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Published: June 6, 2023, 8 a.m.

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

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John\u2019s story is a fascinating one \u2013 which started out in a small-town in South Carolina where he accidently found his way to soccer \u2013 not a particularly common sport among the black community in rural South Carolina at the time.

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From there he went on to do some pretty amazing things, including playing for the #1 college team in the country at the time \u2013 Clemson University - where he won an ACC championship \u2013 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\u2019s become a staple in the community and specifically the soccer club for many years now.

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In the conversation, John and Greg cover everything from his background, to his views on youth sports, to lessons he\u2019s learned dealing with injury, failure and even an identity crisis.

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Episode segments:

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(04:12) \u2013 Accidently finding his way into soccer

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(07:23) \u2013 Encountering racism in a traditionally white sport

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(16:16) \u2013 When work feels like play (aka How to become great at anything)

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(19:04) \u2013 From weakness to strength; how stuttering impacted John

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(24:46) \u2013 From dream to reality; how John found his way to Clemson (the #1 ranked team in the country at the time)

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(32:59) \u2013 Being a fish out of water in a new world

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(35:58) \u2013 Youth sports \u2013 focusing on fun and embracing failure

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(48:28) \u2013 \u201cYou\u2019ve got a chance to make it as a pro.\u201d

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(53:07) \u2013 Setbacks, setbacks and more setbacks

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(57:41) \u2013 Getting injured and thinking he was done

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(01:01:09) \u2013 The power (and danger) of identity

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(01:02:56) \u2013 Redemption, another shot, and embracing the Charleston Battery

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(01:11:22) \u2013 Life after John\u2019s playing days

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

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

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Don't forget to follow Greg on Twitter @gregorycampion and subscribe to his bi-weekly newsletter: https://gregcampion.substack.com

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If you enjoyed this episode, please consider rating and reviewing Intentional Wisdom wherever you get your podcasts.\n

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