The Business of Being an Athlete

Want to ditch the day job and live the sporting dream? What would you give to compete successfully on the world stage and enjoy a lucrative career in sport?

Whether you’re just starting out, or you’ve already won accolades and you don’t quite know how to take it to the next level, Gold Medal Olympian Kerri Pottharst draws from more than 25 years experience and reveals how the right attitude, the right tools, and the right approach took her from being a part-time athlete to becoming a multi-award winning champion, a hot property for sponsorship, and a successful entrepreneur.


• In this compelling, step-by-step guide, you will learn how to:
• Develop a ‘Gold Medal’ mindset and create an unshakeable self belief
• Sharpen your focus and supercharge your will to win with effective goal setting strategies
• Surround yourself with an A-Team
• Attract sponsorship and build your media profile and brand
• Develop other income producing revenue streams
• Create an online presence using websites and social media
• Become a successful motivational speaker
• Use the most effective nutrition, hydration, travel and recovery techniques
• And much, much more

“The Business of Being an Athlete defines the fundamental behaviours of successful athletes. The easiest way to get ahead in any field is to tap into the experiences of others and that’s what Kerri provides the readers with in this book.” – Grant Hackett OAM – Swimming

“This book would have been invaluable at the beginning of my career. So much useful information. It would have saved me a lot of time and energy.” – Liz Ellis AM – Netball

“I would recommend The Business of Being an Athlete to any young person wanting to build a successful career. It is an inspiring and impressive read form a much-loved and admired Australian Olympian.” – John Coates AC – President, Australian Olympic Committee

About the Author:

Kerri Pottharst is one of Australia’s most respected athletes. Together with Natalie Cook, she won a Gold medal in Beach Volleyball at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, which they added to their Bronze medal from Atlanta in 1996. Kerri was awarded International Beach Volleyball Player of the Decade for 1990-2000 and was Australian Champion for nine consecutive years.


In 2001, she received the prestigious Order of Australia Medal, and in 2007, was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame (Massachusetts, USA).


Kerri’s determination and resourcefulness kept her dream of Olympic glory alive for over 20 years, and enabled her to travel the world making a living from professional Beach Volleyball.


Away from the court, she lives on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia with her husband, Max, and their son Tyson. Since retiring from all competition in 2005, Kerri now divides her time between her three passions – her family, coaching elite-level Beach Volleyball, and inspiring people from all walks of life to achieve excellence through her writing, motivational speaking and mentoring.