It seems so long ago!

But also like it could be yesterday. Don’t you find that when you’re thinking back about big past experiences?

I’m thinking back to about 2004.

I had moved down to Cheshire in 2000 to do my MSc in Sport Psychology at MMU. After completing it, I’d gone straight into doing a PhD in Accelerated Learning in PE (I’d originally trained as a PE teacher, so thought it would be a great fit).

Alongside the PhD, which was based in a school in Manchester, I was doing a few sessions of lecturing. And although the work was hard and I was busy, I really loved the people in the Exercise and Sport Science department where I was based.

As well as being colleagues and catching up inside of work hours, we socialised outside of work hours, had sports clubs and I really enjoyed that chunk of my life.

However, the PhD had become a horrible situation (more on that another time) and I decided after the 2nd year to stop it, although I continued working on the project in the school for one more year.

Once that time had finished, I stayed on at the university and did some part time lecturing, which I really enjoyed. But I was questioning what I should be doing with my life.

I was then offered an opportunity in 2004.

I was offered the chance to take over a personal development company that delivered fantastic courses to corporate management teams.

My mind was in a whirl!

On one hand it was really exciting, as I’d said I’d been wanting a new challenge.

On the other hand I was petrified! There was a financial risk as well as entering into a world that I had no clue about! After all, I’d been in education and academia my whole life!

But I decided to take the leap!

The company was owned by a family friend and the take over and training process to integrate me into the company was fantastic. The learning curve was steep, but I was enjoying the new world and challenge.

However, there was a real transition period.

I really missed being in a department and just having people around. I missed being able to bounce ideas off people just by going down the corridor and popping my head in someone’s office. And I missed the structure. Although I’d had a lot of autonomy, you always knew when you had lectures and meetings.

This new world was pretty lonely at the start, if I’m honest. I had full autonomy, which can be another word for responsibility and accountability. And time! Not always a good thing for a mind.

It took a while to get used to it. To learn what I needed to do to run a business. And to become a ‘business owner’ in my head.

However, one of the best things I ever found was networking. That was scary at first too! It was back in the day when there were a lot of pinstripe suits around and not too many women.

But I learned to love it. And I also loved the speed of the business world.

And now, nearly 20 years on, where am I?

I am running my 3rd business, being involved in elite sport and business, and still networking.

There are loads of other elements, but it’s a move I’m so glad I made. And although there’s tough days, there’s also flippin’ brilliant days. And I’ve still got clients that I worked with at the beginning of this journey.

So, for anyone out there working on the decision of what you want to do next, I get it. Your mind will be jumping to 101 scenarios, there will be sleepless nights and there will be a lot of weighing up the past against the imagined future.

And if I could have changed anything? I’d have loved someone to have given me advice and some direction. I genuinely believe that would have taken away some of the nervousness about moving into that new world and given me a pointer towards better ways to run my business from the start.

So, thanks for getting to this point. And if you’re wondering about what you’re going to do next or are struggling with the changes after finishing your sport, please get in touch.

#businessowner #careerchange #expro #lifeaftersport #formerplayer #postsportscareer #proathlete #createyourlife #exathlete #awinningedge #createanedge #beawesome

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