Matt C. Smith picked up cross-country skiing at 32 and three years later carried the South African flag at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, and none of it followed a grand plan. In this episode, he shares why he doesn't believe in balance, how public speaking funded his Olympic dream, and what he's building next with Athlete Money to help athletes live from what they love.

NO TIME OFF, the podcast where we explore the careers powering the sport industry.

⏱️ Chapters

[01:00] — Who is Matt C. Smith?

[02:46] — The Mexican ski coach who changed everything

[04:08] — Dreams evolve: from Springbok to Snowbok

[05:55] — Athlete finances & why he founded Athlete Money

[06:29] — Athletes as media: the shift to personal branding

[09:49] — "I don't believe in balance"

[13:14] — How an accidental joke launched a speaking career

[17:48] — "Every single day is a starting line"

[23:50] — Getting comfortable with uncertainty

[31:10] — Content creation hacks

[40:10] — What the opening ceremony is really like

🤝🏻 Follow Matt @mattcsmith_ & check out https://athletemoney.co/

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🎶 Sound bites:

Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/

Sport Power (Indie Rock) and Higher (Electronic Vlog) by Infraction.

💪🏻 The podcast “No Time Off” is an independent production.

Content writing, editing and production by Veronica Zanchi 🔗 bit.ly/veronicazanchi

💌 Do you have a question for the show? notimeoff.podcast@gmail.com