John Wilson is the Club Ambassador for the Charleston Battery, a professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina.

John’s story is a fascinating one – which started out in a small-town in South Carolina where he accidently found his way to soccer – not a particularly common sport among the black community in rural South Carolina at the time.

From there he went on to do some pretty amazing things, including playing for the #1 college team in the country at the time – Clemson University - where he won an ACC championship – and later getting drafted into the MLS where played for multiple teams and won an MLS Cup before finding his way back to South Carolina where he’s become a staple in the community and specifically the soccer club for many years now.

In the conversation, John and Greg cover everything from his background, to his views on youth sports, to lessons he’s learned dealing with injury, failure and even an identity crisis.

Episode segments:

(04:12) – Accidently finding his way into soccer

(07:23) – Encountering racism in a traditionally white sport

(16:16) – When work feels like play (aka How to become great at anything)

(19:04) – From weakness to strength; how stuttering impacted John

(24:46) – From dream to reality; how John found his way to Clemson (the #1 ranked team in the country at the time)

(32:59) – Being a fish out of water in a new world

(35:58) – Youth sports – focusing on fun and embracing failure

(48:28) – “You’ve got a chance to make it as a pro.”

(53:07) – Setbacks, setbacks and more setbacks

(57:41) – Getting injured and thinking he was done

(01:01:09) – The power (and danger) of identity

(01:02:56) – Redemption, another shot, and embracing the Charleston Battery

(01:11:22) – Life after John’s playing days

For more on John, be sure to follow him on Instagram @JohnAWilson25

Link to (very raw) transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/ZsjvpwhmcVO

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