The Athlete Advantage

The M2 mentoring program

Welcome to M2, a mentoring program with a difference.

The program

We believe many mentoring programs fail because they are viewed as a one-way street from mentor to athlete. This mentoring program is different, because of our ‘exchange’ approach.

M2 is a 12-month program that matches elite athletes with mentors who come from a wide range of professional business backgrounds. It forms the second stage of The Athlete Advantage: a tailored program helping athletes develop personal and professional goals inside and outside of sport, to ensure they are physically and mentally ready for when they retire from competition. The first stage of the program is a series of online career and wellbeing courses. The final stage is work experience placement (which may run concurrently to M2).

The mentor

Our mentors build trusted 1:1 relationships with the athletes, providing support, encouragement and guidance as they navigate towards or through life after sport. They provide the athletes with valuable insights into areas of the working world they are most interested in, while also helping them hone their transferable skills. They help foster a greater sense of self-worth and aspiration in athletes and support them as they work towards key milestones in education or work. As a mentor, you have a unique opportunity to be part of an athlete’s sporting journey and help them reach their full potential in life after competitive sport.

The athlete

Before starting in the M2 program, athletes have worked 1:1 with a coach and completed the online courses, so they have a good understanding of where they are in their journey, their motivations and priorities, and their areas for development. And because M2 is an exchange, the athletes bring as much to the table as the mentors. Our athletes come from a wide range of sports and competitive levels, from student-athletes, to World Champions, to multi-time Olympians. Through the exchange of experiences and knowledge, mentors gain valuable insights into the psychology and skills of an elite athlete, which they can potentially apply to their own working lives.

The process

Athletes are matched with a mentor who comes from the professional field they’re most interested in and suited to. Our mentoring program coordinator takes both the athlete and the mentor through an onboarding and matching process, including a questionnaire and an introductory call, to ensure they are the right fit for each other. The coordinator will only confirm the match when they are confident all parties can create a strong relationship that has the potential to last beyond the 12-month program.

The athlete and mentor commit to a minimum of 15 hours of communication over the 12 months, with at least one session per month. Communication can be via a phone call, physical catch ups, email, or any other way that the athlete and mentor agree is consistent, establishes rapport and brings value to both parties. The mentor coordinator will have regular contact with both mentor and athlete, ensuring that the match is progressing well, and that both parties are benefiting and enjoying the experience.

The outcome

M2 is a really practical opportunity for athletes to get advice from those in positions they’d like to explore and to develop a range of new skills. Ideally, we’d like to help develop mutually valuable relationships that continue beyond the duration of the program. These relationships might also bring with them work, partnership, speaking or investment opportunities for both the athlete and the mentor, or open up networking connections that lead to these. Ultimately, M2 is about creating lasting connections between like-minded people.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please get in touch and we’ll connect you with the program.

Express interest