Finding Your Drive: An Interview with Soccer Star Abi Brighton
The best teams, the ones that compete for championships, are built on a foundation of human fortitude and a deep understanding of themselves, their coaches and teammates.
At TeamQ, we believe that when individuals understand themselves and their teammates, they stimulate personal growth, enhance team performance, and gain a sharp competitive edge.
In a recent interview on the Intangible Podcast, accomplished American soccer player, Vanderbilt alumna and current mid-fielder for Juventus Women’s Club, Abi Brighton shares her journey — a story that perfectly illustrates how individual commitment and collaboration can propel a team to its highest potential — and offers invaluable insights for aspiring athletes and their parents.
In the following blog post, Abi and Christopher discuss the following topics and themes:
Foundation and Discipline: Abi's success began with a strong family connection to soccer and a foundation built on disciplined, technical training. Her club's emphasis on daily juggling progressions instilled a strong work ethic.
Passion over Pressure: Despite the challenges and sacrifices of the "circus" of competitive travel soccer, Abi avoided burnout by maintaining her love for the game. For her, soccer was not just a sport but an outlet and a source of fun and community.
Resilience and Humility: The transition to college sports at Vanderbilt was a shock, but Abi's resilience and grounded approach helped her succeed. Her quote, "show up every day and work as hard as I can," highlights her focus on hard work over expectations.
The Importance of Having a Plan: Abi's choice of Vanderbilt was influenced by its strong academic reputation, recognizing that a "really good degree" was a smart backup plan for her future.
Making a Decision to Turn Pro Overseas: Due to Abi’s dedication and hard work form her days in youth soccer in Hilton Head to her college career at Vanderbilt University, Abi currently is is currently playing professionally in Europe for the prestigious Italian Juventus Women’s Club.
A Family Passion, Early Foundations and controlling the controllables
Growing up on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Abi Brighton's path to soccer success began with a strong family connection to the sport. With a father who played goalkeeper in college and an older brother who played at Clemson, soccer was a constant presence in her life.
While she initially played for fun at the "rec level", a pivotal moment came when her father encouraged her to take the game more seriously.
Despite her initial dislike for practice (queue Allen Iverson), she decided to give it a chance, and the support from her brother provided the invaluable push she needed.
She credits her foundation to the small, local club she played for, originally known as Star Soccer Academy and now called Tormenta FC.
Pushing Through the "Circus" and Navigating Burnout
The travel soccer circuit is often described as a "circus," and for Abi's family, it meant constant travel and significant sacrifices. While it was a challenge, Abi found a way to manage the intense schedule and avoid burnout.
She acknowledges that every athlete goes through periods of mental and physical exhaustion, but believes that if you "want it bad enough," you can get through it.
For her, soccer was not just a sport but an outlet. As a homeschooled student, it was where all her friends were, which, eventually, made her genuinely excited to go to practice and to appreciate the grind.
This mindset—viewing the game as a source of fun and community—was crucial for her sustained motivation.
The challenges of collegiate soccer and Transitioning to the Next Level
After a successful high school career and being "highly recruited," Abi chose Vanderbilt over Clemson, drawn by the school's vibe and strong academic reputation. Also known as “The Vanderbilt Way”.
She recognized that having a "really good degree" was a smart backup plan if a professional career didn't materialize.
The transition to college sports was, as she describes it, “a shock”. During her first summer workouts, she experienced a rigorous fitness test that was "the most brutal thing I have ever put myself through". She recalled doubting her decision and even calling her parents to say, "this is crazy".
However, the support of her teammate’s, who were going through the same thing, helped her push through. Her resilience paid off, as she contributed to the team as a freshman and earned freshman year honors.
When asked about her ability to play early in her collegiate career, Abi credits her grounded approach. She didn't have high expectations; her goal was simply to "show up every day and work as hard as I can" and trust that the coaches would decide who plays.
Post-College to the pros: Off to italy and playing for juventus F.C. women’s
Abi Brighton signed with Italian Club F.C. Juventus Women in early 2025
With collegiate honors such as the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team and All-SEC Second Team in 2023-2024 and Third Team All-American in 2024, it was clear that she possessed the accolades to go pro.
“I had heard from Juventus, but the way that I’d heard from them was honestly with a little bit of luck”
The question for Abi was: do I play in the United States, or do I take the leap to play professionally in Europe?
Juventus Women’s talent scouts had identified a set of specific needs for a midfielder who possessed a unique blend of grit, technical mastery, and a physical style of play—a combination that can be in short supply in the European women’s game.
Typically, when a professional club has a specific need or player profile in mind, they have to spend a lot of time, energy and, most importantly, resources to travel, scout, dissect film, do interviews, and mull over different players and, essentially, take a shot in the dark on which player(s) to sign, even if they don’t perfectly match the profile or caliber of player that is specifically needed.
taking the luck and guesswork to find the perfect fit for a team or club’s specific needs out of the equation is where the true power of using teamq’s proven AI-driven analytics comes into play.
As Brighton puts it, “I’ve always wanted to play overseas…so when they [Juventus] came knocking, it would have been crazy not to take it.” But, as she states, “I had heard from Juventus, but the way that I’d heard from them was honestly with a little bit of luck”.
Abi Brighton in Italy at her signing day in January 2025
She continues, “One of the American scouts for Juventus had seen me play a long time ago when I was playing against the college that he attended. Once he got to Juventus years later, they were having meetings about team needs. As those discussions were taking place, the team manager was talking about needing a midfielder with a specific coaching-style profile, personality, communication and skill level and it just so happened that the scout was roommates with our trainer at Vanderbilt.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Final Takeaways for Aspiring Athletes and lessons in taking a chance on yourself
This mindset of seizing the right opportunity is a core component of achieving your highest potential, and it's what propelled Abi to the top of the SEC and, eventually, into the professional European club circuit.
Her decision to sign a contract with Juventus through 2027 shows her commitment to personal growth and her readiness to bring her best self to a new team and a new country.
Abi Brighton's story is a powerful reminder that athletic success is built on more than just talent. It's about a strong work-ethic, consistent foundation of the fundamentals, disciplined training, and a resilient mindset.
By focusing on the love of the game, embracing challenges, and committing to hard work, young athletes can not only achieve their goals but also enjoy the journey along the way.
At TeamQ, we believe in providing comprehensive support and insights to help you navigate life's challenges and triumphs. Explore our curated resources designed to inspire, educate, and connect:
TeamQ Blog: Dive deeper into stories of resilience, expert advice, and the latest research: www.teamq.io/blog.
More from The Intangible Podcast: Connect with other professional athletes, coaches, and experts to discuss the strategies, mindset shifts, and intangible qualities that elevate mental performance: https://www.youtube.com/@IntangiblePod.
Learn More From Our CEO, Christopher Spencer: Teaming up with experts in tech and psychology, Christopher pioneered performance intelligence and founded TeamQ to help athletes and teams harness the intangibles to win on and off the field: https://www.teamq.io/ourfounder.
Sign-Up for TeamQ: Our human-powered, AI-assisted process analyzes each athlete’s own words—gathered from interviews, transcripts, or direct conversations—to reveal the mental edge that separates the good from the great: Sign-Up For a Demo Here.
