The Next Shift

Let's Be Honest. We Aren't Athletes Forever.



The Next Shift: A Guide to Identify Your Core Skills and Successfully Transition from Sports is a unique and moving handbook for all athletes who wonder and sometimes struggle with transitioning successfully from sport to their Next Shift. As a young athlete, Judi Gilbert didn't know what sport had given her, and it wasn't until after she left competitive sports that she started to think more about it.

Hear from Judi and other athletes who have successfully transitioned from sport to another career. Share their journey and anecdotes and discover the skills and experiences they acquired to transition effectively from sports.



As a former varsity athlete with over thirty years of training and management experience, Judi helps other athletes implement the steps necessary to answer the questions all athletes want and need to know.



What is a transferable skill, and how do I identify my skills?Why is my personal brand important?How does my reputation impact my success?How can networking support my transition?How do I use the skills I acquired in sport to enhance my job search?

As athletes, we often compartmentalize our skills. We often think the skills we have developed in sport and the experiences we have accumulated are only good for sports, but that isn't true. We must recognize that skills we acquired in sport help us to be successful outside of sport.



In Praise of The Next Shift: A Guide to Identify Your Core Skills and Successfully Transition from Sports

One to remember... A book for all athletes and parents too! Judi is to be commended for her ability to take the reader on a journey of personal reflection as they begin to think about their transition from sport to their Next Shift.



As a former professional athlete, I was fortunate to develop many of the skills that my niece Judi speaks about. All athletes must identify the skills they acquired from sport and know how to use them to their advantage when they are no longer able to compete. This book will do that!

Well done, Judi!

Bobby Hull, The Golden Jet, Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee, 1983



Being a young athlete and reading the stories in this book is both inspiring and relatable to me. Learning how I can use the skills that I've acquired from a young age and how to transfer them to a working environment is key to helping me grow my resume and confidence and to get to the next level.



Brady Allen, Hockey Player, U18 AA



Judi Gilbert has written a must-read book for anyone who understands the role that sports and competition play in our lives from early childhood, through adulthood and into parenthood.  Her journey in competitive sports from a young age gives her a unique perspective and a credible voice on how to navigate the world as a competitor, a parent of an athlete, a mentor, and a coach.  Whether she is writing about self-worth, self-doubt, or self-confidence, she guides you effortlessly through the challenges to find your voice and develop your personal brand.  I circled and highlighted so many parts of this book and I look forward to using these tools to maximize my performance as a business consultant and as a basketball coach. But most importantly, this book gave me a renewed excitement to be a better supporter of my children's athletic endeavours.



Linda Martindale, Business Consultant and Lincoln-Sudbury High School Boys Varsity basketball coach. Former NCAA Division 1 college basketball player.