The Athlete2Business Podcast

About The Athlete2Business Podcast

Welcome to the Athlete2Business Podcast – where former athletes showcase their success in business. This is the go-to podcast for athletes who want to dominate their next chapter beyond sports. We dive into the real, raw stories of former athletes who have turned their competitive edge into thriving business careers. Not only will you learn how to transition with confidence, but you’ll also discover why athletes make some of the most successful business leaders. Whether you're planning your next move or already in the game, this podcast is your playbook for winning in business after sports. Game on!

Publisher

Athlete2Business

Category

business · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Dec 2023

Latest episode

15 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

65 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Sept 2026

   #65 - Michael Rix - From AFL footy to chief of staff in NYC

   Most athletes think their playing career is the hard part. Michael Ricks (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldavidrix/) proves the real edge is what comes after — and how you turn rejection, reinvention, and raw resilience into a high-performing business career. From late-blooming AFL rookie to engineering, Shell, McKinsey, and now Chief of Staff at eGym in New York, Michael shares the exact mindset that carried him through delistings, failed interviews, global moves, and high-stakes roles across wildly different industries. You’ll discover: Why Michael didn’t get drafted until 23 and how he still carved out a successful AFL career The “make the spreadsheet” method he used to map his next move after football How he trained for consulting interviews like an elite athlete trains for finals Why McKinsey became a crash course in preparation, commercial thinking, and influence The transferable skills athletes already have — and the ones they still need to build Michael also opens up about the emotional side of transition, including the sting of being delisted, the importance of letting failure hurt before moving on, and why the locker room bond is so hard to replace in corporate life. We also get into his extraordinary time working across Malaysia, Nigeria, and Houston, including a wild story involving a kidnapping, a British consulate rescue effort, and a Nokia phone negotiation that sounds more like a movie script than real life. This episode is essential listening if you’re an athlete navigating life after sport, a leader looking to understand athlete talent, or anyone trying to build a career that can survive change, pressure, and uncertainty. Michael’s story is a reminder that the skills forged in sport can absolutely translate — if you know how to tell the story, do the work, and keep running toward the next opportunity. Michael Ricks is Chief of Staff at eGym in New York and a former AFL player whose career has spanned elite sport, engineering, strategy, and consulting. His path shows what’s possible when resilience meets preparation.

2. 

   17 Aug 2026

   #64 - Philip Hover-Smoot - How to be relentless in chasing your dreams

   What if the next great sport doesn’t happen in a stadium — but in orbit? In this episode, I sat down with Philip Hover-Smoot, founder of Atlas Cup, to explore his ambitious vision for competitive spacecraft racing. Philip explains how satellites could race through space, why storytelling is the real key to making the sport resonate, and how the venture could create an entirely new global media and sponsorship category. We also talk about entrepreneurship, endurance training, sleep, discipline, and the trade-offs of building something that never really leaves your mind.

3. 

   21 Jul 2026

   #63 – Dorry Kordahi – Towel Boy to Co-Owner of the Sydney Kings: What Basketball Taught a Garage Entrepreneur About Building Global Businesses

   Dorry Kordahi failed his HSC, has no university degree, and started his business from a table in his parents' garage with no clients and no capital. Twenty four years later he runs DKM Blue, one of Australia's most respected promotional merchandise agencies, co-owns the Sydney Kings, and built Swanky Socks from a $40,000 hobby into a global brand shifting over 3.5 million socks a year. In this episode, Dorry breaks down the mindset that got him there — including why he deliberately maps out every negative before he takes a single step forward, and how that mental rehearsal has meant he's never experienced what he'd call a catastrophic failure. He also gets into what basketball gave him that no degree could, how he spotted gaps in markets nobody else wanted to go near, why he went to China at 25 when the whole industry said don't, and what he actually said to Glenn Saville and the Sydney Kings squad when he walked into the locker room as a 33 year old co-owner. Raw, honest and full of lessons for any athlete thinking about what business can look like after sport.

Who has been a guest on The Athlete2Business Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Nour Ettaieb
• Bill Gordin
• Matt Waugh
• AJ Walters
• Jason Cadee

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 4 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

9

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact The Athlete2Business Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about The Athlete2Business Podcast