Okay, here’s the real story.

No Former Athlete didn’t start as a business idea.

It started with an identity crisis.

We were in the middle of the pandemic, feeling off, watching Brittany Runs a Marathon… and by the end of the movie I was signing up for an Ironman.

Why?

Because I missed being an athlete.

Not the glory.

Not the applause.

The identity.

The structure.

The validation.

The feeling of knowing exactly what I was good at.

No one prepares you for the day your sport ends.

It just… ends.

And then you wake up the next morning and you’re still the same human —

but you don’t have practice anymore.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why “former athlete” feels like a gut punch
• How self-worth gets wrapped up in performance
• Why athletes are told to “just move on”
• The grief nobody names
• And why you don’t actually have to stop identifying as an athlete

This isn’t about living in the glory days.

It’s about mental health.

It’s about acknowledging the part of you that trained for two decades and didn’t just disappear because society said it should.

If you’ve ever wondered:

“Why does this still affect me 10 years later?”

“Why do I miss something I chose to stop?”

“Why does draining a shot still feel like proof I’m good at something?”

You’re not alone.

You’re a No Former Athlete.

And we’re done pretending that part of us is supposed to vanish.

From Competitive Cheerleader to Women’s Sports Broadcaster | Athlete Identity After Sport with Ari

Most people assume Ari played basketball.

She’s 6 feet tall. She covers women’s sports. It feels obvious.

But her athletic background?

Taekwondo. Gymnastics. Competitive all-star cheer. Volleyball.

Use code ARIPOD to get a special discount to get lifetime access on the NFA Breathe Here Now Virtual Breathwork session. https://bit.ly/Ari-Breathwork

In this episode of the No Former Athlete Podcast, Ari shares her full athletic journey — from earning a black belt at 4 years old to competing in Division I cheer, to navigating a medical situation that abruptly ended her volleyball career.

We talk about:

• The physical reality of competitive cheerleading (and why it’s one of the most demanding sports)
• Growing up tall in gymnastics
• Losing a sport unexpectedly
• Transitioning out of team athletics
• Redirecting competitive energy into career and entrepreneurship
• Founding Highlighter and building a platform for women’s sports
• The perfectionism that follows athletes into adulthood
• Why women’s sports advocacy is her life’s work

This conversation goes deep into athlete identity after sport, chasing perfection outside of competition, and what it means to still be an athlete long after the uniform comes off.

If you’ve ever struggled with life after sports, leaving a team environment, or redefining what winning looks like — this episode is for you.

Are you an athlete?

Ari’s answer: Always. Forever. Even if it looks different now.

Use code ARIPOD to get a special discount to get lifetime access on the NFA Breathe Here Now Virtual Breathwork session. https://bit.ly/Ari-Breathwork

What happens when the thing that defined you… ends?

In this episode of No Former Athlete, Brad Hauter opens up about life after sport — from being told he’d never play again, to playing professionally for 10 years, to chasing validation long after the crowd was gone.

We talk athlete identity, fake dopamine, ego, grief, and the emotional crash that comes when the season ends — sometimes over and over again. Brad shares what finally helped him find grounding, purpose, and relevance beyond the game.

If you’ve ever felt lost without the structure, validation, or identity of sport — you’re not alone.

In this episode of No Former Athlete, we sit down with Megan, a former D1 soccer player whose career ended suddenly after multiple concussions. What followed wasn’t just an exit from the game—it was a full identity reckoning.

We talk about control issues athletes carry into adulthood, why rest can feel like failure, and how so many no former athletes (NoFos) replace sport with work, productivity, or “impressive” job titles just to feel valuable again. Megan opens up about living with unfinished business, navigating invisible injuries, staying close to sport through her career, and learning how to ask a harder question: Who am I doing this for now?

This conversation explores:

• Losing sport before you’re ready
• Why athletes struggle with rest and free time
• Identity after injury and retirement
• The pressure to stay “impressive” post-sport
• Working in sports vs. healing from sport
• Learning to sit in success instead of chasing the next goal

If you’ve ever felt anxious without a schedule, uncomfortable slowing down, or unsure who you are outside performance—this one will hi

Ever look back at your high school athlete days and think, “Damn, who was that person?” Same. In this episode, Brandi takes us on a hilarious, honest, and nostalgic ride from being a basketball star to figuring out who she is after the final buzzer.

We talk college hoops drama, identity crises, career pivots, concussions, and why walking away from the game might’ve been the best move she ever made.

Now a director and creative entrepreneur, Brandi shares how her athlete mindset still drives her — just in a different arena. If you’ve ever felt lost after leaving something that defined you, this one’s for you.

In this episode:

– “I used to be an athlete” moments 😂

– Why college ball wasn’t it

– Career burnout & the pressure to “figure it out” by 30

– Turning creative hustle into a career

– Rebuilding identity after sport

Are you still an athlete if you’re not competing anymore?

In this episode of No Former Athlete, we sit down with Zach, a former collegiate baseball player, to talk about the moment sport ends—and everything that quietly comes after it.

Zach opens up about how his brain still defines “athlete,” why adult leagues don’t quite count, and what it actually felt like to hang up the cleats. From checking his college stats after graduating to see if he could’ve redshirted… to giving a final speech that was supposed to bring closure (but didn’t)… this conversation captures the subtle grief, confusion, and identity friction so many no former athletes carry without realizing it.

We talk about why it’s so hard to work out when you’re no longer training for something, why being “coached” in fitness settings can feel deeply uncomfortable post-sport, and how much we miss the parts no one warns you about—the locker room jokes, the bus rides, the in-between moments of practice, and working toward one shared goal with your people.

This episode isn’t about wanting to go back. It’s about understanding why that part of you never fully leaves—and how no former athletes learn to carry it forward into work, relationships, and everyday life.

In this episode, we explore:

• How NoFos define “athlete” after competition ends
• The emotional whiplash of knowing it’s over—but not feeling done
• Why many athletes stop training when sport disappears
• Missing the team more than the games
• Why adult leagues feel both healing and frustrating
• Finding competition, purpose, and camaraderie post-sport

If you’ve ever thought, “Mentally, I’m still an athlete… but I don’t know where that part of me fits anymore,” this episode is for you.

What happens when being an athlete is all you’ve ever known — and then it’s suddenly taken away?

In this episode of No Former Athlete, Kelly Balch opens up about growing up as a multi-sport athlete, earning a soccer scholarship as a goalkeeper, and competing at a high level — only to lose her senior season two practices in. What followed wasn’t just the end of a career, but a deep identity rupture she didn’t fully grieve until years later.

Kelly shares what it felt like to not “look like” an athlete anymore, dating her teammate in secret at a religious school, and compartmentalizing her pain by killing off her athlete identity and becoming an artist instead. We talk about her last game in Italy, exchanging jerseys after a win, and the long-term impact of athlete mindset on creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

This is a conversation about grief, identity, queerness, ambition, and what it really means to still be an athlete — long after the games end.

If you’ve ever lost a version of yourself you thought defined you, this episode is for you.

This week on No Former Athlete, we sit down with BJ Beckwith — co-host of the Just Women’s Sports: Sports Are Fun podcast — for one of the most honest, refreshing conversations we’ve ever had about identity, pressure, and choosing your own path.

BJ grew up in a D1 household.

A sister who played D1.

A dad in two Hall of Fames.

A family where sports weren’t just a hobby… they were the blueprint.

And then one day, BJ realized something he never expected:

He didn’t want the life everyone assumed he’d chase.

Not the recruiting calls.

Not the pressure.

Not choosing “the right sport” at 14.

Not sacrificing the once-in-a-lifetime moments of high school for playing time.

What followed is a story every no former athlete will feel in their bones — the tug of expectations, the fear of disappointing people, the shock of stepping onto a college campus without the title “student-athlete,” and the messy journey of rebuilding identity on your own terms.

We break down:

• Growing up in a high-performance sports family

• Rejecting the D1 path and choosing your version of success

• Queerness, locker rooms, and redefining belonging

• Learning to compete for joy instead of survival

• Finding community again through running, club teams, and adult rec sports

• The unexpected path that led BJ to become a voice in women’s sports

• Why your athlete identity never leaves — it just evolves

This episode is a reminder that:

You don’t lose your athlete identity when you stop playing.You reclaim it.

If you’ve ever questioned who you are without the jersey… this one is going to land deep.