Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Walker.
Hi Kelly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Marketing, advertising, creative design, and journalism have interested me since my time on the high school and college yearbook staff. Ten years at The Wall Street Journal gave me a great foundation in understanding the advertising side of media. Running a local magazine and working for a local lifestyle media platform gave me hands-on experience and a local network of fabulous people, business owners, and community leaders. I also had the freedom to tap into my personal passion – sports. That’s where it gets interesting. That’s when I began interviewing local athletes ‘from youth to pro’ and realized there was something to this then budding trend ‘podcasting,’ where listeners could hear featured guests in their own words. I sketched out a logo, wrote out a plan, discussed with my trusted friends in the sports scene, and Hustle & Pro was born. Fast forward four years and about 150 episodes later, I still host the sports podcast as well as lead a marketing team for a youth sports business. I’m able to see my passions merge together working every day in marketing and sports.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Just like the journey of many of the guests on my podcast, it hasn’t been all good and easy. It’s intimidating to shift career paths and try new things, like going from a global media brand to a small local media company, trying new things, reaching out of my comfort zone and without the comfort of a paycheck landing in my account on the regular. Each challenge taught me a new set of skills, like understanding the behind-the-scenes of putting together a print and digital magazine, building my own advertising strategy and process, dusting off the writing skills I forgot I enjoyed so much, building a network I can lean into, and more.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My Hustle & Pro podcast show is my pet project that feeds my soul because I get to meet truly interesting and inspirational people in sports. I seek guests with a sports story, whether that’s a high school athlete about to branch out to college, a former pro athlete who’s seen a lifetime of ups and downs in their sport, or a coach or broadcaster shaping sports memories or others. I’m proud of the interviews I’ve been blessed to conduct and the connections made with guests like Del Harris, Gina Miller, Greg Tepper, John Davidson, Wren Baker, Jeff Cheney, and so many FC Dallas, Texas Legends, Frisco RoughRiders, and FriscoISD athletes, coaches and staff.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m just getting started with my work for Player2Player, a youth sports business my hometown friend started in the Austin area and asked me to help launch in the DFW market. I plan to grow the business throughout Plano, McKinney, Allen, and more to be able to employee really amazing high school athletes who connect with younger athletes through sports.
I plan to continue finding those interesting sports stories in the Hustle & Pro podcast guests I get to interview. As podcasting plays itself out, maybe I shift gears again and adapt to the technology and media platforms that audiences shift to naturally. But either way, I want to keep talking sports to those who live and breathe it.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://hustleandpro.com
- Instagram: @hustle_and_pro
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5de2kTq2JuJQAA_untGR3A
