November 8, 2024
After committing years to wrestling, Jillian Gallays chose to move on from being a high-performance athlete and was forced to rediscover what life was away from the sport she loved.
In 2016, Gallays achieved the pinnacle goal for most athletes, competing at the Olympic Summer Games in Rio. Her journey to the event was not linear and brought Gallays through various ups and downs with balancing personal life and sport.
“While I was in sport, I had to think of myself as a whole person [rather than just an athlete,] because I was always broken with injuries and setbacks. I had to take a different approach every time which was exhausting,” admitted Gallays.
Even between the disruptions to her Olympic training, Gallays continued to prioritize her routine as an athlete, which left her struggling to find balance in life overall.
“At the end of my Olympics, I had no balance and I think that was part of why I got so burnt out,” said Gallays.
Following her time at the Games, Gallays began to step back from her involvement in sport. The exhaustion from years of preparation for the Olympics had left her with a lack of stability in her personal life, making her feel uncertain about further pursuing a career in wrestling.
The more Gallays removed herself from sport, the more she began to understand what a holistic approach meant, which involved making sure her mental health was considered as much as her physical.
“As high-performance athletes, we’re so focused on the end goal of the Olympics and taking that next step, so we know what to do and why it’s worth working hard.”
Post Olympics, that understanding of where to direct her energy was gone and people in Gallays’ life noticed a shift in her wellbeing.
“A few of my teammates mentioned that I seemed stuck and told me it was time [to make a change]. I kept thinking that I wanted to do my Master of Business Administration, but it never really felt like the right course for me, which is why I think I never made the next step,” shared Gallays.
While returning to school seemed like the answer she was searching for, Gallays was still left with a long and uncertain road ahead. However, leaning on her experience as a full-time a personal trainer and project manager, Gallays worked hard to change her mindset and appreciate the process of figuring out what comes next.
With the knowledge that Game Plan and the Smith School of Business partnered to offer programs that would fund eligible athletes interested in pursuing an education, Gallays started reaching out.
She took the Success After Sport course, with Melinda Harrison, that is offered to Game Plan athletes and spoke with her Game Plan Advisor Lisa Hoffart. Those conversations helped guide Gallays as she moved forward.
“Melinda really helped open me up to my experiences and think about it from a holistic perspective. I began thinking about what’s happening around me, versus what’s wrong with me.”
Those consultations and discussions assisted Gallays in taking the final step and applying to the Smith School of Business. In October, she was announced as a recipient of the Game Plan Award for the Professional Graduate Degree and enrolled in the Master of Management Analytics program.
“I’ve always been interested in data and understanding why data matters and how it translates to my field of work. I don’t really know what will come from school, I just know it is time for some personal growth. I’d be kicking myself for not taking the chance to explore the opportunity of having a full scholarship.”
Gallays admits that returning to school will come with challenges of its own, but she’s taking what she’s learned both in-and-out of sport with her to face those challenges head on.
“I have dyslexia, so going back to school brought me a lot of anxiety. I think that’s why it’s an important step to accept where we are at right now, instead of being concerned about the future. It’s nice looking back at that and seeing my own personal growth and take that moving forward.”