Build a New Dream

It was a conference tournament game down in Florida. Double overtime. By the end I was playing center back, midfield, and striker all at once. Down 1–0. I left everything on the pitch.

That night was surreal. My whole life had been dreaming about being a professional soccer player. The 'what next' feeling is difficult to comprehend. There were a few combines after that, a trial with a club in Florida that started out promising and ended quickly, and I ran out of connections.

I could have gone and played USL — second division professional. But it didn't line up with my future goals. It was an incredibly difficult decision. Soccer was life.

Four years at USC Upstate. Center back. Captain by the end. A-Sun Top 20 — which took a tremendous amount of work just to be considered in the elite pool of players. Multiple all-conference and all-academic teams. Pinnacle Award for leadership.

At the next job interview I told them the truth. I had been a full-time student and athlete. Strong GPA. Captain of the men's soccer team. The work it took to get there. College athletes have an edge on regular students. You learn how to grind on a schedule nobody else is keeping for you. You learn to show up when you don't feel like it. You learn to lead people who are tired.

As soon as I graduated I was broke. I had a girlfriend — now my wife — that I wanted to stay with, and I needed income. So I worked everything at once. Field and facility maintenance at a soccer complex. A pressure-washing 'business' with my buddy where we knocked on doors and put thousands of flyers out and somehow got jobs even though we weren't insured. Coaching soccer. Delivering pizzas.

I applied to hundreds of positions. I eventually landed a full-time job at 84 Lumber. After six months I knew it wasn't for me. I needed something that matched my energy level. Something fast-paced. Big earning potential. Something I could build a career on.

That's when I found TQL.

Freight brokerage. You eat the fruits of your labor. Ninety to ninety-five percent of new brokers wash out in the first six months. I led my brokerage class in customers closed and revenue generated. I got my first commission check and that check showed me what the work was worth outside of athletics.

And then I kept pushing. No ceilings. Thirteen years later I'm still here, as a Senior Logistics Account Executive, and it has helped me hit financial goals I set a long time ago. It didn't come without grit and sacrifice. It required a strong mentality. Thankfully a lifetime in sports taught me how to put in the work and trust the results.

Strong mentality, grit, work ethic, leadership — all of that walked across with me. I lead meetings now the way I led the back line. I take on the responsibility to execute the business deal. If it doesn't happen, I at least know I did everything in my control instead of hoping someone else carried it for me. That's how you grow. Take on big moments. Win and fail and use the experience to become better.

What didn't translate? Executing high-level business calls and being business-savvy. I've always been a good speaker, but real business deals come with developing communication skills and being selective and precise with your words. That's the part I had to learn the hard way.

Eleven years married. Two kids. Two dogs. A cat. My wife met the athlete version of me first. That energy never left — it just translated. Being an athlete is part of me. I love sports. I love to be active. That shows up in how I live every day.

Looking back, I appreciate sacrifices I couldn't see at the time. My parents paying for me to go to showcases when I know now there wasn't much there to spare. The hours they spent shuttling me around. My brother in the system with me. They built me up with the tools I needed to succeed. That foundation is what got me through the years after the final whistle.

My kids know soccer was a huge part of my life and still is. As they get older I want them to understand the dedication and the mentality required to chase a goal. That part relates to everything in life.

There's an alumni game we play. Sometime in my thirties I watched the men's team play a through ball, and I watched that ball roll right past me while an eighteen-something kid made me look like a standing cone. I may have said something like 'ahhh sh—' as I realized I had lost a few steps. The bench thought it was pretty funny. They made sure I knew I was getting up there.

Light teasing. The same locker room you remember at twenty-one, just with a few more miles on it.

What I wish someone had told me at twenty-one: financial advice. Know what to do with your money when you get it. Have a better plan.

What I'd tell a college athlete who won't go pro: there's a lot of life left. You may not do the sport for a living, but you can always be a part of the game and it remains fulfilling. The first year is tough. No doubt. But it's time to build a new dream.

The skill I keep working on is one I had to learn — be fast to listen, slow to speak. It relates to almost everything in life.