The Athlete Brand Advisor Podcast

Women in Sports Broadcasting with Jen Mueller

In this episode, Greg Glynn, founder & CEO of Pliable talks with sports broadcaster Jen Mueller about her career in sports journalism.
Jen shared her journey from high school guidance counselor to successful sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks, emphasizing the importance of consistent presence, networking, and strategic relationship-building in the sports industry. The discussion concluded with insights into Jen's broadcasting work, speaking engagements, and her experience hosting a cooking show, highlighting the value of building relationships and personal branding in sports media.
Jen and Greg discussed the format and goals of their upcoming podcast episode, focusing on Jen's keynote speaking and communication expertise. Greg explained the episode would be about 15-20 minutes, with an introduction added in post-production. They agreed to focus on Jen's career and personal brand, with a sales pitch towards the end. The episode is expected to be released in about a month, with no time-sensitive content from Jen's side.
Jen's Journey to Sports Journalism
Jen shared her journey from a high school guidance counselor's suggestion to pursue broadcasting over teaching, leading her to a successful career in sports journalism. She discussed her experience playing multiple sports in high school and her gradual progression from behind-the-scenes roles to becoming a sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks. Jen emphasized the importance of consistent presence and networking through daily attendance at events, rather than focusing solely on building relationships, which ultimately helped her secure her position.
Building Trust in Locker Room Interactions
Jen shared her 17-year experience working on the Seahawks sidelines, emphasizing the importance of building relationships through brief interactions in the locker room. She highlighted the need to be strategic and intentional in conversations with athletes, as these moments are limited and crucial for establishing trust. Greg agreed, drawing parallels to his own experience in pro sports, and noted the value of understanding the dynamics within the locker room to identify key individuals for storytelling.
NFL Athletes' Communication Strategies
Jen shared insights from her experience working with NFL rookies and athletes, emphasizing the importance of developing communication skills and personal branding. She highlighted the value of using specific, impactful language in sports and business contexts, drawing parallels between sports and professional communication. Jen advised athletes aspiring to enter sports broadcasting to become reliable and articulate interviewees, using their platform to build a strong personal brand and demonstrate leadership qualities.
Jen's Sports Media and Networking
Jen discussed her work in broadcasting and speaking engagements, emphasizing the importance of building relationships and leveraging opportunities in sports media. She shared her experience hosting a cooking show, "I Cook, You Measure," which features athletes in a different setting. Greg highlighted Jen's preparedness and expertise, and mentioned an athlete he plans to connect with her, aligning with his #MissionE50 initiative to promote women's sports. Both talked about the "grind" of a broadcasting career and the value of networking and confidence in career development.
Links:
Pliable Marketing's Mission E50
Talk Sporty to Me links
Website: https://www.talksportytome.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@TalkSportytoMe
X: @TalkSportytoMe and @JenTalksSports
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TalkSportyToMe
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenmuellertalksporty/

NIL Contract Talk with RevU

In this episode, Greg Glynn, Founder & CEO of Pliable Marketing sits down with Calum Kuhn and Max Rusakov co-founders of Revu, an AI-powered platform designed to help athletes manage their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) contracts.
They discussed the challenges athletes face with NIL deals, the development and marketing of their tool, and potential features to improve contract management for athletes and agents. The conversation also touched on pricing, social media presence, and future plans for expanding their platform and collaborating with athletes and brands.
NIL Deal Navigation Tool Development
The discussion focused on the development and marketing of a tool designed to help athletes navigate NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. Greg and Calum discussed the tool's accessibility for athletes in non-revenue generating sports and its potential to identify conflicts in contracts.
Max explained the development process, highlighting the pivot and team expansion phases. Calum outlined their marketing strategies, including partnerships and direct engagement with athletes, while Max emphasized the importance of finding like-minded individuals to build the product. The conversation also touched on the evolving landscape of NIL deals, particularly in light of the recent NCAA vs. House settlement, and the tool's potential to support athletes in understanding and navigating new contract types.
Social Media and Podcast Strategy
Greg discussed social media presence and upcoming podcast episodes with Calum and Max, highlighting their Instagram, website, and LinkedIn profiles. Greg expressed enthusiasm for their work and mentioned potential athlete partnerships, including Katie and Cooper Farrell, for promoting their product. Greg also noted the importance of show notes for SEO and mentioned plans to discuss specific athletes in future episodes.
Links:
RevU: https://www.revu.deals/
Instagram: Revu.nilLinkdin: RevULinkdin: Max RusakovListeners can RevU at info@revu.deals or DM @RevU.NIL
Pliable Marketing: PliableMarketing.com
 

NIL and your mental performance with special guest Kiersten Janjigian

In this episode, Greg Glynn, Founder & CEO of Pliable Marketing sits down with Dr. Kiersten Janjigian, Neuroscientist and Mental Performance Consultant.
Dr. Janjigian is passionate about the psychological aspect of sport and performance - the mental game - and brings value to high-performers and the organizations in which they thrive by teaching and implementing techniques that optimize the brain-body connection, increase self-awareness, self-regulation, and drive a fulfilling organizational culture.She assesses athletes’, coaches’, and teams’ psychophysiological strengths, weaknesses, and growth points, providing objective data under stress, and devises an empirically validated program that builds key areas essential to their sport or business and their individual needs focusing on performance enhancement, well-being, and high-performance culture.Dr. Janjigian is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) via the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) – the “gold standard” in mental performance coaching – and is Board Certified in Neurofeedback and Biofeedback. Her clientele varies from professional athletes, little leaguers and youth athletes, to lawyers and CEOs – anyone looking to level up and feel better doing it.
In the episode
Greg and Dr. Janjigian discussed her NIL mental performance and resilience toolkit. They explored Kiersten's background as a sports psychologist and neuroscientist, and discussed the impact of NIL deals on athletes' confidence and performance.
The conversation concluded with plans for collaboration, including potential podcast appearances, classroom speaking engagements, and creating package deals for athletes to promote Kiersten's mental health toolkit and services.
Resources:
@drkierst on InstagramEmail: kiersten@drkierst.comBook a free virtual consultation via: www.drkierst.com
Pliable Marketing: PliableMarketing.com

NIL and the Impact of the NCAA Settlement with Kristi Dosh

In this episode, host Greg Glynn sits down with Kristi Dosh about her background in the sports, the recent House vs. NCAA settlement and her new book “The Athlete NIL Playbook.”
Kristi explained how her interest in the business side of sports developed through her legal career and writing, leading to her first book deal and a position at ESPN. She discussed her upcoming book, "The Athletes NIL Playbook," and her experience covering NIL issues, including the Ed O'Bannon case.
The Evolution of NIL
Kristi and Greg discussed the evolution of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) opportunities for college athletes, noting significant progress despite initial skepticism about NCAA approval. They highlighted a lack of education across the ecosystem, particularly at the high school level. 
Kristi shared her development of an NIL certificate program at the University of Florida for coaches to better understand and discuss NIL with recruits. Greg and Kristi agreed that while college athletes have seen the most progress, there's still work to be done in integrating NIL education across campus departments and harnessing the interest of non-athletes in the field.
NIL Books
Kristi discussed her NIL book “The Athletes NIL Playbook” which was inspired by the overwhelming number of questions she received from parents about NIL opportunities since its inception.
Greg shared his experience of writing the first-ever children’s book about NIL featuring the story of  Emma Eubank and Hannah Dukeman who used their NIL to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
NIL Teaches Life Skills
Kristi and Greg discussed the positive impact of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) opportunities for athletes, focusing on how it helps them develop both hard and soft skills that prepare them for life after sports. Kristi highlighted examples of athletes using NIL to run camps, clinics, and lessons, while Greg shared his experience creating PliableCamps.com to connect athletes create camps and clinics across different sports.
They agreed that NIL provides financial benefits and enables athletes to explore career paths, build resumes, and gain valuable experiences, addressing the common challenge of athletes not knowing their identity outside of sports.
House vs. NCAA Settlement Challenges
Greg and Kristi discussed the ongoing challenges and uncertainties surrounding the recent college sports settlement, including issues related to revenue sharing, Title IX compliance, and antitrust concerns. Kristi expressed skepticism about the settlement's long-term effectiveness, highlighting ongoing legal challenges and predatory practices involving the purchase of athletes' back pay claims.
Greg and Kristi also explored potential impacts on college sports, such as changes in roster limits affecting football and other sports, and the varying approaches schools might take to allocate revenue-sharing funds across different sports. Greg and Kristi agreed that while the settlement brings some clarity to revenue distribution, many questions remain about its broader implications for college athletics.
Links:
Kristi’s book: https://theathletesnilplaybook.com/
Greg’s book: https://pliablemarketing.com/the-magic-cleats
PliableCamps.com