Annie Bailey | Protecting Elite Athletes From Going Broke

Annie Bailey is a former Division I lacrosse player at the University of Colorado, a boarding school graduate from Culver Academies, and now a CEO and Equity Partner at Rise Sports Advisory — a firm built to help elite athletes build generational wealth, not just a paycheck.
In this episode, Annie breaks down exactly why 75 percent of NFL players end up broke or divorced within five years of retiring, what the average two-year NFL career actually means for long-term financial planning, and why the identity crisis that hits athletes when the sport ends is just as dangerous as the financial one. She also pulls back the curtain on how Rise works with NIL athletes in college all the way through retirement — using a slow, steady approach to financial education that builds real discipline before the big checks ever arrive.
We also get into the mental health side of this, including why Annie believes asking for help is still one of the hardest things for athletes to do, why trust and someone who makes you feel good are two completely different things, and why the most important word she chose to lead by in 2026 is nurture.
If you are a young athlete, a parent of an athlete, or anyone trying to understand what financial success actually looks like after sports, this conversation is for you.
Rise Sports Advisory: risesportsadvisory.com
Follow Annie on Instagram: @anniemorschesbailey
If this episode hit for you, share it with an athlete or a parent who needs to hear this. Subscribe, leave a review, and we will see you on the next one.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Excited to have a conversation with um Annie Bailey. She is a former D1 athlete, played on lacrosse at Colorado. She is a special, unique talent from a perspective of taking what she learned in sports and transitioning that into real life. She's a COO of Equity Partners at Rye Sports Advisory. And that's helping athletes garner generational wealth, not just a check, but generational wealth and helping them with business ownership. And also she also is part of a multifamily office. And so when you look at the when you look at her her experience in playing sports and then making that transition and helping athletes understand how to make that transition from a a financial and wealth perspective, you are the perfect person to be having a conversation with today because we're in this we're in a crazy world where there's a lot of resources for these athletes and and who's helping them understand how to manage their finances, uh, who's helping them understand what just not just the short term but the long-term vision should look like. And so, Andy, welcome to the Tangent Podcast. Excited to have you.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Thank you so much. I'm excited, excited to be here and honored. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Absolutely. Well, before we get into what you do now, I want to go back and just you know, go back to your upbringing, how you grew up, you know, what made you so competitive to want to play lacrosse. Um, you know, I think about lacrosse being this East Coast thing where it's super competitive and uh they've been doing it for a long time out that way, and now it's made its way across the country. Um and I think the South is probably the last place that we hit. So uh so take me back to your to your upbringing and some of your experiences.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Yeah. So um born and raised in a very small town in Indiana, um, it's you know about 30 minutes away from I think it's the second biggest city in Indiana. So um born and raised here, uh pretty small family, just an older brother, um, just me and him and our parents. And um as far as you know, my childhood and my upbringing, it was it was great. Sports have been a part of my life since as long as I can remember. Um my brother was on the swim team, so I joined the swim team when I turned four uh and you know, was out there, had no business swimming in meets and things like that, hanging onto the side of the pool. But I wanted to, you know, be just like my big brother and start competing from a young age. So um started, you know, on swim team and and just kind of the sports world opened up for me from there. Um my dad is so my brother will be um fifth generation in a family business that my dad is currently the president of. Um so, you know, hard work and and understanding the value of a dollar has always been incredibly important to me and a huge part of my childhood, just understanding the dedication and what goes into running a bit a business. Um from my childhood, I went to boarding school at Culver Academies. Um, I don't know if you're familiar.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

It's over, yeah, very.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Yeah. So my my dad went there. Um, he went to boarding school there as well. My brother went there. Um, so it was always in the family, but it was definitely our our choice on if we wanted to go or not. Um, and so I made the decision to go, which I will go to my grave saying it was the best decision I've ever made. Um, it opened me up to just a whole new world. You know, coming from a small town in Indiana, there wasn't much diversity. Um, everyone, for the most part, looked like me. There was not many sports outside of your normal football, basketball, baseball, swim team, things like that. Um, and so I went there for four years, um, you know, was able to be exposed to people from all over the world in different cultures, um, different sports. Our fencing team was nationally ranked, um, you know, played lacrosse, rode horses there, was able to ride in um an inaugural parade for the president through that. So lots and lots of great experiences. And then from there earned a scholarship to be on the first Division I team at the University of Colorado, which was an experience all completely separate from anything you would expect. Um, but amazing nonetheless. So um, yeah, from there graduated, came back home, um, and entered the real world. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

Awesome. Well, you know, I I I think about the boarding school. My daughter just asked me the other day if she can go to um you know a boarding school. And I'm thinking like, no way. Um, you know, but as you as you as you talk about the experiences and being able to, you know, um be around different cultures and things like that, why do you think that is is why do you think that was so important for you and what you were able to learn out of that that experience to to do what you're doing now?

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Well, I think it just taught me at a very young age. I mean, high school years are incredibly formative years. So um being in a place where my parents, you know, they're amazing. They're, you know, great mentors for me. We have a great relationship, but being able to stand on my own two feet and start learning what I believe in and what type of people I want to associate myself with versus not, um, you know, that started at the age of like 14. So it was an amazing opportunity. Um, and outside of that, the um at Culver, the girls' side of the school is a leadership academy. So you're also learning leadership skills and holding leadership positions as a high schooler, um, learning, you know, what leadership styles work for some people, what doesn't work. And so I think it showed me that there's this big giant world out there, and there's a lot of amazing places not only to go travel and visit and see, but just a lot more than just where I'm from. Um and and my parents have always encouraged, you know, like right now, my parents are in Fiji. So they're they're traveling all over and they they they understand the value of seeing the world too, but it just it taught me a lot of leadership and a lot about who I am really, really early on in my life.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, you go on and you, you know, go on to to Colorado as a D1, a cross player, you know. Let's let's kind of jump into that mindset, you know. What does that, what did that experience really teach you about how athletes think and operate?

SPEAKER_01 6:53

Yes, um a lot. Not, you know, so being the first year that it was Division I, we did not have seniority at all. We were 28 freshmen that uh are exploring the college world on their own. Um, with, you know, just what comes with going to college and especially being in Colorado, it's known as sounds like some stories are in there. Yes, uh, I definitely have quite a few stories for a different time. Um so yes, navigating that and understanding, you know, if you were out too late, you still had to be up at 6 a.m. for practice. And then after five hours of practice, then you had to go to class. And then after your four hours of classes, then you had to go to study tables, and then after, you know, it was uh time management was huge. You you had to have amazing time management, you had to have amazing discipline, um, and just a really strong work ethic. Also, on that front, I had a horrible injury my freshman year. Um, I got a femoral stress fracture, and um that was awful. Um, I was on crutches for 12 weeks at this giant university, my freshman year of school. Um being away from home with a horrible injury was, you know, really difficult. And then also adding in, you know, I was like approaching the starting lineup, and then you get this injury, and that just totally throws you off. So having to overcome uh a lot of like confidence, rebuilding, and just you know, knowing I could do it, I could have easily transferred and gone to a D3 school and had a lot more success, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Um, and I'm really glad that I stuck it out. So it was a lot quickly, um, but it taught me a lot about, you know, like I said, the discipline and time management and and waking up every day and just continuing to do it, even if it was hard.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

When you think about like the, you know, what you had to go through and how do you had how you had to manage that, what do you think athletes miss early on about that mental performance of of being able to work through those things and having the tools and a toolbox to actually um get through it a little bit smoother? Again, it it's all hard. No matter how, you know, I've been through a lot of injuries, you know, eight surgeries, and you know, I know I still relied on my mental toughness to get through it. And and it wasn't until later, excuse me, it wasn't until later that I start, you know, developing skills to manage my anxiety, my my negative thoughts, and things like that. You know, so what do you think young athletes miss early on about you know the importance of that skill set as you enter, especially when you enter college, knowing that it's a it's very high demand on your body?

SPEAKER_01 9:53

I think that part of it is when you compete at a division one level or any collegiate level, really, D3, D2, whatever you are, you're used to being a really good athlete. And that becomes part of your identity. And then if anything goes wrong, I mean, you see it with with professional athletes all the time. It's it's it's their whole identity. And if that goes wrong, you you have to really learn how to navigate that quickly. And I think sometimes maybe it's not resources being available or um not understanding that it's okay to admit that you need the resource. You know, I think that's a big thing a lot is well, if I'm talking to a therapist, then that means that, you know, I'm this and this and this. And that's that's not the case at all. Right. Um, it's just it's a complete rewiring of your brain when that when you're when you're sport, when you're not excelling in your sport and that's all you've ever known, or when your sport comes to an end. And so I think part of it is it's really hard to admit that to yourself, but also, you know, maybe just not fully understanding the resources that are always available or how to go about utilizing that resource.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Gotta, you know, but it's that that having that self-awareness early on to know, you know, how to use a resource. I mean, you're not gonna have all the answers around it, but it's the self-awareness to know yourself, to know, you know, what you need to then to then utilize the resources that are that are available. Because the colleges have a lot of resources to to make sure that those things are those things are um available for you. But you know, we as athletes sometime you know have have these blinders on where we don't we don't know how to tap into those resources.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

We uh we at Rise actually have a mental health coach on staff available to our clients to utilize, but also our even our staff to utilize. He does monthly sessions with our team to understand how we can help navigate, you know, if a client is going through something tough, but also just a reminder to like take care of yourself and check in with yourself. And it's okay to reach out to the village that's around you. So yeah, mental health is incredibly important, and you're seeing it more and more pop up with things that are happening to professional athletes, and it's it's devastating.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

It is, it really is. Well, now I want to get to some the the the crazy narrative that's that's out there. Uh when I retire from the NFL, 75% of guys were broke a divorce within five years. Yes. Um, and that's a that's a large number, and it's why I do what I do. Why why it's my why and my passion in the work that I'm doing today. Um, but with this narrative that you know athletes struggles financially after their career, you know, why do you think that still exists?

SPEAKER_01 12:56

I think that um for a long time they were expected to just be athletes, just go out and play football, just go out and focus on your game, whatever your game is. And no one was thinking about the fact that their career when it comes to their sport is incredibly short. I think the average NFL contract or you know, career is three years, which is crazy.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

Two years, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

And then you look at the lifestyle that a lot of these athletes are living, and there's there's not much left over, and then sports are their identity, and that's gone. So now what? You know? And so um I think it's uh I think it's a broken narrative. I think the the shift has started happening a little bit, which is amazing to see. Um and I think it's very important that the shift happens now that we have NAL and these kids are making sometimes millions of dollars when they're 18 years old to understand how to reinvest the money or you know, put it into a foundation, or just put it to work for them so that it's growing and still there for them while we're exploring what is that identity after sports is over, what do you want to do? Who do you want to be when sports are over? That's a that's a narrative that wasn't being talked about, I think, for a long time. And I think LeBron, LeBron was one of the first ones, excuse me, that changed that narrative, which has been really great to see.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Yeah, I agree with that. With, you know, taking his team and getting them through school and um getting them educated on areas that can help support him and his career and his dreams and aspirations. I thought it was a tremendous job by him. Um but as we think about this, you know, uh where we are today, what do you still, what do you still think the the breakdown is happening?

SPEAKER_01 14:55

I think it's um that that a lot of athletes have trouble thinking about or processing that at some point it is gonna come to an end.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

They don't want to think that that forward.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

And and it totally is understandable, but I think that's where the breakdown's happening because they'll deal with it tomorrow, you know, and then tomorrow comes and they're not ready for it.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Yeah. So in the work that you're doing now, how do you how do you communicate that with your your young athletes and your older athletes, you know, uh with from an education environment and a mindset that, you know, hey, it it's going to end. And how do you train yourself to still stand on, you know, 10 toes down in the business that you're in, but also have a mindset that can help you once you make that transition?

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Mm-hmm. Um, it's it's a slow, steady drip with education. So when we're and education is huge to us. It's one of the biggest, you know, the biggest things that means the most to us as a firm. Um, but when we're starting with an NIL kid who's, you know, got one or two years left in college, our main focus is to get them set up structurally. You know, are your taxes in good shape? Are you doing these basic things that is setting you up to then be prepared when the big check comes whenever you get drafted or go to the next level? Um, but along the way, we're doing we're having mentorship sessions and we're exposing them to different deal flow opportunities that have come across our plate just to start seeing, like, hey, have you thought about, are you interested in real estate? Or, you know, do you think that that's something that you would want to lean into? Or are you super interested in giving back to the community that you're from? And what way, you know, would you like to give back to the world? And um have you thought about a business? Do you have a business idea that's written on a napkin that we can slowly start talking about so that it's not, you know, we're water blasting them with information and it's overwhelming. We're letting them get bite-sized pieces slowly over time so that they're they're ready when the career comes to an end, when their playing career comes to an end. Um, and you know, we have case studies that we refer to often. Jalen Smith was our first client. Um, he was, you know, he played at Notre Dame, um, then played for the Cowboys most notably, was, you know, a pro bowler. Um, and he is a serial entrepreneur. Like he just recently opened up um a restaurant on Notre Dame's campus, and he has an insurance company, and he has this and he has that, and he'll come in and tell his story of how he got to where he was with the help of Rise. And I think that's helpful too, because sometimes it takes someone who's actually lived it with them to get them to understand. You know, sometimes if if I'm telling them or someone on our team who hasn't been a professional athlete, it's in one year out the other. Because they've got a million people telling them their opinions. So sometimes it's helpful when someone who's actually gone through it can speak to their experience as well.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Right. Well, you guys are saying you're seeing the good, the bad, the ugly uh early on with a lot of these athletes. And so when I think, think about um how we train to get to D1, to get to professional, it's it's almost uh the same model has to start to happen right now from a financial, you know, catching them in high school and start that slow drip because you know, if you wait too long, now the faucet is coming at you, and then now you shut down because you don't know how to manage, you know how to process all of this information. So starting that slow drip early, uh, you know, is what I'm taking from this, is really important. Um and it's not just it's not just when you start making making the money, it's preparing you so when you do start making the money that you can make smoother transitions and decisions.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yes, absolutely. And and also, you know, you're prepared. You understand how to read a budget and how to read, you know, these financial terms that would have otherwise been completely foreign, which a lot of people don't understand. And I mean, you know, you came from that world. A lot of people don't even have budgets to understand what's going out versus what's coming in, or don't understand how much is actually taxed from their paycheck, or right, you know, all these things that you just don't think about. You see what your contract is, and you're like, oh yeah, I've made it. And and that's unfortunately not always the case. So yeah, our job is to prepare them as much as we can for what reality looks like.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

Yeah. So um, so what you know, thinking about the you know, uh some of the the bad opportunities that kids fall into, what do you think, what do you see as one of the biggest mistakes that young athletes make early on with money?

SPEAKER_01 20:07

Um lack of budgeting, um, you know, and and just not understanding you maybe don't need to have three cars now, um, or you don't need to own a home now. Um, but also there's so many people in their ear asking for things or asking for investments into businesses that potentially aren't the best place for them to invest their money. Um so, you know, sometimes we are the bad guy and we come in and we say, you know, not right now. We need it. He can't invest in the car wash that you would want him to or whatever that situation is. Um, and then educating them on why it's not a good. So it's not, we're not making the decision for them. We are educating them so that they're empowered to make that decision on their own. And when they're out in the world, they can start navigating that without us. You know, we're always there for them, but they understand what's a good deal and what's a bad deal and just how to navigate that.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Can you give us one example why it's so important for you know athletes to understand why the cash flow piece of it is is so important to know what that looks like when you're when you walk out these uh when you when you finish a sport that cash flow is keen when it comes to things you want to do in life. Can you give us give us a quick example around that?

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Yeah, absolutely. So if you have an athlete who you know they made 50 million in their career and they lived a certain lifestyle that matched the the millions that were coming in, they've gotten accustomed to that lifestyle. And if they've spent a lot but also only invested with a financial advisor, there's no other cash flowing opportunities once that paycheck stops. So their only option is to go. Tap into the funds that are sitting with a financial advisor. And then by the time they're 70, 80, there's there's nothing left because they had they wanted to maintain that lifestyle. So for us, it's understanding, okay, how you know, a realistic view of what your lifestyle should look like and what you want it to look like, and what you want to maintain it as when the career ends, and then what your interests are and how can we make that cash flowing? Is it, you know, do you want to get into fashion? Are you into music? Are you really into franchising? Are you, do you want your pee, your hands in a little bit of everything? So it's sitting down and having, you know, sometimes eight-hour strategy sessions, like full-day strategy sessions, just pulling who they are out of them and learning what that looks like so that if they're spending $700,000 a year, where's that money going to come from when their paycheck is over? You know, is it for businesses that are operating that's gonna cover that? And then you can pass on those businesses to your children and it can that can be part of your legacy. Is it philanthropic? Is it, you know, so that's that's huge for us is understanding them understanding what cash flow looks like and us, you know, helping them build those cash flowing opportunities.

SPEAKER_00 23:27

Yeah. You guys have ownership in your in your description on things and and is that when you think about that cash flow, is that part of your strategies and uh is making sure that your athletes also have ownership in places so that it is another way of getting the cash flow versus just your what you've already have in equities.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Yes. They, you know, if they and again, each each athlete is different. They're all they all have different, you know, risk that they're okay with, and and of course, you know, interests and things like that. But we want them to own their legacy. It should be theirs. And because they've they've built this amazing life, they, you know, are have amazing careers on the playing field, but let's recreate that and help you own something that you can pass down and it's legacies and and multi-generational wealth, not just ending with them, but it's going down to their, hopefully their kids and their kids' kids, and so on and so forth for years and years and years to come.

SPEAKER_00 24:32

Yeah. And I, you know, you said the key word there for me is like that generational wealth. We hear people talk about having generational wealth, but what does that actually mean for athletes? You know, what does that really look like to have generational wealth?

SPEAKER_01 24:45

I think it's having a succession plan and knowing that this life is not forever. So, how are you, how are you pouring into yourself to then in turn pour into the next generation, whether it's your kids or your nieces and nephews or, you know, your neighbor, that you just have a really great relationship. Like, what do you want your legacy to look like so that it doesn't stop with you? And a succession plan is something that we were just recently talking about it in one of our staff meetings, because that you have to be incredibly intentional about building a succession plan because it's one of those things that unfortunately you think I can handle that tomorrow. And if you're not intentional about it and tomorrow never comes, there is no succession plan. Even if you've built all these things that you've put into place, like it just ends. There's no knowledge transfer. So knowledge transfer is a huge piece of building that generational wealth.

SPEAKER_00 25:47

Absolutely. And I think that you know what I you you said, what I wanted to for everyone to hear is that being intentional about creating those secession plans because we can make all the money you want to make in in sports, but at the end of the day, you know, there's your top-tier guys who are making like that generational, like that top 10 or 15% of guys, and then then there's the rest. And how do we get the rest to understand how important it is to really have a real strategic plan uh to set up some generational wealth? And so um excited to hear you guys, the work you guys are doing, it's awesome. Um, you know, it's recent for me uh over the last three years to really start thinking about the family office space. And so uh it was foreign. Um it's always been a financial advisor. Um, but the more and more you you dig into like what you know, you get into the entrepreneur world, you realize that then it needs to be a full umbrella to support, to be able to see into all the things that you're doing so that you know how to tax plan, right? You know how to, you know, um set your businesses up so from from a tax perspective as well, that helps your family. And so there's a lot of things that goes into it that I think is is very foreign to um not just athletes, but a lot of people. Um and so uh uh so excited to have this conversation with you and you really diving into it and explain it to us for. So um, with that being said, we're gonna take a quick pause and we're gonna do a quick two-minute drill. Um, you know, sorry I'm bringing you into the football world, do a two-minute drill before halftime. So I'm gonna give you some rapid, some rapid fire questions here, and you just let it flow.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

Okay, let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

All right, ready for this? All right, I'm ready. Um, all right. Uh, biggest money mistake athletes make early. I think I already already asked you that question.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

So biggest money mistake, um, overspending and not having a budget in place.

SPEAKER_00 27:40

All right. Uh, what's something athletes don't think about until it's too late?

SPEAKER_01 27:46

The next generation. And you know, the cash flow in businesses, what where is it gonna come from when it all comes to an end?

SPEAKER_00 27:55

All right. Uh what separate financial success, success successful athletes from the rest?

SPEAKER_01 28:02

Um, discipline.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

All right, I like it. Uh what's a what's a sign an athlete is thinking um what's a sign an athlete is thinking long term?

SPEAKER_01 28:16

They are seeking to educate themselves and um open to learning and putting themselves in a room full of people who are smarter than them.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

Hey, I always say if I'm in the if I'm the smartest person in the room, I'm getting out of that room.

SPEAKER_01 28:34

So absolutely, you should never be the smartest person.

SPEAKER_00 28:40

Um what's one habit that athletes can build early to have a successful wealth journey, I guess so would say.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

Saying no.

SPEAKER_00 28:54

Hmm. I think there's a book around that.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

I think I think so. Saying no is difficult for everyone, but I think for you know, when you have that many people in your ear, you have to learn to say no early on.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. All right, last one for you. What's one advice you would give a rookie on day one in having a conversation about wealth?

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Get educated and build a network of people you trust wholeheartedly.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

It's important, it's important. Awesome, those are great. Um man, I just I mean, even just like thinking about some of these things and thinking about the things I wish I would have known early in my life, you know, things would look a lot different. And don't get me wrong, I'm you know, I I figured it out, but I had to take some lumps along the way. And so uh having someone like yourself who played the spoil, who understands, you know, the intensity to take, but then also to transition it into what you're doing now and and have athletes able to listen to you because you've also been there, you've gone through the injuries, you've gone through the tough practices, uh, and now you're you're you're helping guys and helping young young women to understand like the importance of their financial future. And so um, man, it just this is getting me excited about you know young athletes really hearing this conversation because it's so, so, so, so important.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

It's so important. And just I think the younger you can listen, like I high school athletes, you're I mean, we go and speak to high schools sometimes because it's never too early to start learning, and the more you can equip yourself before the big dollars come, you're gonna be set up for success that a lot of their peers don't have the ability to have, I think.

SPEAKER_00 30:49

Yeah. All right. Well, we're gonna jump back in here. Um, you've seen a lot of athletes make the transition out of the game. You know, what do you think the hardest part for athletes when they make that transition and they know it's done?

SPEAKER_01 31:02

I think just that it's been the biggest piece of their life and the you know, sometimes the most constant piece in their life for so long. It's finding that identity of who they are when the sport is over. Um what I mean, you know, who are you without your sport when your sport has been a part of your world since you were a little, little kid? Because you know that everybody's starting to play when they're like four years old sometimes. And just identifying who you're gonna be after that, I think is is hard.

SPEAKER_00 31:38

Yeah. So you said you said identity. What do you think about the structure and then also the purpose has been the um two other important parts of understanding that and learning that about yourself when you transition out?

SPEAKER_01 31:52

Yes. I and I also yeah, so structure is huge. Maintaining, you know, a schedule and um a routine. And if you're not going into the office every day, what are you filling your day with? What does your day look like? How are you going about that? Because I think it's really easy to just you know sit and scroll on your phone or go spend money or go do these things that you used to do on your downtime, but now you have downtime all the time. So how are you gonna maintain structure? Um and uh purpose was the other, is that the other word you think?

SPEAKER_00 32:32

Yeah, purpose, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

Yeah, so and purposes, I think that goes hand in hand with identity because if you feel like your your sport was your purpose, then what does your purpose look like now? So, you know, I a lot of guys, it it's philanthropy um and giving back to their community in some way through you know, their foundations and impact investing. That's amazing. That's one of my favorite parts of the job is helping them unlock that part of themselves. Um, but I I think yeah, the structure and finding your purpose and finding out just who you want to be is and what you want to fill your day with is huge.

SPEAKER_00 33:11

Yeah. You know, I I think this this when you think about people's money, it it's a and you're handing your money over to someone. So I'm sure there's a huge, huge responsibility in building relationship. Yes. And so when you guys are building those relationships and uh communicating with these athletes, you know, what are you guys preparing them around mentally to to you know what journey that they're about to be on, not just to finance, not just about financial, but like their lifelong journey of like working with you guys?

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Mm-hmm. Well yeah, relationships is is huge because earlier when I mentioned building a a trusted network, um that consists of people who aren't just yes men to you, you know, because trust and having someone who makes you feel good are very two different things.

SPEAKER_00 34:06

Can we say that again? Let's let's just go say that again.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

Yeah, trust and because it's important.

SPEAKER_00 34:12

It's important that we, you know, we we have so many yes people around a lot of our young athletes. So I just want you to say that again.

SPEAKER_01 34:19

Yeah. So there are a lot of yes men. Uh athletes are very used to being told yes and being welcome in any place, in any room, because they're getting they're celebrities. They're given these opportunities and coming along with that, they don't often get turned down. Um, or you know, sometimes there's people who don't have their best interests at heart. So trust and someone who's making you feel good are very two different things. You have to have someone who's truly trusted to give you the good, bad, the ugly, and is still gonna stand with you and get you through it next to you. So that is key.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Amen. Amen. All right.

SPEAKER_01 35:01

Yes, she's preaching over here. That's important.

unknown 35:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

Well, Andy, you you lead at such a high level, and you you can contribute that to your parents, you can contribute that back to uh going to a boarding school and then and then playing D1 ball. Um, but not just you know, leading in your in your company, but also as a mother, you know. So how has motherhood shaped how you think about um success, legacy, and how you nurture the athletes that you're working with?

SPEAKER_01 35:33

It uh motherhood totally, totally changed me. I um for the better, I think for the better, but it it just opens up a different part of you, I think whether you're a mother or a father, um a new level of patience, a new level of worry, a new level of, you know, just taking care of someone, a new mental load that you're carrying at all times, and just a new way that you see the world. When someone tells you bad news about something happening before you have kids, it's a totally different feeling once you're considering your kids now. Um, but I think that also extends into you have a different way of viewing all relationships because I I was listening to something on social media a couple months ago, and it was saying when you become a mother, you become a parent, you no longer can give a hundred percent of yourself to anything because you are stretched thin, but you have unlocked all of these new parts of you that now you have more to give. So even if it's not necessarily a hundred percent, it's more than you were giving in the first place because of the way you just view everything and and internalize things and process things and just see the world in general. So it's been it's been amazing. And um at the at the start of in January, we were going through and we had each member on our team give a word that they wanted to focus on for 2026 of their personal life and also in their work life. And my word for both was nurture because I want everyone around me to feel like they can come to me and I'm gonna wrap my arms around them and still give them what they need, but in an empathetic and nurturing way. So it's it's been quite the journey, but um, I think motherhood has made me into a much better person.

SPEAKER_00 37:53

Yeah. And so it and and all those things carry over to how you work with your clients. Yes. Um, the the wisdom. Um, you know, so I think I think motherhood and fatherhood gives you that perspective that um we wouldn't get if we didn't didn't have kids. And I'm not saying that people who don't have kids don't have that perspective. Um, but it's just it's a it's a different perspective of how you lean into um the things that you're doing, especially when you know your purpose.

SPEAKER_01 38:21

100%. I feel so protective of our clients. Like I go, you know, full mama bear mode, like, no, you're not gonna, you're not gonna take advantage of this situation. You're like, I've been I've been bodyguard Annie with six foot four athletes and like little me is elbows out, you know, making sure that no one is getting to them. And yeah, it's it's um, it's really important to me that they feel protected and safe and that I'm trustworthy. That's huge to me.

SPEAKER_00 38:57

When you think about those things, what does success mean now versus earlier in your career?

SPEAKER_01 39:05

Success to me is having harmony for myself at home and in the workplace, and understanding it's not always gonna be balanced, that it's gonna ebb and flow. Sometimes I have to give way more to work, sometimes I have to give way more to my family. Um, but being able to spend that intentional time in both places. Um it's also incredibly important to me that my sons growing up, you know, they grow up understanding what a successful mother looks like, you know, and and seeing that you can have both and seeing a woman, you know, having an amazing career and being fierce and being confident because I think that for a long time that was a narrative that didn't get told, um, even though there have been women trailblazing since the inception of time. So that's incredibly important to me and what success looks like for me and my family as well.

SPEAKER_00 40:12

That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, I'm gonna I want to hit we get rid of wrap-up here, so I'm gonna give you one tough one to think about, and it may be a little easy for you. Um if you had to go back and talk to your younger self, you know, 16, 15, 16-year-old self, you know, what would you say to her?

SPEAKER_01 40:31

I would say a lot of things. Um, I was someone who did not know what I wanted to do. I hated school. I had no clear path for what my future would look like. So I think I would go back to my 16-year-old self and just say it's okay. You know, it's okay to not know, and it's okay to fail, and it's okay to do things that you don't like because that's gonna morph you and mold you into the successful person that you are today, and just kind of give that girl a hug because it was a lot, you know, it's a lot to carry. So I would just that's what I would say.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, my last question for you. And again, looking at your journey, you know, um how you how you were raised and things you've done in your life. If you had to think about and give me, I would say give me a couple intangibles that have made Annie who she is today, what would you what would you say they are?

SPEAKER_01 41:41

A very strong work ethic. Um being a humble servant, never letting my ego get in the way, and always direct communication, even when it's hard. Communication is key. I think those are the things that have gotten me to where I am today. And without those, I I don't know what what my world would look like.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

Wow. Annie, this has been fantastic. Thank you for the servant that you are. Thank you for the vulnerability that you've shared here, and also thank you for um looking out for the next generation of athletes um and helping them understand what their future could look like versus uh what it is today. Um so being a visionary um and and being a person of genuineness that your athletes, you can tell why they trust you. And so thank you for what you guys do at Rise. I'm really excited to just continue to follow you guys and learn more about what the work that you guys are doing. But this has been awesome. So hopefully someone who listened to this can share this with their kid or or even for a parent to learn some things that that can help their their young athlete maneuver in this wild, wild west that we're in. And so um this has been fun. I really appreciate you joining me on an intangible podcast.

SPEAKER_01 43:09

No, thank you so much. This is amazing. You're you know, your podcast is amazing. You're you're leading the way for filling, you know, filling the gaps that need filled. So I'm I'm honored to have been a guest. Thank you so much for having me. And let's just keep building, let's keep doing it.

SPEAKER_00 43:24

Absolutely, absolutely.