Ep.018 Athlete Story Podcast
Starting your own nonprofit after sports - Athlete Story ft Berit Nielsen Legrand
The is the second part of the series wiht athletes who are making an impact after sport.
Maybe you’ve considered becoming an ambassador for a nonprofit or volunteering for a greater cause. As a follow-up on the last episode about making an impact after sports, we’ll meet a former athlete who started her own non-profit.
Today’s guest started The Animal Fund in 2015, with the mission to save our oceans issue by issue – from endangered whales to ocean pollution. After a career in finance, karate blackbelt and former water skiing champion, Berit Nielsen Legrand, it was time for her to take real action.
We’ll be talking about her experience with nonprofit work, what you need to consider as a former athlete before you engage with nonprofit organizations – and of course how she uses lessons from sports to get results in this new environment.
« We know that the ocean is polluted. We dont need 5 million other people out there researching, going on boats, asking for funding for the next three years because you wanna study the ocean.... We know plastic is killing our Earth... We know all these things.... There's no need to study anything anymore. Just get on with it and find solutions ! »
You can also watch a video version of this interview here.
READ the transcript of full interview by clicking here.
"
What we’re seeing is getting worse and worse. It’s like a diet that never worked.
Everybody knows what to do but we keep making the same mistakes!
Berit Nielsen Legrand - Nonprofit founder & former Karate champion
"
“What we’re seeing is getting worse and worse. It’s like a diet that never worked.
Everybody knows what to do but we keep making the same mistakes!”
Nonprofit founder, The Animal Fund
About our guest
After sports and a successful career in finance, Berit decided to take action to save the oceans. She wanted to make an impact, so what did this champion do. Of course she went ahead and started her own nonprofit which is now growing internationally and helping with everything from simple beach cleanups to awareness, actions and education on the issue of ocean pollution and its endangered species – upon which the planet relies for oxygen! Her love and passion for the ocean and the animals has been with her since a child.