“So since joining the sportsrad program, I feel that my networking has been a lot more consistent in terms of how I identify people, how I reach out to them, and then how I maintain contact afterwards, but also in terms of how often I'm sending messages. Prior to the program, it was only sending people, it was only reaching out to people once in a blue moon if I needed something. Whereas now I'm much more proactive and regular with making connections and then maintaining them afterwards. So My name is Dr. Lincoln Tracy and I am a senior research fellow in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University and a part time medical and scientific journalist. I joined Sportsgrad because I was looking to change careers and apply the skills I had in data and storytelling into an area that I'm really passionate about, which is sport. So coming from a background that wasn't in sport, one of the biggest obstacles I faced was networking and knowing people in and around the sports field. No matter what industry you're in, it's more about who you know than what you know. And given I was starting from ground zero, I, I was looking for any opportunity to help build that network as I was looking to change careers. So the one thing that sold me about the sports grad program, which unfortunately isn't available to everyone anymore, was the one on one time I got with Ruben Williams, the founder of SportsGrad, as I felt that individual attention and purpose was what I needed to get where I wanted to go as quickly as possible. So since joining the sports grad program, I feel that my networking has been a lot more consistent in terms of how I identify people, how I reach out to them and then how I maintain afterwards, but also in terms of how often I'm sending messages. Prior to the program, it was only sending people, it was only reaching out to people once in a blue moon if I needed something. Whereas now I'm much more proactive and regular with making connections and then maintaining them afterwards. Oh, I've probably had upwards of 20 zooms or coffee conversations with a whole range of people. I think when I started it was a little bit of just trying to get as many people in the network as possible, whereas now I'm a bit more, I'm a lot more targeted with who I choose to have, who I choose to network with. So since I joined the program and started posting more on LinkedIn, it's really reinforced the idea that people see what you do, even if they don't engage or engage with it at the time. There's been a number of conversations I've had with people where they have mentioned the content I've been posting on LinkedIn, even though they haven't been interacting with it at the time. Because you do forget sometimes that people see a lot of stuff and don't necessarily engage with it. But the other thing that I've learned is getting a much better idea of what tracks with people and what people like to see versus what doesn't, because you get that very immediate feedback as to whether you get 30 likes or 2 likes. The biggest change in my mindset has been that putting myself out there or putting yourself out there works. Applying what I've learned as part of the program and seeing what other people have achieved throughout the program has made me go after things that I've never thought I would and open so many doors that would not have been open 12 or 18 months ago, purely just by putting yourself out there and asking for something. Being part of the Sportsgrad Method program has been fantastic. The one thing I wanted when I started my sportsgrad journey was to build a connection and community of people who work in and around sport. And I've certainly done that. It's been incredibly insightful to meet so many people who are interested in different areas of sport and to learn from them, even though we're working in different areas and working towards different things. So I feel that with the coaching and mentoring I've had from Ruben, that for the first time, I have a really clear and honest understanding of what I want to do, of what I want to do, why I want to do it, and how I need to and what I need to do to get there. And I feel that although I've been involved in a lot of other mentoring programs in the past, I've never had that level of clarity and alignment between goals, actions and outcomes. Absolutely. Being part of the Sportsgrad program has paid off on a personal level many times over, more than I could ever imagine. And I'm hoping that in the near future it pays off from a financial perspective as well. If you have the time and the desire to dedicate to getting a job in sport, absolutely throw yourself into it. While Ruben can give you the tools and a guide of how to get there, you have to still drive it and do the work yourself. And without that desire or engagement coming from you, it makes everything so much harder. But the program is an incredible guide of how to get there.”