What happens when the pressure lifts, but the drive doesn’t?

In this episode of Athlete to Athlete: Lessons for Life Beyond the Game, we sit down with Shea McAleese - Olympian, Commonwealth Games medallist, Olympic coach, and one of New Zealand hockey’s most respected high-performance leaders.

Across more than 20 years in elite sport, Shea has lived every angle of performance: athlete, coach, mentor, and now leader beyond the game. What he shares in this conversation is something many athletes struggle to give themselves permission to explore:

Stepping away doesn’t mean stepping down.

Shea opens up about the importance of creating space from your sport, not to lose connection with it, but to rediscover joy, perspective, and balance. He explains why athletes who stay too close for too long often burn out, why doing something different can make you better at who you are, and how pressure-free environments are often where the biggest learning happens.

This episode challenges the idea that athletes must cling tightly to one identity. Instead, Shea reframes transition as a natural evolution of performance, one that rewards curiosity, self-awareness, and courage.

Whether you’re still competing, approaching the back end of your career, or quietly wondering “what else could I do?” this conversation will resonate.

Key Takeaways from Shea McAleese

• Stepping away from your sport can reignite love, not weaken it
• Burnout often comes from staying in high-pressure environments too long
• If something makes you unhappy, it eventually affects everything
• Entrepreneurship demands passion - perseverance only comes if you care deeply
• You do have time - athletes just need to use it intentionally
• You don’t know what you don’t like until you’ve given it a fair run
• Organisations want athletes - don’t undersell yourself
• Athletes persevere, execute fast, and finish what they start
• Resilience is a transferable superpower
• Feedback is not personal - it’s performance information
• Understand when athletes typically transition - awareness matters
• Mentors accelerate growth where you have blind spots

About the hosts

James Rule, Co-Founder of ATA, is a seasoned leadership coach and former professional rugby player with extensive experience in high-performance sports management. Having held CEO roles at Super League clubs and senior positions in major sporting organisations, he understands the pressures of transitioning beyond elite competition. A passionate advocate for athlete development, James drives ATA’s mission to provide structured, research-driven support, ensuring athletes are equipped for long-term success beyond the game.

Karl Birch, Co-Founder of ATA, is a former rugby player turned coach, mentor, and leadership specialist. With over a decade in medical sales, where he led a team, he combines industry expertise with a deep understanding of the athlete mindset to help athletes transition into meaningful careers beyond sport. Passionate about early preparation and proactive career planning, he has guided former athletes through transition, ensuring they step confidently into their next chapter.

Connect and Contact

www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/

Instagram:

@ataccelerator https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator

Email: support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wells played Super Rugby for nearly every major Australian franchise, the Brumbies, Waratahs, Rebels, and Western Force, and represented his country in Sevens. But the story he shares in this episode isn’t about tackles or caps, it’s about the mindset that allowed him to step into retirement with confidence instead of fear.

While many athletes reach the end of their careers unsure of what comes next, Wells took a different approach. He started planning early, building networks, seeking guidance, testing industries, and understanding the reality of working life long before he needed to.

In this conversation, Michael breaks down the exact steps he took to avoid the transition cliff so many athletes talk about:

Key Themes & Athlete Takeaways

• Certainty reduces fear - knowing what you want to do next makes the transition exponentially easier
• Your network is bigger than you think - people are far more willing to help athletes than you realise
• Leverage your platform while you have it - curiosity now opens doors later
• Experience matters - part-time work gave him exposure, structure, and clarity early
• Time is a choice - most athletes underestimate how much time they actually have
• Having a plan enhances performance - when you know what comes after, you can commit fully to the present
• Feedback is a superpower - especially when entering a new industry where you’re the novice, not the expert
• Don’t wait until the end - exploring options early gives you a runway, not a cliff edge
• Enjoy the now - the future matters, but not at the cost of losing joy in the sport you love

Michael’s journey is a powerful example of ownership. It shows athletes that transition doesn’t have to be chaotic, it can be structured, intentional, and empowering, if you start early and stay curious.

About the hosts

James Rule, Co-Founder of ATA, is a seasoned leadership coach and former professional rugby player with extensive experience in high-performance sports management. Having held CEO roles at Super League clubs and senior positions in major sporting organisations, he understands the pressures of transitioning beyond elite competition. A passionate advocate for athlete development, James drives ATA’s mission to provide structured, research-driven support, ensuring athletes are equipped for long-term success beyond the game.

Karl Birch, Co-Founder of ATA, is a former rugby player turned coach, mentor, and leadership specialist. With over a decade in medical sales, where he led a team, he combines industry expertise with a deep understanding of the athlete mindset to help athletes transition into meaningful careers beyond sport. Passionate about early preparation and proactive career planning, he has guided former athletes through transition, ensuring they step confidently into their next chapter.

Connect and Contact

www.athletetransitionaccelerator.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athlete-transition-accelerator/

Instagram:

@ataccelerator https://www.instagram.com/ataccelerator

Email: support@athletetransitionaccelerator.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.