Today’s guest on Something Like the Offseason is Jordan Clarke. Jordan was a standout collegiate basketball player at Drake before playing professionally overseas in Denmark, England, Chile, and Argentina. Today, Jordan is a Director in Nike’s Corporate Strategy and Development Group. Prior to Nike, Jordan was a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group. At BCG, he developed deep expertise in Consumer (Fashion and Luxury, Apparel, and Retail) and Private Equity (Commercial Due Diligences, Vendor Due Diligences, and Market Landscapes). He holds an MBA from Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a BBA in Finance from Drake University.

During their conversation Jordan answers Micah’s big four questions before diving into his playing days, his injury history and the silver linings they brought about, the transferable skills he took from sports to the corporate world, how to build confidence in a new environment, and a whole lot more.

Follow Jordan: LinkedIn | Instagram

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

Destined for Next Level (00:15)

Toughest Matchup (02:54)

Player Who Didn’t Get Their Chance (04:55)

Nicest Thing Coach Ever Did (07:33)

The Decision to Play Overseas (09:03)

Injuries Brought Perspective (12:42)

Holding On to Ball Taught Preparation (16:22)

The Transferable Skills Sports Taught (19:33)

Building Confidence in a New Environment (23:42)

One Thing You Got Wrong About the Business World (27:56)

Working at Nike (30:45)

Where to Get In Touch with Jordan (33:38)

Projects on the Horizon (35:17)

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Today’s guest on Something Like the Offseason is Jerel Worthy. Jerel was a 2x All American defensive end at Michigan State, and had a long and successful career in the NFL, most notably with the Packers and Bills. He’s stayed around the game post-player career in one of the more unique ways we’ve seen with his role as Business Development Manager at Kiewit where he is in the decision making rooms on stadium building projects among others. He’s a man who persevered through some low points to reach the height of his sport, and has always kept community and family a focus through it all, both of which shine through and are spoken to in today’s episode.

During their conversation Jerel of course answers Micah’s big four questions regarding his playing days, then the two of them get into how Jerel prepared himself for the end of his playing career, becoming a decision maker off the field, the importance of sharing and educating your community, his two P’s patient and preparedness, and a bunch more!

Follow Jerel: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

Destined for the Next Level (01:40)

Toughest Competition You Faced (10:10)

Player Who Didn’t Get Their Fair Shot (18:45)

Nicest Thing Coach Ever Did (23:21)

Being Prepared for Whenever the End Comes (26:27)

Being the Entertainment vs Being the Decision Maker (31:53)

Advice You Wish You Knew for Navigating Corporate America (37:15)

Delivering For Yourself and Your Community (40:16)

Be Patient and Prepared (44:58)

Where to Get In Touch with Jerel (50:00)

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Today’s guest on Something Like the Offseason is Branden Bufford. Branden played football at Howard, before making stops with the Detroit Lions in the NFL and the Chicago Rush in the Arena League. Post ball Branden has gone on to build a career in the education world while simultaneously building out a real estate portfolio across the Detroit area.

During their conversation Branden starts off by answering Micah’s big four questions, before getting into how and when his football career ended, the choice to pursue a career in education, representing your family and community, how he found real estate, learning to make his time work for him, and much more.

Follow Branden: LinkedIn

In Detroit and looking for a new home? Check out Bufford Properties!

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

Moment You Knew You’d Get to Next Level (01:25)

Toughest Person You Went Against (03:53)

Player Who Didn’t Get Their Chance (05:21)

Nicest Thing Coach Ever Did (07:23)

Getting Cut From Two Leagues (07:59)

Choosing to Go Into Education (11:59)

Representing Your Community (13:17)

Finding Real Estate and Being Inspired by Family (14:45)

Not Getting Analysis Paralysis (18:45)

Finding Confidence In Yourself (21:05)

Carrying Patterns and Self Belief Over to New Arenas (25:05)

Take a Seat and Grind (27:35)

Learning How Best to Use Your Time (30:35)

Lesson You Had To Learn Post Ball (32:50)

How to Connect With Branden (36:15)

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