Olympic swimmers and Bond alumni Alex Graham and Jenna Strauch launch their new podcast.
“What comes next?”
A simple question, but it can be complex one as anyone who has contemplated significant change in their lives will know.
And it’s that very question Bond University MBA student and Olympic swimmer, Alex Graham, found himself pondering at length recently as he contemplated what may well be his last tilt at Olympic team selection.
“I’m a senior member of the Australian swimming squad these days,” he says.
“Although I’ve still got plenty to give, I unfortunately must acknowledge that I’m closer to the end of my time as an elite athlete than I am to the beginning of my career. And that got me thinking about what will follow my career in the pool.”
It’s also a question fellow Olympian Jenna Strauch – a Bond Biomedical Science graduate - has been grappling with.
“I’ve had to overcome some pretty significant injury hurdles over the last little while,” Strauch says.
“Having time away from the sport forced upon you does get you wondering about life outside the day-to-day grind of it.”
Strauch and Graham train together and enjoy a close and longstanding friendship.
They’ve revelled in each other’s many sporting successes, and they’ve been there for each other when the inevitable dark times arrive.
When they started talking about how athletes make the transition from inside the elite sporting bubble to the ‘real world’ outside it, a podcast idea quickly formed.
Graham explains.
“It occurred to us that people who have immersed themselves in elite sport have a really interesting perspective on change. Their lives are dictated by discipline and routine. They are challenged mentally and physically. They have to adapt. They have to be really tough. They experience incredible highs and often heartbreaking lows. All these things define the way they move into their time after sport in business or whatever else. Jenna and I soon realised there was a wealth of experiences and stories that everyone could relate to and learn from."
And so GET SET was born.
Strauch and Graham have lined up some fascinating guests to help them take a close look at the peculiarities of life at the coalface of elite sport and seek to learn from other athletes who are contemplating life after elite sport or have already transitioned from sport into something new.
“What we quickly observed, though, was that the lessons drawn from these conversations absolutely transcend the games these athletes play,” Graham says.
“We think listeners will learn plenty about resilience, family, friendship, vulnerability, courage and more.”
The podcast’s first episode features 168-game NRL player Ryan James. A proud Bundjalung man, James has barely sat still since hanging up his boots earlier this year.
“Ryan James was a terrific first guest,” Strauch says.
“The way he has forged an identity as a leader on and off the footballing field and his commitment to let community-mindedness fuel his entrepreneurial pursuits was really eye-opening and inspiring.”
Episode 2 will feature Australia's greatest Olympian, Emma McKeon, alongside Jessica Corones, Head of Performance at Swimming Australia.
They’ve worked together closely for many years.
“Their insights into the management of highs and lows, of overcoming fear of failure, and the power of the sporting mind are fascinating,” Graham says.
You can listen to GET SET on Spotify HERE and Apple Podcasts HERE.
