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When Jeff Horn stepped into the ring against Manny Pacquiao in 2017, few believed the former schoolteacher could defeat a boxing legend. His stunning victory to become world champion capped an unlikely journey that began when he was a bullied teenager searching for confidence.

Unlike most elite boxers, Horn discovered the sport at 18 after his football dreams faded. "I went to a martial arts gym just to learn some self-defense," he reveals, never imagining where it might lead. His coach saw something special immediately, boldly predicting Olympic qualification and eventually a world championship – both of which Horn achieved through relentless discipline and resilience.

In this episode, we talk about:

- Growing up as a quiet kid who found his feet late and in the boxing gym

- Using losses (18 of them) as fuel for growth

- Why his Olympic dream started with someone else’s belief in him

- Walking away from teaching to go pro and what changed overnight

- The moment he knew it was time to retire

- Building Bullyproof Australia and speaking to kids across the country

- The values that matter most now: courage, respect, integrity, and resilience

💎 GOLDEN NUGGET:

"Some of the best coaches weren’t players. You don’t need to be the best at something to know more about it than the people who are."

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To learn more about career transitions after sport or to get in touch with Ryan, visit www.2ndwind.io

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What do you do when your biggest career milestone happens at 23 and you're not even sure how you got there? For Freddie Woodword, representing Team GB in diving at the Olympics was both the dream and the beginning of a much deeper journey.

In this episode, we dive into Freddie’s fascinating transition from elite athlete to cruise ship performer to entrepreneur in the generative AI space. His story is one of raw honesty, reinvention, and building a meaningful life after sport without following a traditional path.

We talk about:

- The Olympic aftershock: How reaching the pinnacle of sport so young forced Freddie to reevaluate everything he thought he wanted

- What comes after the medal: The surprising shift from Olympic diving to performing in high-diving shows aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships

- The courage to walk away: Why Freddie decided not to return to diving after his break, and how he faced the identity crisis that followed

- Leaning into curiosity: How Freddie found new purpose in tech and AI by following his interests, even when the path made no sense at first

- Mental health, ego, and self-worth: A vulnerable look at the internal challenges that come with walking away from a high-performance identity

- Redefining success: What it means to build a life that’s led by values, not pressure, and why he believes AI is the future of his next chapter

Freddie’s story isn't about leaving sport. It's about finding the courage to let go of what no longer fits. Whether you’re an athlete, creative, or professional facing transition, this conversation is a powerful reminder that your identity is not your title, and success isn’t a straight line.

💎 GOLDEN NUGGET:

"You think the hardest part is getting to the Olympics, but no one tells you how hard it is to stop. The longer I stayed in something that didn’t feel aligned, the harder it became to leave."

Connect with Ryan:

Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io

Send us a text

Kate takes us back to her early swimming days, competing in the Sydney and Athens Paralympics, and what it felt like to walk away from the pool after years of intense training. She opens up about facing subtle (and not-so-subtle) discrimination as a para-athlete, the identity crisis that followed retirement, and how she unexpectedly found a second wind through teaching and travel.

Now back in Sydney, Kate is slowly finding her way again—this time by helping young para-athletes feel seen, valued, and included. Her story is a powerful reminder that endings can also be beginnings, and that it’s okay not to have everything figured out.

We talk about:

• What life looked like after the 2000 Paralympics—and why it felt like the floor dropped
• Discovering para-swimming by accident
• Juggling training with academics (and sleeping through a lot of school)
• The bittersweet end of her competitive swimming career
• Teaching in Germany and Denmark—and losing it all because of a visa issue
• Why representation in sport still matters
• Reconnecting with the water in a new way through open-water swimming
• Her hopes for the future of para-sport and grassroots inclusion

💎 GOLDEN NUGGET:

"Paralympics isn’t about ‘having a go.’ I was in there to win—same as every other Olympian."

Get in Touch!

To learn more about career transitions after sport or to get in touch with Ryan, visit www.2ndwind.io

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What happens when your pro sports career ends with a tweet?

Tom Morton found out the hard way. While playing rugby in New Zealand, he saw on social media that his contract with Sale Sharks wasn’t being renewed. No phone call. No meeting. Just a public post that blindsided him completely.

From training with England’s under-20s to waking up across the world with no contract and no plan, Tom shares how he rebuilt not just his career, but also his mindset.

We talk about what it’s really like to start over, why feedback in sport hits different, what the corporate world could learn from it, and how he went from rugby boots to boardrooms without losing who he is in the process.

In this episode, we talk about:

- Why sport doesn’t prepare you for silence, stillness, or starting over

- The brutal moment Tom learned his rugby career was over — via social media

- How a career in finance became Plan B (without a university degree)

- The role of family, self-awareness, and timing in building a new identity

- What mentoring young athletes taught him about letting go — and moving forward

- Why the corporate world still struggles to give feedback — and how sport gets it right

💎 GOLDEN NUGGET:

🎧 Who this episode is for:

• Current athletes who are starting to think, “What’s next?”
• Anyone navigating a big life or career shift
• Leaders curious about what sport teaches that corporate doesn’t
• Listeners who love a raw, human story of loss, clarity, and unexpected reinvention

Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io

Send us a text

Josh Katz shares his journey as an Olympic judo athlete and the challenges of transitioning between career phases while balancing training, education, and business ventures. He discusses how early family influence and prioritizing education alongside sport created a foundation for success beyond the mat.

In a nutshell, we talk about:

• Growing up in a judo family with an Olympian mother and coach father who emphasized education alongside athletic development
• Qualifying for Rio Olympics at just 18, achieving success earlier than expected
• Financial struggles post-Olympics with having to fund 50% of training and competition costs
• Devastating failure to qualify for Tokyo Olympics and the mental health challenges that followed
• Creating Team Cats speaking business with his brother to share their experiences with schools and organizations
• Managing ACL injury six months before Paris Olympics and the fear-driven motivation that helped him qualify
• Developing a healthier relationship with goal-setting that balances athletic ambition with life beyond sport
• Finding fulfillment through connecting with others and passing on lessons learned through setbacks

Loved the episode? Drop us a review & share your biggest takeaway!

If you're looking for career clarity for your next step, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io for more information or to book a consultation with Ryan.

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Matthew Lloyd, former Australian Olympic cyclist and King of Mountains winner at the Giro d'Italia, shares his powerful journey of transition after career-ending injuries led to addiction and ultimately transformation.

In this episode, we chat about how he:
• Found freedom and joy in cycling from childhood, exploring nature with his brother
• Shifted from triathlon to cycling when coaches noticed his exceptional cycling talent despite poor swimming skills
• Became Australian national champion in 2008 and represented Australia at Beijing Olympics
• Won the prestigious King of Mountains classification at 2010 Giro d'Italia, becoming the first Australian to do so
• Suffered multiple injuries including brain trauma that began a downward spiral in his career
• Survived a catastrophic hit-and-run accident in 2014 that left him with fractured skull, broken spine, and brain injury
• Struggled with identity loss, substance use issues and mental health challenges during decade-long rehabilitation
• Found healing through vulnerability and accepting support after hitting rock bottom
• Now works as a mentor helping others navigate transitions using his lived experience
• Believes the greatest growth comes from finding meaning in hardship and embracing challenges

Loved the episode? Drop us a review & share your biggest takeaway!


Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io

Send us a text

From hiding handwritten goals under her mattress at age 12 to representing England in netball and later Jamaica in rugby, Danielle shares the defining moments that shaped her unique approach to achievement. She vividly recounts the emotional journey of childhood trials that became her catalyst for success—a painful rejection that transformed into an unwavering determination to prove herself worthy in everything she attempted.

In this epsiode, we talk about:

- Juggling multiple roles including netball at high level, rugby for Jamaica in both sevens and fifteens, and three separate businesses
- Creating a personal goal-setting system at age 12, writing goals and hiding them under her mattress as promises to herself
- Using the skills learned in sports—resilience, leadership, communication—to succeed in business environments
- Overcoming rejection in netball trials and using that experience as motivation to prove doubters wrong
- Transitioning from netball to rugby later in life and representing Jamaica internationally
- Building businesses based on her skills rather than accepting full-time employment to maintain flexibility
- Developing a formula for success: ability (continuous learning) multiplied by effort (doing the extras) multiplied by attitude
- Finding purpose in sharing her experiences through motivational speaking and coaching workshops

Loved the episode? Drop us a review & share your biggest takeaway!

Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io

Send us a text

Jimmy Gavin’s path took him from crushing self-doubt and a life-changing health diagnosis in high school to seven seasons of pro basketball across Europe, through a humbling tech-sales gig, and now into a leadership role directing sports initiatives. Along the way, he discovered that raw honesty, relentless hustle, and a tight-knit support crew can flip every “end” into the start of something even bigger.

In this episode, we talk about:

- Ego vs. Teammate: Why Jimmy’s drive to build himself up sometimes clashed with coaches and peers, and how he learned leadership by first becoming a follower

- Early Adversity: How Crohn’s diagnosis and a family tragedy wiped out his high-school basketball dreams, then sparked a comeback that led him to JUCO, Division I, and NBA workouts

- Pro Life Abroad: Rookie jitters in Lithuania, adapting to European training (yes, judo at dawn), and finding his true role by leaning into his strengths

- End of the Court: Health complications that forced him to hang up his sneakers, and the therapeutic 50,000-word manuscript he penned to capture that “roar of the crowd” feeling

- Tech Sales Wake-Up Call: What it’s like to swap the hardwood for CRM dashboards, discover you’re not great at it, and question your sense of self all over again

- Friends as Coaches: How three brothers who trained alongside him helped Jimmy rediscover his passion, with one impromptu coaching gig reigniting his energy and sense of purpose

- New Venture: From late-night book drafts to joining Goldfinch Capital as Director of Sport Initiatives, and why relationships, responsiveness, and being the best follower can unlock unexpected doors

- Career-Transition Advice: The single most practical tip Jimmy offers young athletes, show up, stay responsive (yes, reply to that coach’s text), and treat every next thing as the most important thing you have

💎 GOLDEN NUGGET:

"Give it everything you’ve got, even if you’re ‘the least qualified person in the room’—that irrational belief will at least get you through the door.”

Loved the episode? Drop us a review & share your biggest takeaway!

Ready to explore your own second act after sport? Connect with Ryan Gonsalves and the 2NDWind Academy to discover how your athletic experience can become your professional advantage here: www.2ndwind.io