Episode 39: No Excuses, Work Hard and Never Give Up with Erica Smith

Born and raised in St. Louis, MO by a single mother and two older brothers, Erica found a passion and a home for competition at a young age. Along with sports, Erica had a passion for business. At the tender age of 5 years old, her mother gave her a candy store. Erica was responsible for handling the sales for her neighborhood candy store and from there grew her entrepreneurial spirit and business aptitude. Today, she is Co-Owner of Machine Elite Basketball Academy and Founder of Second Wind, a company developed to prepare student-athletes to transition out of college athletics. Aside from business Erica fell in love with basketball at a young age however, she did not play organized basketball until 8th grade. At that time she joined a local all boys team. After playing a season with the boys. Erica played locally at Hazelwood West High School and went on to play collegiate basketball at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). While at SIUC, Erica was part of winning a conference championship; the first one in 18 years for the women's program and the first ever in the Missouri Valley Conference. Erica lives by the mantra "set the stage you want to perform on." Erica is invested in helping young people create the life they want to live! She combines her passion for sports and business to create a platform for student-athletes to develop and transition. Sport provides an amazing opportunity to harness valuable life skills and Erica wants to help student-athletes continue to use those skills to succeed in every area of their lives. Website: www.machineelite.com   Email: [email protected]  Instagram: @secondwindent22 Twitter: @secondwindent22