Presenters announced: ‘Life Beyond the Spotlight: Building Purpose, Direction & Meaning’
League Ahead is delighted to confirm the following speakers will be presenting the Life Beyond the Spotlight: Building Purpose, Direction and Meaning session at the upcoming conference, The Culture of Wellbeing in Sport taking place on October 13 at Allianz Stadium.
Rebecca Cook
Careers & Education Manager (NRL & NRLW), League Ahead
Rebecca Cook is the NRL and NRLW Careers & Education Manager at League Ahead, a career development practitioner, educator and passionate advocate for helping athletes build meaningful lives alongside and beyond sport.
Rebecca is also the Founder of Elite Athlete Business School and CEO of the Australian Institute of Business Training, and facilitates communications and professional development programs with athletes, coaches, sports execs and sporting organisations across Australia. Her work is grounded in the belief that career development is about much more than preparing athletes for life after sport. It is about helping athletes better understand who they are, explore what is possible, and develop the confidence, self-efficacy and agency to create futures aligned with their strengths, interests, values, culture and identity.
Rebecca is passionate about creating sporting environments where athletes are supported to thrive as people, not simply perform as athletes.
Ryan Gonsalves
Former Professional Footballer, NRL Career Coach (Rabbitohs) and Founder/CEO 2ndwind Academy
Ryan Gonsalves is NRL Career Coach at the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the founder of 2ndwind Academy and Secondwind Advisory.
He left school at 16 to sign a professional football (soccer) contract at Huddersfield Town, then played for Halifax Town, in Wales and in France. When the contract wasn't extended, the transition out was painful, dark and lonely. Nobody handed him a plan for the Monday morning.
He built the second career in pieces. Semi-professional football, bar shifts at the Marriott in Leeds and a Marketing and French degree, all at the same time, and in year one he was below average at all three. A year in Lille turned into a DJ slot at a local bar, and the French he picked up there is the reason GE Capital hired him. Banking, public service and strategy consulting followed. He now advises founder-led and family-owned businesses from Sydney.
He hosts the 2ndwind Academy podcast, where athletes talk about what came after the game
Marcelo Montoya
Professional NRL & International Rugby League Player
Marcelo Montoya is the youngest of 4 boys, born in Lautoka, Fiji and moved to Sydney, Australia in 1998. Marcelo grew up in Rosemeadow where his love for rugby league began. At the age of 14 Marcelo and his mother moved to Fairfield to escape family dramas. He played for many junior league teams however the one that meant the most to him was Bankstown Bulls. This is where Marcelo was scouted by the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs became home for Marcelo for many years was also where he would meet his future wife Tayla as she was cheerleading for the club. Marcelo played NRL at the Bulldogs and the Warriors. Marcelo is proud of his NRL career however what he is most proud of is being a father to 2 beautiful twin girls Tiana & Milan. Marcelo and his wife currently run a hit podcast called ‘The Montoyas’.
Kiana Takairangi
Professional NRLW and International Rugby League Player
Kiana Takairangi is a Cook Islands and New Zealand international rugby league player, coach and founder of CK Athletic Development, a Sydney-based organisation focused on developing young athletes through sport. Her work centres on building confidence and positive connection alongside athletic development. Through school programs, community initiatives and youth rugby league clinics, Kiana is passionate about creating supportive sporting environments where young people can thrive both on and off the field. Her own experiences have shaped her passion for using sport as a vehicle for resilience, belonging and positive culture.
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Through practical insights and diverse lived experiences, we'll explore how culture, family and identity can shape the possibilities athletes see for themselves, and how career and education experiences can build purpose, confidence, self-efficacy and agency both during and beyond an athlete’s sporting career.
This session will explore career development as part of the whole athlete journey, how we can help athletes understand who they are beyond sport, explore the world of work and discover possibilities that align with their interests, strengths, values, culture and identity.