An artist on and off the field! In Episode 22 of Career Conversations, Tristan Bowen and Charlie Rugg discuss his journey to becoming an artist and entrepreneur. Charlie shares how his passion for painting grew after retirement, the challenges he has faced transitioning into entrepreneurship, and how he has developed routines to stay creative and disciplined.

He also emphasizes the importance of active players finding career paths outside of soccer to make the transition off the field smoother.

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only

What are things that might get overlooked during a playing career that could actually have a lasting impact after retirement? In this episode of Career Conversations Tristan Bowen and Lamar Neagle dive into the small but powerful habits that make a big difference in easing the transition to life off the field - like building a professional network while still playing, creating a LinkedIn profile, and earning certifications.

Lamar, who is now a financial advisor and real estate investor, also shares why financial education is essential for both current and former players, and explains the power of investing whether in stocks, real estate, or retirement accounts like a 401(k).

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only

Interested in transitioning into coaching or content creation? In this new episode, Chris Kanopka joins Tristan Bowen to share his journey from a 14-year playing career to retirement, and how he became a goalkeeper director and full-time content creator. Kanopka talks about how he leveraged coaching opportunities at the academies while still playing and encourages current and former players to stay open to new possibilities and think outside the box.

In honor of his father Walter F. Konopka’s contributions to the game of soccer, Konopka and his brother launched a fundraising campaign to support renovations at the Walter F. Konopka Soccer Complex in Oak Park, Toms River, New Jersey. Visit https://www.wfksoccercomplex.com/ for more information.

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only.

In the first Career Conversations episode of the year, Tristan Bowen and Saad Abdul-Salaam sit down to discuss entrepreneurship and the importance of staying open to opportunities beyond soccer. Saad shares how he has navigated personal challenges, built his own business, coached youth, and found balance between life, fatherhood, and mental health.

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only.

On this episode of Career Conversation, Tristan sits down with Nat Borchers to discuss how professional athletes are uniquely qualified to enter the field of real estate and details some of the ins and out of making commercial real estate work.

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only.

It's never too early to start laying the groundwork for a smooth transition. In this episode of Career Conversations, Tristan Bowen talks with Sean Davis about the early stages of transitioning out of the game and what steps you can take to help prepare yourself for your own post playing career.

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only.

Working in media is like being on a soccer team, just on a different field. In this new Career Episode, Tristan Bowen and Sacha Kljestan discuss key factors to consider when transitioning into the media industry. As a studio host, Sasha offers advice for players nearing retirement, from finding mentors to developing their own voice in this new career path.

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only.

In this episode of Career Conversations, Tristan Bowen speaks with Kevin Friedland and discusses how Kevin pivoted from a planned second career as a coach to his current career. Along the way Kevin draws comparisons to his life now and his life as a player coach and how his on field experiences helped prepare him for his career transition.

The views and opinions expressed in the MLSPA’s Career Conversations Series are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily reflect those of MLSPA. The life and career experiences, advice, and insights shared are personal and provided for informational purposes only.