June 21, 2024 • 34 mins
What if you could navigate the complex world of collegiate sports with the guidance of a seasoned expert? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Willette White, a trailblazer in women's basketball with over 36 years of expertise. Coach White takes us through her transformative journey from being a college athlete to becoming a revered coach, offering a treasure trove of wisdom for young athletes and their families. We dissect the critical transition from high school to college sports, highlighting the significance of having a plan, understanding one's motives, and keeping realistic expectations. White broadens the horizon by discussing the often-overlooked opportunities beyond Division I, providing invaluable insights into Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior colleges.
In this episode, we also dive into the challenges faced by student-athletes as they transition to college life, such as juggling demanding schedules, academic responsibilities, and social pressures. White shares indispensable advice on time management, the importance of patience, and the value of seeking support, while also emphasizing that perseverance can lead to success despite initial hurdles. You'll hear a touching story from our host about overcoming academic stress with the aid of a supportive coach, underscoring the crucial role of a strong support system. Finally, we highlight the comprehensive resources available to student-athletes for ensuring their academic, emotional, and athletic wellbeing, and how these vital services can be accessed virtually. Don't miss this episode packed with actionable advice and heartfelt stories that aim to empower the next generation of college athletes.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, I'm Coach Mickey and I'm so glad that you've
joined us, and if this is yourfirst time joining us, come on
in and make yourself comfortable.
For those of you that join uson a regular basis, we are so
glad that you do and I lookforward to seeing each and every
one of you each and every week,or at least when we have an
opportunity.
Have on some amazing gueststhat not only give you a little
bit of insight and information,but also have an opportunity to
(00:21):
share their stories that canhelp be an inspiration for you,
whether you are doing somethingin business or personal or just
some other facet of your lifethat you can find this can
pertain to.
So I'm really excited abouttoday and you guys know I'm
always excited about my guestsbecause that's why I do this and
this is going to be fun becausewe're kind of cut from the same
cloth.
She's a coach, and you guysknow I'm a coach, but she's much
(00:44):
more of an extensive coach andthis is going to be so much fun.
I'm excited to have you.
Let me tell you a little bitabout her and then we're going
to just jump right in and hearher story.
I am today with Willett White.
She has had an extensive40-year career as a college
athlete and as a coach, atwo-time All-Regional and
(01:06):
All-American at the Universityof Idaho.
She was inducted into threeBasketball Hall of Fames.
She has dedicated her coachingto supporting young women and
athletes and their parents tonavigate the complications in
the landscape of college, whichwe all know.
As parents, we all need that,especially if we have an athlete
that's going to college.
(01:31):
She has over 30 years ofexperience in the field of
collegiate women's basketball,was the director of operations
for University of Utah for sixyears, after spending her first
two seasons as an assistantcoach back in 2003 and also 2013
.
She's also spent time with theUSA Basketball Program.
She served as an assistant withUConn.
Her list is a mile long.
She has won Junior WorldChampions, she has spent time
(01:54):
with USA Basketball Women'sCollegiate Committee and she is
going to share with you everyfacet of her life and her
programs and what she has tooffer.
So I'm just going to jump rightin and let you just share the
story.
Willa, thank you so much forbeing with us today.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Well, thanks for having me, Mickey.
I really appreciate thatintroduction.
First, I will have to correctyou on one thing I was not an
assistant at UConn, but I was anassistant for Gino Ariema on
the Junior Worlds for GinoArayama on the junior worlds,
and we had gone to Prague thatyear and finished third.
But so I was assistant on thatteam but never at the University
(02:31):
of Yukon.
But thank you for having me.
And just to share my story, yeah, I was in collegiate women's
basketball for 36 years and 26of those years were at the power
five level.
I started my career as agraduate assistant at Ohio State
University, went to Iowa Statefor nine months and then started
(02:54):
my journey really in the Pac-12.
Started at the University ofWashington, went down to UCLA,
jumped to the East Coast to be ahead coach at Northeastern
University, came back to theUniversity of Oregon and the
University of Utah.
So yeah, it was.
It's been 36 years later andI'm surprised that it was that
(03:17):
long, but it was.
It was quite the ride and aboutin 2019, I got really tired of
traveling and and doing all thethings behind the scenes and
just needed to step away.
So I was really ready to retireand start something new.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
That's awesome and that journey, I know, was not an
easy one, especially whenyou're going from high school
into college and then evenfurther.
And I've seen that over theyears.
And the biggest question that'salways comes across and is
asked to me is how do I do this?
How do I take my kid who is inthis sport and is excelling, but
(03:57):
they haven't made it to thecollege level or they want to
get to that college level?
So, from your experience inyour journey, what would you say
is one of the most importantthings that you could share with
someone who would want to makethat jump?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, I think it's really important to have a plan.
I think first and foremost tohave a plan, I also think you
have to have some, be realisticat what your student athlete is
wanting.
I think they need to share withtheir parents what their why is
(04:33):
.
Why do they want to play at thecollegiate level?
Do they want to get theireducation paid for?
Do they actually really reallylove the sport and want to
compete?
Do they have higher aspirationsof going on to the level after
college?
So the why for a young lady ora young man is really, really
important.
And then I think you can set aplan after that, because
(04:55):
everybody has these grandiosesideas of Division I or bust and
there's so many greatopportunities at the Division II
level, the Division III andsome people may really
appreciate the NAI level orstarting out at a junior college
level and working your way up.
So there's lots of options.
(05:16):
But when parents and youngwomen and young men sort of get
their blinders on to theDivision, I experience it really
limits their opportunities.
We have an arm on my companythat does the recruiting process
also.
We take a year long journeywith the student athlete to find
(05:37):
their perfect fit and then theytransition to working with me
to get the readiness andpreparation for stepping on
college campus for theirathletic program.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And you know, I appreciate the fact that you
said Division I was great.
I've just seen over the yearsmyself is that people forget
about Division II and IIIschools are just as good.
You know, and, like you said,where do you really want to take
this?
And and this is um somethingthat I think that a lot of
student athletes don't take intoconsideration.
(06:12):
You're right, because they'vebeen drilled you have to be in a
d1 to be able to excel, andthere's so many great athletes
in every level and every sportthat has come out of d1 and d2
schools, even D3.
And obviously that's somethingthat I think should be presented
more in high schools instead ofalways focusing on just that D1
(06:35):
level.
So I want to touch back.
I know you said you have acompany that you do to help
people.
It's called Next Level, whichis great and that's going to be,
you know, embedded into thepodcast, the information.
But tell us a little bit abouthow you got started with that
and how that kind of came tolight.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Yeah, so it's called Next Step, with Passion and
Purpose.
And when I retired in 2019, Ireally was, in my mind, done
with student athlete and wantedto work with a different
population.
And I became a certified lifecoach and still training to get
my certification through theInternational Coaches Federation
(07:16):
so I'm working on thatcurrently.
But I wanted to work with peoplewho were in a transition or
wanted some better wellness intheir life or many different
things.
And as I continued to thinkabout where my passion was and
what I was really good at, Ikept circling back to the
(07:36):
student athlete and so I landedon just sitting back and
thinking about my 36 years on acollege campus and how much
struggle I saw, not only fromthe young women in the women's
basketball program, but youngwomen in all the sports and
young men in their sports too.
So through a lot ofconversation, I circled back and
(07:59):
landed on continuing to supportthe student athlete for their
time on their college campus,because I knew I could be really
helpful, because as a directorof operations I did all that
admissions and housing and allof those things and I saw kids
really kind of frantic on makingthe adjustment academically,
(08:23):
with time management, the socialpressures, all of these things,
and so, as I was continuing todecide what it was that I really
wanted to do, again I came backto the student athlete, and my
passion is just wanting peopleto thrive once they get on their
college campus.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Well, that's a perfect name for your company.
Next Step because what do I?
What is the next step,especially when you're going
from high school to college?
You're right, that's a bigtransition, especially going
into college, you know, andseeing that firsthand, not only
personally with my own family,but also seeing a lot of the
kids that I've seen go on tocollege, to college, and it is.
(09:06):
It's a big transition and Idon't think they're aware of how
many things are going to bepresented besides just stepping
out on a field or a court orwhatever.
While that's your main focus,there's so many more elements
and it sounds like your programhelps them address all of those
situations and what they'redealing with.
Am I hearing you correctly onthat?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
those situations and what they're dealing with.
Am I hearing you correctly onthat?
Yeah, absolutely.
I took what I thought were thesix critical most topics that I
had seen over my 36 years, andagain it was the time management
and the social and the peerpressures and learning how to
advocate for yourself.
And you know, everybody was abig fish in their high school
pond.
Now they're a small fish in thebig college pond and not
(09:46):
everyone handles that well atall.
So we deep dive into thosecritical topics and then, after
my eight week readiness andpreparation program, I offer
eight months of support once astudent athlete gets on their
college campus.
So I'm readily available to theparents, to the student athlete
, because things are going tocome up in those first eight
(10:08):
months.
There is just no doubt and Ithink the bigger the village you
have as a student athlete, theeasier it'll be to get through
these things.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
That's great.
That really is because you'vetaken your own experiences and
you've taken it and fine-tunedit to help people through theirs
.
I mean, that really is a gift.
That's awesome.
And so I want to touch a littlebit on you because I love what
you're doing and I'd like tohear your story and I know
you're understanding this andyou see the challenges.
(10:38):
What would you say are some ofthe stories as you were coming
up and for what you've done andas a player, and then, you know,
segueing into a coach, wherethe most important things that
you took with you as as a playerand into coaching, and then
into where you are right now.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah, my experience as a college basketball player
was really challenging too.
It was my first time away fromhome.
I had some time managementchallenges, so I needed to
really focus in on my timemanagement skills.
I went to the University ofIdaho, which was lacked a lot of
diversity, so the social andpeer pressure challenges were
(11:22):
really challenging.
I was the only person of coloron my team, so that had a little
piece of isolation in itself,and so I think, as I was able to
reflect, on my experience.
I needed to support young womenwhere they were when they
stepped on their college campusand support them through the
(11:43):
time management, and I reallywould have academic coaches and
every player that was under me.
I had, you know, a time sheetso I know where they were on in
at every point of the day, Iknew when they were supposed to
be in class, study hall and soforth, and then I met with them
weekly, if not two or threetimes a week, depending on what
(12:03):
their academic challenges were,and it was a of encouragement.
It's a lot of discipline anddemand and I really felt
strongly that that was somethingthat helped our team become a
higher GPA program at theuniversities that I was at.
So I felt strongly about reallyguiding and helping young women
(12:26):
with their time managementskills again along with the
social and repair pressures andthen just dealing with not being
that big fish anymore, and so Ithink the experience that I had
as a college athlete in mystruggles helped me to help
young women and young men lateron in this journey.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
right now, Well, and it's, there's a lot to it,
because you're not onlycommitting to the sport but,
like you said, as a studentathlete, you've got your
academics that you have to beaware of.
You know, because you're incollege, I mean, yes, the sport
is great and I love that, andthat is one facet, but also,
whatever you're deciding to doand the reason you're there, to
(13:05):
be there, you know you've got.
You throw that into thatelement and that changes
everything else, because there'sa lot of pressure on that
because of the timing, theclasses, getting work done.
You know it's not, it's notlike high school.
I mean, it's a whole gamechanger.
You know, when you, when you getto that level, so the fact that
you have the ability and youoffer to help them along this
(13:28):
journey, it really is insightful.
But it's also very helpful,because a lot of these kids go
how do I do this?
What do I do with this?
You know, or they or they getoverwhelmed.
I mean, do you find that's thebiggest?
The biggest thing that comes toyou is they feel overwhelmed
with all these things that arehappening in a short period of
time.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Oh, absolutely there's.
That first two or three monthson campus is so overwhelming and
you have to your head.
Young, young people's heads arespinning on all what they're
expected, what's expected ofthem, their hard work, the level
(14:17):
they have to compete at day inand day out.
You know, sometimes verylimited time off.
I mean there are some rules andregulations around that, but
sometimes they've got recruitsin town and is that really a
true day off?
And so the time demands becometenfold when you get to the
college level and young peopledon't realize that they think
(14:41):
they have this grandiosus ideaon going on scholarship.
You know they have these dreamsand aspirations which are great
, but they don't really unfoldin that first eight months.
It's after they get comfortableon their college campus and
they find their way on theirteam and what's expected of them
(15:01):
and they're able to meet thetime demands.
But again, Nikki, that's eightmonths into the journey.
And so what's happening thosefirst eight months is young
women and young men are callinghome, wanting, wanting to come
home, and they're mad at theircoach because they're not
playing, and this and that andall kinds of things, and again
the peer pressure, the socialpressures of being at parties
(15:23):
and so forth and access toalcohol and drugs, and now
parents don't know where theiryoung people are 24-7 the way
they did in high school, andthat's a challenge for parents
too.
So anytime parents want to hashthose things out in that
eight-month period, I'm readilyavailable.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
That's great.
Yeah, I think the hardest thingis getting a call.
And again, now what you do isto the next, you know, obviously
going on to the next step anddoing what you're doing.
But when you hear, or you meetup with it with a player that
you've had over the years andthey're like, yeah, but I'm not
playing and I'm not doing this,and then you have to go, okay,
(16:03):
and then so what would you?
What would you say?
You know, actually I'm going toback up what would you say are
and you can go three or five,whatever tips you want to give
what would you say to somebodywho is getting ready to go to
college right now, as an athletethat is going to step on that
campus come August, and this isa whole new thing for them.
(16:24):
What would you say should bethe most important key things
that they should look at and do,and then maybe give us a tip or
two on what could help them?
Speaker 2 (16:33):
yeah, I mean, I think it's a little bit of what we
talked about.
It's overwhelming.
Starting of classes and I thinkyou, you as a college student
athlete, you look at yourschedule, you know three days,
three classes on Monday,wednesday, friday, or two
classes on Tuesday or Thursdayor some kind of combination of
that, and you you think, oh myGod, look at how much time I
(16:54):
have, because as a high schoolyou went from eight in the
morning to you know you had yourlunch break, but you were done
at two, 30 or three o'clock.
So more class days, more classtime during every day of the
week.
So when they look at theirschedule, their class schedule,
they think that there's a lot oftime on their hands, but that's
(17:14):
before they plug in treatment,practice, weights, study hall,
meeting with the tutors, homevisit, campus visits for other
young people that are coming inwanting to be a part of the
program, communityresponsibilities, meeting with
(17:37):
your professors, all thosethings.
So I think it's again.
They're surprised at thedemands that they're going from
7 in the morning, maybesometimes 6, 6.30 in the morning
, till 10 o'clock at night andthen coming home maybe around
eight and still having to studyfor another two or three hours.
So I would.
My tip would be take one day ata time, because it can be really
(18:02):
overwhelming when you look atthis big picture and to know
that it's going to get easier.
But it's also really helpful andmeaningful to have people in
your corner that you can reachout to and you can get
encouragement and advice fromand to bounce ideas off of.
And so many young people usethe portal, the transfer portal,
(18:25):
quite regularly now, so itgives them an out and not
wanting to really work as hardas they do to to be successful
in this program.
Grass is always greener on theother side, right so we have
kids 1200 to 1500 kids sometimesin football and men's and
(18:45):
women's basketball and and Idon't know what the numbers are
for other sports like volleyballand softball.
But many people want to go inthe portal for various reasons
and portal's not always theright answer because some people
get stuck in there.
So I would also say to bepatient.
To be patient, knowing thatthings will get better, knowing
(19:08):
things that will become morecomfortable and hopefully easier
, as you understand the demandsand what's expected of you.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
And that comes down to commitment and responsibility
.
And one of the things I've seenover the years is you'll have,
like you said, they have likeclasses, maybe two or three
classes, or Monday, wednesday,friday or whatever.
Like you said, they have likeclasses, maybe two or three
classes, or Monday, wednesday,friday or whatever, and they
think that time frame.
But what they don't understandis there's assignments that are
due at specific times and if youmiss them, you know you don't
(19:39):
get a second chance and it's notthat easy to go in and make it
up, because this is now college,this is not high school, and
it's different.
Now you put a sport on top ofit and you've got your own
demands for your own commitmentand responsibility.
So I like the fact that yousaid that time management really
, really is the key, the keyfacet to all of this, because
(20:01):
once you get that down, then itmakes it a lot easier to bring
everything together, if you know.
And then there's going to besacrifice.
There is, I mean, that'sanother element that I think
that these kids don't understand.
It's like, no, you're going tohave to step up and make a
sacrifice on what's important toyou.
You know what are you makingyour priority to be able to get
(20:21):
you to where you want to go.
You know and I love the factthat you have those tools and
what you offer to help themthrough that to find that answer
, depending on where they wantto go on their commitment level.
So, with this, ok, so they haveyou and you're working with
them for the first year.
What do you see?
What are some of the positivechanges that you see after
(20:43):
you've done the first year withthese people?
I mean where they they actuallythese student athletes grow and
excel.
So what's some of the thingsthat you've seen after that?
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Yeah, it actually brings a smile to my face to
think about some people thathave really grown and I think
one of the really key areas is,as we keep talking about time
management is that piece andunderstanding where they can
afford to socialize and go outwith their friends and go to
(21:14):
parties and when they need to becommitted to what they have to
get done academically.
But I think the biggest growthis academically is just
understanding you know some ofthe tools that they have in
their toolbox to be able toutilize those when times get
tough or when the days are shortand work is long, that kind of
(21:35):
thing.
So I've watched young womengrow in that area.
And then I think, just theirconfidence, confidence in who
they are and what their role ison campus, because as a student
athlete, you have automaticclout, you have an automatic
voice.
And how are you going to usethat clout and that voice
(21:57):
without taking it for grantedand being so appreciative of the
opportunity to compete dailyand to get your education paid
for?
Speaker 1 (22:06):
yeah, yeah, and that that makes you right.
That's another responsibilitybecause, like you said, as an
athlete, you know these are thestudent body.
You know, when you have sportsespecially whether it's
basketball or football, I mean,and obviously baseball I mean
those are the ones that standout the most when you're looking
at, you know, college athletes.
You're right, they do.
They have these opportunitieson these college campuses to
(22:30):
make a difference based on whatthey've been given and who they
are.
And then if you can getsomebody to understand that and
then do something great with it,that's even better.
And it sounds like that's.
That's another element to whatyou offer to, you know, to show
them that they've got thisopportunity that some people
don't have on the college campus.
And, my gosh, it's a gift, youknow.
(22:50):
You might as well use it tohelp you and help others too,
right?
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Yeah, yeah, you've said that so beautifully.
I mean, one of the pieces to thecurriculum that I have is
accountability andresponsibility.
What does that mean to you, andwhat tools are you going to have
to be in place if you're notnormally responsible or you
don't get your assignments ontime or some of these things?
What tools do we need to put inplace for you to be successful
(23:16):
in that area?
And then, using your voice andnot only advocating for yourself
, but finding what you'repassionate about and using your
voice in that area.
I mean, I just watched adocumentary on the WNBA and
their social justice platformthat they used in the wake of
(23:37):
George Floyd's killing and howthey were so instrumental in the
political arena down in Georgiaand so they chose to use their
platform for the betterment ofBlack Lives Matter movement.
So I really encourage youngpeople to find out what they're
(23:58):
passionate about and to getinvolved and to use their voice,
because there's so much cloutthat you have as a student
athlete and people listen tostudent athletes and so to use
your voice not only to advocatefor yourself, but to advocate
for what you're passionate about.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Yeah, and that makes sense.
I mean, you've got the perfectopportunity.
You're in a, you're in a crowdof people where you've got
people's undivided attentionbecause you're already in the
limelight.
So why not use that opportunityto be able to do something,
like you said, that's importantto you, but also to make a make
a difference.
So I want to, I want to ask youso, if you wouldn't mind share,
(24:36):
share one of your favoritestories.
I'm going to ask about for youfirst, about you as an athlete
or coach, whatever one you likeand then something that you have
that's dear to you, based onwhat you're doing now with
someone who's excelling.
So I'll start with you first.
So what's one of your, one ofyour favorite stories that
sticks out in your mind?
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Yeah, I think probably the thing that comes to
mind when I was in college is,again, I had those time
management struggles and Iwasn't a.
I wasn't a great student.
I needed to learn to be abetter student.
But I had gone to my head coachat that time and I had been
struggling in a class Ishouldn't have been in.
(25:17):
I had no desire to be anaccounting major or to work with
numbers, and here I was inaccounting just over my head,
and I just said I don't know ifI want to be here, I want to go
home.
I wasn't.
I was no different than theseyoung women and young men today.
Um, and she had told me thatwas one of the worst days of her
(25:37):
life, to hear that I wanted toleave because of some challenges
.
And she supported me throughthat.
And I got my undergraduatedegree, I got my master's degree
and, and um, that was a turningpoint for me because I really
did not want to be in school andthe conversations that her and
(25:57):
I had about you know what thismeant and what this meant for me
in the future.
And did I want to playbasketball?
If I wanted to play basketball,then I needed to be a better
student, so I learned how to dothat.
So that was a turning point forme.
And then, yeah, I don't know ifit's a favorite story, but it's
(26:18):
an impactful story.
We had a young lady on campusat one of the universities I was
at.
She was doing wellbasketball-wise and was sharing
with us that she was doing wellacademically.
And then we got her firstquarter reports and she hadn't
been in class since probably thefirst month or so and flunked
(26:41):
out of school.
And years, years later I hadlearned that she experienced
some violence on on the campusand that played a part in how
she went about the rest of herdaily life and ended up flunking
out.
And that story has resonated somuch with me and that is why I
(27:06):
offer eight months of supportwhen they get on their college
campus to be a resource.
And not every young woman oryoung man wants to turn to their
parents when something likethat happens or even just other
things, and so I'm hoping that Ican be one of those people that
(27:26):
they feel comfortable turningto if something of that
magnitude happens again.
And we talk about the socialimpairment, pressures and, um,
the parties and the access toalcohol and drugs and all of
those things that they might notbe used to, and be careful
who's in your circle and keepyour circle tight once you find
(27:48):
that circle.
So yeah, that was a reallyimpactful story for me and again
, it's why I offer eight monthsof support when a young woman or
young man gets on their collegecampus.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
That's great, and that is something that I think
we need more um, uh sort oflooking for attention to when it
comes to the college safety,because I've seen that happen
too many times, where somebodyhas come on and they don't they
don't understand it, they don'tknow it or they're not aware of
it.
And to have you be there forthem to be able to share this
(28:33):
and I don't wish it on anybody,but in the event that it happens
then at least they've gotsomebody to turn to.
You offer so much more thanjust taking an athlete from high
school into the college level.
It's the full package.
It's the emotional support, theacademic support, you know, and
then along with the athleticsupport, and that's, that is a
full package.
That is really exciting, andthis is why I wanted to have you
on, because you're offering aprogram that every parent always
(28:57):
asks what do I do about this?
How do I do that?
How do I handle that?
Well, if you've got one personyou can go to that is going to
be there and help everybody onthis journey, you know, for what
you've, you've taken and you'vedone is is is the full package,
it really is.
Well, I mean, that's, that's anawesome, awesome thing what
you're doing.
So I'm going to give you thelast three minutes.
(29:18):
Go ahead and share uh, yourwebsite, and, as everybody knows
, it's all going to be embeddeddown down below uh, here.
If you're watching on youtube,if it's on, if you're listening
to it on coach mickey andfriends on the podcast, it'll be
embedded in the um podcastdescription.
And I'm going to ask you I'massuming you work virtually so
you can work anywhere, right,correct?
I Correct, I figured that.
I mean, that's probably a given.
(29:39):
So that'll be great, becauseI've got listeners worldwide and
I know there's a lot ofathletes that could definitely
use.
You know what you have to offer.
So I'm going to let you sharethe last three minutes of what
we didn't cover and how peoplecan reach you and your website,
and we'll go from there.
Yeah well.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Thanks so much for having me on.
This has been great and wetalked about some really, really
important stuff.
But I think parents need torealize that there is help out
there and many of them say whatdo I do next?
And there are people out therewho, like myself, who want to
help student athletes in thisjourney of not only finding a
(30:17):
great place to take their skillsbut to have readiness and
preparation.
And it's not just about findingthe college scholarship and
then washing your hands ofeverything.
If you don't go that next stepof preparing your student
athlete to step on campus, theneverything you've done might be
for naught.
And then what do you want to do?
(30:38):
Enter the transfer portal afteryour freshman year.
That's a whole nother cycle ofrecruiting and you're on your
own at that point.
It's not as glamorous as youthink.
The portal is not what peoplethink.
Eyes need to be wide open whenyou're thinking about all of
these things.
So it's so imperative to findyour perfect fit, first and
(30:59):
foremost, off the bat, so youdon't have to transfer, so you
can invest that four years andreally build on your college
experience.
People can find me at.
My website isnextsteptransitionalcoachingcom,
and I am on linkedin underwillette white, and I also have
a private Facebook page and it'scalled Parents of Aspiring
(31:22):
Female College Athletes, but Ithink there's probably some
parents of males in there.
And then I'm also on Keep OnSharing, which has been a great
platform for me to get to knowpeople and to post some content,
so I've been really excitedabout being on that.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Well, thank you so much for being with us.
I really have enjoyed having aconversation with you and having
you share what your expertiseand your insight, because I
think what you offer, I know, iswhat every parent is looking
for.
And, again, I've, in all theyears I've been doing the
coaching, I have not come acrossanything like your offering.
So, please, please, please.
(31:58):
If you have a parent that andhave a child that's going away
to college or I don't care ifit's community college or
four-year university these nextsteps are so crucial and I've
seen it just even firsthand as acoach too, watching people go
off.
But having someone like you isdefinitely, definitely a must
and a gift.
So thank you so much, coachWhite, and I appreciate you and
(32:23):
I love what you're doing.
I'm going to make sure thatthis gets out to everybody that
needs it, so thank you so muchfor your time.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Thanks, vicki, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
All right, you guys, thank you so much for being with
us and I look forward tohearing from each and every one
of you.
Please, please, please, reachout.
All the descriptions are downbelow or, if you're listening to
the podcast, please reach outto Coach White.
She is amazing and I knowyou're going to get a lot of
benefits.
Even if it's just a couple ofquestions and you don't know, as
a parent, I'm sure she'll bemore than happy to answer those.
(32:52):
And then, if this is somethingthat you know that your child's
going to need, I highly, highly,highly recommend that you reach
out to her and within herprogram.
So until then, remember youguys, the most courageous thing
you can do is be yourself.
I'm Coach Mickey and I lookforward to seeing you on our
next episode.
Until then, see ya.
Hey, I'm Coach Mickey and I'm so glad that you've
joined us, and if this is yourfirst time joining us, come on
in and make yourself comfortable.
For those of you that join uson a regular basis, we are so
glad that you do and I lookforward to seeing each and every
one of you each and every week,or at least when we have an
opportunity.
Have on some amazing gueststhat not only give you a little
bit of insight and information,but also have an opportunity to
(00:21):
share their stories that canhelp be an inspiration for you,
whether you are doing somethingin business or personal or just
some other facet of your lifethat you can find this can
pertain to.
So I'm really excited abouttoday and you guys know I'm
always excited about my guestsbecause that's why I do this and
this is going to be fun becausewe're kind of cut from the same
cloth.
She's a coach, and you guysknow I'm a coach, but she's much
(00:44):
more of an extensive coach andthis is going to be so much fun.
I'm excited to have you.
Let me tell you a little bitabout her and then we're going
to just jump right in and hearher story.
I am today with Willett White.
She has had an extensive40-year career as a college
athlete and as a coach, atwo-time All-Regional and
(01:06):
All-American at the Universityof Idaho.
She was inducted into threeBasketball Hall of Fames.
She has dedicated her coachingto supporting young women and
athletes and their parents tonavigate the complications in
the landscape of college, whichwe all know.
As parents, we all need that,especially if we have an athlete
that's going to college.
(01:31):
She has over 30 years ofexperience in the field of
collegiate women's basketball,was the director of operations
for University of Utah for sixyears, after spending her first
two seasons as an assistantcoach back in 2003 and also 2013
.
She's also spent time with theUSA Basketball Program.
She served as an assistant withUConn.
Her list is a mile long.
She has won Junior WorldChampions, she has spent time
(01:54):
with USA Basketball Women'sCollegiate Committee and she is
going to share with you everyfacet of her life and her
programs and what she has tooffer.
So I'm just going to jump rightin and let you just share the
story.
Willa, thank you so much forbeing with us today.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Well, thanks for having me, Mickey.
I really appreciate thatintroduction.
First, I will have to correctyou on one thing I was not an
assistant at UConn, but I was anassistant for Gino Ariema on
the Junior Worlds for GinoArayama on the junior worlds,
and we had gone to Prague thatyear and finished third.
But so I was assistant on thatteam but never at the University
(02:31):
of Yukon.
But thank you for having me.
And just to share my story, yeah, I was in collegiate women's
basketball for 36 years and 26of those years were at the power
five level.
I started my career as agraduate assistant at Ohio State
University, went to Iowa Statefor nine months and then started
(02:54):
my journey really in the Pac-12.
Started at the University ofWashington, went down to UCLA,
jumped to the East Coast to be ahead coach at Northeastern
University, came back to theUniversity of Oregon and the
University of Utah.
So yeah, it was.
It's been 36 years later andI'm surprised that it was that
(03:17):
long, but it was.
It was quite the ride and aboutin 2019, I got really tired of
traveling and and doing all thethings behind the scenes and
just needed to step away.
So I was really ready to retireand start something new.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
That's awesome and that journey, I know, was not an
easy one, especially whenyou're going from high school
into college and then evenfurther.
And I've seen that over theyears.
And the biggest question that'salways comes across and is
asked to me is how do I do this?
How do I take my kid who is inthis sport and is excelling, but
(03:57):
they haven't made it to thecollege level or they want to
get to that college level?
So, from your experience inyour journey, what would you say
is one of the most importantthings that you could share with
someone who would want to makethat jump?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, I think it's really important to have a plan.
I think first and foremost tohave a plan, I also think you
have to have some, be realisticat what your student athlete is
wanting.
I think they need to share withtheir parents what their why is
(04:33):
.
Why do they want to play at thecollegiate level?
Do they want to get theireducation paid for?
Do they actually really reallylove the sport and want to
compete?
Do they have higher aspirationsof going on to the level after
college?
So the why for a young lady ora young man is really, really
important.
And then I think you can set aplan after that, because
(04:55):
everybody has these grandiosesideas of Division I or bust and
there's so many greatopportunities at the Division II
level, the Division III andsome people may really
appreciate the NAI level orstarting out at a junior college
level and working your way up.
So there's lots of options.
(05:16):
But when parents and youngwomen and young men sort of get
their blinders on to theDivision, I experience it really
limits their opportunities.
We have an arm on my companythat does the recruiting process
also.
We take a year long journeywith the student athlete to find
(05:37):
their perfect fit and then theytransition to working with me
to get the readiness andpreparation for stepping on
college campus for theirathletic program.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And you know, I appreciate the fact that you
said Division I was great.
I've just seen over the yearsmyself is that people forget
about Division II and IIIschools are just as good.
You know, and, like you said,where do you really want to take
this?
And and this is um somethingthat I think that a lot of
student athletes don't take intoconsideration.
(06:12):
You're right, because they'vebeen drilled you have to be in a
d1 to be able to excel, andthere's so many great athletes
in every level and every sportthat has come out of d1 and d2
schools, even D3.
And obviously that's somethingthat I think should be presented
more in high schools instead ofalways focusing on just that D1
(06:35):
level.
So I want to touch back.
I know you said you have acompany that you do to help
people.
It's called Next Level, whichis great and that's going to be,
you know, embedded into thepodcast, the information.
But tell us a little bit abouthow you got started with that
and how that kind of came tolight.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Yeah, so it's called Next Step, with Passion and
Purpose.
And when I retired in 2019, Ireally was, in my mind, done
with student athlete and wantedto work with a different
population.
And I became a certified lifecoach and still training to get
my certification through theInternational Coaches Federation
(07:16):
so I'm working on thatcurrently.
But I wanted to work with peoplewho were in a transition or
wanted some better wellness intheir life or many different
things.
And as I continued to thinkabout where my passion was and
what I was really good at, Ikept circling back to the
(07:36):
student athlete and so I landedon just sitting back and
thinking about my 36 years on acollege campus and how much
struggle I saw, not only fromthe young women in the women's
basketball program, but youngwomen in all the sports and
young men in their sports too.
So through a lot ofconversation, I circled back and
(07:59):
landed on continuing to supportthe student athlete for their
time on their college campus,because I knew I could be really
helpful, because as a directorof operations I did all that
admissions and housing and allof those things and I saw kids
really kind of frantic on makingthe adjustment academically,
(08:23):
with time management, the socialpressures, all of these things,
and so, as I was continuing todecide what it was that I really
wanted to do, again I came backto the student athlete, and my
passion is just wanting peopleto thrive once they get on their
college campus.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Well, that's a perfect name for your company.
Next Step because what do I?
What is the next step,especially when you're going
from high school to college?
You're right, that's a bigtransition, especially going
into college, you know, andseeing that firsthand, not only
personally with my own family,but also seeing a lot of the
kids that I've seen go on tocollege, to college, and it is.
(09:06):
It's a big transition and Idon't think they're aware of how
many things are going to bepresented besides just stepping
out on a field or a court orwhatever.
While that's your main focus,there's so many more elements
and it sounds like your programhelps them address all of those
situations and what they'redealing with.
Am I hearing you correctly onthat?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
those situations and what they're dealing with.
Am I hearing you correctly onthat?
Yeah, absolutely.
I took what I thought were thesix critical most topics that I
had seen over my 36 years, andagain it was the time management
and the social and the peerpressures and learning how to
advocate for yourself.
And you know, everybody was abig fish in their high school
pond.
Now they're a small fish in thebig college pond and not
(09:46):
everyone handles that well atall.
So we deep dive into thosecritical topics and then, after
my eight week readiness andpreparation program, I offer
eight months of support once astudent athlete gets on their
college campus.
So I'm readily available to theparents, to the student athlete
, because things are going tocome up in those first eight
(10:08):
months.
There is just no doubt and Ithink the bigger the village you
have as a student athlete, theeasier it'll be to get through
these things.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
That's great.
That really is because you'vetaken your own experiences and
you've taken it and fine-tunedit to help people through theirs
.
I mean, that really is a gift.
That's awesome.
And so I want to touch a littlebit on you because I love what
you're doing and I'd like tohear your story and I know
you're understanding this andyou see the challenges.
(10:38):
What would you say are some ofthe stories as you were coming
up and for what you've done andas a player, and then, you know,
segueing into a coach, wherethe most important things that
you took with you as as a playerand into coaching, and then
into where you are right now.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah, my experience as a college basketball player
was really challenging too.
It was my first time away fromhome.
I had some time managementchallenges, so I needed to
really focus in on my timemanagement skills.
I went to the University ofIdaho, which was lacked a lot of
diversity, so the social andpeer pressure challenges were
(11:22):
really challenging.
I was the only person of coloron my team, so that had a little
piece of isolation in itself,and so I think, as I was able to
reflect, on my experience.
I needed to support young womenwhere they were when they
stepped on their college campusand support them through the
(11:43):
time management, and I reallywould have academic coaches and
every player that was under me.
I had, you know, a time sheetso I know where they were on in
at every point of the day, Iknew when they were supposed to
be in class, study hall and soforth, and then I met with them
weekly, if not two or threetimes a week, depending on what
(12:03):
their academic challenges were,and it was a of encouragement.
It's a lot of discipline anddemand and I really felt
strongly that that was somethingthat helped our team become a
higher GPA program at theuniversities that I was at.
So I felt strongly about reallyguiding and helping young women
(12:26):
with their time managementskills again along with the
social and repair pressures andthen just dealing with not being
that big fish anymore, and so Ithink the experience that I had
as a college athlete in mystruggles helped me to help
young women and young men lateron in this journey.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
right now, Well, and it's, there's a lot to it,
because you're not onlycommitting to the sport but,
like you said, as a studentathlete, you've got your
academics that you have to beaware of.
You know, because you're incollege, I mean, yes, the sport
is great and I love that, andthat is one facet, but also,
whatever you're deciding to doand the reason you're there, to
(13:05):
be there, you know you've got.
You throw that into thatelement and that changes
everything else, because there'sa lot of pressure on that
because of the timing, theclasses, getting work done.
You know it's not, it's notlike high school.
I mean, it's a whole gamechanger.
You know, when you, when you getto that level, so the fact that
you have the ability and youoffer to help them along this
(13:28):
journey, it really is insightful.
But it's also very helpful,because a lot of these kids go
how do I do this?
What do I do with this?
You know, or they or they getoverwhelmed.
I mean, do you find that's thebiggest?
The biggest thing that comes toyou is they feel overwhelmed
with all these things that arehappening in a short period of
time.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Oh, absolutely there's.
That first two or three monthson campus is so overwhelming and
you have to your head.
Young, young people's heads arespinning on all what they're
expected, what's expected ofthem, their hard work, the level
(14:17):
they have to compete at day inand day out.
You know, sometimes verylimited time off.
I mean there are some rules andregulations around that, but
sometimes they've got recruitsin town and is that really a
true day off?
And so the time demands becometenfold when you get to the
college level and young peopledon't realize that they think
(14:41):
they have this grandiosus ideaon going on scholarship.
You know they have these dreamsand aspirations which are great
, but they don't really unfoldin that first eight months.
It's after they get comfortableon their college campus and
they find their way on theirteam and what's expected of them
(15:01):
and they're able to meet thetime demands.
But again, Nikki, that's eightmonths into the journey.
And so what's happening thosefirst eight months is young
women and young men are callinghome, wanting, wanting to come
home, and they're mad at theircoach because they're not
playing, and this and that andall kinds of things, and again
the peer pressure, the socialpressures of being at parties
(15:23):
and so forth and access toalcohol and drugs, and now
parents don't know where theiryoung people are 24-7 the way
they did in high school, andthat's a challenge for parents
too.
So anytime parents want to hashthose things out in that
eight-month period, I'm readilyavailable.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
That's great.
Yeah, I think the hardest thingis getting a call.
And again, now what you do isto the next, you know, obviously
going on to the next step anddoing what you're doing.
But when you hear, or you meetup with it with a player that
you've had over the years andthey're like, yeah, but I'm not
playing and I'm not doing this,and then you have to go, okay,
(16:03):
and then so what would you?
What would you say?
You know, actually I'm going toback up what would you say are
and you can go three or five,whatever tips you want to give
what would you say to somebodywho is getting ready to go to
college right now, as an athletethat is going to step on that
campus come August, and this isa whole new thing for them.
(16:24):
What would you say should bethe most important key things
that they should look at and do,and then maybe give us a tip or
two on what could help them?
Speaker 2 (16:33):
yeah, I mean, I think it's a little bit of what we
talked about.
It's overwhelming.
Starting of classes and I thinkyou, you as a college student
athlete, you look at yourschedule, you know three days,
three classes on Monday,wednesday, friday, or two
classes on Tuesday or Thursdayor some kind of combination of
that, and you you think, oh myGod, look at how much time I
(16:54):
have, because as a high schoolyou went from eight in the
morning to you know you had yourlunch break, but you were done
at two, 30 or three o'clock.
So more class days, more classtime during every day of the
week.
So when they look at theirschedule, their class schedule,
they think that there's a lot oftime on their hands, but that's
(17:14):
before they plug in treatment,practice, weights, study hall,
meeting with the tutors, homevisit, campus visits for other
young people that are coming inwanting to be a part of the
program, communityresponsibilities, meeting with
(17:37):
your professors, all thosethings.
So I think it's again.
They're surprised at thedemands that they're going from
7 in the morning, maybesometimes 6, 6.30 in the morning
, till 10 o'clock at night andthen coming home maybe around
eight and still having to studyfor another two or three hours.
So I would.
My tip would be take one day ata time, because it can be really
(18:02):
overwhelming when you look atthis big picture and to know
that it's going to get easier.
But it's also really helpful andmeaningful to have people in
your corner that you can reachout to and you can get
encouragement and advice fromand to bounce ideas off of.
And so many young people usethe portal, the transfer portal,
(18:25):
quite regularly now, so itgives them an out and not
wanting to really work as hardas they do to to be successful
in this program.
Grass is always greener on theother side, right so we have
kids 1200 to 1500 kids sometimesin football and men's and
(18:45):
women's basketball and and Idon't know what the numbers are
for other sports like volleyballand softball.
But many people want to go inthe portal for various reasons
and portal's not always theright answer because some people
get stuck in there.
So I would also say to bepatient.
To be patient, knowing thatthings will get better, knowing
(19:08):
things that will become morecomfortable and hopefully easier
, as you understand the demandsand what's expected of you.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
And that comes down to commitment and responsibility
.
And one of the things I've seenover the years is you'll have,
like you said, they have likeclasses, maybe two or three
classes, or Monday, wednesday,friday or whatever.
Like you said, they have likeclasses, maybe two or three
classes, or Monday, wednesday,friday or whatever, and they
think that time frame.
But what they don't understandis there's assignments that are
due at specific times and if youmiss them, you know you don't
(19:39):
get a second chance and it's notthat easy to go in and make it
up, because this is now college,this is not high school, and
it's different.
Now you put a sport on top ofit and you've got your own
demands for your own commitmentand responsibility.
So I like the fact that yousaid that time management really
, really is the key, the keyfacet to all of this, because
(20:01):
once you get that down, then itmakes it a lot easier to bring
everything together, if you know.
And then there's going to besacrifice.
There is, I mean, that'sanother element that I think
that these kids don't understand.
It's like, no, you're going tohave to step up and make a
sacrifice on what's important toyou.
You know what are you makingyour priority to be able to get
(20:21):
you to where you want to go.
You know and I love the factthat you have those tools and
what you offer to help themthrough that to find that answer
, depending on where they wantto go on their commitment level.
So, with this, ok, so they haveyou and you're working with
them for the first year.
What do you see?
What are some of the positivechanges that you see after
(20:43):
you've done the first year withthese people?
I mean where they they actuallythese student athletes grow and
excel.
So what's some of the thingsthat you've seen after that?
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Yeah, it actually brings a smile to my face to
think about some people thathave really grown and I think
one of the really key areas is,as we keep talking about time
management is that piece andunderstanding where they can
afford to socialize and go outwith their friends and go to
(21:14):
parties and when they need to becommitted to what they have to
get done academically.
But I think the biggest growthis academically is just
understanding you know some ofthe tools that they have in
their toolbox to be able toutilize those when times get
tough or when the days are shortand work is long, that kind of
(21:35):
thing.
So I've watched young womengrow in that area.
And then I think, just theirconfidence, confidence in who
they are and what their role ison campus, because as a student
athlete, you have automaticclout, you have an automatic
voice.
And how are you going to usethat clout and that voice
(21:57):
without taking it for grantedand being so appreciative of the
opportunity to compete dailyand to get your education paid
for?
Speaker 1 (22:06):
yeah, yeah, and that that makes you right.
That's another responsibilitybecause, like you said, as an
athlete, you know these are thestudent body.
You know, when you have sportsespecially whether it's
basketball or football, I mean,and obviously baseball I mean
those are the ones that standout the most when you're looking
at, you know, college athletes.
You're right, they do.
They have these opportunitieson these college campuses to
(22:30):
make a difference based on whatthey've been given and who they
are.
And then if you can getsomebody to understand that and
then do something great with it,that's even better.
And it sounds like that's.
That's another element to whatyou offer to, you know, to show
them that they've got thisopportunity that some people
don't have on the college campus.
And, my gosh, it's a gift, youknow.
(22:50):
You might as well use it tohelp you and help others too,
right?
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Yeah, yeah, you've said that so beautifully.
I mean, one of the pieces to thecurriculum that I have is
accountability andresponsibility.
What does that mean to you, andwhat tools are you going to have
to be in place if you're notnormally responsible or you
don't get your assignments ontime or some of these things?
What tools do we need to put inplace for you to be successful
(23:16):
in that area?
And then, using your voice andnot only advocating for yourself
, but finding what you'repassionate about and using your
voice in that area.
I mean, I just watched adocumentary on the WNBA and
their social justice platformthat they used in the wake of
(23:37):
George Floyd's killing and howthey were so instrumental in the
political arena down in Georgiaand so they chose to use their
platform for the betterment ofBlack Lives Matter movement.
So I really encourage youngpeople to find out what they're
(23:58):
passionate about and to getinvolved and to use their voice,
because there's so much cloutthat you have as a student
athlete and people listen tostudent athletes and so to use
your voice not only to advocatefor yourself, but to advocate
for what you're passionate about.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Yeah, and that makes sense.
I mean, you've got the perfectopportunity.
You're in a, you're in a crowdof people where you've got
people's undivided attentionbecause you're already in the
limelight.
So why not use that opportunityto be able to do something,
like you said, that's importantto you, but also to make a make
a difference.
So I want to, I want to ask youso, if you wouldn't mind share,
(24:36):
share one of your favoritestories.
I'm going to ask about for youfirst, about you as an athlete
or coach, whatever one you likeand then something that you have
that's dear to you, based onwhat you're doing now with
someone who's excelling.
So I'll start with you first.
So what's one of your, one ofyour favorite stories that
sticks out in your mind?
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Yeah, I think probably the thing that comes to
mind when I was in college is,again, I had those time
management struggles and Iwasn't a.
I wasn't a great student.
I needed to learn to be abetter student.
But I had gone to my head coachat that time and I had been
struggling in a class Ishouldn't have been in.
(25:17):
I had no desire to be anaccounting major or to work with
numbers, and here I was inaccounting just over my head,
and I just said I don't know ifI want to be here, I want to go
home.
I wasn't.
I was no different than theseyoung women and young men today.
Um, and she had told me thatwas one of the worst days of her
(25:37):
life, to hear that I wanted toleave because of some challenges
.
And she supported me throughthat.
And I got my undergraduatedegree, I got my master's degree
and, and um, that was a turningpoint for me because I really
did not want to be in school andthe conversations that her and
(25:57):
I had about you know what thismeant and what this meant for me
in the future.
And did I want to playbasketball?
If I wanted to play basketball,then I needed to be a better
student, so I learned how to dothat.
So that was a turning point forme.
And then, yeah, I don't know ifit's a favorite story, but it's
(26:18):
an impactful story.
We had a young lady on campusat one of the universities I was
at.
She was doing wellbasketball-wise and was sharing
with us that she was doing wellacademically.
And then we got her firstquarter reports and she hadn't
been in class since probably thefirst month or so and flunked
(26:41):
out of school.
And years, years later I hadlearned that she experienced
some violence on on the campusand that played a part in how
she went about the rest of herdaily life and ended up flunking
out.
And that story has resonated somuch with me and that is why I
(27:06):
offer eight months of supportwhen they get on their college
campus to be a resource.
And not every young woman oryoung man wants to turn to their
parents when something likethat happens or even just other
things, and so I'm hoping that Ican be one of those people that
(27:26):
they feel comfortable turningto if something of that
magnitude happens again.
And we talk about the socialimpairment, pressures and, um,
the parties and the access toalcohol and drugs and all of
those things that they might notbe used to, and be careful
who's in your circle and keepyour circle tight once you find
(27:48):
that circle.
So yeah, that was a reallyimpactful story for me and again
, it's why I offer eight monthsof support when a young woman or
young man gets on their collegecampus.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
That's great, and that is something that I think
we need more um, uh sort oflooking for attention to when it
comes to the college safety,because I've seen that happen
too many times, where somebodyhas come on and they don't they
don't understand it, they don'tknow it or they're not aware of
it.
And to have you be there forthem to be able to share this
(28:33):
and I don't wish it on anybody,but in the event that it happens
then at least they've gotsomebody to turn to.
You offer so much more thanjust taking an athlete from high
school into the college level.
It's the full package.
It's the emotional support, theacademic support, you know, and
then along with the athleticsupport, and that's, that is a
full package.
That is really exciting, andthis is why I wanted to have you
on, because you're offering aprogram that every parent always
(28:57):
asks what do I do about this?
How do I do that?
How do I handle that?
Well, if you've got one personyou can go to that is going to
be there and help everybody onthis journey, you know, for what
you've, you've taken and you'vedone is is is the full package,
it really is.
Well, I mean, that's, that's anawesome, awesome thing what
you're doing.
So I'm going to give you thelast three minutes.
(29:18):
Go ahead and share uh, yourwebsite, and, as everybody knows
, it's all going to be embeddeddown down below uh, here.
If you're watching on youtube,if it's on, if you're listening
to it on coach mickey andfriends on the podcast, it'll be
embedded in the um podcastdescription.
And I'm going to ask you I'massuming you work virtually so
you can work anywhere, right,correct?
I Correct, I figured that.
I mean, that's probably a given.
(29:39):
So that'll be great, becauseI've got listeners worldwide and
I know there's a lot ofathletes that could definitely
use.
You know what you have to offer.
So I'm going to let you sharethe last three minutes of what
we didn't cover and how peoplecan reach you and your website,
and we'll go from there.
Yeah well.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Thanks so much for having me on.
This has been great and wetalked about some really, really
important stuff.
But I think parents need torealize that there is help out
there and many of them say whatdo I do next?
And there are people out therewho, like myself, who want to
help student athletes in thisjourney of not only finding a
(30:17):
great place to take their skillsbut to have readiness and
preparation.
And it's not just about findingthe college scholarship and
then washing your hands ofeverything.
If you don't go that next stepof preparing your student
athlete to step on campus, theneverything you've done might be
for naught.
And then what do you want to do?
(30:38):
Enter the transfer portal afteryour freshman year.
That's a whole nother cycle ofrecruiting and you're on your
own at that point.
It's not as glamorous as youthink.
The portal is not what peoplethink.
Eyes need to be wide open whenyou're thinking about all of
these things.
So it's so imperative to findyour perfect fit, first and
(30:59):
foremost, off the bat, so youdon't have to transfer, so you
can invest that four years andreally build on your college
experience.
People can find me at.
My website isnextsteptransitionalcoachingcom,
and I am on linkedin underwillette white, and I also have
a private Facebook page and it'scalled Parents of Aspiring
(31:22):
Female College Athletes, but Ithink there's probably some
parents of males in there.
And then I'm also on Keep OnSharing, which has been a great
platform for me to get to knowpeople and to post some content,
so I've been really excitedabout being on that.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Well, thank you so much for being with us.
I really have enjoyed having aconversation with you and having
you share what your expertiseand your insight, because I
think what you offer, I know, iswhat every parent is looking
for.
And, again, I've, in all theyears I've been doing the
coaching, I have not come acrossanything like your offering.
So, please, please, please.
(31:58):
If you have a parent that andhave a child that's going away
to college or I don't care ifit's community college or
four-year university these nextsteps are so crucial and I've
seen it just even firsthand as acoach too, watching people go
off.
But having someone like you isdefinitely, definitely a must
and a gift.
So thank you so much, coachWhite, and I appreciate you and
(32:23):
I love what you're doing.
I'm going to make sure thatthis gets out to everybody that
needs it, so thank you so muchfor your time.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Thanks, vicki, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
All right, you guys, thank you so much for being with
us and I look forward tohearing from each and every one
of you.
Please, please, please, reachout.
All the descriptions are downbelow or, if you're listening to
the podcast, please reach outto Coach White.
She is amazing and I knowyou're going to get a lot of
benefits.
Even if it's just a couple ofquestions and you don't know, as
a parent, I'm sure she'll bemore than happy to answer those.
(32:52):
And then, if this is somethingthat you know that your child's
going to need, I highly, highly,highly recommend that you reach
out to her and within herprogram.
So until then, remember youguys, the most courageous thing
you can do is be yourself.
I'm Coach Mickey and I lookforward to seeing you on our
next episode.
Until then, see ya.
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