Meet Alicia Cox

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alicia Cox a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alicia, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.

As an Allied Health Professional, nationally board-certified and licensed Athletic Trainer (AT) I practiced primarily in the high school setting. My role was not just to effectively communicate complex content and information to various secondary school stakeholders but also to articulate medical information to each individual in the room, regardless of their intellect level or personal background. Furthermore, as a healthcare educator, I was responsible for relaying information about athletic-related injuries and illnesses. I was an emergency responder, but more importantly, a leader demonstrating how to effectively communicate as a healthcare professional in the community and for future healthcare professionals, the students and athletes I served with daily.

I was not only an Athletic Trainer but also a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation instructor. Within this educator role, I mentored various future healthcare professionals (e.g., nurses, physicians, physical therapists, EMTs, ATs, etc.) about injury prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and how to activate and triage medical emergencies. The challenge of communicating complex medical concepts to students with varying levels of knowledge was not a barrier but a stepping stone for me. I broke down these concepts and developed a curriculum that catered to students in a blended grade level 2-year program (9th through 12th grade). This showcased my strength in effective communication as I was able to curate an engaging learning experience
for all students, regardless of their prior knowledge.

The students I served were athletes and non-athletes with various learning styles and diverse learning needs. With the art of storytelling, learning was reciprocal through exchanging anecdotal experiences to effectively communicate tough concepts. From the lens of the students, the sharing of stories not only improved how students effectively communicated with peers but also created an equitable, autonomous, and inclusive environment that made learning relevant and relatable. As an adjunct professor, I have found that the same approach with adult learners has yielded the same results, to what I like to call, “cultivating vocal confidence.”

Therefore, understanding and recognizing how to communicate WITH someone and not AT someone is crucial. It is about what is communicated and the reciprocated engagement of the intended audience(s). This mutual effort is what truly makes the difference in the effectiveness of communication.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

After leaving public education after 10+ years, I have shifted my professional focus to teaching at the collegiate level while completing my doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology (December 2024). Upon completing my doctorate, the focus is to expand the consulting services and resources for the business that my husband and I own, Gametime Recruiting & Consulting, LLC. The types of consulting services will support the growing demands of our prospective student-athlete clientele at the high school and collegiate levels. At Gametime Recruiting and Consulting, we mentor high school student-athletes throughout the collegiate recruiting process. Through the following consulting service, Athlete Etiquette, Gametime Recruiting & Consulting will be able to personalize the services needed to support mental well-being throughout the recruiting process. Student-athletes will be offered resources and tools to develop and maintain their mental resilience in conjunction with character and identity development, athletic affirmations, athletic branding, and how to protect their brand during adversity.

and the Athletic Trainers (ATs) who serve selflessly to ensure their health and safety remain a priority.
For ATs, the Emotional Action Plans (EAPs) for Athletic Trainers will emphasize the resources and services needed to support and protect the mental health of ATs in practice. Furthermore, ATs can effectively communicate their needs beyond a catastrophic event in their professional workplace. With guided facilitation to develop EAPs with other ATs and non-athletic training stakeholders, ATs can collaborate with stakeholders from various organizational levels who influence the decisions in the professional settings following emergency events.

In summary,

GAMETIME Recruiting & Consulting, LLC serves as a liaison to foster connections, prepare opportunities, and support student-athletes and their families throughout the college recruiting process. Regardless of socioeconomic background, Gametime is dedicated to serving the needs of its prospects and their families.

Our Mission:
To provide high-quality scouting and recruiting services to student-athletes throughout the college recruiting process.

Our Vision:
To be the premier choice of collegiate scouting and recruiting services for student-athletes.

With Gametime Recruiting & Consulting, LLC, you become our family to achieve Next Level Greatness… together.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three most impactful areas of knowledge I have acquired along this journey are:

1. “Control YOUR Controllables.” Do not place expectations on others or the assumptions of others, as you are likely to be disappointed repeatedly.

2. Treat your business like a BUSINESS. Remember to value your worth.

3. Choose your PEACE over others, picking you to PIECES. Not everyone will understand or see your dreams or visions. Respect your happiness and protect it.

My short advice is that only YOU can stop your blessings. Being complacent to the status quo equates to being complicit in fear. Never let fear contradict your morals. Stand tall in YOUR truth. It will never fail you.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

The most significant area of growth and improvement in the past 12 months has been authentically believing in myself and taking a chance on me! I used to feel guilty about thinking of my personal needs, dreams, and aspirations because of all the titles I put before myself: wife, mom, athletic trainer, educator, entrepreneur, business partner, friend, etc. I had to learn that I am not “selfish” during this season of transition, but I am taking the necessary time to get back to “self.”

More importantly, I learned to set boundaries and adhere to them. I knew that being the culprit of violating my boundaries was an invitation for others to violate them as well. Reaching this epiphany through counsel was profound and renewed my focus to set healthy boundaries, thus allowing me to still be authentically effective in my various roles without guilt and regret.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Tonia Johnston Photography; Corey Cross Photography; Chris Kidney-GT Digital Media & Graphics

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