The mental wellness platform
The Zone and investment banking giant
Morgan Stanley are teaming up to offer financial wellness for athletes. The partnership calls for integrating financial tools and educational resources provided by Morgan Stanley’s Global Sports & Entertainment division within The Zone’s app for athletes.
The Zone was founded by Ivan Tchatchouwo and Erik Poldroo, two former student-athletes,
reports MSN. Along with other areas of concern like physical injuries or academic strife, the founders identified how finances could too prompt stress and hurt other
areas of productivity and performance. The goal is to offer an answer for
student-athletes nationwide, showcasing the fundamentals of financial wellness and its link to optimal performance.
The
alliance will include such features as mobile-friendly, bite-sized content and programming. According to a news release, it will have push notifications that will seek to engage athletes and address the link between financial education, mental wellness, and peak performance.
It will consist of personal finance fundamentals, tips to gain financial wellness, and frequent interaction with athletes to help monitor their wellness and communication with counselors as needed.
“We are very excited to work alongside Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment in this innovative partnership to ensure that our athletes are equipped with the tools and resources necessary to manage and improve every aspect of their total wellness,” stated Tchatchouwo, The Zone’s CEO and co-founder.
“Financial education is a cornerstone of a truly holistic wellness experience, and we look forward to implementing this important component with Morgan Stanley to help us continue providing our community of athletes with the best possible solution.”
Studies show that financial constraints are a significant cause of stress. And that stress can reveal itself at work, the classroom, and even during sports competitions.
“Our objective in partnering with The Zone is to enhance the comprehensive wellness experience of athletes nationwide, by arming them with the education on how to best manage and approach their personal finances as they strive for their financial goals—and by applying these learnings to help them create pathways towards success,” stated Sandra Richards, head of Global Sports & Entertainment and Segment Sales & Engagement at Morgan Stanley.
“With the added pressure and commitments on today’s athletes, perhaps being greater now than ever before, we couldn’t think of a more important way to address this issue and help break the stigma around mental health and wellness.”
The Zone reports it now provides wellness to multiple NCAA Division I athletic programs and nonprofit organizations and plans to announce some upcoming activations this year.