Olympian Michael Phelps is ready for his second career

Michael Phelps is the most decorated American Olympian in history, but not even the 23-time gold medalist is immune to the stress of a career change.

After a lifetime of training and rigorous competition in the pool, Phelps retired from swimming after the 2016 Olympics and began looking for a new obsession. At age 33, he has embraced environmental and social activism through a series of high-impact campaigns, including a partnership with Colgate on his #EveryDropCounts initiative, which aims to address global water shortages by teaching conservation practices in Canada. the water.

Phelps said he initially "struggled" to decide what he would do for a second career, but progressed by identifying passions outside the pool and adopting the same basic tactics that made him World class swimmer. The Baltimore natives have advised professionals faced with a difficult career transition to think about their personal goals and develop a detailed plan to achieve them.

"I've always been" dreaming, planning, achieving ". That's how I started my career. You start with a dream, you find a way to get there and you go there. And if you fail, it happens. I can not tell you how many times something is not perfect for me and I had to go back to the drawing board. But I think if you want something serious enough, I do not think anything can stop you. "

As a swimmer and water lover, Phelps said his role as global ambassador in the Colgate water conservation campaign was "a natural fit".

In its second year, Colgate said the campaign is expected to save up to 50 billion gallons of water a year by educating people around the world and encouraging them to take shorter showers and turn off their faucets. while brushing your teeth. The United Nations estimates that two – thirds of the world 's population could live in conditions of water stress by 2025.

A sought-after brand ambassador, Mr. Phelps said his personal values ​​have always been a key factor in choosing to work with a particular company.

"Everything I belong to is something I've always believed in," Phelps said. "That's how we did it all my career, where I was able to express what I wanted and what I believe in, and I have a great team that I have Helps to try to complete them. missions that I am after. "

Phelps has become one of the most virulent voices in the country in terms of mental health awareness. He is open about his own struggles against depression, revealing in recent years that he had had suicidal thoughts after the 2012 Olympics.

He is also working to educate kids about water safety through his foundation, the Michael Phelps Foundation, which has trained more than 20,000 kids on how to be safe in the pool in 10 years. d & # 39; existence.

Phelps said he did not intend to return to competitive swimming, noting that his various activist platforms have replaced sport as his main motivator.

"That's the big reason, or one of the big reasons, for which I do not want to come back," said Phelps. "I'd rather save a life or try to help save a life than win a gold medal because it's much more important to me. As a person struggling with mental health for probably 10 or 12 years, I understand a lot about it and I understand how scary it can be. "