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Navigating Career Transitions With UIW’s DaShena Stevens

Guest DaShena Stevens, The University of The Incarnate Word
19:55 min watch

Summary

UIW Deputy AD DaShena Stevens joins ADU’s Steph Garcia Cichosz at the 2023 NCAA Convention for a candid conversation about the student-athlete experience and how to navigate the transitions that come with the end of an athletic career. Stevens, who played basketball at St. John’s before pursuing professional basketball in Switzerland, reflects on the way her identity and sense of self evolves as she moves through different phases of her career and how her approach to goal-setting and strategic thinking revolves around having a growth mindset and rejecting imposter syndrome.

The conversation is indexed below for efficient viewing (click the time stamp to jump to a specific question/topic).

  • - You were a basketball student-athlete at St. John's - what was your experience as a student-athlete like and how does that inform your decision-making process today?
  • - You went on to play professionally in Switzerland - did you go into college expecting that career path?
  • - Did you ever consider taking a fifth year [redshirt year]?
  • - When you were a coach, did you ever have conversations with your athletes about strategically planning redshirt seasons?
  • - How did your mindset shift as you transitioned from collegiate to professional basketball? Did you think about yourself differently?
  • - How did goal-planning or strategic thinking change for you during your professional basketball career?
  • - When did you make the decision to shift away from professional basketball into the next phase of your career?
  • - How did you develop an identity outside of being an athlete?
  • - How did you navigate decision-making - the decisions you said yes or no to?
  • - What are your strategies for connecting with student-athletes?
  • - What is the secret sauce to creating a championship culture?
  • - What leadership lessons have you learned from taking on a senior-level administrative role so early in your career?
  • - Do you ever feel imposter syndrome?
  • - What advice do you have for today's student-athlete?

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