130: Shreya Saksena - Rifle Shooting and Sports Psych: finding dual career balance

Imagine standing perfectly still, focusing on a target 50 meters away as your heartbeat slows to match the rhythm of your breath. Now, picture doing this while navigating the chaos of moving continents, mastering a new language, and building a life with your partner—all while staying true to your identity as an elite athlete. What does it take to stay calm and grounded while pursuing greatness amidst life’s biggest changes? Shreya Saksena knows, and her story is nothing short of captivating.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• Balancing new beginnings: Discover how Shreya transitioned from India to Germany, juggling marriage, a new cultural landscape, and her athletic passion.
• Finding calm in chaos: Learn how precision shooting taught Shreya to embrace calm under pressure—a skill she applies in every aspect of her life.
• Shifting gears: Hear how Shreya’s military upbringing and supportive parents helped her move from the fast-paced world of basketball to the solitary discipline of rifle shooting.
• Expanding perspectives: Explore how Shreya stepped outside her comfort zone as an elite athlete, connecting with diverse perspectives through education and networking.
• Preparing for life after sports: Gain valuable advice on staying present, embracing uncertainty, and building a fulfilling post-sports career.

🌟 Why This Episode Matters:
Shreya’s story isn’t just about sports—it’s about resilience, growth, and finding clarity in life’s most challenging moments. Whether you’re navigating a major life change, pursuing a passion, or simply seeking inspiration, this episode will leave you feeling empowered and ready to take your next leap of faith.

🎧 Key Takeaways:

• How to stay calm and focused under pressure in both sports and life.
• The importance of embracing uncertainty and stepping outside your comfort zone.
• Why focusing on the present can transform how you approach life’s transitions.
• How networking and education can help athletes build new opportunities beyond the field.

🎧 Tune In Now:
This episode dives deep into Shreya’s inspiring journey, offering powerful lessons on calm, courage, and reinvention. Whether you’re an athlete or someone seeking clarity in your next step, her story will inspire you to embrace life’s challenges and thrive.

Let’s Connect:
Are you looking for career clarity for your next step? For more information or to book a consultancy, make sure you check out www.2ndwind.io.

Links:

• Instagram: @shreya_saksena
• LinkedIn: Shreya Saksena
• Email: shreya.saksena@gmail.com

Chapters

• 0:05 Elite Athlete Career Transition and Journey
• 17:18 Transitioning Beyond Elite Athlete Role
• 21:35 The Psychology and Precision of Shooting
• 28:30 Maintaining Calm Amidst External Factors
• 32:30 Adapting to New Challenges Through Sport
• 42:28 Connecting Bubbles

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Hi, I'm Ryan Gonsalves and welcome to a Second Wind Academy podcast, a show all about career transition through the lens of elite athletes. Each week, I invite a guest to the show who shares their unique sporting story. Please join me to delve into the thoughts and actions of athletes through a series of conversations. Don't worry, there's plenty to learn from those of you that aren't particularly sporty. Elite athletes are still people after all. Let's be inspired by the stories of others. Hello and welcome to the Second Wind Academy podcast with me. Your host, ryan Gonsalves, shreya, joins us this week and we're going to talk a bit more about bubbles, communities and finding that single thread that helps you transition through life. Shreya, welcome to the Second Wind Academy podcast. Great to have you join me today.

Speaker 2: 0:57

Thank you, ryan.

Speaker 1: 0:58

We've got a lot to catch up on because since we last spoke, you know originally, you know we're talking just about the athlete career transition, but even looking behind you, so much has changed since we last spoke. So, um, where are you now and what are you up to?

Speaker 2: 1:13

so I am currently in germany. Um, I recently got married. I am a rifle shooter by profession and I have shifted from India, which is my home country, to Germany now. So it's quite a transition, if I can say. As an athlete, I think it's like you know, I'm slowly sliding in the phase of, you know, the marriage and as well as trying to keep up my athletic passion alive inside me, yes, yeah, listen, that's amazing because we talk so much.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Well, actually I should just say congratulations, because I haven't spoken to you since you got married. So I've got to say massive congrats. And I have to say, when you said you were moving, I just got to say massive congrats and I have to say, when you said you were moving, I just thought, oh yeah, you're moving. I didn't realize you're moving continents as at the same time. So all all the more, or sort of big, big congrats. It's probably gonna be. Something we talk about is being able to manage multiple things so.

Speaker 2: 2:22

So I just completed my Master's in Sports Management, which was a two-year degree, so it just completed on time. And I just received my convocation certificate back in India from Indian Institute of Management. So now I'm all set to also, you know, explore more opportunities and possibilities of getting myself into a management role in sports. So, heading to Germany now, the amount of possibilities which I can see here is immense, so looking forward to that.

Speaker 1: 3:02

Yeah, because, look, I think precision is certainly something that I can describe about you and you know, as we've spoken, the ability to remain calm under pressure. But you know, finishing off your master, moving country, getting married, remaining competitive, all of those things over this past sort of few months, you know, absolutely brilliant, going to love delving a little bit more into how you manage that and certainly taking out a few tips as well. So, thanks again for, I'm going to say, carving out the time to have this conversation Brilliant. Well, so let's go into this a little bit more. So, to have this conversation brilliant well, so let's go into this a little bit more. So, you know, talk to me a bit about from from a sporting perspective, because you, you just mentioned their shooting. Now, that's not, in fact, I've never done shooting, so I'm curious, how did you get into that as a sport?

Speaker 2: 3:59

okay. So, um, first of all, for for everyone to understand, it's not a camera shooting, which mostly people, and people around me, get confused with, so it's a rifle sporting event, so I am a rifle shooter, so it's in the Olympic, it's anlympic event and I particularly do three position event, which is at a distance of 50 meters. So we have a full-fledged rifle weighing around 5 kgs or 6 kgs and, according to the customs which we try to make on the rifle and at a distance of 50 meters, and also an event called 10 meters, we shoot at a target which is, if I can give you a reference, it's approximately for a 10 meter distance. We shoot at 0.5 mm of the center in order to continuously, in order to, you know, get up in the ranking. So that's the specifications of the sport.

Speaker 2: 5:15

And if I talk about how I got into shooting, was I was, prior to taking up the sport, like shooting, I was a basketball player. I was playing nationally, representing my state back in my home country, india, and I come from a background of a military father who has always been getting posted from one state to another. So I used to always feel so sad when I had to move, leave my, you know the team where I have played for three years or four years and then leave it and then shift completely and from the scratch again, start with another set of people who are in the team and then you are trying to adjust. So it has been like my whole journey since childhood.

Speaker 1: 6:08

I do have to ask you're talking about certainly that movement and having to move teams and make friends and things like that. You mentioned basketball. How tall are you?

Speaker 2: 6:15

I am 5'4". I have been the shortest of my team. Shortest, I think, the dribbler, the fast pacer, if I may call myself like that. So I've been going between the legs and trying to, you know, reach the basket of the other opponent team.

Speaker 1: 6:36

I mean, it's a good effort for you. You know, I'd say naturally to be well, not necessarily the tallest in the team, but it's definitely a sport that you enjoyed playing and you're able to push it and, for age, age for age, you're able to take you as far as you could. To what extent did you have dreams of saying, well, that's going to be. You know you're going to go to the Olympics, you're going to be playing basketball. Was that something that you dreamt of?

Speaker 2: 7:00

When I was playing basketball. As frank as I can be, in India we don't have that much of scope to even dream as much as we can dream to reach Olympics, but through basketball there are there is a lot of limitations. As a team we are not able to. We are still progressing towards that dream of you know representing as a team from India in Olympics. In basketball so, though it is widely played, but I never dreamt of you know, reaching Olympics when I was back playing basketball. It was only when I shifted to shooting, where I could see the scope, or where I could also see the scope because I could see that I could take my sport along with me wherever I'm going.

Speaker 1: 7:50

I was just saying what? What is it that helped you to transition? What made you either add shooting into your sport, your sporting activities? You know what happened, what took place for you.

Speaker 2: 8:03

I think that was what I would give credit to my parents, because they could see, as a child I was literally passionate about playing sports and I was in a sport like basketball, and they could see that, you know, every time there was a time to move from one place to another, I would be disheartened by the whole thought of leaving my team and my group and, for that matter, coach, and then shift to a particular, different, altogether different space and trying to adjust there. I think that made me and my parents talk about it and all thanks to them that they told me and gave me an insight that why don't you, you know, take a sport which you can carry it along wherever you go? So, yeah, that I can changed my whole, I would say focus from, you know, basketball to another sport like shooting.

Speaker 1: 9:01

Yeah, and so how was that for you? Now you'd gone from playing and being, I'll say, becoming proficient or good at basketball to then going into another sport. Where did you start, and what was it like for you?

Speaker 2: 9:15

so I, if I can recall, I really didn't leave basketball yet. I started my whole thing of shooting. I used to go to the range with my dad and my dad was a motivator to. You know, take me to the range after a morning practice of basketball and my school finished, like the school hours finished, and then he would be like okay, let's go and try your hand at shooting now. So it was, I would say, kind of the motivation came from my dad, but particularly, I would say, the transition didn't happen that a cut in a way. I used to play basketball and then I started shooting it side by side, balancing both and then slowly focusing more on shooting and leaving basketball and saying goodbye to it.

Speaker 1: 10:11

And what was it that drove? What did you start to see? Did you start, you know, is it a competitive sport? At a young age? You know what is it that? What did you start to see? That meant you went from being just a novice and doing this because your dad was taking you to.

Speaker 2: 10:28

So I think both the sports are quite contrast. If I talk about it, basketball is endurance based. You are on your feet, you know, and you're running and heartbeat is up and, like you know, it's a completely different sport to a shooting where you stand and for continuously, for the next, maybe one, one point, you know, five hours, you are just focusing at a target and there is a process, a rhythm or sync which is continuously, like you know, as calm can you be, how, between the two heartbeats can you, you know, trigger, and it is. It was quite a contrast, but, talking about what you asked, I felt I was able to understand more about myself while I was holding the rifle, because I had time to reflect or ask myself whether you know, oh okay, let's shoot at the target, but am I feeling confident and, you know, having some thoughts? So I think that kind of inclined me towards the sport shooting, and choose shooting when did you realize you were good at it?

Speaker 2: 11:47

The first match, which was in 2014, as a 11th grader, I had gone and played a competition and I played the match and I realized that you know, my coaches started saying that you know she has a talent. She doesn't look back when she is shooting. She's looking at the target and she's looking at herself and to improve. So she is not the person who is looking behind for some guidance at that moment and she seems to have a hold on herself that moment and she seems to have a hold on herself. I think that was a quite a thing to for my dad to realize that I've needed, or he needed, me to be, you know, more focused on shooting and give more guidance and find a coach or find a supporting team which can make me further go in the sport.

Speaker 1: 12:44

With that shift. You know, you touched on it there this change from the fast pace of basketball to this slower pace of rifle shooting. How did you make that shift right? I mean, you know, and I really mean that, because I'm I'm thinking, you know I'm hyper, I'm active, let's go, let's, let's do this to one where, as you say, you are still 90 minutes focused on a target. How do you, how do you make that shift?

Speaker 2: 13:16

I think, uh, partly it came from the way I can recall uh, we used to, or the family used to, move from one place to another. So it was always. You're not looking forward what you're going to get in that place or, for that matter, what you have chosen for yourself. You are just going open-heartedly towards that play, towards that thing, and just accepting it. That, okay, what may come, I'm going to do my best and just put all the cards in front of the table. So I think for me it was like that. From transitioning to from basketball to shooting, it was okay. There is a new thing to learn, there's a new sport and I'm not going to get that. I have reached a level in my previous sport. I'm going to let more possibilities of learning come to me by opening that door for myself.

Speaker 1: 14:15

Yeah, I mean that's really good, a good way of thinking about it, and you know it's really interesting how, with family support, you picked a sport that enabled you to continue to progress. So I guess, a solo sport that enabled you to continue to progress no matter where you were living I am, and from an academic, you know that education perspective where did that rank your priorities?

Speaker 2: 14:44

I think I have. So I have been in this shooting sport for over a decade. Oh, I've done it for 10 years now and around. After putting a lot of hard work and reaching to a level of even earning a medal at world Cup for my country, I realized that there was something you know. There was an urge of maybe I need something more to brainstorm or think about, to learn, because I felt myself working as a machine if I can be as open about it that it felt like you know the techniques the coach has told you, you know the whole athletic way of mechanism. You know that you go, you train at a range, then you come back, you sleep, then you go for your physical fitness, then there is mental training or a nutritionist session and then you sleep and then again in the morning those sessions starts and it was kind of like a very monotonous kind of a feeling which I started to get after seven years.

Speaker 1: 15:57

So, if I can, then just to take you back, because I feel like I skipped a bit, because for you, as a youngster coming into this game 18, finishing school right, you is rifle shooting Did you see an opportunity for that to become a well, I guess, a full-time sport?

Speaker 2: 16:18

Yeah, I did see that possibility and for at least two years, though, I had not sidelined my studies, I used to still study, but frankly, it was more of just going to the college studying for that bit, for the purpose of just making the mark or, you know, getting the scores, but the more focus was on shooting, and Only after some time I realized that I need to also brush up my skills in the academics which I'm learning, because as much as sport is important and it's very well known and a lot of people tell you that you know, when you get into one thing, you solely give yourself and your soul to it and you will achieve everything which you want.

Speaker 2: 17:12

Only give yourself and your soul to it and you will achieve everything which you want. But I think I got a different perspective where I felt I wanted to do something different. I wanted to, yes, be called a shooter, an elite shooter in a sport which I am in, but I really didn't want to kind of get a tag that she is just a shooter. I wanted more. She is a, you know, an overall person who knows or is able to, you know, talk about different things, has knowledge about different things.

Speaker 1: 17:45

what, do you think, drove you to want to be more than just a rifle shooter?

Speaker 2: 17:52

I think there was some some, I think, social meet I had gone to Personally, if I can recall.

Speaker 2: 18:03

There was a kind of like a party and it was out from the shooting fraternity where I was, you know, very comfortable, comfortable mostly with so it was none of those people and I had gone to this place and I saw those people talking about different perspectives, different things, talking about their corporate life, career, things like that or, for that matter, even you know money management, and for a moment could converse.

Speaker 2: 18:32

But then I realized those people are not able to relate to me and neither am I going I'm able to relate to them. And that made me question that, as much as I am a pro athlete in my sport. But apart from that, when I come from that bubble out to a different bubble of people conversing in different you know ideas, with different ideas, I'm not able to even understand or, you know, get it into my mind or brain. And I think that made me realize that, okay, I need to, you know, open up my horizon of knowledge and be open to more knowledge so that I don't just remain an athlete who just knows a particular sport. I want to know and be able to converse with people and make them comfortable, as well as myself comfortable, because that was important for me to have confidence in that bubble of sport, but in different areas also.

Speaker 1: 19:31

There are too many stories of bankruptcies, mental health issues and, unfortunately, suicide, and so I think it's time to act. Every year, we see thousands of athletes that reach a point where they need to consider their life after elite sport. This might be at retirement, injury, or they need to juggle dual careers between sport and a job. As a former English professional footballer, I have somehow managed to transition from sport into banking, strategy, innovation and now life coach, career practitioner and founder of the Second Wind Academy. So I want to help those around me find their career second wind. Find me on Insta or through my new Facebook group, second Wind Academy, where I'd love to know your thoughts and suggestions. Fascinating that you, you know, you saw yourself or you recognised the fact you were uncomfortable or that you couldn't converse as long as you wanted to with people outside of your sport so interesting that you're aware or that you recognize that fact. So what did you? What did you decide to do?

Speaker 2: 20:38

I decided to enroll myself, uh, in a course. Uh, first of all, I did my master's in psychology. So the first thing was to understand the human mind, because I was too much into, you know, thinking how can I, you know, understand about myself more? And I also do not wanted to divert from my my, you know, divert from my sport. I didn't want it completely to have a academic position where I have to totally get out from my sport, so I wanted a balance. So in order to get that balance, I chose psychology as my master's and I enrolled in that immediately and so was you.

Speaker 1: 21:26

I love that. Immediately boom, that's it, and. But. But it sounds like, though, I suppose, before we move forward, I suppose I want to go back. I understand a little bit more then about why psychology, why your mind, why sort of the understanding of self was, is so important, when you know, I think to me it seems like it seems to be linked between you and the sport and the fact that the two together made psychology interesting. Probably I'm probably not making a lot of sense, but so tell me then when you are shooting you know well, in fact I'll pause, then I'll say if it made you awesome. Because I guess my question is why the the two together? When you're shooting, do you take yourself kind of somewhere else and start thinking more about your mind and calming yourself down? Talk to me a bit about that.

Speaker 2: 22:22

I think it's. For me, shooting is like meditation and anyone who would have done meditation where you kind of get inside yourself, internalize and try to understand where the you know the soul, if I may call that the peace, calmness comes from. So that is something like what I found in shooting, and shooting gives you a lot of time. If we talk about something like what I found in shooting and shooting gives you a lot of time, it's if we talk about self-actualization or, to make it more simpler, it's very simple. What you think, it happens and it's a. You know, a lot of people would tend to say that at many times you will hear that you know that whatever you think for yourself or for anyone else, it kind of materializes in future for you. So in shooting also, it's like a fraction of seconds to you know, trigger and put your bullet into the target. Trigger and put your bullet into the target. And while we are doing that, in those fraction seconds, I realized, even if I'm thinking that okay, uh, it's not. It's like I'm not thinking that I want to shoot a nine. I want to, of course, shoot a 10, which is the perfect, you know a target, but even if this thought comes inside me that, oh, you might just shoot at nine now it will happen.

Speaker 2: 23:58

And that was something which, while shooting, I realized how can I stop this? Because it's kind of like fighting. There are two minds fighting, there are two Shreyas who are fighting with themselves, and this happens a lot in a daily life also. Like you know, you're walking the road and you look at someone and you're like okay, I think there's a red light, let's jump. You know, let's jump the red light. And then there's one which is saying, no, don't jump the red light, otherwise you will get fined. So there are always two minds always speaking. So that was quite evident in um, you know, while I was shooting, and that made me kind of understand more about, okay, there are two voices. How can I understand them more?

Speaker 1: 24:46

so what I take from that let me unpack that in my mind as well is visualization is key in rifle shooting and if that you're practicing on such a regular basis, you you trained yourself around that visualization and manifestation in some respects, but manifesting that you're hitting a 10 and keeping that real focus. You said something earlier on which which I thought was really intriguing, which was pulling the trigger in between the heartbeats, and I was thinking heartbeat. You probably noticed I went off for a little moment. I'm thinking how slow does my heartbeat have to become in order to pull a trigger in between each heartbeat? So that state must have to get into. How do do you tell me if I'm just going crazy? But how do you slow everything down?

Speaker 2: 25:40

and it's on this target that could be 50 meters away so that was just a reference which I've heard a lot of times from my poachers, uh, in my sport, that you, you know, shoot between the heartbeats. But it's not particularly that we practice for that. It is something which is again subconsciously done with ourselves. It's like we are on autopilot kind of the body works in autopilot way and you just let your, you just focus on your breathing and there is a sync. It's like a sync which you and your mind has to your body path. So over a period of time when you practice, you get to know okay, I still don't know whether that all the 60 uh, you know triggers are in between the heartbeat or not, but that's basically to go about it.

Speaker 1: 26:38

It's all done subconsciously, it's all God's way of making us Sorry, and, like I said, like I warned at the start, I'm fascinated because you are the first rifle shooter that I've had on the show and I think the conversation we've had before have really just got me thinking about what an interesting sport. It's such a different way to me being in football predominantly, where it is all action, and, as calm as I may be on the football field, it feels like it's nothing compared to what you need to be on a rifle range. And even on that, and you know, 50 meters away, 50 meters outside, wind, rain, I'm guessing I don't know if you shoot in the rain or do you stop, but you've got all of these outside that are coming into play. Yeah, is this something to think about, you know, whilst you're sort of coming down into that, that calm state, before you pull the trigger yeah, we do have a lot of factors.

Speaker 2: 27:43

So, while we shoot, yeah, so we do have a lot of factors, factors while we shoot. At a distance of 50 meters, we have wind, we have even the weather change, the sunlight, at which direction it is and how it is projecting on the target, for that matter, rain, like you said, there are n number of factors which can come into play while we are shooting, n number of factors which can come into play while we are shooting. The main focus while we shoot is definitely, uh, you know, brushing up our skills and being in the process of our way of technically shooting or trying to, you know, be in that moment of calmness. There are certain things while, as a shooters, we tend to look at. We have wind flags, it's basically red colored flags at a distance of 20 and, you know, 10 meters. So we do tend to 50 meters and basically 25 meters, and we tend to have those flags for our reference, so that we know that at what angle or at what intensity the wind is going. So we definitely don't tend to shoot, uh, you know, once the grouping of the rifle is done to the target, grouping is basically the midpoint of the setting of the sights which we do with a rifle to the target. So once we do that and we start, we still don't have any power to control the wind or, for those matter, the sunlight, but we tend to just look that the wind flags or, for those matter, the sunlight, but we tend to just look that the wind flags or, for that matter, the sunlight, it doesn't affect us to a great extent and that's how we shoot.

Speaker 2: 29:35

So while we are doing that, there are external things to look at, but internally we know that we still cannot be too worked up or be worried about oh, the wind is coming. So how will we shoot? Because we cannot worry ourselves, because the moment we think we are worried, the fear kicks in, and the fear kicks in the whole muscles, the body parts, everybody, everything gets tensed up. So it's a matter of balancing again, uh, knowing that, okay, everything, and it still happens on a very good day you can be a very good athlete, all prepared, and just that one thing where you're not able to focus and put your mind, uh, in a calmer state can just lead you to, you know, go down the ranking. Yeah, it is, it is quite a sport and, you know, just lead you to. You know, go down the ranking.

Speaker 1: 30:26

Yeah, it is. It is quite a sport and you know, as I'm listening to you, and you know we're thinking about this whole, you know career transition and steps that we do to set ourselves up. What's really interesting about what I'm taking a moment from you in rifle shooting is you've got all of these external factors and it feels like this I'll say chaos, right, this perfect level of chaos in terms of the number of factors that can move the rifle you're shooting and the bullet ultimately to try and hit that target. And it reminds me so much of what we go through in life in terms of trying to find our path, and you know, and and the fact impact it. But what you said there was really beautiful as well, in that, irrespective of what's happening around you and the wind, the rain, the time, all of those things, it's how do you then focus and make sure you're calm inside and you have a strong sense of self and actually your own abilities as well?

Speaker 2: 31:30

That is something which I realized and I could very well relate from my sport to my general life, like from the starting of the conversation. Like you said, how are you managing these things? I look life like the sport and I thank my sport to give this insight to me, because there are a lot of possibilities, a lot of factors which will keep on changing.

Speaker 1: 31:56

They are meant to happen like that, but what stays constant is you and your belief in that that you can stay calm and you can still move forward, irrespective of whatever factors or things come there, you know, in front of your paths yeah, and you're really demonstrating that, like we said in, you're taking from your sport and you bring up some of those at least from the outside perspective to me looking some of those characteristics and you're able to apply those in your day-to-day life now.

Speaker 1: 32:30

Building from that, then you know you, you recognized you were living in one bubble and very successful as you you mentioned winning medal, representing your country, winning medals. It's a bubble that you're very comfortable in, a desire to leap out and sort of become more comfortable in the real world. Or another bubble in some respects, doing the course, you know, doing the master's, or doing psychology. Where did you start to think you wanted to end up after sport? You know, to what extent did that really start to cement itself? Or were you more just moving? And hey, I'm just going to take one step at a time.

Speaker 2: 33:10

That's a great question because I think that happened for me a few years ago when I could see so in India, in my sport, particularly now there are a lot of youth which is coming in in our sport and they are doing wonders. They have the support of sports science. They have the advantage of, you know, the Olympians who have already been there and they have experience. So with that, the youth is progressing at a much faster rate in their sport. You have different, you know whether it's a nutritionist.

Speaker 2: 33:53

The availability of sports science is great now in our country and when we look at how these youngsters are doing, well, I realized there was still a larger amount of athletes who were still worried about how would they transition or how would they, you know, what should they do next if they are not able to do well in their sport? And since a country like India, which is full of, you know, it's a huge population we have, you can see there are only 15% of athletes who are able to go at the top and remain at the top, but the rest of 75%, they are thinking what to do next and how can we, you know, know, channelize that energy to something different? So when I saw that I happened to question myself again that, okay, I have got some kind of insight from my way of being and my journey in life, but how can I contribute, or how can I contribute back to my sporting fraternity in a way where these athletes are able to get something or understand something more about themselves and it's completely normal? So I think that made me, you know, shift and understand more about getting into the role of sports management or getting into the role of athlete management, and that's how I took up sports management course yeah, and so now I mean that's brilliant and I can see how you're thinking.

Speaker 1: 35:38

So you're thinking that through. So, like you know, today or right now, from your athletic perspective, from your sport perspective, what's next for you there? What's the next phase?

Speaker 2: 35:51

on the next steps, so the next step I'm still not looking too forward or going too optimistic for that matter, because that's not the way I like to go. I like to keep things coming up and then see. But I recently I didn't want it to. Shifting from one continent to another is a big thing for me and I'm still in that adjustment phase of, you know, living my life and enjoying my life with my husband and side by side, not giving up my sport, because that still connects me and makes me learn more about my day-to-day things.

Speaker 2: 36:35

So I have joined a Bundesliga team in Germany which is basically a sporting rifle club and there is a Bundesliga happening in Germany, so all the clubs tend to have 10-meter competition between themselves. So I'm part of a Petersburg team in Fulda, germany. So I recently on, I think just three days back, I came back from their home range and I performed well. So now, looking forward, it's like shifting and then staying connected to my sport in some way or the other, being having that athletic, I would say living, making that athlete also happy within myself. Living, making that athlete also happy within myself as much, as also, you know, focusing on the careers which I can get from get into as a management role in sports yes, I like that keeping the athlete in you happy whilst focusing on your career.

Speaker 1: 37:39

It's very nicely put. And and so now I mean the big challenge. Of course, if you were in India, you would have a natural network around you, you know, being where you were growing up. Now you've moved to Germany and moving into sport and sport management. How were you going about, you know, identifying the roles or those opportunities?

Speaker 2: 38:03

yeah, so it's how I look at it. Is that only the difference between countries or people or all of us is maybe the language, maybe the way of being, the value system? And if that is there because one thing which connects all of us is the sport or the, you know, the olympic movement, if I may talk about it, so the values, if those are same across continents, I don't see it's going to be much. I don't. I personally feel that it's going to be much of a difference except, yes, I I am in the process of learning German now because I know that's a big next task, to understand that language so that I can speak and converse with, maybe, people here and grow that network.

Speaker 2: 38:58

Definitely there were a lot of questions. I may say when I shipped it from, I was planning to ship from India because it's a comfort zone for me. I know people, I have known the fraternity and you know it's very important, like it's very easy if I have some problem or if I need someone, I just know I can just walk up to that guy and talk about that problem. But here, I know I'm new, but that is a new. People are new to me, but for people also I'm new so I see that as a greater possibility or opportunity to you know connect yeah, it is well.

Speaker 1: 39:40

I think it is a great opportunity to connect and you've said it. Great because what you've done you know what I take from what you've done you're in a new country, you're trying to get a role or kickstart a, I guess, a non-sporting career, and the first thing that you did was found a sports club where you could go and practice the sport that you know and love and with that, as you mentioned, it breaks down the language. There's no language barrier because you all talk about that, that sport and and from there, that gives you the confidence because I can see it as you're talking about it to then connect with other people and bit by bit, you will, you will step forward and you'll move and that network will become just as comfortable for you. And to me that's great because I've written about it myself. I learned French, moved to France but I played in France and because of that I learned the language.

Speaker 1: 40:44

Quite sports, specific times and maybe a bit too colorful, but I learned the language from what would have been my football friends and and that became a zone for for after university, to move back there. So I I get where you're coming from. You know it's a. It's a great way to enter a country.

Speaker 2: 40:58

I think and I think I uh, for that matter, even when you expressed your way of shifting to France and learning the French language it's all about the fusion of two different perspectives. So it's such a strong bond which people can have if they have, or we are able to combine two different perspectives from two different places or way of being, and it just makes the whole thing so powerful the sporting fraternity, the possibility of trying to develop something new, and I think that's what, personally, I look forward to that. How can two very different perspectives with, of course, some kind of common understanding of sport, which is common we can, you know have people who can associate, understand more about how to go forward?

Speaker 1: 42:00

you're right, it's a great way of bringing things together and around the sport and, yeah, it's quite diverse. Uh, well, well, well, oddly enough then I asked this weird question perhaps but in terms of shooting, now you're in the, in this club, how, how different does it feel, language wise, what you know? Did it feel like a great difference or does it actually feel there's so much more in common?

Speaker 2: 42:24

I had a great experience Personally.

Speaker 2: 42:28

This was my first match being played, debut match in Bundesliga and the team was quite welcoming because for them, they knew that the one common factor is that she's also a shooter and we are too.

Speaker 2: 42:43

The language is a barrier and I think they made their best efforts to speak in English or, for that matter, even when they were trying to speak in their own language, I was trying to understand through their expressions, but it was a joint effort which made it successful for us to have a very good understanding about the whole match or, for that matter, even the celebration after that, and I think that was all that was needed.

Speaker 2: 43:15

If you kind of welcome, they made me feel welcomed and I think that made me that confident that I am part of this place, and it's very important to feel that way, because language can be a barrier and I do understand I might have people in future who might not being able to speak in English and I will not be able to understand, but if still the direction for both the parties are towards one direction, then it still binds, I feel yeah, look, I from my experience, I guarantee living there, being immersed in a sport club where German, in this instance, is that language and and that's what you're hearing, and listening to music and that type of thing three, four months, it will be a completely different place for you, just because the you know what I found.

Speaker 1: 44:16

but you know, you walk down the street and when you're at home you hear little bits of every conversation, whereas suddenly in a foreign country you don't hear anything else because you don't understand anything that comes in. You know, wait, one of the best moments of my time living overseas actually even in Hong Kong right was when I could understand someone else's conversation and I was like, wow, I'm in a cafe and I'm. That was great, great, you know yeah, that happens a lot.

Speaker 2: 44:49

Uh, not a lot of times, but that feeling comes when I am get, I get to hear my you know home language in one of the cafes which I tend to go and I know, okay, they are Indians. And oh, finally, I can you know take a breathe that I have someone known, even though they are speaking in their own, they have their own different conversation happening, but I feel at ease. So I think that does make a impact.

Speaker 1: 45:20

It is, and I suppose, as I'm, as we're sort of closing off this conversation, but it does make me think there's.

Speaker 1: 45:28

You know, what I take away from speaking with you today is definitely this finding calm in chaos and your ability to do that in sport, translating that over into your day-to-day life, is really important and that you know this. There's more there, and I'm thinking about, um, from a career perspective, systems, careers and and chaos in you know, about how we still will manage to find our way through. And I add to that, then, this ability for you, you know, definitely to be keeping calm under pressure. But this bubble piece, this, you know, being comfortable in one bubble and moving over to another bubble, but taking with you, um, sorry, but yeah, going from one bubble to another bubble, but taking with you something that is comfortable, taking with you sport, taking with you something that is comfortable taking with you sport, taking with you language, but something that helps you just transcend. And you know, those things, to me, are just, yeah, that's really what I'm getting a sense of, you know, as we talk today Very rightly said yeah, it's connecting the bubbles.

Speaker 2: 46:39

I think it's just.

Speaker 1: 46:43

This will be the bit on the podcast is connecting the bubbles, how sport helps connect the bubbles across continents, something like that. Um, yeah, but it is um well. Well, look, I know I really should let you in, continue to enjoy your day and, um, you know, I definitely want to say thanks for, for sharing or join me on the conversation, but then also definitely getting me thinking, you know, but before I let you go, I suppose you know you spoke before about a lot of youngsters coming through sports science and that changing of the game. You've been able to navigate your athletic career and you know get yourself academically ready in a position now to leap off. So when you look and you look at this next crop, this next batch of rifle shooters coming through, if they're asking you for guidance, your experience on how can they best prepare themselves for this life after sport, what guidance do you give them?

Speaker 2: 47:45

I would say that don't think in. Don't think or assume, pre-assume anything. Let things flow however they are coming to you. Don't try to get that fear kicking inside you by thinking too much in advance about how things will happen. You just need to be, you know. At that moment, think about, okay, what is the next important thing to do? That's it, because the more we go try thinking about future, the more worries or the more fear kicks in, and I think anything without fear is much better state to be in rather than moving with fear towards anything. So I think that is, whether it's taking shifting, transitioning from your sport to, uh, you know, or studying, or preparing for exams while you have a match on your head, or anything for that matter, don't think too much in advance. Just try to you know, breathe and go forward with that breathe and pull the trigger in between the heartbeats.

Speaker 1: 49:03

There we go to slow things down and then it just looks at the moment. I'm not sure is what's that 78? So but look, shreya, thank you very much for for, like I say, for just sharing your experience and your thoughts with with me and everyone who's listening and watching today. Thank you very much thank you.

Speaker 2: 49:23

I love the experience of sharing and talking to you.

Speaker 1: 49:27

Thank you for listening to the Second Wind podcast. We hope you enjoyed hearing insights from today's athlete on transitioning out of competitive careers. If you're looking for career clarity for your next step, make sure you check out secondwindio for more information or to book a consultation with me. I'd like to thank Claire from Betty Brook Design, Nancy from Savvy Podcast Solutions and Cerise from Copying Content by Lola for their help in putting this podcast together. That's all from me. Take it easy Until next time.