Get Authentic With Marques: Transition into Life After Sports with Former NFL Player Marques Ogden

“We talk so much about authenticity and operating as the truest form of who we are and not holding that back. I want to go another level to that and go a little deeper. I think authenticity is not just about who you are being on the outside, but who are you on the inside. In other words, are you comfortable with yourself? Do you really like yourself? Do you really know yourself. That inner game is what allows everything on the outside to happen. So if you’re going to operate on the outside as your most authentic truest self and bring that to people and to the world, first you have to start on the inside and taking the time regularly to know yourself and love yourself.”
Coach Misty Buck

Get Authentic With Marques Episode Synopsis:

Coach Misty Buck joins host Marques Ogden on the “Get Authentic with Marques” Podcast, which is a show in partnership with the NFL Alumni Network and is currently ranked in the top 1.5% globally. During this episode, Misty and Marques spoke about what authenticity means for your inner game as well as the transition into life after sports. Misty shared the top problems athletes face after sports retirement and what they can do about it. She also gave some extremely helpful tips for how athletes and professionals can effectively create authenticity, purpose, and identity in their lives.

Key Moments:

From the top of the show to the bottom, we spoke about:

Authenticity and why I believe it starts with the inner game
Why do people struggle with getting to know who they are on the inside, and how the “noise” from external factors like environment and past experiences can impact clarity (4:30)
How people who are going through hard times can get help through our one-on-one VIP program or our new transition program. We’re not robots so we need people who can look at what we’re doing objectively so we can gain clarity and become the best complete versions of ourselves. How you can get support to move forward with authenticity and purpose? (7:00)
Issues athletes (and many professionals) face when making a transition and what they can do about it (10:00)
Mourning the loss of your sport (12:00)
Introducing our new 360 Pro Athlete Transition™ program, a holistic one-stop shop for life after sports (15:00)
How we make things tactical by providing simple steps (18:00)
Top issues athletes face when transitioning, and why game time adjustments are so important all throughout life (19:00)
How to assess your skillsets and resources when making a transition (22:00)
How Marques and I met and started working together as each other’s coach (25:30)

Behind the Scenes:

On the show, Marques often prompts his guests with his famous tagline, “let’s get real.” A couple of days after the show I shared with Marques that I was struggling with anxiety in the days leading up to the recording, and in fact, was very close to a panic attack the day before and broke down crying several times throughout the day. The next morning we were set to record the show, and I was struggling to do something as simple as taking a shower. In all reality, I was really close to rescheduling. I’m sharing this here in the spirit of “being real” but also with the purpose of pointing out that:

Some days are harder than others and sometimes mental health struggles take you by surprise. (I was looking forward to recording the show. Marques is a coaching client and my coach. I’m still not super clear on what prompted that particular inner battle, but I am continuing to work on understanding myself better.)

Sometimes you can use your tools to work your way through it so you can move forward and do what you need to do that day. Had I not felt like I could recover and if I was still on the verge of a panic attack, I would have most definitely rescheduled. However, I was able to go easy on myself, and over the course of a day or so, gain my strength back.