like being an WNBA all-star
-her passion for education and the importance of getting kids involved in STEM
-the game she blocked 3 shots in one possession
-how she’s gotten to level 5,000 of Candy Crush
And more!
Resources:
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In today’s podcast, I interview the technical soccer goddess, Yael Averbuch.
I first knew of Yael from afar, as I watched her YouTube videos that she posted of her dribbling and juggling drills. And I was like ‘damnnnn this girl is a hard ass worker and she’s got silky smooth touches that make me feel things.’
We recently got to know each other through a mutual friend and we bonded over the fact that we are both, what I like to call, “semi psycho obsessive human beings.” Or fully psycho, depending on who you’re talking to. People who are obsessive about their dreams are my kind of people.
If you’re one of those people, I know this episode will resonate. Come join the club.
Yael won two NCAA college cups with the North Carolina Tarheels. She has won three championships during her pro career with Sky Blue FC, Western New York flash, and FC Kansas City. She’s also played overseas in Russia, Sweden, and Cyprus.
Yael has played for US at at every level of the youth national teams and represented the full team from 2007 to 2013.
In 2018, Yael was forced to step away from playing due to ulcerative colitis. Despite not currently being on the pitch, she is still heavily involved in the game. She is the executive director of the NWSL Players Association. She is also the founder of Techne Futbol, a soccer training app that provides personal training for soccer players. I highly recommend checking the app out…like I said her touches make me feel things.
In our conversation, Yael talks about:
And more.
Resources:
In today’s episode, I interview Ellevest Financial Advisor and former pro soccer player Kate Krieger.
Kate works for Ellevest, a booming start-up investing platform dedicated towards redefining investing for women. Ellevest’s mission is to close the gender investing gap and get more money into the hands of women.
I like the sound of that.
And so does Kate.
Kate played pro soccer for Seattle Reign FC, Iceland, Germany, before feeling it was time to move onto something else. She had no idea what that “something else” was.
It was through connections from her athletic career that she stumbled upon finance. She quickly found this career path to be a great fit for her as an athlete because it’s highly competitive, fast paced, you get to make relationships with people, and there is no ceiling to what you can accomplish.
Speaking of competitive, Kate got married last year and competed in a triathlon a week before her wedding and beat her husband (who is also a very competitive athlete). Girl powaaa.
That same year, she landed her financial advising position for Ellevest. I highly recommend checking out Ellevest’s insta-they are constantly putting out $$$ resources (insta lives, answering questions, posting articles) to educate women all about money.
In our conversation Kate talks about:
-why women are afraid to talk about money (there’s a stat that shows we would rather talk about our own deaths and sex than money!) and how we can change that
-why women need to invest differently than men and how to do it
-tips on how to ask for what you are worth
-the basics of investing and how you can take steps today to get dat bread
-books, podcasts, and resources to up your $$$ game
And more!
Resources:
Follow Ellevest on instagram
Check out Ellevest website
Be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other magical content HERE
In this episode, I interview firefighter, former professional soccer player, and farmer Keelin Winters Pattillo.
Keelin is a force of nature. It appears as though everything she touches turns into a success. I believe Keelin accomplishes whatever she puts her mind to because she’s one the most disciplined people I know.
Keelin grew up living in a multitude of cities around the US, as her father was a NBA coach and was constantly on the move. Although her 5 siblings chose to dedicate themselves to basketball, the sport wasn’t physical enough for Keelin. So, she chose to play soccer.
Keelin went on to play at University of Portland, earning West Coast Conference Player of the Year. She won a goal medal in the U-20 World Cup. She was drafted 6th overall in the WPS to the Boston Breakers. She’s played overseas with FFC Turbine Potsdam in Germany and the Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia. She played four years with Seattle Reign FC, winning two NWSL Shields, for finishing 1st in regular season play. She also earned a contract with full US national team.
On most of those teams, she wore the captains armband, a testament to Keelin’s supreme focus and leadership skills.
In this episode we talk about,
-why she chose to spend her honeymoon with her wife Paige living in a camper van while playing in Australia
-what it was like having five siblings, a disciplinarian mom, and an NBA-coaching dad
-how she’s in even better shape than when she was playing professionally because of living on a farm
-her decision to get dreadlocks in college and how they helped her find herself
-the make-you or break-you pressure of US national team camp
-why she retired even though she was in her prime
-the advise her sports psychologist gave her that helped immensely when she was feeling burnt out
And more!
Resources
Follow Keelin HERE
Join Friday Feelz HERE
A list of the 11 books that have had the biggest impact on my life as an athlete HERE
Be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other magical content HERE
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Yall, if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that “obsessive athlete” and “being told to hunker down” do not belong in the same sentence. Quarantine has the potential to be an athlete’s worst nightmare. But it doesn’t have to be. There are so many different ways to continue growing physically, emotionally, and mentally during this time. I’m excited to share my insights.
Yall, if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that “obsessive athlete” and “being told to hunker down” do not belong in the same sentence. Quarantine has the potential to be an athlete’s worst nightmare. But, it doesn’t have to be. There are so many different ways to continue growing physically, emotionally, and mentally during this time. I’m excited to share my insights.
In this episode I talk about:
why the advise “be positive!” makes me want to vomit
how to process the fear of missing out on big games, tournaments, trainings etc.
helpful questions to ask yourself during this uncertain time
incredible online resources I’ve found to continue exercising (if you feel called)
tools I use to determine what my body really needs for me
And more!
Just so you know, whatever you are feeling is valid as fudgsicles on a hot summer free-to-roam-wherever-you-want kind of day. Sending you lots of love <3
Resources
Schedule free one on one mentor consultation here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=18029218
Learn more about my one on one mentor program: https://arrowliving.com/1-on-1-mentoring