20 years ago, I felt blindsided. After my final collegiate game, I was now a former athlete who was struggling. The teammates, the training, and the motivational support are gone. In a heartbeat. No one prepares you for this change. No one talks about this change. I thought I was the only one feeling this way. I navigated this on my own, and my life after sport moved on.

Fast forward 20 years. I came across an article about the mental and physical challenges retired athletes often face. It was like someone had transported me back in time. I was flashing back, consoling my 21-year-old self. All these feelings surfaced. It wasn't me all along; this is real. This emotional validation was so powerful. In an unexpected way, it was healing for me.

Now here we are at this peak moment. A personal breakthrough followed, and then came the worst part. Realizing nothing has changed. Wait, how is that possible? With all the human and technological advances we have made in the past two decades, athletes still have limited resources today. To me, it's one of the great travesties in athletics.

But next came an even harsher truth. The reality is athletes are no longer prioritized when they retire. The sporting world moves on without us. To the next great athlete and championship pursuits. That fundamental truth has not changed over time, and culturally, we have not been able to scale a support system to make the most meaningful impact.

This ignited a fire in me. Knowing that retiring athletes like you reading this are still faced to go at this alone. You might ask why does it even matter to me after all these years? There is something greater for me to give back to athletes. My personal experience changed everything. It’s a driving force I cannot explain, it's something I feel.

That’s how United After Sport was born. The idea that if we, as athletes and former athletes, come together to be the solution to this problem. It’s rooted in a greater purpose. A belief that athletes can be the solution to this long-standing challenge.

Here is my dream. If former athletes come together. 1x1, sport by sport, country by country, and share their stories and journeys, we can build something greater than all us. A community and support system that will far outlive all of us. Something we can pass onto all future generations of athletes.

And If you are the next generation of retiring athletes, this is for you. A place to discover the wisdom and insight of all those who have come before you. To hear the very best of what others have already figured out. Where you can come listen to their success stories while creating your own. Then one day you too can pay it forward and share your stories with the next generation.

If you believe, like I believe, in the power of this collective, then come stand united with us.