Introduction and Welcome
Taryell Simmons: Alright ladies and gentlemen, listen to this. A talented young athlete can spend years learning how to study film, follow a playbook, strengthen their body, and perform under pressure. But what happens when money enters the picture? Do they understand contracts, taxes, budgeting, personal branding, or how to protect an opportunity that may not last forever? Today, student-athletes are navigating a new world. Name, image, and likeness opportunities have opened doors for athletes to earn income, build brands, and develop businesses while still in school. But those opportunities also come with responsibilities that many young people have never been taught to manage. The NCAA now identifies financial literacy and NIL education as core areas of support for student-athletes. While federal tax guidance makes it clear that NIL compensation creates reporting, record-keeping, and tax obligations, the deeper question is: are we preparing them to manage success, protect their identity, and build a life beyond sports? Welcome to Rise Urban Nation, where we unite, uplift, and ignite stories of Black and Pan-African entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers building stronger communities. I am your host, Taryell Simmons, and today I am grateful to my friend Angela for introducing me to this amazing guest, Michael Davis of Ethos Education Group, a nonprofit organization that engages, educates, and empowers students through identity development, supplemental learning, mentorship, and character development. Michael, welcome to Rise Urban Nation.
Michael Davis: Yes sir, glad to be here brother.
Taryell Simmons: Give me the backstory on how you and Angela connected.
Michael Davis: How I got to Dallas was through Texas Instruments. After grad school at Northeastern, I started working at TI and met one of my best friends, Groman Haynes. Angela and Groman are first cousins. They connected us when I was in Frisco. Mike, you have to meet Angela. We connected on the phone, saw the synergy, and realized we were aligned in our mission to grow together.
The Power of the Village
Taryell Simmons: Before we discuss student-athletes and financial literacy, who is Michael Davis, and what experiences shaped your commitment to educating and empowering young people?
Michael Davis: I give credit to my mother. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, she went to Howard University, got her master's, moved to Berkeley, California, and became the first African-American vice mayor of Berkeley. She was huge on education, learning, and being intentional. She instilled values that I call the legacy plan: understanding how you see yourself, your identity, your purpose, and aligning your value systems with your goals. As a student-athlete at UC Berkeley, my mother, known as Mama D, took my teammates under her wing. My grandmother and my uncle Butch were also part of that village that protected me and allowed me to learn without shame. When I was at UC Berkeley entering my second year, I declared Business Administration at the Haas School of Business. A counselor told me, 'We don't think you can do that; you need to do something easier.' When my mom found out, she went straight to the chancellor with my uncle and grandmother. I received an acceptance letter to Haas in the mail. If I did not have a village fighting for my identity, I would have taken another road that society dictated, seeing me as an athlete first and a student second.
Taryell Simmons: That village allowed you to live your truth. When adults or youth lack that support, they can adopt limiting beliefs and follow whatever narrow pathway is presented.
Michael Davis: Exactly. The mental paradigm has to shift regarding how a student-athlete sees themselves first. In college sports, systems often treat athletes as if their only purpose is to run, tackle, or dribble. If you do not have a purpose or vision, society will dictate one to you, and you will not like what it gives you. One professor told me, 'You chose to play football; I am not changing my exam schedule, so if you travel, you get an F.' That splash of cold water showed me you must work intentionally to define your own path.
Evolution of Ethos Education Group
Taryell Simmons: How did your work evolve into Ethos Education Group?
Michael Davis: At Texas Instruments, I worked in corporate finance. Remembering advice from Spike Lee to walk out of school with a product and a business, I left TI after two years, invested my 401k into myself, and launched a sports management firm. I worked with professional athletes including Everson Walls and Tim Brown on branding, financial literacy, and risk mitigation. Sitting down with them, I asked, 'Are we doing enough?' There is a powerful story behind their careers about struggle, character, mental health, and resilience that young people need to hear far more than athletic drills. That sparked Ethos Education Group: extracting those life lessons from Hall of Fame athletes to make them accessible and digestible for youth.
Taryell Simmons: What does it mean to redefine success through identity and self-value?
Michael Davis: Success is relative, but it must connect to purpose. The intrinsic value in who you are beyond what you do every day is where you find ultimate peace and happiness. Without that intrinsic foundation, you constantly chase external markers of success that never fulfill you.
Taryell Simmons: Talent gets you in the door, but character determines what you do with the opportunity and how you retain it.
Michael Davis: That is right. Retention of success is entirely about character.
Navigating NIL and College Decisions
Taryell Simmons: What does the current NIL landscape look like for student-athletes today?
Michael Davis: If an athlete enters college without identity work, their athletic performance becomes their entire value. They tie their identity strictly to money per point or per win. They transfer every year chasing more dollars, giving up their scholarships and forfeiting their degree progress. If you transfer multiple times, the probability of graduating drops by fifty percent. Athletes must realize universities are business partners. A degree from Stanford or UC Berkeley holds immense long-term value. One athlete in our program left Yale for San Diego State for NIL cash, realized the mathematical and career mistake he made, and returned to Yale. That is a young man with a village helping him evaluate the complete picture.
Taryell Simmons: When an athletic identity is a person's entire identity, what happens when sports end?
Michael Davis: It leads to severe mental health struggles. When the cheering stops and the lights go down, athletes who have not planned for life after sports face identity loss and financial distress. Short-term thinking leads them to spend cash on depreciating items to validate an image instead of investing in long-term equity and ownership.
Financial Literacy and Wealth Creation
Taryell Simmons: What mindset shift must occur around money and financial literacy?
Michael Davis: We must teach the distinction between being rich and being wealthy. Having temporary cash flow does not make you wealthy once active income stops. Wealth is about passive income, equity, and assets compounding while you sleep. In our programs, we run stock portfolio simulations. When youth select brands they use every day, like Nike, they learn that ownership is the path to wealth. Financial education cannot wait until an athlete receives their first large check; it must start years before.
Taryell Simmons: What three actions can young athletes take right now to prepare for financial success?
Michael Davis: First, understand active income versus passive income. Second, master the principle that it is not what you make, but what you keep. Third, harness compound interest and time as your greatest superpower while managing risk and diversifying investments.
Connecting with Ethos Village
Taryell Simmons: How does Ethos Village connect students with mentors?
Michael Davis: Ethos Village is an LMS platform combining interactive learning with community mentorship. When a student defines their legacy plan and identifies a career interest, we pair them with champions in those fields. Mentorship makes possibilities tangible and real.
Taryell Simmons: Where can our listeners learn more about Ethos Education Group and support your mission?
Michael Davis: Visit https://www.ethoseducationgroup.org to learn about our organization, and join https://www.ethosvillage.com to create an account and connect with the village today.
Taryell Simmons: Thank you, Michael. To our listeners, talk to the young athletes in your life about their dreams and financial plans beyond the game. Until next time, let's unite, uplift, and ignite. Peace.
Michael Davis: Peace, love it.
