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Coach Mike | Athletic Transition Coach | Career Readiness

@michaelbarham_elevates

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TEDx Speaker & Author | Athletic Transition Coach | Helping Athletes Build success Beyond Sports

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I have a lot of new people here and it’s been a minute since I’ve reintroduced myself.

I’m Coach Mike. I am a former athlete, a former coach, an author , and Speaker. And someone who knows firsthand what it feels like to lose yourself when the game ends.

I spent years watching athletes, including myself, walk off the court or field with no idea who they were without their sport. No plan. No direction. No one who truly understood what that transition felt like.

So I stopped waiting for someone to build that space and built it myself.
My mission is simple. Help athletes build identity and purpose beyond sports before the game is gone. Not after.

Everything I do, the book, the speaking, the community, exists for one reason. To make sure no athlete has to figure this out alone.
If that’s you, or someone you know, you’re in the right place.

Swipe through my story. Then DM me the word ATHLETE to get the link to join our free community.
The ball goes flat. But your story doesn’t have to

#WhenTheBallGoesFlat #AthleticTransition #LifeAfterSports #CollegeAthletes #HighSchoolAthletes by @michaelbarham_elevates

I was never warned about this part…

•When the jersey comes off
•When the crowd gets quiet
•When the routine disappears

That is where most athletes get stuck.

I call it The Big 3
🧠 The Mental Shift
(Who am I now?)

❤️ The Emotional Rollercoaster
(Why do I feel lost?)

🛠️ The Rebuild Phase
(How do I start over?)

At @sheltonstateathletics we unpacked it all.
No filters. No sugarcoating. Just truth.

Were they locked in to the message? I’ll let you decide for yourself.

S/O to @kenematicshots for going crazy with the 📸 as always. by @michaelbarham_elevates

Many speakers go into speaking engagements focus solely on their agenda and the speech the have to give. I learn from the greats to connect if you want their ear and respect.

I’m very observant before it is my time to speak. I look and listen to the conversations around me looking for something to use to be a connector to my audience. I noticed the boys were doing something called shadow boxing when we were in the main room before the breakout sessions. I decided to use that as an icebreaker to win the students attention.

They taught me how to play and let’s just say I became a natural and dominated. I had a message to give them that was important but before I opened my mouth I wanted them to know that I understand them and I was interested in not only giving them something but learning as well.

Elevation requirements going beyond the call of duty.

#PushElevation #michaelbarhamelevates #speaker #shadowboxing #athlete by @michaelbarham_elevates

Tag a coach you know care about their athletes beyond sports.
Coaches, I have a free resource to help you implement athletic transition moments within the work you already do. Shoot me a DM and I’ll send it to you.

#Lifeaftersports #AthleteTransition #coach #collegeathletes highschoolathlete by @michaelbarham_elevates

There are 4 other career mistakes athletes make after sports end. If you want the other 4, drop athlete in the comments.

#athlete #lifeaftersports #CollegeAthleteLife #ProAthleteEntrepreneur by @michaelbarham_elevates

I get asked during Q&A at my speaking engagements about a lesson I would tell my younger self. The biggest lesson that comes to mind is to control my emotions. What is one lesson you learned from that you would tell your younger self to do better? #lifeaftersports #mentorship #personalitydevelopment #athlete by @michaelbarham_elevates

Nobody talks about how LOST athletes can feel when the game ends.

You spent years knowing exactly who you were, where you belonged, and what you were working toward.

Then one day, the ball goes flat.

And everybody expects you to just move on.

Life after sports isn’t just a career transition. It’s an identity transition.

Former athletes, I have a FREE resource in my bio for you.

#AthleticTransition #LifeAfterSports #AthleteIdentity #FormerAthlete by @michaelbarham_elevates

The final whistle doesn’t end your story. It simply begins a chapter the game could never prepare you for.

Too many athletes spend years training their body but never prepare their identity for the day sports come to an end.

If you’re navigating life after sports, remember this:

You are not starting over.
You are building on everything the game taught you.

The jersey may come off.
Your purpose doesn’t.

👇 What’s one lesson sports gave you that you’re still using today?

#AthleteTransition #LifeAfterSports #MoreThanAnAthlete #AthleteMindset by @michaelbarham_elevates

Happy Mother’s Day @_keepingupwithkai_ ! You’ve birthed two velcro kids who never wants to leave your side. It’s a testament to the loving, caring, and safe environment you have created for our girls. We love you and hope you feel as appreciated as you are to us! by @michaelbarham_elevates

Spring break recap 2026 in the Bahamas.

#carnival #carnivalcruise #bahamascruise #springbreak #carnivalelevation by @michaelbarham_elevates

When you hear the term ‘public success and private failure’, it is usually used to describe people who succeed in public but fail at home.

However, that is not the case when I use it. For me, it is about succeeding in public but privately knowing you are only operating at half capacity.

You were not built for minimum.
You were not built for safe.
And settling is not protecting you.
It is costing you.

I questioned whether this was the right time and if it was my moment. Life hit me with so many punches, I almost made the safe choice of not moving forward with this talk.

Then I was reminded that I was chosen. Out of 414 applicants, 16 people were chosen. I was one of those 16.

Thank you to Dr. Lovella E. Jonesfor making this opportunity possible. Thank you to my coach Dr. Erica Jewel Littleton for the feedback and adjustments on my talk. S/o to my guy @e_josiah_ for your insight and making sure I was prepared and knew what to expect.

Most importantly, thank you to my village (family and close friends) who knew about all of the chaos and stepped up to help in every way. I am beyond grateful to know I have people willing to get in the valley with me.
The full talk is coming.

But right now I need you to watch this video
and ask yourself one question.

What would you do if fear was completely removed?” by @michaelbarham_elevates

As I sit here getting ready to stand on the stage in a couple of hours, this picture is what I am looking at.

This little guy from Bessemer Alabama had no idea what was coming. The hard seasons. The moments of doubt. The times I almost talked myself out of everything.But he also had no idea what was possible.

Today I step onto a stage and deliver a message that has been forged through some of the most difficult chapters of my life. I can not share everything just yet, but I can tell you this. What I have to say is for everyone who has ever felt stuck, scared, and convinced that shrinking was the safe choice.
It is not.

To my wife Kai , you helped me keep it together when I was ready to fold. I do not take that lightly.

To my daughters Kylie and Khloe, everything I do is so you see what brave looks like up close.

To everyone who prayed for me, checked on me, pushed me, and refused to let me settle, I see you and I thank you.

And to this little boy in this picture, I hope I made you proud.

The stage is set. The message is ready. And I am doing it scared, exactly the way I was meant to.

Stay tuned. Something is coming.

#PushElevation #BraveDay by @michaelbarham_elevates