# The Grand’s exclusive workshop for the NBA’s Business Mentorship Program

December 7, 2023

## Here's a glimpse into how we're assisting players on their journeys of self-discovery and growth.

Some of the G Leaguers in our workshop

When we first learned about the NBA’s Business Mentorship Program, [designed to provide pro basketball players with the resources they need to develop business acumen and pursue opportunities off the court](https://gleague.nba.com/news/nba-holds-second-year-of-its-business-mentorship-program), we were so inspired by the NBA’s commitment to holistic player development.

Our vision was completely aligned with NBA Player Development: that personal and professional development should be grounded in understanding the unique challenges and aspirations of each person as a full human.

And so, we became teammates, collaborating to grow leaders within the NBA player community—starting with a custom workshop for the Business Mentorship Program.

The Grand was tapped to design a space for players to reflect, connect, and envision a future beyond their athletic careers. We chose exercises to foster emotional resilience, personal values alignment, and strategic future planning. Here's a look at what we covered:

##### Life Story Icebreaker: Discovering Unique Narratives

At The Grand, it always starts with your story. We kicked off our workshop with an icebreaker, encouraging players to share their life stories (with a Grand twist!) to encourage deeper self-awareness, openness, and connection.

##### Core Values: Foundation of Personal Branding

When we know our own stories better, we can more easily recognize [our core values and better prioritize them](/content/post/values-hierarchy/index.html). Our next exercise helped players to identify core beliefs that authentically represented themselves. This introspection translated into crafting new personal brand statements.

##### Emotional Resiliency: Navigating Life’s Valleys

This exercise was crucial for such elite, high-performing athletes! We guided players through an understanding of their emotional landscapes and introduced a [burnout formula](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr1uKPksGsG/) to help them recognize how to better balance performance with rest.

We then completed [The Grand Retro](/content/digital-membership-a/index.html) together and evaluated our well-being across eight different dimensions. The Retro allowed players to zoom out and see the current state of their lives with more clarity.

> _“[The Grand Retro] gave me enhanced focus on the areas that I need to afford more time into.”_
>
> —Norense Odiase, Texas Legends Center

##### Envisioning the Future: Meeting Your Future Self

We led a guided visualization journey, empowering players to connect with their future selves and unlock insights into their long-term aspirations and inner wisdom.

##### Actionable Closure: Setting SMART Goals

The workshop concluded with players using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to tangibly map out their next steps.

#### _From athletes to business leaders and founders, The Grand coaches values-driven, ambitious performers to be the grandest versions of themselves — thriving in all well-being dimensions._

###### _Interested in a custom workshop for your team? Learn more and connect with us:_ [_https://www.thegrand.world/for-companies_](/content/for-companies*/index.html)