NPLH Studio

Zito Madu is a man very much marching to the beat of his own drum. Growing up in Nigeria, football played a prominent role in his life and nothing changed when moving to the US in 1998; A successful college career with the University of Detroit preceded signing for USL’s Detroit City before heading to Turkey’s second division.  It’s here it all gets interesting. Wanting to learn about himself outside of the game, he walked away from it – in a professional capacity – to pursue a path of creativity and exploration of the self.With writing his vehicle of choice, Zito has driven a road of unknowns since, embracing opportunities when he spots them and never fearing a pivot when the answer is ‘No’ to the question ‘Does this feel right?’As he says, ultimately it’s about how you feel. What is the consequence of ignoring that? Enjoy!

EL Johnson is a multi-disciplined creative with a co-founders list as long as your arm: the 2 Cents FC podcast, Forty One Magazine and it's football-focussed creative studio and MLS Next Pro's The Town FC all wear his fingerprints. A self-taught creative with an unorthodox route into the football space, EL discusses the entrepreneurial inspirations behind his stable pursuits, the challenges of juggling ambition and workload with parenthood and the importance of honouring his younger self throughout it all. Enjoy!

Ian Harkes is a professional footballer currently playing for New England Revolution in MLS. Sarah Teegarden-Harkes enjoyed her own professional playing career with stints in the US, Sweden, France and Scotland before heading down a new path in 2022 with non-profit Boston Scores. Sharing experiences of their respective professional landscapes, they walk through the realities of maintaining a relationship whilst living apart, Sarah's transition away from the game and how their individual and combined experiences led to the formation of Simply Sublime. Through the platform, they're not only sharing their own stories but opening the door for others to do the same and building a community along the way. Over to Ian and Sarah...

Photographer Eduardo Villalobos' journey began in a way you're unlikely to guess: photographing a snowman on an iPhone 7!It wasn't long before he picked up a 'real' camera in 2016 as a way of becoming closer to the game he loved and the trajectory remained sharp, first shooting local high school teams before skipping several steps on the experience ladder and answering an ad to shoot in MLS.A sure sign of self-confidence in a young man who backs his ability and knows where he wants it to take him. The smart money is on him getting there. Over to Eduardo...

Born in Bogotà, Colombia, Diego Hurtado grew up knowing two things; hustle and football. So it's no surprise he earned money in the playground and became an academy player in his teens. Injury and an ultimatum from an impatient coach coincided with his Mum's move to the US and he had a decision to make: stay in Colombia, alone, and hopefully recover in time, or head to Miami for a fresh start. He chose Miami and a journeyed career around the USL followed.Despite hints his path lay elsewhere, with false starts at the NY Cosmos and Las Vegas Lights, his determination to play was in constant battle with the instability of the landscape. But, opportunity knocked, awakened something in Diego and presented a new pathway to explore – sports apparel.Diaza Football was born and, thanks to that same determination from his playing days and a little entrepreneurial magic, has not only grown but is flourishing, with designs worn by amateurs across the US and the likes of Ronaldinho and Kakà.Diego's journey highlights the rewards that come not only with focus and discipline, but in taking risks and seizing opportunities when you see them.He may be done playing, but life is still very much about all he ever knew; hustle and football. Enjoy!

Photographer Kaitlin Marold grew up wanting to be a Police officer, seeing it as an opportunity to connect with and help her local community.A stop watch and one second kept that dream from turning into a reality and sent her down a path that would not only open up the game she loves but lead her to the top of the Rockefeller Centre and a shoot with USWNT's Emma Hayes. It's been a quick climb but not an easy one with late nights, long drives and lots of steps outside of her comfort zone. But through shooting and supporting her beloved NYCFC she's found all of the things she was looking for in the force; connection, community and the ability to be of service to that community – all with the added bonus of not having to polish her boots! Enjoy! _____If you enjoy the podcast and think it's worth it, send caffeine or grab something from the storeThanks for the support. JF

Ed Cowburn is Founder and Design Director of Acid FC, the brand with football undertones rooted in creative culture. You're joining the conversation after some off the record catching up to learn of Ed's pathway from studying Law and Accounting and a career in insurance to designing this seasons kits for his beloved Leeds United. It's quite the leap with Lance Armstrong and David Bellion playing supporting roles in a creative career now in it's twentieth year. Ed walks us through that change of direction, the motivations driving his career longevity, his visions for the next stage of it and the weight of responsibility around those Leeds kits - especially the third! Enjoy! _ You can support the podcast at nplhmag.com

Zack Goldman is Co-Founder of the wonderful Where is Football platform and founder of Tiger 11, the agency working with football's most creative teams, leagues and brands to build their sporting, marketing, and operational strategies. Needless to say we don't really talk about any of that in great detail. Instead, Zack share's his learnings from a career that started at Oxford United in England and has since taken him around the world to collaborate with the likes of Adidas, Nike, MLS and Japan's J-League.With a career built in alignment with his values and grown holistically through relationships, Zack's perspective offers an opportunity to reframe how we see football; not as the be all and end all, but as an accessory to what we're ultimately all looking for – community and connection. Enjoy!____You can support the podcast with caffeine here

Sam Robles left Brazil for the United States as a teenager and went on to become one of the finest photographers in the world. How? Falling in love with a camera at his friends house and chance meetings with an established photographer had something to do with it. But not everything...Sam's journey highlights the rewards of hustle, risk taking and seizing opportunities when you see them. A little bit of 'immigrant mentality' didn't hurt either. He walks us through the route from working 7 days a week at a car wash to shooting for Sports Illustrated and a literal locked door at Under Armour metaphorically opening one on the floor below that would take him around the world with The Players Tribune. A dream job that doesn't come without great sacrifices. But he doesn't see any other option. Over to Sam____You can support the podcast as a subscriber or caffeine donor at nplhmag.com