I knew there was a ‘problem’ when I recognised that I was still introducing myself as a lacrosse player 15 years after I’d stopped playing.
I was still holding onto an old identity; I was still attached to the sense of who I was when I was 24 years old.
This was 2009 and there wasn’t the same level of awareness of ‘athlete transition’ – the challenge of navigating to a life beyond sport.
I’d just started work at Lane4 so there were lots of other former athletes for me to talk to and I recognised I wasn’t alone.
So, I started doing some research, interviewing other athletes about their own experience of leaving sport.
The more people I spoke to, the less alone I felt, the more I realised how common this challenge was. Our athlete identity is our way of navigating the world, it is how we create a sense of self that is strong and successful, so much of our life is tied to the training we do and the games we play. Our sport is not just what we do, it is who we are.
And I recognised I was still holding onto this.
Over a couple of years, I interviewed over 100 athletes. What I noticed was that whilst everyone had their unique story there were common themes, similarities we all shared. Most importantly, I realised that the conversations were not just helpful for me, helping me make sense of my own journey but they were helpful to the people I was interviewing.
There was real value in recognising the shared experiences, an opportunity to talk openly about things that we thought no-one else was going through or would understand.
In sharing and listening to other stories there was a growing sense of reassurance and security in knowing that others had already walked this path – inspired by those who were a bit farther ahead, heartened to recognise how far we had already come, the mutual benefit of being with like-minded people, united by a common language and a common experience regardless of the sport they played, exploring something of the humanity within each other’s stories.
I knew this was important work. I approached Sheffield University and together we found funding for a PhD. As part of that work, we wanted to design an intervention that would help athletes with their transition. A programme focussed on the emotional journey of change, a deep dive into mindset and identity. This wasn’t just a way to relocate, of transferring the mindset from one environment to another but a way to support real transition, to help transform and expand the identity as a means to find success and fulfilment beyond sport.
We first ran that programme in Lane4 in 2016. There was something magical and transformational in having a group of athletes together, agnostic of their sport or their level of achievement, creating a space for them to be open and honest about their own experiences.
The philosophy behind that programme remains true today. The programme has evolved and grown. Thanks to the generous support of JFF there is both an online programme and a residential retreat which we will run in 2025.
The online programme is now a collaboration with the True Athlete Project and ReBoot, bringing together their experience and expertise.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” Lao Tzu
That first step can be the hardest one to make, that is why the First Steps programme exists – to help athletes begin their own journey to discover who they are once their competitive careers come to an end, to help them build an identity that is not only defined by the sport they played.
Clear view 