Welcome to Season 10, Episode 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we do a slight pivot. Lisa chats with Thomas Williams, a former member of the USC Trojan and Carolina Panthers football teams, not our usual guest here at ParentingAces!

To watch the video version of this week's episode, click below:

https://youtu.be/zwB2q7Xwzx8

Thomas Williams is a former NFL player and 2x National Champion (USC). After a career ending neck injury, he was forced to find a new purpose for his life. Thomas had always been taught by his mother that life was about more than football, so he had faith that he would find his path.

One of Thomas Williams’ main passions is coaching both college and professional athletes on the inevitable transition to life beyond the scoreboard. He is driven by his mantra, “Athletes are great people first, who just so happen to be great athletes. Greatness may have started with sports but it doesn’t end when you retire… GREATNESS is a lifestyle.” Thomas serves as an NFL Player Engagement Ambassador, teaching college student athletes about character, leadership and the NFL evaluation process.

Tennis players and parents can learn a lot from listening to Thomas's stories of his experience on and off the playing field. He is an inspiration to athletes and non-athletes alike who are trying to figure out how to create their own legacies in this world.

Below are some short clips of Thomas speaking with current and former athletes about preparing for their career after sports:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/168zPPtNcjQ85udLsKJiIsU46e0Kgx6pK/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ufvXFMCvKBmvJx814McBX5e90GevE8id/view

Find out more about Thomas's work on his website, thomasrwilliams.com. You can purchase his books - Permission to Dream and The Relentless Pursuit of Greatness - through our Amazon Shop (ParentingAces may receive a small commission). If you'd like to reach out to Thomas directly, you can do so via this link: http://thomasrwilliams.com/contact/.

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.

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