In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Darcy Smith, a career coach who works with student‑athletes. Darcy shares her personal turning‑point story of tearing her ACL in college, which forced her to pivot from aspiring professional soccer to a career‑coaching path, emphasizing how she transformed a setback into a leadership role. She then offers practical interview advice: before leaving any interview or pitch, ask the counterpart if they have any reservations, allowing immediate clarification and increasing the chance of a positive outcome. Darcy discusses her broader business philosophy, highlighting the importance of focusing on wins and maintaining a positive, happy mindset rather than dwelling on failures. She links happiness to humor, surrounding oneself with funny people, and pursuing passionate side‑hustles. When asked about books, she mentions reading "You're Not That Great and Neither Is Everyone Else" by Eileen Gale, noting its reminder that everyone experiences similar anxieties. She also shares a recent interest in crystals for their energy properties. Her favorite quote is "Do what makes you happy," which she uses as a personal mantra. Finally, she provides contact information, directing listeners to her LinkedIn profile and the Athletes to Careers website, and offers free services such as resume writing and interview prep.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode. All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Darcy Smith with us. She is a career coach and extremely funny, so welcome to the show, Darcy.
Thanks, thanks for having me, man. I have a lot to live up to after that intro, huh?
Just a little bit, we'll see how it goes. All right, um, the first question I have for you, Darcy, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable So I guess the best story for me, it actually has to do with an injury.
So I am a career coach, obviously, and I work with student athletes, basically helping them get jobs out of college. I was a student athlete myself. And so when I was focused on going to college, my whole thing was, okay, I'm a soccer player, I'm going to go Division I, I'm going to be the best I can be at soccer. And that's my whole main goal. And so when I did that, I got to college, I, you know, got that goal. By my senior year, I unfortunately tore my ACL, which every women's soccer player you've probably heard of ever has. But at the time, it was just like, that was the end for me. I was like, what am I going to do now? I, you know, I didn't do any internships. My whole dream was to go on and play professionally. I wasn't sure, you know, what I was going to do. I admittedly cried a lot. And so I kind of took it as a, you know, what other areas could I become stronger at and turn my life into? Maybe someone who can't lead on the field and play, but maybe I can come in in a different way. And, you know, I was now the girl who's pumping everyone up in the locker room, and I was really showing that leadership side of me. And that took me into my business career. So I'm saying that in the underlying message with anyone who goes through injuries or anything that's kind of like that obstacle feeling. When you learn how to turn that into a positive, I think was huge for me, especially being like 21 and not being at my most mature age in college. So turning that into a positive was just really awesome and kind of bringing me to where I am today. So yeah.
Yeah, no, that's definitely tough. And thanks for sharing the story with us. Yeah. The next one I have for you, Darcy, is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Oh, that's such a good question, and I love it because, um, it's actually a question that I've been getting a lot. So being that I mentor and help student athletes, you know, we help them to interview prep. So something that's really important in my line of work is getting people confident and excited and being able to sell themselves in an interview. And this is someone I think, or something I think everyone can take with them, whether they're interviewing and selling themselves or if they're pitching a product or whatever the case is, you want to walk away from that conversation knowing that you got the sale or knowing that you got the next interview. So my favorite piece of advice and what I tell all of my candidates is before you leave that interview, before you leave that pitch, make sure you ask, is there any reservations or any concerns you have with me or, you know, before moving me forward in this process? And at that moment, you know, the employer or whoever you're speaking to is gonna say, no, actually, you know, I think you're great and I think we're gonna move you forward, or they're gonna bring up something that you can address right on the spot. So I think that's like a great piece of advice to take with you anywhere you go. Make sure you know walking out of any conversation you have, like, yes, I feel confident about that.
Yes, that's huge. I love that. Thanks. And next one is, what is your best piece of overall business advice? So it's not necessarily industry-specific.
Yeah, overall business advice. You know, I'm pretty young and I'm still learning. So for me, I think it changes pretty often, but right now I think I've found that focusing on my wins has made me a much more happy person, a much more successful person. Instead of dwelling on, you know, maybe things that go on during the day and I'm like, man, like, I can't bounce back from that. Like, I, you know, I got someone an offer, they turned it down, or I, you know, I helped someone and they didn't get the, you know, they went on the interview and they didn't get the job. And I started to dwell on those and start to like look internally and what I'm doing wrong, which obviously is great to learn from. But when I started focusing more on the wins I was getting and the positive feedback and people referring me to other friends And I started just becoming more positive. And it turns out, you know, things start to fall into place when you realize you can focus on all the good that's going on and only take certain times in your day to learn from your mistakes and, you know, push them to a positive. So at the end of the day, I think, you know, as cliché as it might sound, you know, just like being happy and smiling through the day, no matter what happens, focusing on those wins and just being Man, I sound ridiculous, but being like super positive. You know, it's, it's like I said, cliché, but I'm— I get really pumped about it. And I hope others can kind of take that with them.
No, I'm similar. And I know that you're young, but if you could give your even younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Um, so I know we started this podcast off by saying I'm extremely funny. And the reason I I like to say that is not necessarily because I think I'm funny. I mean, let's be honest, I kind of do. But I think it's because it's what makes me who I am, what makes me happy. And I've realized that if I'm having fun and if I'm laughing and if I'm having a good time, then everything else just falls into place. So piece of advice for myself is don't stress over the little things. I mean, like, you know, when I was younger and when I was in college, I was so worked up about every little thing, about getting an A on a test. And I think I cried the first time I got a B. And I look back and I'm like, wow, that's what I was crying over, you know? So now I look back and I'm just like, man, like, enjoy the moments that you have with friends and family and all that kind of stuff and just laugh through everything. And like, it feels so good. So yeah, that's what I'm gonna say. Be funny, be happy, and laugh a lot.
Well, that ties perfectly in with the next one is, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Oh, good jokes. Good jokes for sure. I think that, yeah, if you can be around people that are making you laugh, you're going to be happy. I mean, how can you not, you know, have an upbeat, positive, happy attitude when you're laughing, right? Also, I think that, you know, something that goes hand in hand with that is like finding something you're passionate about. I started off in the corporate world. That was my first job out of college. And, you know, it's— I thought it's what I wanted. And I was, you know, I was happy, I was going through my day. And, you know, it's what my dad did for 30 years, he worked for the same company, you know, went up the ladder. And I was like, passionate about that, like, yeah, you know, I'm gonna be VP and go up and like own this company. And so once I realized, you know, I started wanting to kind of be my own boss, you know, I kind of stepped away from the corporate world. And now, you know, I kind of— I do things on my own. And I make my own schedule and I, you know, focus so much on what makes me excited and something I'm passionate about. And I think I'm, I mean, I'm very, very lucky. I'm 26 and I feel like I've actually found my calling. Like, if I could paint a picture for what I want to do, I don't know if you can hear it through my voice, but I'm just so passionate about it. And yeah, so I think key to happiness is finding that thing you can get behind, even if it's a side hustle. I mean, say you have a job and you just want to like make t-shirts or do something that is something you're passionate about, go for it. Do it. Do it now.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Oh, tough. Oh, I'm on the spot now. I am not a reader, admittedly. I'm not going to fake it.
Maybe not so tough then.
Oh, I am not. Yeah. I mean, I just picked up a book on crystals, so that's where I'm at right now.
Oh cool, tell us about that. I want to learn about that, crystals.
Yeah, um, I don't know, I've just kind of really gotten into, um, I just think they're cool. They're, they're fun to look at. Um, you can use them for energy.
Yeah, the spiritual side. I'm into that. That's cool.
Yeah, so I picked up that book. Um, you know, I've read, I've read a decent amount of SparkNotes in my life, but honestly, uh, you know, I, I'm pretty big into like self-help books that are a little bit more sarcastic. So there's one right now I'm reading, actually. So I guess I do read, but there's one called You're Not That Great and Neither Is Everyone Else by Eileen Gale.
I like the title.
Yeah, it just kind of makes you think. It was like, you know, when you read it, you think about how, you know, the things you stress over, so does everyone else. And it's kind of, you know, a little heartwarming to think everyone's going through this. And if you understand that, and when you're out and about and you're feeling like people are looking at you and you're nervous, I mean, everyone else feels that way too. So I think that's a good one. Definitely a good read.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Oh, favorite quote, man.
And it doesn't have to be word for word. It could be like a mantra or something like that too.
Yeah, I think My favorite thing. Oh, I'm gonna go cliché, but it makes my life a whole lot easier. I love the words, do what makes you happy. So sometimes when people are like, why would you do that? Or if you get a tattoo and they ask you, why would you get that? What's the meaning? I'm like, I just like it. It makes me happy. I think it's a really good way to live your life and a good way to No matter what you do, if it's making you happy, then go for it.
Perfect. Darcy, thank you so much for coming on. It was extremely funny. And the last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find or connect with you online?
Yeah, of course. I am extremely active on LinkedIn. I work with anyone and everyone. I, you know, we focus on student athletes. I work for a company called Athletes to Careers. You can check out that website. But for the most part, we definitely help anyone we can, whether that's with resume writing, interview preps, all that kind of stuff. And it's all a free service. So my name is Darcy Smith. You can find me on LinkedIn. My email is dsmith@athletes2careers.com. So feel free to reach out.
Perfect. Thanks again for coming on, Darcy. Really appreciate it.
Of course. Thank you so much for having me. It was great. The podcast you just heard was published with Anchor. Got something you want to say to the creator of this show? Send them a voice message using the Anchor app. Free for iOS and Android.
