Building Confidence, Community, and Mental Resilience in Youth Sports

Welcome to the Legacy All Stars podcast. We feature inspirational stories from people who dedicate themselves to helping others. Here is your host, Alan Pavloski.

All right, all right, all right. Here we are. We're back with Legacy All Stars podcast. I am your host, Alan Pavloski. Today on the Legacy All Stars podcast, I'm joined by Gabby Arancio, founder and CEO of Game Plan Skincare. Gabby's journey began on the sidelines of elite college football programs like LSU and Miami, where she noticed young athletes struggling with confidence due to skin issues tied to sweat, stress and pressure. What started as a practical problem turned into something much deeper. Game Plan isn't just a skincare brand. It's a movement rooted in mental health, daily rituals and community. The mission is deeply personal, inspired by the loss of Gabby's close friend Drew, who. Whose belief in her vision lives on through the brand and its partnership with the DRM Foundation. Gabby, welcome to the show. Great to see you.

Great to see you, Alan. Thank you for having me.

Yeah, we had a really good time meeting at Super Bowl a short time ago and it's a really good meeting. And I was particularly impressed by how sincere and how important your why is with your business. And it's always important to me to focus on people that mean what they say and do what they mean.

Exactly. I couldn't agree more. I mean, you hit the nail on the head with exactly how I started this.

Well, good. Let's get started with the questions. You started your career as an athletic trainer. That's a big job. Take us back to the moment an athlete asked you a question you couldn't answer.

Right. So as an athletic trainer, you know, I was spending 16 hours a day in a facility and I saw the walls of football ops more than I saw anything or anybody else in my life, including my family and friends. So between the staff, the coaches, everybody, the athletic trainers played a very important role in the day to day operations to not only keep everybody performing well and healthy, but also just in conjunction with how the team was supported at the foundation, at the base. So throughout that time, I was a problem solution type of girl. And throughout my career, that's kind of what I had to be. It was, okay, you've got a problem. How do I make you perform your best on every Saturday, specifically while I was at LSU with their football team. And my entire goal of every day was take the next step to Saturday for these guys, or if it's long term, get them back on the field. And I thought I had all the answers to everything they needed. You got a blister. You need help with your ACL rehab that we're heading. You feel not confident in running on your ankle after you sprained it? You know, I had all those problems solved, but one question just kept bugging me. My guys kept asking me, gabby, what do I do about my skin? Why am I breaking out? Why do I have all these. All these bumps on my face? How do I get rid of them? And I could not find a solution. And I would go to lengths Al and I would take their equipment, their helmets to. With the equipment staff. I would say sterilize this under blue light and red light. I would. I would even go the lengths of going to the dermatologist and getting the skin care products that were recommended, which, you know, it wasn't for a lack of effort or a lack of trying. But that question just continued to bug me because I saw how it affected their confidence. And that was the fire that started the idea of having a brand dedicated to skincare and performance hygiene for athletes.

Yeah. You know, as a business concept, being a business guy, as a business concept, I've always sought to use the concept of fanfil f a n a fil find a need and fill it. And I think more than anything, what you've done is you've identified a needle that wasn't being addressed, and you've created a brand around that that helps people have better mental health and better opportunities to have good skin care and all those things that wasn't being addressed. So I applaud that. That's really wonderful.

Thank you. I always say I was an accidental entrepreneur. I never would have probably started a business if I didn't continue to hear and see the gap and the behavioral missing piece in the athletic journey of getting from the field to. Or the gym to the shower. And that point of sweat is the moment that nobody was addressing. So I always say listening was a big part of my job as a trainer, and that's why this business started. So it all comes down to exactly what you said. Finding a need and filling that. Filling that hole.

And the best entrepreneurs are those that listen more than they talk.

So, for sure, I do talk a lot. But it's because I'm so excited about it.

Yeah, the enthusiasm is definitely infectious. I really appreciate that.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Tell me, what are you consistently seeing around skin care confidence and performance that others were missing?

Direct correlation. Direct correlation. And it started when I was on the field, because as an athletic trainer, I was on the sideline, in the trenches with these guys every day from practice and helmets only practice to suiting up on game day and going to win the national championship. So I saw direct correlation in not only how the guys showed up on the field in performance presence, but when you feel more confident, you feel good about your skin. You know, quite literally the skin that you're in, you show up better, you have more confidence in talking to people. And I saw that directly happening on a daily basis and noticed because a lot of them are coming to me for help with their skin, that when they didn't feel great about their skin, it did affect those things. So that's what I had the privilege of seeing as somebody that was taking care of them and seeing them day in, day out, helping them get better. I. I had the privilege to be able to observe that point which drove me to enter this business. Okay, how do I fix this for them? How do I give them something? Because clearly, you know, I pocketed this idea for five years. Nobody else was doing it, and I couldn't believe it. So that really stuck with me is watching them perform at their best. When they felt their best, they say, look good, feel good, play good. And that's exactly right. I think we can all relate to having an insecurity and how maybe that affects us on how we speak to other people, how maybe we want to leave the room a little bit faster than if we were feeling better about, you know, the outward facing things. So it's really just seeing that what affected them on the outside also affected the way they were communicating and showing up daily.

Yeah, for sure. It's funny, you did work at both LSU and Miami. I had my former career working with athletes on their branding and marketing. Yeah, I had a bunch of clients from each of those schools, so I'm intimately familiar with the demands of those colleges. I worked with Reggie Wayne and Jonathan Vilma and Jarvis Green and Travis Daniels and a bunch of people from LSU as well. So those are two very highly demanding programs. So that was pretty impressive that you were able to function in that role at those programs at that level.

Thank you. Yeah, I don't take it for granted. You know, sometimes I forget a little bit that it weighs in that much, but, you know, I think that athletes are. To me, I've always treated everybody the same at all levels, but it's just the caliber of being on at all times and really contributing to something bigger than just the team. I think that was like the biggest difference in working for those schools. And I Feel very lucky that I had the opportunity to be at two of like two powerhouse schools.

I mean, yeah. Iconic, grateful. Yeah, for sure. How do skin issues quietly impact confidence and presence for young athletes?

Quietly is. You hit the nail on the head with quietly. I think that it's a very hard thing to talk about when you're young and it's something you don't want to admit necessarily bothers you where maybe as you get older and you have more of a voice, you're able to express that more. So I think the quiet and having to sit in it and sit in those insecurities and being embarrassed and kind of feeling that humility, I think that that is a major continuing and ongoing issue that we see now, we do see with Gen Z and Gen Alpha that they're talking about it more and they're going out and they're wearing pimple patches on their face and they're not, as you know, I guess, timid about showing it. But I do think that there's still a major, a major issue there that is affecting kids showing up confidently. And I know that through our community that we've built. I have one athlete that even reported doing better in school when his skin got right.

Confidence is confidence no matter how you slice it.

Right, exactly. But I think for younger athletes it's hard to speak up about a lot of things and normalize feeling certain ways, even with mental health stuff and even as adults it's difficult if you don't, you know, kind of foster that habit when you're younger. So I do think that the quiet and just having it to sit in it and maybe your mom is pointing out, oh, you know, you see all this stuff on her face and as a kid, you know, your mom's trying to help you and it's coming from an amazing place. But it's, you know, it's the same way as anybody pointing out something that maybe you don't want them to. So I think that as a kid it can be a little bit more difficult to be able to communicate that than when you're in your adulthood and you're like, you know, you understand there's a, there's a solution. I think it's also feeling a little bit helpless is a problem.

Right. You know, junior high, I always tell people it crushes you. I mean, I work my own kids and other kids I've been associated with, myself included, which is a long time ago. But junior high is rough. Why is junior high such a critical window for establishing so self care routines?

It's critical because it's an age. Look, when I was in junior high, I also, you know, I had a back brace on. I had braces, and I had very bad blemishes from playing sports. And I just remember feeling so embarrassed, and everybody else was growing faster. And it's a period of time where I think that kids are going through a lot of changes, and it's changes in even going, you know, I remember I got my first locker. Right. You're going becoming like an adult. And then there's friend groups that get involved. And nowadays with social media, I think it's really easy for kids to pick on each other. And it's an age where. Where, especially with the pressure of youth sports now, that jealousy starts to kind of occur. Like, oh, why? Why'd you get playing time and not me? Because the stakes start to get higher. So it's a transitional period, but, you know, junior high is a critical window because that's when habits start to form that you take with you for life. And the beauty about Game Plan is, is that it is that product that you start when you're younger and you become a practice. You see the results, and then you won't go a day without it after you feel that. Right. Same thing. I compare a lot to other hygienic practices, such as when you're a kid, you learn, okay, brush your teeth and floss, you know, hopefully twice a day, but put deodorant on. And then you start to establish the switch starts to go off. Somebody. All of a sudden, nobody's telling you how to do these things. You're learning those habits. So it's an imperative age for us to address with Game Plan as a performance hygiene solution because of that habit formation. And then once you start to make performance hygiene a part of your routine, as you get older, as you continue sports and as they get perhaps more intense, especially if you're moving into the college level from youth sports, once you establish those habits, that's your foundation, and that transcends past any other product that can come on the market. You're establishing this very important fundamental of skincare.

Yeah. And we'll get into why your brand is so effective and what it does. But I want to get into a little bit more of the why. Because you and I had a really powerful conversation about this previously. I really want to hear about, and I want people to know about Drew and who Drew was and what that influence did to shape your company.

Yeah. So Drew, you know, I wear his initials wherever I go. Usually when it's game plan oriented, because I wouldn't be in this position or who I am today without Drew. Drew was. I call him the friends that became family. And he kind of just showed up on my brother's, you know, second grade basketball team and never really left having a place in our home as somebody I considered also a brother in that sense. And Drew was at every important life event that I can kind of remember. And he was absolutely imperative in my upbringing and the branch of support and the life of the party that everybody wanted around. And, you know, when Drew passed away, it was very unexpected. And I always say, like, you don't know until you go through it. It's a small club of people that lose someone that way. But what Drew did was before he passed. Like, it was days before. We were in my basement. We were all talking about things, and I told Drew, I floated the idea of game plan to Drew, and he said, why don't you tell everybody about your idea? And I was like, no, you. You know, I was very shy about it. I was a trainer, so I had no business. I didn't have an MBA or any type of business degree. But Drew was telling me, no, tell him, tell him, tell him. And then he really was the only one that believed in me at that moment, that I could do this without having to necessarily go back to school. And it's not that people didn't feel that way about me. It's not a knock to anybody else, but it's more so that he was adamant that I went for it. And it's the last thing we spoke on at that length. And I was going back and thinking about every conversation, and game plan was the last thing that we talked about. It was just an idea. And then that inspired me to pivot and start the company, because I've never had someone believe in me more than I believed in myself in that moment. And that is the message that I carry when I wear the drm. It's on the back of our packaging, showcasing that his legacy continues to live on. That when anybody picks up a pack, it's that belief in yourself that maybe you didn't feel empowered to have on your own. There's somebody. I hope everybody has a Drew. How lucky am I that I had someone like him in my life for so long? Showing up to my games wearing the LSU hats, wearing the Miami hats, And it's nothing I ever took for granted, but it certainly is something that I carry through this brand with. Anybody that has a game plan, skin gear, Pack in their hand.

Yeah. How exactly does honoring Drew's legacy guide your leadership today?

Every day I think about Drew in the best way because he was so inspiring. He was the hardest worker. There was nothing that was impossible to him. And he was so driven and diligent and disciplined in his own everyday practices. So when I lead people, I think about being the type of person that he was to me and believing in people the way he believed in me, including with the athletes that we take on. I mean, a lot of there's a lot of noise in the sports industry, and Drew inspires me to look at it from, you know, the 30,000 foot view instead of just the 500 foot view, and really look at the people that have the qualities that he had, because those people will go far no matter what they do. When you have those intangibles, you will go far. And it doesn't matter if you're a five star recruit, and it doesn't matter if you're a two star. If you're missing the intangibles, then that is somebody that I wouldn't care to work with as much as maybe the underdog. And I've seen those people succeed in my journey in football. The two star recruits that are the best you watch on TV today. So that has inspired my leadership. And then always treating people with respect, kindness, and authenticity and not trying to be somebody that you're not, because Drew certainly would never have done that. So those are the leadership qualities that I take from him.

I mean, authenticity is one of my favorite words, and it just kind of oozes out of you. And that's one of the reasons I thought this would be such a powerful conversation on this show, is because of that authenticity that you just kind of exude.

It's the best compliment you could have given me. I mean, I always tell people, why would I want to be anybody else? I'm so, you know, and it takes a lot of work to get there. Right? Like in your 20s, you're figuring it out. But I think that you're always grounded in your foundation of being a good person. And one of my bosses, Jack Maroochy at lsu, told me that sticks with me, that I repeat to myself, is that you can teach anybody how to do anything, any skill, right? Like, I struggle with math. And I always thought, man, that really defines me. You can teach anybody how to do anything, but you can't teach anybody how to be a good person or have a good head on your shoulders and have good, you know, care for other People. So if you have those qualities, then I think you're already successful and those are the things that really matter when it comes down to it.

Yeah, for sure. Tell me about the community calls you host with young athletes. I think that's something that we should all hear about.

I love that. It's one of my favorite things about the brand is who we're building it with. So we lead with a very, very diligent community first approach. And when I say that it's not just these transactional deals. When we work with athletes, a lot of, you know, agencies will say, do you want to work with this athlete for X money? But we really look for those people with the intangibles that I spoke about that are authentic, that are genuine, that are their own type of leader that can look a lot of different ways leadership, but that have that kind of difference maker in some way and that want to be a part of our build and our growth. Because at the end of the day with athletes, everybody's busy, right? All these kids are busy. But I pick the kids that want to help me grow this from the ground up. Okay, build this with me. And I put them all on a call and we try to get on all together. What we do on the calls is we talk about, okay, how are you using the products? What's new in your life today, what happened at school today, how are you guys all doing with, you know, the pressures of the noise of sports and being recruited, etc. And I give all these athletes the opportunity to have support not only just on social media, but a group of people that are going through a lot of the same life changes that they are at the same time. And what that gives people is even though we're just a, you know, I say we're not just a wife's company. We are building a community and we are able to use their insights to drive our next products. Okay, what are you guys missing in your routine? What do you wish you had? So everything else that we do from here will be built from this group of young athletes, college athletes and pro athletes that we have in these different kind of sectors of business. And in these community calls, we get to share all these insights. So it's a live focus group for us. They tell us, okay, my friend asked me about it and then their mom went and bought it and she loves it. You know, I get all of those little sentiments from the kids, but I get to teach them about business. I tell them exactly what's going on and I give them the support of people that might not be in your sport. Because I think that with teams and kids, it can get a little bit difficult. If you're trying to talk about, I didn't get enough playing time and then there's somebody else from your team. Right. These are all different kids. They look different, they come from different places and walks of life and they're different ages, but they're all kind of connected through game Plan at the base. And it's one of my favorite things to do is to ask them what they're doing, what tournaments are coming up, hype them up. But it's almost like everybody's cheerleaders, but for game plan purposes, we get to ask them, okay, how can we make your lives better and continue to, you know, kind of taking you back to where it started? I didn't make this company for me, I made it for you. So help me continue to do that. And what would be cool for you to see on social media, how would you like to be highlighted? And it's been very successful for us and it's something I'm very proud of in terms of the support and the branch of communication that we give them. It gives them also. Also kind of a say in what happens next. And that's something that is powerful for athletes in this brand. So I'm very excited about those calls and continuing. We keep growing them, but it's awesome.

Hi, everybody. Welcome to Legacy All Stars podcast. This is Alan Pavloski. Today is a special two part episode with CEO Gabby Arancio of Game Plan Skincare. Her message is really powerful. I hope you enjoy the episode. This is part one. Part two will be next week.