AthletEX is a national network of former athletes and the athlete-minded eager to connect, share stories, and create a new playbook for the next chapter of life. We were built for people who know what makes a good teammate on and off the field, who are willing to put in the work to achieve goals, and who are powered by ambition – striving for new ways to better themselves and impact those around them.
A Pittsburgh native, Taylor Cohen has laced up her cleats and kicked around a soccer ball for the majority of her life. She was a four-year starter for Washington University in St. Louis’ women’s soccer team, ranked the third all-time leading goal scorer in team history, named a two-time All-American and Scholar All-American, and won an NCAA National Championship in 2016. She led the classic life of a college athlete. After graduating with a major in Marketing and minor in Business of Sports, she played professional soccer in Germany in the 2nd Bundesliga for FC. Saarbrücken before going on to win a gold medal for the US team in the Maccabi Games in Israel in 2022. It was during her time in Israel when she connected with over 10,000 athletes that she realized she wasn’t alone in her fears of identity loss that come with hanging up your cleats for the last time.
After moving to Chicago and working for a sports agency as part of her “retired athlete life,” Taylor discovered that in the real world, the bond of teammates doesn’t really exist. There are no game-day pump up texts, team dinners with your best friends, long bus rides to away games filled with bursting laughter, or even the shared dread of early morning practice when the rest of campus was still asleep. What hits the hardest for athletes after college is the loss of identity and community that comes with being a part of a team. That was where the idea for AthletEX was born.
