Are you still an athlete if you're not competing anymore?
In this episode of No Former Athlete, I sit down with one of my best friends and former college basketball teammates, Allie Ross, for a raw and honest conversation about what happens after sports end.

We talk about the identity crisis that hits when the season’s over, how external validation shaped our entire self-worth, why we both shoved our "athlete selves" into a box and hid it under the bed — and how we’re slowly learning to reclaim that identity on our own terms.

This conversation is about more than sports — it’s about grief, transition, healing, and the complicated journey of figuring out who you are when the jersey comes off.

👉 Topics We Cover:

• Athlete identity after college

• The emotional fallout of “the last game”

• Compartmentalization and emotional regulation

• The pressure to always have a goal

• Using fitness (like triathlon) to feel “valid” again

• Learning to feel without performance

Whether you’re a former athlete or just someone who’s ever asked, “Who am I now?” — this one’s for you.

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Jax—athlete, entrepreneur, and founder of California’s first sports bar dedicated to women’s sports, Watch Me. Jax opens up about reclaiming her athlete identity, navigating identity shifts post-sport, and the fire that fueled her journey from JV standout to community trailblazer. We talk about what it means to start before you’re ready, building safe spaces, and how sports continue to shape our drive, self-worth, and vision. This one’s for anyone who’s ever struggled to find their place after the final whistle.

She Walked Away from the Game — and Found Herself Again

In this episode of No Former Athlete, Jerrica Brooks keeps it real about what it’s like to grow up loving a sport that doesn’t always love you back.

We get into the highs of high school hoops, the pain of toxic coaching, and how stepping away from basketball for six years ended up being one of the most important moves of her life.

This episode includes:

– What happens when your identity is your sport

– The mental/emotional burnout no one warns you about

– Being Black, gay, and constantly underestimated

– Learning how to feel feelings (?!?) in your 30s

– Reconnecting with joy — on and off the court

This one’s for the athletes, the ex-athletes, and anyone out there trying to figure out who they are when the jersey comes off.

Make sure to follow, and tell us in the comments:

What did sport teach you about YOU?