Was Imani Dorsey Prepared For The Life Changing Effects Of Going Pro?
The #AskASocerPro show is a Live video podcast where 11 year MLS vet and Mental Strength Coach Quincy Amarikwa dives into the mentalities of highly successful individuals both on and off the pitch. In this weeks episode Imani Dorsey discussed about path to the NWSL, what to do to keep herself motivated, her mentality in the soccer field and more.
Time Stamps
0:00-1:10 Imani Dorsey (@imdorsey) joins the #askasoccerpro show 105!
1:11-2:56 Why you need the Mental Strength League in your life #frequincy
2:57-4:30 Imani Dorsey’s path to the NWSL @imdorsey
4:31-6:20 How many impactful projects is Imani Dorsey involved in? @imdorsey
6:21-8:53 Does Imani Dorsey have that Mental Strength League mentality? 👉🏽😶👈🏽
8:54-13:29 What does Imani Dorsey do to keep herself motivated?
13:32-20:30 How has Imani Dorsey’s mentality on the soccer field, affected her daily life and her work with the BWPC @blackwplayercollective
21:40-25:28 What caught Imani Dorsey by surprise once she went pro in the NWSL?
25:29-27:33 Who made Imani Dorsey starstruck in her first game?
27:34-30:40 What was Imani Dorsey’s biggest challenge becoming pro? @theoneknownasanthony
31:50-33:30 How did Imani Dorsey feel when she played in her first NWSL game? @ic156796
33:40-39:43 What is Imani Dorsey doing to prepare for life after soccer? @joe.jackson11
39:20-44:40 Was Imani Dorsey prepared for the life changing effects of going pro? @_pogbajunior
44:41-46:50 What does it take to get awards and accolades?
49:08-50:20 Check out BWPC @blackwplayercollective on instagram, facebook and twitter to stay up to date!
52:17-56:11 Be on the lookout for the end of black history month exclusive project by black players for change!
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*Transcript is unedited and machine-generated. There will be errors. For further clarity please refer to the audio or video.
Quincy Amarikwa (00:00):
We're all here to ride the MSL waves. You've mentioned the strength lead. I'd like to welcome you to another episode of the hashtag ask eight soccer pro [inaudible]
Quincy Amarikwa (00:11):
What's going on, everybody, whatever, whatever what up. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. It's everyone's running in. I met, uh, let's see, we got here. One on is Anthony [inaudible] Jr. I see one, five, six, seven, nine, six. Happy to see you. Welcome to you. Um, joining in the show, I'm excited for today's episode. Uh, cause we've got a very special guest by the name of Imani Dorsey who just joined in and Amani, I'm going to call you in and just a moment, I'm going to go through a little bit of the intro here so we can get straight into it. So what's going on everyone and welcome to another episode of the hashtag a soccer pro show episode one Oh six. I'm your host, 12 year pro MLS cup champion, MLS comeback player of the year, UC Davis hall of fame member, black players for change founder and MSL coach coinci America.
Quincy Amarikwa (01:09):
And you might be asking yourself, what is the MSL? Those of you in the MSL lesion already know what it is, but for those of you who are joining in for the first time, that's what we're here to discuss and break down every Thursday, 6:00 PM, PST 9:00 PM EST here, live on the perfect underscore soccer, Instagram account, the mental strength league I'm in your head, a drop them I'm in your head emojis. They're below a shout out poke Budd, Jr. Giving me the perfect soccer skills.com/subscription link. Let me pin that below a MSL Legion members drop them in your head. Emojis is below. Um, for those of you who are just tuning into this frequency, the hashtag frequency, it's a game of mental 40 chest one where you're either an aware and an active participant, or you were a pawn in the game steady getting played.
Quincy Amarikwa (01:57):
Now, what is the MSL? It is the mindset you need to accomplish your goals. Why should you have this mindset? So you can learn how to learn and why learn, how to learn so you can know how, and when you were stopping yourself from achieving your goals and what to do about it, when does this mindset start? The moment you decide to take responsibility for where you are, even if where you are, isn't your fault and put forth a plan to learn what you need to, to continue forward. So if you were to, so if you are ready for today's episode, I'm going to need you guys to spam that heart button as I'm waving hello, to everybody in here and drop below what you're excited for about today's episode. And while I do that, we will get our guest of honor, uh, Amani Dorsey here in the live. So what's the spam that heart button P what's going on in England for, uh, England 2130 dropping nine. When you're head of mode, Joe Jackson, yo, I'm doing well. We making progress every single day and I'm super juiced to see your
Quincy Amarikwa (03:08):
Conversation.
Quincy Amarikwa (03:09):
I know. Uh, uh, are you sure you haven't seen enough of me as these last couple of months?
Quincy Amarikwa (03:15):
Barely I have them. Why else would I be here?
Quincy Amarikwa (03:18):
I love that. That's a great answer. Awesome. So money, I'm going to give a little bit of a background, uh, for those who are joining in, who might not know about you and I will not be doing you justice. So please, um, after I, uh, give a little bit of a background, please fill in any gaps that I'm sure to miss. So, uh, for those of you who don't know Amani Dorsey, and I got some of my notes up here, right, is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for sky blue FC of the national women's soccer league. She attended our lady of good council, Catholic high school out in Maryland. And in college she played for Duke university. Um, in 2018, you joined Skyblue FC and you've been with them for the entirety of your career. So far, you've got, you're going into your fourth year of professional soccer. Okay. And, um, you were also a board member and executive board member of black women's players collective. Correct. Okay. So I know there's way more to the, the legend of a month. That is, that is building right now. Uh, what are, what are some other things that I'm, I'm, uh, leaving out that, uh, that you would use to describe who you are and what you stand for?
Quincy Amarikwa (04:41):
Yeah, so I've done a lot of things, um, since becoming a pro um, in college, but more so I'm really proud of advocacy that I've been a part of since becoming a pro. So, um, I am the athlete, ally professional ambassador. I am, I'm a voice in sport leap forward. I am also I'm on the executive board of another prophet called girls leading girls, which is about empowering young girls and bringing more women into sport I'm into soccer and for coaching. I'm also, um, I was an environmental science and policy major at Duke, and I did an audio thing on, um, the socio-economic implications of, um, hog farm, like renewable energy on in Eastern North Carolina. Um, so that's something climate change and environmental justice super important to me as well. Um, I work very closely with my team on community outreach and we partnered with the New Jersey Institute for social justice. And we're working on projects with them in like other groups around New Jersey. Um, yeah, like just becoming, becoming a pro I've learned a lot about what's important to me, um, on and off the field. And those are just couple of other things involved with right now.
Quincy Amarikwa (06:00):
Just a couple, just giving us a little taste. And that's why I'm excited to talk to you today. And, uh, uh, not only talk a bit about all the things that you're a part of and the things that you're passionate about. Um, many of which I'm just hearing for the first time, the environmental science, uh, stuff and climate change as well to you. Um, what we talked about here, especially on the show is the MSL, the mental strength league, the developing and building a mentality that allows you to go into any vertical, any industry that you want and, and dominate. Cause that sounds like exactly what you're doing right now, right. Um, going in and, and really immersing yourself in it and being open to learning and, and growing. I think that was something that really stood out to me when we first got connected and, uh, I really liked your approach and your mentality. And that's why I'm really excited to have you on the show today to kind of break that down a little bit for our audience so they can learn as well too. Cause that's really what we, uh, we talked about here every Thursday, 6:00 PM, PST 9:00 PM EST. And, um, yeah, I kind of want to get into, into the mentality aspect of it. So, so what, how, how would you describe your mentality and how did you, how did you develop it over the years?
Quincy Amarikwa (07:19):
Hmm, that's a great question. It's a broad question. So I can go a lot of different directions with it, but I feel like when I first think about mentality, I think about what I feel like I bring to the sport of soccer and translates on and off the field. So for me, um, I've always felt like I'm a very versatile player. I can do a lot of things very well. Um, and that's been great for me and my development, but at certain points, I feel like, um, I needed kind of that extra push from my coaches, um, or something to kind of have like that little more grit or, um, or like mental fortitude to get through things. And I think because growing up soccer was felt like almost easy. I think, um, once I got to college and once I became a professional, I, um, went through a lot more ups and downs in my career and that just made me stronger.
Quincy Amarikwa (08:12):
It made me great a year. Um, so I think over the years, if I were initially, if I were to describe my mentality, it'd be, um, probably like composed is the word that I would use. Um, and that's a great word and I still live by that. I still like to define myself as a player that knows how to get into tight situations and thinking about the game, um, one, two steps ahead, but, um, to take it to the next level, as we're talking about, it's really about how can you use that composure and, um, use the passion that you have for this sport, um, to push past kind of those barriers that you over that, um, everybody has to overcome.
Quincy Amarikwa (08:54):
Like, okay, I like that. And uh, okay. So let's, let's test the composure, right? And your ability to navigate out of tight situations, right. Uh, something we talk a lot about on the show here is what got you here, won't get you there, right? So sometimes your greatest strength eventually becomes your greatest weakness. And that's kind of what I hear when you're saying, Hey, I'm naturally composed things tend to be easier for me. And when I got to the professional level, that that's something that coaches would have to lean on me in order to improve and get that grip, as you said. Right. So, so what, what do you put in place to motivate yourself to overcome your own shortcomings?
Quincy Amarikwa (09:49):
Hmm, that's a great question because I feel like a lot of what I still work on and developed in what's most important for them is, um, my own self-confidence and being able to go on the field and understand what I know is expected of me and how I know I'm going to execute that. Um, as I was talking about before, if things felt quote unquote as a kid, um, it was because I, and I had the confidence in self-assurance in myself, but I think my freshman year of college, I got, um, when I got to Duke, I was playing center forward and I am not, I'm not really a center forward. I'm not like going to hold the ball up and be bought off the ball. I'm not like the most physical player on the field. So that was like change for me. Um, the physicality of the college game, um, really kind of took me by surprise.
Quincy Amarikwa (10:49):
And that was the first kind of moment where I needed to, um, kind of step up and find how I'm going to make an impact in this game, that different from what I was used to. Um, and I think in those moments, especially in a heightened environment of college environment where you're expected to perform, and your coach is expecting you to perform and expected to win, expected, to put goals in the back net to win. It was a type of pressure that I wasn't used to. And I'm so used to my coaches being, um, not really getting like harsh criticism from my coaches or getting criticism in knowing like the pressure behind associated behind it and the expectations to perform. And that really only came in college. Um, and so I felt like I realized that I was relying a lot on what my coaches were telling me, what feedback coaches were giving me.
Quincy Amarikwa (11:44):
So like if I'm getting grants from my coaches, that means, I know that I'm doing well and that's good. Or if I'm not hearing anything or if they're being harder on me, um, my confidence would tank and it was just this up and down rollercoaster was not great for me because I, I was operating off of the words that my coaches would give me instead of what I knew to be true about myself. Um, and that was something that I learned my freshman year and I felt like I continued to grow throughout college. And, um, it's helped me instrumentally as a pro, but it's still something that I have to work incredibly hard on because the mental game it's so easy to get caught up in what's going on in your head and how hard you can be on yourself. And, um, it always comes back to, I always come back to being able to trust myself and my mistakes, because I've always said I'm at my best when I'm intuitive on the field. And then I'm not like thinking through a million things, I'm just acting and responding because I trust myself and I trust what I can do on the field because I've done the work to get there. Um, and instead of relying or waiting on every word my coach says to me, or may not say I don't let that like, affect how I'm going to perform.
Quincy Amarikwa (13:08):
I love that. Love that. Okay. I, uh, I love the journey you take us on because you can take it in any direction. Right. And there's many variables to the game and there's many decisions that you have to make in, in, at any moment in the game. And if you look at when we might've lost her a bit, okay. Can you hear me now? Yeah. I don't know if your internet is, is, uh, too high level. You're, we're losing your through the connection because you'd given too much data. Yeah. Beginning of your question. Well, that's all right. Um, uh, what I was saying, what I was saying was, well, let me, let me back back up, because right, there are many, there are many individuals who are here on the, in the live who were saying, I can relate. I've been told to play center for before, when I'm a midfielder and defender, I still can't play.
Quincy Amarikwa (14:12):
I still can't play center forward to save my life LOL. And then, uh, other others were following and saying that they can definitely relate to those States of kind of the rollercoaster of emotions, like up and down and making in your confidence, being external. That's kind of where you talked about the lesson that you learned was realizing that too much of your confidence was tied to the feedback from your coaches and those around you, right. External forces. And what we talk a lot about here in the MSL, right? The I'm in your head, the I'm in your head emojis, it is taking positivity and negativity and turning it into fuel to put your push yourself forward. And we do that through the three S's of self-awareness. So self honesty, self initiative, self accountability, and those three, those three S's all start with self. And what I'm hearing from you is, you know, you, you got into kind of be, uh, you know, the Mr.
Quincy Amarikwa (15:07):
Crabs meme space, where you're like, what, where am I what's going on? This isn't what I'm used to. Um, but it sounds like you, you did a self-assessment, you looked internally and you said, okay, it's my responsibility to understand that confidence is within myself, but it's also tied to my willingness to prepare my willingness to be open to criticism, my willingness to learn and, and show up, ready to execute, but also ready to adapt if, and when asked of me 100%. Okay. And, um, and I loved that because all of that is the hallmark of a successful professional athlete, right. And a lot of, uh, a lot of the individuals who follow the show and have been a part of the community for, for years now, have been finding a way to develop their own process for self-confidence self-worth and, and growth. And, um, something that I think is extremely, um, crucial to long-term success.
Quincy Amarikwa (16:20):
Cause we talked about the long-term winners mindset here, right. Is, is being open to criticism and, and, um, knowing that it's part of the process. And that's something that I definitely saw from you in our, through our, uh, partnership with the black women's players collective and the us soccer foundation, uh, mini pitch initiative, and project that we've, that we've come together and, and launched in and been working on. How has, how has, what you've learned on the soccer field and that mentality translated into the success you guys are finding as an organization and, and kind of the, the lessons you've had to learn quickly on the fly building an organization as historic as, uh, the B uh, B WPC.
Quincy Amarikwa (17:09):
Yeah. I mean, what I'm starting to realize is that you've learned on the field are either same problems that you're going to have to overcome in some way, like off the field or in place environment. I mean, the first thing that I think of is communication. Um, being able to accurately explain what you need to get done in how you're going to be organized to get it done. That's been something that, um, our organization has been working tirelessly on. It still is trying to figure out the best way to get information, everyone, to communicate our message people working with. Um, I feel like I've learned that a lot of these projects come together by just being able to get on the same page. And that takes just a lot of getting to know the people that you're working with, um, understanding where they're coming from, understanding what their values are and trying to find a way, um, to make sure that your values align that in a lot of ways, it's very similar to just trying to develop a team culture and team chemistry, even just on a smaller level, like a connection with, um, players that you're closest to on the field, like those, um, as a left back.
Quincy Amarikwa (18:28):
Now, I think of that forward or when I was playing how and how important it was to have a strong connection with your outside back or your outside forward. And, um, being able to kind of work through difference on a team level to push past any adversity, um, for that common goal. I mean, that was kind of the biggest thing that I took away. My college experience. I was so heavily invested in the teams, um, and the team's success. And through that, I was able kind of to realize it was a way for me to hold myself accountable. I'm like, okay, if I want the team to a degree, if I want my team to succeed and our team to, um, but as a candidate, I know that I have to be, um, eating well and I have to be sleeping. Right. And I have to be getting my work done and I have to be completely present training and making sure I'm getting the most out of training and getting the most out of my teammates.
Quincy Amarikwa (19:21):
And that was incredible because it, it took my game to the next level. But I think coming into a professional environment that is still, that's not always the case. I can, I'm glad to say that sky blue has where I think the girls like truly genuinely care about each other and want for one another. And that's something that I'm very thankful for. Um, but as a pro, when you're getting that, um, it's another level of accountability that you have to have for yourself in OMA, other level of expectations that you have to have for yourself. And, um, just kind of being able to honor that space, um, for now and on four seasons has been incredibly helpful to what I'm capable of as a board member for the DWPC and kind of understanding, um, what I need to be able, what I need to do to help my team be successful in what it is that I need buy in to make sure that we're able to put out the product we possibly can.
Quincy Amarikwa (20:25):
I love that. Okay. So you're given a bunch of gyms and I know the, the fans are loving it. I've seen a lot of people join in here on the live. I see the NWSL joined in and showing you some love, um, on, uh, yes, the, yeah, the NWSL account joined in showing some love. Uh, we've got a lot more, a lot more people dropping in and they're just soaking up the knowledge. If anyone has any direct questions for Amani, please drop them in the question box below or in the feed here. And I will pull from them as they come in. It's funny because you know, I've been doing this for a while. So when I, I got a good little, uh, read and pulse of the audience and when they're soaking up the information, less questions come into the, uh, into the channel, right.
Quincy Amarikwa (21:16):
It's just spam hearts and lack of questions. So they're all ears right now. And it's amazing yet. Uh, so if you guys got any specific questions, please drop them in. And while we wait on some of those to come in, um, let's, let's back up and I'll ask, so what are, what's a, a fun, or what's a fun story or something that, uh, something that's happened over the course of, uh, your time with WPC that as a lesson learned, or, you know, or something completely random that kid doesn't have. You know what I mean? Like what's something that's really, that's caught you by surprise through your, through your, through the process, um, that you, that you would love that you would like to share
Quincy Amarikwa (22:07):
With PC, or just like, as a professional,
Quincy Amarikwa (22:11):
Any way you want to take it.
Quincy Amarikwa (22:16):
Plenty of fun stories. I like to think of kind of just like great moments that I've had. Um, and I, and they're a product of being a pro or being in the, um, lifestyle that I'm in. And I just remember, um, one moment on the field that I liked to talk about a lot was my first away game as a pro. So I came in midway through my season or midway through sky blue season when, after I got drafted because I still had to finish school. Um, so my first professional game was, I guess, like due in July and my first away game was in Orlando and, um, at Explorer stadium. And that's just like a crazy cool stadium, the plan, I mean, I had just played there in the college cup, like, um, a couple of months prior and, but the level was just entirely different for a professional game.
Quincy Amarikwa (23:18):
And I remember, um, playing against the pride for the first time. And literally it was like Alex Morgan in Sydney, but Ru all of these incredible players that I'm playing against and, um, just kind of being star struck by that and being like, Oh my gosh, like, I can't believe this is actually even just like showing up to my first day in Carla being there. And it's just like, I've looked up to Carly for years and now I consider her like a great teammate. It's surreal quite honestly. And I think it's something that's very special in game in sport in general, to be able to play with the people that you've looked up to for almost your entire childhood. Um, but I, there was a moment in the Orlando game where we were down one, nothing, and, and Orlando had a corner and literally I'm like, okay, who could they possibly can?
Quincy Amarikwa (24:18):
And Marta comes on the field and I'm like, this is real life. And, um, I ended up having to like, they go to do a short corner and I go out to try to fall back and I'm in, Marta's on the ball. Just kind of like dancing on the ball. And I remember sitting there being like, okay, I'll just, don't get Meg like that. We'll be all over every social media account. Like, don't get magged like every, um, and I remember that was just like, that was a moment I think, where I was like, Oh my God, it's the coolest thing. Like, be able to even like compete these women is that I will forever cherish.
Quincy Amarikwa (25:05):
Okay. No, I love that. That's, that's really cool. And I appreciate you sharing that because, uh, it makes me, it makes me laugh. It makes me smile. Cause it's like, okay, what'd you thinking about in that moment? You're like, wait, Oh, wait, I'm here. Um, I'm um, I'm at this level, this is where I'm at. This is real, um, let's get to work, right. Uh, uh, how long was it until maybe kind of that the star struck nature wore off and you realize you're like, Hey, I I've earned my, my, my right to be here. I'm at this level. Um, Marta, you gotta be worried about me making you
Quincy Amarikwa (25:46):
No, that's definitely, that's a great question because when I described that moment, I, I heavily focus on the seconds that I'm thinking this because it was seconds, but it felt like forever because it was such a cool moment. Um, but yes, like when I'm in that game, I, the most special part about that was like, I'm playing with these incredible players because I deserve to be on this field and I've earned my spot on this field and I'm going to make a Mark and, um, make my impact. And I think that's like, that was the coolest moment for me to be like, it's not like you don't belong here. You belong here. You're old. You can play with these when you can compete and you can thrive and succeed. Um, and it was, I think, as I got drafted and knowing I was coming in late and even just, I didn't even know if I wanted to go into the NWSL heading into the season.
Quincy Amarikwa (26:45):
Um, so to be able to get drafted fifth overall and then come in and start playing. Um, I knew that all, I wanted to prove myself and be like, you prove to my team that I belong, that I belong here and I can play with you guys and I want to help the team be better. Um, so that was a moment where I was like, no, like you, it was the moment a brief moment, but it was like, you've earned your keep and you can, you, you belong here. And I think that was a very special moment. Yeah.
Quincy Amarikwa (27:19):
Love that. Um, all right. So we've got a couple of the questions have started to come in now I got the audience. There was like, Oh yeah, that's true. I am, I'm taking off, I'm taking in all this information. Let me see, uh, some questions that I got for money here. So we've got, um, the one note as Anthony had asked, what was the biggest challenge you had to endure when working on being a pro soccer player?
Quincy Amarikwa (27:42):
Hmm, that's a great question because it is something that is ongoing. Um, definitely, but I would definitely start with just the transition from college to pro I think in general, it's a very quick check. Um, as I was saying, I came in late. I, um, finished my senior year, but most players right now are, are not there. Um, either finished, graduating, um, fall to be able to join the team officially running. And it's just a super quick turnaround here. I just remember like seeing my team so much and being thrown up in my environment, um, and trying to kind of understand the culture and the way things work, even just like the boring, like gritty details of like, when you add how you ask for training and urge for treatment. And I'm like, what do people do? Like one off day, literally just like all of those things.
Quincy Amarikwa (28:45):
It's so crucial. Um, developing an environment that you're comfortable in that you feel like you've succeeded because a big thing for me is, um, challenging myself and pushing myself out of my comfort zone on the training field. But it's important for me to have stable, comfortable environment off the field. I feel safe in, and a lot of times the professional environment doesn't really provide, you can get traded at a moment's notice and that my guaranteed contracts get cut at a moment's notice. Those were very intimidating things for me heading into the end of the USL. Um, and I think like that transition from like a very stable, organized environment to something really, I was still trying to figure it out, um, was very overwhelming on top of just like the higher level of competition was high at the faster speed of play, like needing to be more one making decisions quicker.
Quincy Amarikwa (29:39):
Like it was a lot going on in my head. And, um, I think like what I realized that I needed in those moments was a lot more self-reflection as you've been talking about focusing on yourself, um, I started journaling more. I started meditating more on what I needed mentally get my best on the field. Um, and that was like another level of, um, reflection that I needed to have for myself to be able to the weather and downs of the season, the ups and downs of, um, how your team in club is being managed, the opposite of just like your personal performance on the field and the expectations, or just have your fans have. And you have for yourself, like there's so many things that are constantly, you're constantly bombarded with as a professional. And it's being able to find like your center and your peak just through the midst of all of that.
Quincy Amarikwa (30:40):
Just, just speaking pure facts out here for everybody. No, I love it. Um, so we got, uh, we've got another question in here from [inaudible] six, seven, nine, six, right. She had, she had asked, um, and shout out her bio cause in her bio. Um, I dunno if you'd saw on my, my feet, she had sent a question into my DMS and I had a at, uh, responded and let her know that she should definitely join in on today's episode, um, to hear you speak. So it's great to see her in and asking a question, um, fi she's got future billionaire in her bio, and that was yes. And I, that, that, that, that spoke to me. So, uh, her question was, uh, how do you, how do you feel, how did you feel when you first played in the NWSL? Were you happy, excited or nervous?
Quincy Amarikwa (31:35):
Yeah, my NWSL game was, um, I started against the Washington spirit and I was, I was so excited, like so excited because I had felt great during training, like couple of weeks that I've been there. And, um, the team was excited for me. Like everybody was before the game was like, how are you feeling like what's, um, like, are you ready? Both Bob, but I was just so excited to, um, to kind of make my Mark and not necessarily, I don't mean that in like a, I'm going to score goals or like buddy up, like not at all, like that, like is such a, it was such a moment of, um, gratitude and respect to be in the position that I was, and to be able to step fans in play for them in play for it, for a new team. Um, I just had so much, um, like, yeah, I was excited and I mean, if I was, if I was, I was surely nervous, but like, all I can remember was how excited I wasn't, how I just wanted to run the entire game. And I was like, The rest will come into play. I don't remember ever having touches or passes that game. They weren't terrible because I started looking, but it worked out that I just heard just being so excited to be on that field and to be able to help.
Quincy Amarikwa (33:10):
I love that. I blacked out, I covered, I covered 10 miles, but I don't, I don't remember. Did I touched the ball? Uh, okay. Let's see. So I definitely, I want to be respectful of your time. I know we got a couple more questions here. Um, but, uh, let's see. There was, okay. So actually one question came in, I'm going to ask it, uh, after this one, because I feel like it's a good segue into the next question. So Joe dot Jackson, 11 had asked, are you doing anything outside of soccer to prepare for the future after your career?
Quincy Amarikwa (33:54):
Hm, that's a great question because that's like super important to me. Um, so initially, like, as I mentioned before, I didn't know if I wanted to play in the NWSL. Um, for me a big part. Um, just like the semi guarantee contracts and being traded at a moments when like those, um, the lack of stability was very nerve-wracking to me. So I always felt like I needed, um, not necessarily a backup, but I needed to know what I want to do off the field. And that's been, my education has been incredibly important to me from the soccer and I knew soccer would be an opportunity for me to get a good education. Why a lot of the reason I chose Duke, a lot of the reasons, um, that I pursued my studies, like pretty heavily well. Um, but yeah, like my, after my first season, um, with sky blue, I did an internship with the league of conservation district first team down in DC, since I'm from Maryland.
Quincy Amarikwa (34:59):
Um, environmental science is super important to me and it's something that, um, I hope to develop more. So learn more a bit about the policy aspects and the, um, the legality of what it will take to find that, um, I'm a change in a way that is, um, protecting people that are most vulnerable people who will be most heavily by a lot of these implications. And, um, so a lot of the work that I'm doing right with the GWPC and a lot of any outreach and social justice work that I'm doing is even though it's not specific to like environmental science or policy, it's very important for me to nonprofits work and, um, what it looks like to make change happen in your own way. Think that's been super, um, important for me just moving forward because it's giving me skills that I didn't even realize that, like I, not that I didn't know that I needed, it was just that I didn't, I knew that I needed them.
Quincy Amarikwa (35:58):
I didn't know how to go achieve them or go, go get them. So pursuing these passions has been, um, incredibly eyeopening and a great way for me to have like new experiences that will definitely, um, hopefully open doors after my career. But yeah, I mean, I plan to get a master's in something silly or go to law, most likely going to be a math, like way too expensive, but those are definitely like keep in the back of my mind. I'm, I'm constantly aware of because as much as I love soccer soccer, and I love the sport that things can change moments notice. And I, I want to be, um, a well-rounded person who can be ready to leave the sport if need be so,
Quincy Amarikwa (36:45):
Okay. I love that cause there's a lot of, there's a lot of takeaways there and a lot of things I want to make sure the audience grabbed out of that. One of those, cause that we talk about a lot is your, your career is going to end one day. Hopefully it's 30 years from now after you've had a long career and lots of endorsements and made lots of money and traveled the world. Right. But even if you hit that, that, that dream, we all have, it will end one day. And it's important to be a well-rounded person, a well-rounded human for when that day comes. And if it happens to be much shorter than you were expecting, then even more important that you're developing those skills while you're not on the while you're not on the field. And, um, I think something that stood out that you had said was, you know, I, I knew I needed the skills or I, but I didn't necessarily know how I was going to go about acquiring them.
Quincy Amarikwa (37:40):
Um, something we speak a lot about here is make mistakes, right? Just try stuff, because at, at the very least, if you just try things, maybe you look dumb. Sometimes everyone who accomplished something great look dumb in the beginning or in the short term or for a little while, you know, but through those experiences and trying stuff, you learn, you build and you grow, and that's how you develop those experiences to better understand what it is you want to do. Um, but more importantly, what it is that you don't want to do. Um, yeah. And, uh, yeah, I, um, I really, I guess I relate and resonate with, uh, that approach. Um, especially when you're saying, you know, not necessarily a backup plan, but what we talk a lot about here is even if you do everything right, and you apply all the time and all the effort and all the energy you need to, to be the best soccer player you can possibly be, you still have plenty of time outside of that to develop this yes.
Quincy Amarikwa (38:41):
To develop a skill, to get further educated, to improve, uh, what it is that, uh, that you want to do. And I love hearing that, you know, education was extremely important to you. We talk about that a lot here. Um, that's, what's going to give you maximum opportunity. Um, so you're, you're, you're, you're speaking to, you're speaking to our platform, uh, definitely here. Um, so B the one that I, uh, another question that had come in that I thought would be a really great transition from, from that, from that question from Joe Jackson, which was an awesome one. Thank you, Joe was from underscore Pogba Jr. Right. And, uh, he had asked, uh, were you mentally prepared at all for the life-changing moments this would bring so with, with everything that's happened and the speed at which, um, you've, you've pretty much been like, uh, driven into the limelight in many regards, not only on the field, but off the field. Um, do you feel you're mentally prepared for that? And if so, how, and if not, how are you, um, handling it? What are some things that you're doing to, to kind of keep yourself centered as like what you kind of referenced, uh, earlier in the conversation?
Quincy Amarikwa (40:00):
Yeah, no, that's a, that's a great question because I think it, it gets the, um, kind of the crux of athletes are always working to be right that moment. And I felt like when that moment came in many ways I was ready. I felt like I was ready. Um, tactically technically, um, I deserved to be on that field and I deserve to be on that. Um, but in many ways, the parts of me, the more introverted parts are not necessarily, um, ready to like have hundreds, hundreds of thousands of fans looking at, like watching me at Portland or something or diving into my media or something. I'm not saying like hundreds of thousands of viewers not happening, but like I, um, I'm much more of an introverted person. Oh my gosh. It's like definitely a different aspect of the game. Um, that is not really there in college and kind of learning to make that my own and understand, um, how I, how much honestly, joy in, um, like it's just, it's become such an important part of me because the women's side, especially I feel is so much about the way for the next generation.
Quincy Amarikwa (41:32):
It's a lot of that, um, interacting with the next generation kind of, um, be your role model and, um, connecting with people. It's so much beauty and I'm so grateful for the NWSL and their fans and our fans, because there's such a, um, there's such a supportive community really want to lift us up. And, um, I think I wasn't expecting that because I'm just so used to seeing, um, other, other, especially like male leagues, um, like the end of the NFL or NBA, just seeing like all the hate out there. I was like, that is not something I'm ready for this. I want to be a part of still very much. I'm like, I do not want to be like thrown into like Twitter storms. Um, but being ready for, uh, an extra level of critique, I think was something that I wasn't ready for.
Quincy Amarikwa (42:30):
And I think something that I struggled with a lot, my second year in the league after the year, I remember all the questions were like from reporters in and everything were like, are you going to follow up like your rookie year season? Like, blah, blah, blah. And I, I remember, I remember being so caught off guard by that, and I don't know why I was caught off guard, like, because it's like a logical question for a reporter to ask or typical question for ask if you're, if you went, like, how are you gonna follow it up that year? Um, and I was struggling with that so early and I was just like, Oh my gosh, like I have to be this. I have to outperform myself for whatever. And I think what I realized was just like, well, the one that, cause I was just trying to do the best I could on the field.
Quincy Amarikwa (43:18):
And it happened to be enough to be your key of the year. Um, and at the end of the day, you're just trying to do your best to help your team win is, um, maybe like the awards, the accolades quote-unquote like, I mean go and that's just something that you have to be okay with because that's not the point of the game. The point in the game is to win and to grow as an individual and to kind of air the next generation. And I think, um, those are all the things that I have always been important to me, but it, it, um, learning how to kind of block out kind of the other like noise, that sound that was kind of distracting me from, um, the pure joy or that I, that I find in our fans and in just playing. So,
Quincy Amarikwa (44:13):
No, I love that. Um, I love that because you know, what we, what we speak to here is, you know, the truth is true, whether you believe it or not, and if you're working on the right things and you're doing them with the right intentions for a long duration of time, accolades awards, quote, unquote, success will result maybe not immediately, but eventually if you keep going. Right. And I think a lot of, uh, a lot of aspiring pros and players want the accolades and the awards right now. So they're, they're taking shortcuts and they're, they're cutting corners to try to try to, to get those awards right now. Right. And I think what we really focus here on is saying, look, focus on doing, uh, doing the right things well, and the awards and the accolades should come as a result. And what you'll realize is those who get the awards and accolades tend to be the ones who aren't focused on them.
Quincy Amarikwa (45:26):
Exactly. Yeah. There, and, and, um, and it's, that's a mentality, right? And, and that's making that shift to, to preferring delayed gratification over instant gratification. And, um, when we're talking about preparing that next generation, um, I see a lot of what we do here on the perfect soccer platform as the means of, of, of helping facilitate that. Right. There's, there's a, there's a young boy, a young girl, somewhere out here, eight years old, nine years old, 12 years old, 14, they want to get to where you're at today. Right. But one thing that can get lost on that generation is they only see the accolades. They see the awards, they see the highlight tape, they see the, the, you know, the commercial, the dope commercial content. And even those things require years and years of work and planning and logistics to make that, that, that moment happened.
Quincy Amarikwa (46:32):
Yeah. Right. So, uh, I really appreciate you kind of you sharing your thought process, your approach and, and how, how you being here today as a result of the work you've done over years, executing on your thought process and your approach. And, um, you know, I, I know there's, there's going to be a lot of, a lot of people out there who watch this and listen to this on replay because, you know, the replay goes up, live the following Tuesday. Right. And, uh, we've got to make sure, uh, of letting everybody know how they can get the, uh, the clips and breakdown to the show, but this is something that people should be studying and they will be studying. And I know you said earlier, you know, Hey, hundreds of thousands of people, they're not following you yet, but it keep, keep on the road you're going.
Quincy Amarikwa (47:20):
And, uh, that won't be the case. Right. And I, I think, uh, I think, like I said, the legend that is building right now, um, I'm happy to, to, you know, play a little part in it and see, see your growth and, and, and see, yes, see how the work you're doing will create impact, not only now, but for the next generation of, of, uh, uh, uh, boys and girls who are, who, um, who are going to be looking up to you the same way that you're looking up to the Martinez and the Alex Morgan's that you were talking about when you're on the field. So, um, I really, uh, I really appreciate you joining in, on the show today. Um, uh, I see everybody's spam the heart button there. Um, I know that they've really enjoyed as well to you. Uh, I think before you go, do you have any questions for me? Do you have anything you want to shout out anything you want to promote or let everybody know or anything?
Quincy Amarikwa (48:18):
I mean, first and foremost, like perhaps me, I really admire you. And since I've been getting to know you, it's, um, been a pleasure working with you, and I've learned a lot from you already and what you guys are doing at the BPC, and I'm so excited for what we're able to do together to be WPC and BPC. Um, and thank you to everybody who submitted question who's watched. Um, I learned a lot from the people who I am, so I'm always like, thanks for that. So thank you guys. Follow the beat up VC on Instagram that are always shopping as Chad and them out. Um, yeah. That's thing.
Quincy Amarikwa (48:58):
Awesome. No problem. All right. Well, um, Oh, I, um, I just became aware of today. You guys are having, you have a, a fund, right? Are you guys raising money?
Quincy Amarikwa (49:09):
Yes, it's. Um, we have a GoFundMe link that is, um, live now. The DWPC, um, black women's black w player collective, um, our Instagram. You can find the link to that.
Quincy Amarikwa (49:23):
Okay. Dope. I'll, uh, make sure that that's added in the show notes, as well as all the followup clips. If you guys haven't already make sure you guys go follow the Instagram account, follow them on Twitter, um, follow them on their websites and, uh, donate, get involved and reach out with any questions or anything, um, that you guys are interested in. Uh, Amani again, thank you very much for joining in on the show. I'm I'm, um, I'm looking forward to the future, like work that we'll do together and, uh, anytime you want to stop by, we're happy to have you
Quincy Amarikwa (49:58):
Appreciate it. This is a good conversation. Very good reflective conversation. So I appreciate it.
Quincy Amarikwa (50:03):
Hey, anytime. Hey, I told you I'm an MSL coach. That's what I'm here for.
Quincy Amarikwa (50:13):
Awesome. Thanks. All right. Take care of Quincy. Bye.
Quincy Amarikwa (50:20):
Right. Huge shout out to Mani for joining on, um, you know, I've gotten to with her, um, through the BWP PC and BPC initiatives and projects that we've been doing the last couple of months and the, the partnership between our organizations, uh, she's been doing an amazing job over there, as well as everybody else, uh, on the team. Um,
Quincy Amarikwa (50:46):
Man.
Quincy Amarikwa (50:48):
Oh, yeah. I'm even realizing now we just recently did the, um, the mini pitch announcement out in, um,
Quincy Amarikwa (50:56):
Okay.
Quincy Amarikwa (51:00):
Outside San Diego. Yeah. So Earl Edwards Jr. His pitch just got launched out, um, near his hometown and Amani was there for the grand opening of that as well, too. So she's been doing some amazing impactful work and, um, uh, very juiced and happy that she was able to join us for episode one Oh six. So if you guys haven't been following Amani, make sure you go check out her account and everything she's up to you. And, um, and I'm seeing everybody's spamming that heart button. So appreciate everybody for joining in, um, a L V E R I a Crump, uh, gave some, you know, the Jesus, not the Jesus were the prayer hands, a heart emoji and a soccer ball. Uh, pork butt Jr. Has said I wasn't prepared for that combo. It was amazing. I'm happy to hear that blue. Yeah, socks off.
Quincy Amarikwa (51:55):
Um, yeah, I'm just all, everyone's spamming that heartbeat and I appreciate that. Um, those are an awesome conversation. Um, I'm glad, I'm just glad we're we were able to, to do that. Um, all right. Well, I want to thank everybody for joining in, um, for today's episode. Um, as you know, we go live every Thursday, 6:00 PM, PST 9:00 PM EST on the app. Perfect. Underscore soccer, Instagram accounts. We get the replay of this show published over on perfect soccer skills.com. Uh, next Tuesday focus are falling so in four days. So, um, if you miss the live show, you gotta wait a couple of days before you get any of the replay. Um, so goes it, if you, uh, we want, we want to reward those who are showing up tuning in live and, um, those who tuned in library able to get their questions answered and, and, uh, what else, what else? Oh, make sure you guys check the, uh, I forgot who's the most recent episode episode 42 of the perfect soccer podcast got released on Monday over on the site. Uh, we've got a really dope project dropping here soon, um, with BPC to round out black history month. That I'm excited for that, uh, those of you who
Quincy Amarikwa (53:29):
Are love exclusivity and, uh, want to own some history should definitely be on lookout for that. Cause that one's going to be pretty dope. Um, yeah, Joe Jackson said the perfect soccer subscription for those of you who haven't gotten your subscription, make sure to head over perfect soccer skills.com/subscription and see what comes along with that. A lot of gems are coming with that subscription. Um,
Quincy Amarikwa (54:00):
Um, Oh yeah. Okay. Joe also said he caught the live yesterday with Merissa do over on the BPC account. That was an awesome conversation. Yo, Joe, the fact that you were able to make that, uh, lucky you bro. And the reason why I say that is because unfortunately the replay got deleted, so we weren't able to save that conversation. And I'm super disappointed in that because it was, it was a really good one. Um, I, I got a lot of takeaways from that and, um, it was disappointing, but better things will come from it. Um, uh, yeah, just said, Oh no. Yeah, but Hey, Oh yeah. Kool-Aid voice Kool-Aid man voice. Uh, you got to be in attendance. That's why I really am encouraging everyone. Make sure you turn into tune into the live shows because you never know technical difficulties might happen and you might miss out on, uh, a monumental just next level MSL extravaganza conversation.
Quincy Amarikwa (55:05):
Um, yeah, just, I missed the first 20 minutes sadly, but at least I got to be there. Hey, you showed up. Um, and I appreciate that, but um, yeah, that's it for today's episode. I really appreciate everybody joining in, um, all the feedback and all the questions. If, uh, if you guys have any questions or, um, or wanting to get connected with any of the initiatives or projects or things that Amani was talking about today, make sure to hit, uh, uh, send an email to contact@perfectsoccerskills.com so we can, uh, get you connected and that information over to you. But, uh, that is it for today's episode. I appreciate everybody. I appreciate everybody for joining in and as always, you guys know what it is, uh, M in your head, I mean, you hit, thanks everybody. See you next week.
Quincy Amarikwa (56:11):
[inaudible].