Professional soccer player and UCLA alumnus Lauren Barnes discusses her career and advice for UCLA students with Podcasts contributor Aidan Teeger.

Aidan Teeger: Welcome back to Bruin to Bruin. My name is Aidan Teeger, and today I had the privilege of speaking to Lauren Barnes, a standout UCLA graduate who turned her passion for soccer into a thriving career, holding a litany of rewards, achievements and records, and currently playing for the Seattle Reign. She is here to share her story and the lessons learned along the way. Lauren Barnes, pleasure to have you here today.

Lauren Barnes: Yeah, thanks for having me. I’m excited about this.

AT: You’ve been playing professional soccer for a while now. You’ve been with your current team, the Seattle Reign, or at least signed with them for the better part of 11 years at this point. And it seems like you’ve always had an affinity for athletics. Your family was very into sports. You played basketball growing up. Why do you think you ended up focusing on soccer throughout high school?

LB: Yeah, I get this question a lot. My dad played DI basketball at UC Santa Barbara, and then I have a brother who’s four years older that obviously played a lot of sports growing up as well. So, I naturally followed in his footsteps and was his shadow for most of his life. So I think back in the day doing seasonal sports was actually quite normal. So every new season that came was a different sport we got to play, so I was kind of exposed to a lot of different sports growing up. Obviously with my dad playing basketball, it was kind of big in our family. And then, soccer came a little bit later. No one in my family really played it. Obviously my brother was playing it, but in terms of an actual culture in our family, there wasn’t a soccer one. So I think that’s probably why I played both those sports for so long because I had the natural love of basketball, because it was always in the family and something that I loved playing and wanted to play. But as I got closer to taking sports more seriously rather than recreational, I started to really, you know, take a step back and say, “Okay, let’s plan this out – do I want to play college? Is pro something that I want to do?” And then during that time there weren’t pro leagues that were very consistent or even really available to kind of shoot for. So definitely college was a thing. So I think I had to really dive deep into what kind of opportunities I would have with each sport. And I think for me, I loved playing soccer. I love being a part of a team environment and I’m highly competitive. As I got to high school, I decided that soccer was going to be my path. I can’t think back to what made that deciding factor. I grew up with a really close group of friends that played both soccer and basketball. We had each other the whole time, but I think, at the end of the day, maybe being in SoCal, being outside, and enjoying the sunshine while playing soccer brought a lot of fulfillment to me and probably my family as well. So, once I got into high school and thought I could maybe make something out of it, I became a lot more serious and decided to focus on one sport – soccer.

AT: So then, was it the game plan from the beginning to eventually go pro? Because I’m conscious of the fact that women’s soccer in the U.S., like you said, wasn’t a thing until 2012 with the NWSL. How seriously were you taking the potential path of going pro?

LB: I loved my college experience. Being recruited was exciting and fun in high school, but I honestly don’t remember ever having conversations with my family about being a pro soccer player for a really long time until I probably got to college and saw that there could be an avenue, maybe in the future, maybe not even after I finished college. It was never something that I was like, “This is my overall goal.” Now playing pro and seeing the young girls coming in and just knowing that that’s what they wanted is super cool to see because that necessarily wasn’t always my story. I obviously love playing, and I love playing at the highest level, so naturally, I think I would want to go pro, but I don’t think we ever really thought, “Hey, that’s my end goal,” because I don’t think there was an end goal at the time that one could be like a lifestyle that was well sustainable and attainable. If we’re really going to go back that far, I’m so happy that it has been a dream come true for sure, and one that kind of blossomed a lot later in life for me.

AT: You ended up at UCLA in 2007. Was there a chronological gap between finishing high school and going to UCLA, or were you straight in?

LB: I went straight from high school to UCLA. I was coached by Jill Ellis in Youth National Team Camp, so I had a lot of exposure to her early on and really enjoyed her style. Being close to home in SoCal was attractive to me, and the educational side was important as I came from a pretty big high school and wanted to go to a big college too. The transition from high school to UCLA was a huge one in terms of so many different aspects, obviously soccer being one and the educational part being the other. So, straight out of high school, I went over there.

AT: So you were at UCLA for your entire undergrad, that’s the full four year period, right?

LB: Yeah, I left a little bit early to go pro but came back and finished.

AT: I see, and you attended almost all of, uh, or you played in almost all of the, uh, the matches, the UCLA matches while you were there, right?

LB: Yes.

AT: So how do you balance, how did you manage to balance that, you know, this is something that DI athletes struggle with a lot, right?

LB: Oh yeah.

AT: The balancing act of not absolutely tanking your academics, but also performing at this level. Can you remember how you managed to do that?

LA: Yeah, I’d love to be transparent about this. My first year, I probably cried every other week to my parents, expressing that this wasn’t me, that I couldn’t do this. It was difficult. We often forget that being an athlete is like having two full-time jobs. There’s the athletic side, keeping up with performances, and then there’s the educational part, like you mentioned. Going to classes, passing your classes, and maintaining all that is super difficult. I think the best thing about UCLA is that there were always resources provided to us, which was amazing. Attending tutoring, being able to work with professors on away trips, and just finding a balance was really important, and I think in doing that, you had to really have a good support system, which I had with my family. The soccer department in general really supported us in both our collegiate and academic sides of things. I always felt really supported, but it’s really difficult to balance, and for me to find that literally probably took me a year and a half or so. That was adapting and evolving as a person and a player. The jump from high school to college soccer was painful, and from an academic side, it was painful for me, too, not that my high school didn’t set me up, but I think I focused a lot on athletics in high school and not probably enough on the educational side. Learning all that while being immersed in it is difficult, but my mindset and how I was raised is sink or swim. So every time I call, you know, my dad, he’s sitting there laughing, and he’s like, “Well, you got to do it. You got to get through it.” So, I think everyone’s different but finding my way to find that balance and continue to love both soccer and being in college and being successful looks so different. So I think it took me a while to kind of find that groove.

AT: Oh yeah, sort of a bumpy but rewarding path from high school to college. If you could sort of summarize how your time at UCLA eventually prepared you for moving into the professional field of soccer, if you could sort of cherry pick and find one primary lesson that you learned during those years that you took with you to your professional career that aided you, what would it be?

LB: Oh, it’s such a good question.

AT: It’s a broad question.

LB: Very broad, yeah. I think you envision something probably that usually doesn’t turn out the way you envision it. That definitely happened to me, so I think, if I can pick, it’s just never to give up. And I think that was really important that I’ve learned. I’ll be 35 this year. That is something I found out through my 12 years as a pro as well. There are ebbs and flows all the time; you’re super successful one year and then you’re in a drought the next. So I think UCLA definitely prepared me for that in terms of closing the gap from high school to college was super hard. And then being able to transition from college to pro as well. They definitely built character for me in those four years I was there, and my coaching staff around me had a great influence as well. But I think when it came down to it, it was a mindset, whether you wanted it badly enough. So I think for me, it was just to never give up and keep going.

AT: Hell yeah. And this is just out of curiosity, are any of the same coaching staff that were present when you were there still at UCLA?

LB: They’re not.

AT: They’re not?

LB: They’re not, yep. All different coaching staff now. So, Jill Ellis is with San Diego, so she’s in the NWSL. Lou Lieberman was at San Diego, she’s not there anymore. And then B.J. Snow works for U.S. Soccer now. So all are still involved in soccer and I still keep in contact with a couple of them.

AT: Awesome. So it was in 2011 that you were first drafted into a professional team. It was the Philadelphia Independence, third round, 15th overall. You, and this is in comparison to your tenure at Seattle Reign, which is quite a long time. You were only there for the better part of just over two years, right?

LB: Yeah, even less than that. I went straight from UCLA, played there, and the league actually folded after that. So I had maybe about seven months there.

AT: The league folded? You mean gone?

LB: Just disappeared.

AT: Why was that?

LB: I think at the time when we were trying to build a women’s league, so many variables come into play when they are successful, and it was the WPS at the time. That’s what it was called. And before that, there was no women’s professional league that ever lasted more than five years. So I think most of that is financially. When I was in WPS, there was no salary cap, so there were no regulations on who could get paid what, when, where, and I think that drained the league quite a bit. And yeah, like every day, no word of a lie, we were just like, I don’t know if I’ll have a job today. My whole first professional career as a rookie. And on top of that, I didn’t even touch the field. I never rostered and never played a game my first year as a rookie. And then the league folded. So that’s when I kind of came back to California and started coaching. But yeah, it was a short, very unfulfilling, not what I was really picturing. And like I said before, you obviously envision being a pro, but at that time in women’s sports, I was treated so much better as a collegiate athlete, our facilities were much better when you think about scholarships and stuff like that was probably taken care of much better than I was in the WPS. But I think we were all chasing a dream and wanting it to be something for us, but also for generations to come that, you know, there is that dream that you can have. Like I told you, I didn’t even think about being pro probably until I was in college, which is, I think, very late, but for those reasons and then experiencing something like that, I was like, okay, like this isn’t an actual lifestyle that we can have for women footballers. So, yeah, it wasn’t that exciting. Which, you know, is so sad to say, but I think there were so many things that came out of it later in my life that it was so good that I experienced it that way. And I guess after the WPS was dissolved, the NWSL came out quite soon after that. So that probably ended up facilitating a lot of what you’re talking about, which is a standardized format where players can actually earn enough to sustain their lifestyles at the very least, and it’s continued to this day, which is super cool, encouraging.

AT: You mentioned it wasn’t so fulfilling– there was a period during your rookie year that you were considering retiring. Can you run me through that?

LB: Yeah, I would say, I guess I kind of did. Obviously, the league folded, so it was kind of forced, not necessarily my choice. A lot of girls went overseas or played for the semi-pro or amateur leagues that we had available. But because my experience was the way it was, I ended up coming back home. I got a job at UC Riverside, which is a DI soccer school in California, about 30 minutes away from where I grew up. The coach that was there, the head coach at the time, was actually with me at UCLA. He was a goalkeeper coach, Nat Gonzalez, so he kind of reached out saying like, “Hey, what do you think?” And I was like absolutely, one, I need a job, two, I want to stay in sport being in soccer and around soccer was something that I wasn’t ready to give up, but playing pro, I just figured I was like, I’m not built for it. I didn’t play, so there was also a part of me that was just like maybe I’m not a pro, like I was a good college player and I should be proud of that. I mean, it doesn’t mean that everyone can go pro and play at that level. And then I was also getting paid four times as much as I was in the league. So I was like, of course, I’ll take that. You know, I can build something off of this and it would be a great first job out of college and you know, I tried the whole pro thing and it ended the way it did and I happily moved on. I loved being at Riverside and coaching. I loved being connected with girls very close in age to me because I was just, I just finished college. And helping them navigate everything that I just went through and being able to use whatever knowledge I had was super fulfilling for me. But lucky enough I did have Nat as my boss and when the NWSL did announce that there was a league coming back he basically pushed me into putting my name back in the draft. He’s like, “You are not supposed to be on this side of the line yet.” He played pro. He’s like, “I really encourage you to think about it.” And for me, I was just like, look, I did it, it’s not what people think it is. I’m happy I tried. And there was obviously not playing my rookie year, like at all, just this confidence crusher. I’m like, I don’t know if I want to go through that all again and feel like I’ve failed. Yeah, so it was a big decision to make. I loved what I was doing and I loved who I was working with but I’m so happy that they encouraged me to put my name in the draft. So I ended up doing that, I was supposed to be going to Chicago and then I got a phone call from an English number and I was like, okay, what’s going on here? And I spoke to Laura and Laura’s like, “Never really seen you play but I’ve heard great things about you as a person and the style that you want to play” and she’s like “that’s definitely something that I’d love to have so if you want to come to Seattle like let me know if that’s something that you’re interested in.” I’m obviously a West Coast kid at heart. So staying closer to home was a big pull for me especially after my rookie year going the way it did. I didn’t want to be too far from home. And I took the leap of faith and I’ve been playing here ever since and still under Laura.

AT: And Laura at this point was the coach or manager of the Seattle Reign?

LB: She was the coach we kind of call them both the same I guess but she kind of did everything when we first started this crazy journey together, so she was the coach and she came from Arsenal. She was young at the time, and had never been to America. I don’t think she really understood what she was getting herself into when she was coming into this league. Knowing that, obviously, we were, the NWSL was trying to build something really special, but knowing that it had failed so many times in the past that you just have to prepare that it could go both ways. And yeah, we’re now in our twelfth season and it’s literally taken off like crazy.

AT: Well, she’s got to be super happy because not only has it taken off here, but Arsenal, the women’s team are breaking a whole lot of records just in terms of revenue and viewership. And it’s pretty incredible. What’s going on over there. I’m aware that at some point during your tenure at Seattle Reign, you took up leadership roles as a captain.

LB: Yeah.

AT: Yeah. It seems a little bit fortuitous that you had this experience of taking a bit of a gap year to go and coach at UC Riverside and learning a little bit about being a leader in that format. How did your experience there as a leader impact your eventual skill set as a captain at Seattle Reign?

LB: Yeah, I would never ever say, especially if you asked me 10 years ago, that I was a natural-born leader in any sense of the word. I’m pretty introverted. I like to lead by example, which obviously can be pretty quiet at times. It doesn’t have to be louder in your face or dominant, I guess. I was lucky enough when I came into Seattle that we had incredible leadership ahead of me. So I was under Keelin Winters for a while who is now a retired firefighter up here in Seattle and she was our captain for maybe the first four or five years An unbelievable one at that and I just literally tried to be a sponge and soak everything up that she was giving out and learning from her. I think I naturally connect with people. I love the community of soccer and why we are a team. So I’ve always kind of had that sense of leadership with me. And then just trying to build off of, you know, things that were successful in the past with Keelin and adapting now, incredibly fast with the new generations coming in. It’s very different. But I think for me, I was definitely molded into this by really incredible people around me. Laura is an incredible leader herself. She’s taught me a lot of things. I’ve pretty much co-captained my whole career here with Megan Rapinoe and Jess Fishlock, who definitely are naturally born leaders. So the dynamic between us three—yes, I wear the armband now, but I could have never done it without a whole village. Keelan was a huge part of that success for me, and then Jess and Pinoe (Megan Rapinoe), being three OGs, we started at the same time. Pino just retired last year, but being able to collaborate and use each other’s strengths has made us one of the best leaderships I’ve ever been a part of. I’ve obviously only been at The Reign, but I’ve played overseas in Australia and Sweden, and it’s just been something special that we have here. For me, it’s the environment and how we treat people and how we allow people to be their authentic selves, which is really important to me. As leaders, encouraging that and supporting that has been something that I’ve tried to implement.

AT: Yeah, I noticed that you guys at Seattle Reign have created a bit of an association with environmentalism and soccer. I was looking into that, and it seems like that’s a really big part of what you do and what you get involved in. Is it ever conflicting, trying to balance your seriousness about playing soccer and also the environmental concerns and activism? Cause it looks like you’ve done quite a skillful job of combining the two.

LB: Yeah, I think a big part of that, obviously being up in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a lifestyle for everyone up here. Sustainability, taking care of the planet, and living that lifestyle is definitely something that I learned. Obviously, being in SoCal, loving the ocean, and being able to go to nature freely, you don’t realize how precious that is until you go to all these other places around the world. Coming up to Seattle just heightened that for me and highlighted a lot of the things that I loved but backed it with a lot of other things. So for me, having these conversations with the Rain was super easy, and the support I got back was unbelievable. So, for the club in general, I’m so grateful to be at a club that does want to support their players and their passions, and sustainability and environmentalism is one of our pillars now, which is really cool to see because that literally became a passion of mine. I didn’t study it in school, but they allowed me to bring that into the locker room, have the conversations, and then actually put action behind our words.But in saying that, we are a huge supporter of the community here. We’re super inclusive, we’re super progressive. So I think that’s just also the backbone of the Rain and what we want to share with the people that come and support us because without them, we don’t have a league, we don’t have a team, we’re not supported as women footballers, so it’s really a knock-on effect in how intertwined we are with our club, the locker room, and also the community in general. I was so lucky to have someone that is just going to be like, “Yeah, you want to talk about sustainability? Let’s find nonprofits, let’s connect, let’s reach out to the community and see what they want to do as well.” And that’s brought us closer to the city. When we talk about the 12th man up here, it’s truly something special because they see us as more than just athletes. And I think that’s always really important. When you’re an elite athlete, you don’t always get treated like a human anymore. So bringing that aspect in and making it part of our identity and our values has truly been really cool.

AT: And do you think that sentiment of combining professional athletes with activism, environmentalism, is going to last once you and your teammates who facilitated this have moved on somewhere else?

LB: Yeah, now that I’m definitely coming to the end of my career, it’s been stressful because you build something and you want it to continue to grow. So there’s a part of me that’s like, “Did I do enough? Did I help the rest of the team acclimate to what we want in our identity?” But I’ve had people play for the Rain and leave the Rain and just be like, “Lou, it’s just so different. What you’ve created there, I can now take into other clubs.” And hearing that, how it’s spidered out into the NWSL, I’m like, “We’re going to be okay.” As it continues to get bigger, it’s moving really fast. But hearing those things, I know that’s the real change, is us athletes being able to use our platforms, encouraging others to use their platforms, and then just being brave enough to also use your platform. So I feel like the foundation here will continue to grow in whichever direction it needs to, but it will still have the foundation that we’ve created.

AT: Before we talk about Australia, which I’m looking forward to, I just want to very briefly touch on your representation for the United States national team. Did you do that more than once?

LB: 2016, I went to She Believes. I was never capped, but I went into two senior camps, one in 2016 and one more like a player pool. So yeah, 2016 and maybe 17, I had a little run.

AT: What happened in 2010? Was there anything to do with the national team then?

LB: I don’t think so. I went from 2007 to 2010. That was like my gap year. So that’s when I went pro, took that kind of time off, and then I actually got called into She Believes after taking that time off, which was kind of crazy because I wasn’t necessarily in the right mindset to be in a senior U.S. camp, but you don’t get to choose those moments. It was a great experience. I was in with an incredible group of players at the time, a really good mix of older and the new ones coming in, which was really fun to be a part of, and it was still under Jill Ellis, who I played college with. So yeah, we had the SheBelieves Cup, some really good teams, I think it was Germany, England and Japan when they were arguably at their best as well. But yeah, so that was kind of my run

AT: Okay, I only ask about 2010 because I was reading something. And it sort of, in a really obscure way, referenced you with the United States under 23s team in 2010.

LB: I don’t know what that was. Maybe like a Four Nations. I played youth pretty much all up into college. So I ended up not going to the World Cup. I decided to stay in college and not redshirt. But that would have been 2007. So 23s could have been a Four Nations tournament, potentially.

AT: All right. So in 2014, you went to play on loan for Melbourne Victory in Melbourne, funnily enough. At this point, you hadn’t lived outside the United States. It strikes me as a pretty bold move. So whose idea was that?

LB: Yeah. Funny you asked that. It was actually Jess Fishlock, who had been my teammate now for three years or so. And at the time, if you were going to be loaned for the seven weeks, which I was initially when I went over to Australia, you had to be an international player, which I was not, their international center back got hurt. And so Jess just texted me, saying, “You know, you’re good enough. Come over here and play. You’ll love it.” She went all the way to the board to fight for me. I wasn’t an international player, but she argued that I’m at a level that would elevate the league. They were trying to keep the standard high in the W-League, which makes a lot of sense, but it did go through a lot of obstacles, which she really fought for. I mean, I always talk about how Laura and Jess both jump-started my careers. Obviously, Laura believed in me to be a pro again, and then Jess helped me during the off seasons when our seasons were about six or seven months long, leaving a big gap. This is why I think a lot of our generation actually stopped playing because it was too hard financially.

And then, having to find another job for six months at a time, going on loan was the way to go. It provided supplemental income and allowed me to keep playing. She believed in me, brought me over, and we won it that year with Victory. I think we were underdogs as well; we weren’t projected to win. And then, I went back for the next five years. I spent a total of six years going to Australia.

AT: I was going to say that’s a long seven weeks because you ended up in Melbourne until 2020, not at Victory but at Melbourne City from 2016. Was 2020 the cutoff point because of COVID, or was that the pre-decided end of your tenure there?

LB: That was when the league extended its season, making it a lot harder to go on loan as we were more year-round. Beforehand, we had about four months off for the off-season for a really long time, which really paired well with the W League. So, a lot of NWSL players, not just Americans, went over to the Australian League to stay sharp and play. And to make a little money as well, since we weren’t paid year-round for a really long time. I think, one, I fell in love with the Aussie culture. I actually applied for citizenship because I was there for so long, and because my run with the U.S. wasn’t strong enough for me to not consider applying for citizenship and trying to play for the Aussie national team. It went all the way up to FIFA. I was able to get my citizenship, but they denied me the chance to play for the national team because I was technically on loan and not contracted there, which, obviously, if we had known, you can change those things quite easily. But yeah, it was something I looked into because I loved it there so much. We’ve had a lot of Aussies play for us at the Reign over the last 10 years, and you can see what they’re doing now. Sorry, my dog is being annoying. This is Paco.

AT: Hello, Paco.

LB: The Aussies are really killing it, and their league has really helped the women’s game grow. Both in Australia and the U.S., the league has been pivotal in giving many players opportunities, whether they played a lot on their club team or not. It gave people the chance to go and play, getting the minutes and extra games they needed. I encourage our younger players, especially when they feel it’s not the right fit here, to consider such opportunities. We just had a player go to Melbourne Victory, where I started, and she just returned this year. We’ve signed her, and she had an incredible time but also developed as a player, which is exactly what you hope to gain from those experiences. For me, those six years in Australia were vital to my development and have played a significant role in keeping me playing this long.

AT: And did you know anyone else before you went over there?

LB: My first year I just knew Jess, but as I continued to go back, we had players like Steph Catley, who now plays for Arsenal, and Lydia Williams, who has been with Arsenal and PSG and is now back in Australia. We also had Larissa Crummer. God, we had so many Aussies come in. So, one of my close friends was Steph Catley. We roomed together for a long time, and now she’s at Arsenal, so it’s great to see her blossoming as well. But in my first year there, I only knew Jess. As I continued to return, I developed a strong group of Aussie friends. Additionally, we had a lot of Reign players go play at Melbourne City, so it was Victory for a little bit and then City. For the rest of my four years there, it really became a thing. We jokingly called it Seattle City. We tried to get as many players as we could over there because the experience was that great. Melbourne City was unbelievable – the facilities, coaching staff, and the environment to be in during the off-season were all incredible. Yeah, we really did encourage players to go there as much as they possibly could.

AT: It seems like it would be hard to have a bad experience over there, you know?

LB: Yeah.

AT: It just seems like a super fun place.

LB: Truly, it is. I didn’t realize that.

AT: So Jess actually went over there with you. It wasn’t just on her recommendation that you go there?

LB: Yeah, she was playing there. So during her off-season, as I mentioned, during the last six weeks, one of their center backs got hurt. She called me and asked, “What do you think about playing in Australia?” I was like, “Oh, it’s so far. It’s kind of crazy. Am I good enough?” I was still coming off a tough year with Seattle in 2013; we did not have a good season, and I had just finished my rookie season, which wasn’t great either. I kept asking myself, “Do I want to keep doing this? Why do I do this to myself?” But Jess was very adamant that I was the right person and player for the role she was looking for, and thank goodness she pushed me to do it.

AT: And she’s a Welsh player, isn’t she – so she had a bit of insight into the workings of hopping overseas to play.

LB: Oh yeah, the travel our internationals do is unbelievable.

AT: Tell me about it. You are a bit of a veteran in the community now. How many years, if you know off the top of your head, from the start of your professional career to now, have you been playing?

LB: Starting my professional career, this would be my 13th year as a pro.

AT: And I think it was last year, I’m not sure because I couldn’t find anything too concrete, but I think you became the first to play 200 matches in the NWSL, is that right?

LB: That is right.

AT: And is that a record you still hold?

LB: Yes, it’s a record I still hold.

AT: As in, being the most?

LB: Yep.

AT: Who’s number two, out of curiosity? Maybe I’ve heard of them.

LB: I wouldn’t even know, like, obviously all that.

AT: I don’t imagine you check too often,

LB: I don’t.

AT: But, just in case you happen to know

LB: Sometimes, even with milestones like the 200th and 150th games, I would walk up to the game and they would tell me right there, and I was like, “Oh, incredible. How cool.” It’s not something that was ever really on my mind. Obviously, staying healthy and being competitive enough to perform and be on the field is hard to do, something I strive for no matter my age or how many years I’ve been playing. I’m so competitive and I want to contribute as much as I can, so being on the field is really important to me and I never take it for granted. But, I don’t know, it’s got to be someone close to my age. I think Jess is close up there; she was the first international to hit 150, which is really cool because they obviously travel so much. Maybe Alyssa Naeher, the goalkeeper for Chicago who plays on the national team, is probably up there in caps too.

AT: Well, one way or another, it’s a pretty cool milestone to have. Going forward, what’s on the table for you?

LB: Like life after professional soccer or plans for this year?

AT: All of the above. I think you mentioned that you’re probably considering stepping down from the Reign soon?

LB: Yes.

AT: Are you going to continue, or are you retiring from professional soccer?

LB: This is my last contractual year for sure, so I’ll really need to sit down and consider many different things, right? From a personal level and from the club standpoint, it’s not just necessarily my choice anymore. I’ve been a little injured right now, so playing soccer, I’ve missed it and I’ve found a new type of love for it, not that I fell out of love, but coming back knowing my time is shorter, I’m enjoying things a lot more. I’m trying to be more intentional with my time on the field and with the people around me at this club. If I could play forever, I would, but that’s not reality. I feel really good, my heart feels young. Like I said, I still love the game and I’m so competitive. The biggest thing for me is the grind, the traveling, the playing. That gets tough on the body and the mind. I think I’ll have to reevaluate that at the end of the season. Everyone keeps telling me, and everyone who’s stopped playing has 100% told me to keep playing for as long as I possibly can. And then, yeah, life after soccer. My network here in Seattle is truly unbelievable. I love it here (in Seattle), but I’m still close to California, which I always consider home. I’m not sure if I might try to go back there, but as we’ve talked about, I’m really into sustainability. I’ve worked with the Kraken, the NHL hockey team here, which is one of the most sustainable sports organizations globally. Last year, I did my B license, which qualifies me to coach professionally, so that could be in the cards. I love the staff here, and this year, we’ve added a few people who have really made it worth staying longer, which makes me want to stay even more. I would love to coach with Laura at some point. She has given me such a career, and it would be fun to come full circle and go back into coaching with her. But right now, I’m still trying to be present and not think too much, yet have some sort of plan. Honestly, when I talk to people, they just keep telling me, “You’re going to be fine,” which feels nice to hear but is also easy to say. So, I’m just taking it day by day right now. This time always comes, but I don’t know if you’re ever really prepared for it. So, we’ll see.

AT: Yeah, I think that’s right. I think that represents the Goldilocks zone of planning for the future. You don’t want to be too rigid, but you should have a loose idea of the direction.

LB: Yep.

AT: Alright, the million-dollar question: There’s a cohort of people that will look at you and what you’ve achieved and want to follow in your footsteps. What advice can you give aspiring athletes who are looking to turn their passion into a profession and how can they best navigate the challenges of a professional career?

LB: Yeah, I get this question a lot. It is a million-dollar question. We touched on it a bit, but I want to emphasize that it’s truly important never to give up on your dream. I have experienced so many players from all different walks of life in the locker room, having been here for 12 years. The biggest thing I always encourage them to do is to value themselves. You have to be the one that backs yourself. Sometimes we look for validation in many other places, but at the end of the day, it’s you and yourself out there on the field, and it’s your career. You really need to take control and push it to where you want to go. So, make sure you take care of yourself. You’re professional, but remember to love yourself and love what you’re doing. Mental health has become a huge focus in the sports world. I think it always has been important, but it’s definitely more normalized now. For me, it’s crucial to really take care of both your body and your mind. Sometimes, I feel like your mind is probably more important than the physical side, and as athletes, we can forget that. I encourage therapy and consulting with sports psychologists. We have them at the highest level, and it has helped my career, especially towards the end when I thought maybe I had nothing left to give. And that feeling came at various times in my career, whether it was two years in, four years in or 10 years in. Believing in yourself, trusting yourself, but also really utilizing the resources around you is key. And at the end of the day, we play because we love it, so make sure that you don’t lose that passion.

AT: Lauren Barnes, thank you for coming on. This has been a really good discussion. You’ve got a busy season coming up, so I’m gonna wish you luck with that, and I can’t wait to see what you do next.

LB: I appreciate it. Yeah, I was really excited to hear that you do this. It’s awesome. Honestly, I wish I felt more connected to UCLA. I know I graduated a long time ago. Obviously, knowing Gina, she’s not at UCLA anymore; she’s at Northridge now, but I know her really well. She suggested I should do this. So it’s kind of cool to come back into things and reminisce, I guess.

AT: Hell yeah. I’m glad we could do it.

If you enjoyed that conversation with Lauren, then you may want to consider heading over to Daily Bruin Podcasts on Spotify for a selection of interviews and conversations with some of the most amazing and inspiring Bruins out there.