After yesterday’s Omen, I had a ton of great feedback and excitement about the work I’m moving towards.
I also noticed that it might appear that I’m moving towards inspirational talks and coaching athletes on mindset, and while I will never turn down the opportunity to speak and I want to help younger athletes, the work I’m moving towards now is a highly personalized, intimate relationship with athletes looking to reach the next level and understand that it goes beyond physical training.
There will come a time when I can help athletes on a larger scale, but in the early days of my firm, Santiago’s efforts will be limited to a few athletes because of the time and energy I'll dedicate to each one. Trust me, I have the vision, and it’s actually a remix of what I already had in store. There will be a community to help athletes who cannot hire me for 1-on-1 work. There will be retreats where athletes can join the community to jump-start their Pursuit of connecting with their Authentic Self. There will be more than just 12:24 essays—it’ll expand beyond the emails and complementary YouTube videos. There will be more…
I can see it.
A previous version of my Self would have tried to start it all right away. But I’m moving differently. I’m starting small, doing the work, letting the audience grow, and I will add more ways to help athletes over time when the demand is there, instead of trying to force the demand—this was a lesson I have learned numerous times with previous content and business efforts, and I’m finally ready to actually implement the lesson.
So, back to how I’m working with clients today:
The process starts with my life planning and integrated wealth work. The athletes who work with me understand that the first step toward the next level of growth and success in their game is connecting with their Authentic Self. We’ll define what their Authentic Life looks like, clarify their values, explore their relationship with money, and work toward living in abundance.
As we discover and bring their Authentic Self to the world, we’ll also create routines and rituals to support mindset and mindfulness so they can operate in the zone in their sport. I will also be creating meditations and visualizations to support them before each game and follow up to see how they felt during the game, what they noticed, and what, if anything, needs to be focused on.
We’ll eventually move into a more formal coaching relationship with regular meetings to discuss whatever is needed at the time. These meetings could cover life, career, business, relationships, parenting, creativity, or anything else needed.
Finally, I will join meetings with financial advisors, CPAs, agents, and other business partners in a support and advisory capacity to ensure my athletes move forward in alignment with their Authentic Life. The beauty of my history as a financial advisor is that I can be a second set of eyes on the financial plan, bring ideas to the table, and work alongside those professionals collaboratively, not competitively.
I wish I had a simple name to summarize who I am and what I do for my athlete—I’m leaning towards “advisor”. But truthfully, I am not only an advisor but also a life coach/mindfulness guide/business advisor/financial advisor/creative collaborator/accountability partner. I envision when an athlete refers me to another, they’ll say something like “I can’t tell you exactly what he does—he does so much for me—but he’s really good at what he does. He unites life, money, business, spirituality, and mindfulness. Trust me, you just have to talk to him.”
The MNDFL talks, whether in person or shared on YouTube, 12:24 emails, and my Instagram posts aim to help young athletes understand these principles earlier in life—this is my way to help the younger generation and nurture their growth, while also getting in front of the athletes who are further along in their career and life who will need to hire me, although I honestly believe my business is going to grow almost exclusively through referrals.
So, back to some of yesterday's comments. Yes, I want to help younger athletes with mindset, mindfulness, and personal growth, but that’s not the business I’m building. I’m building a business that works closely with a select few athletes on a very personal level, and eventually I’ll have the audience and demand to create options at scale to help even more athletes.
Needless to say, I’m excited about the feedback and the vision I have.
One final comment…
This new vision is no different from the vision I came into 2026 with. I’ve written about how I’m building the business of the Authentic Life, and all of this still falls under it—it’s just that now I’m clearer on exactly who I am supposed to help, which narrows some of my focus, but it’s the same work as what I’ve been doing the last couple of years.
Keep pursuing,
JC
