Six months of national service with Up2Us Sports altered Josie Martinez’s career path forever.

Settling back into his hometown of Miami, Florida, after 15 years in the United States Air Force, Josie Martinez landed a job in the construction industry. He had plans to build and operate his own business when, coincidentally, Josie discovered an Up2Us Sports initiative that engaged post-9/11 veterans in their communities through coaching underserved youth in sports-based youth development (SBYD).

It was a love for sports and its unique connection to life that interested Josie in the program. Growing up, he was an all-around athlete who competed in basketball and track at Braddock Senior High School. Although always an athlete and never a coach, Josie was excited by the opportunity to gain a new skill, even if only for six months. He hoped to combine his character-building experiences from the Air Force with Up2Us Sports’ SBYD curriculum to positively impact youth at a local nonprofit organization, Touching Miami with Love (TML), located in Overtown.

In a matter of days, Josie quickly became known as “Coach J" at TML. Using the tools learned at Up2Us Sports’ Coach Training Institute (CTI), Coach J effortlessly embodied the role of a coach-mentor to the young athletes in Overtown, many of whom came from low-income families in underserved areas. Coach J practiced empathy in his new role, taking time to understand each player’s story. Having gained their trust, the youth at TML looked to Coach J for his advice and support. When empowering and building relationships with the athletes in his program, Coach J began to notice, “SBYD is good and it works!”

It was no surprise that over time, the bonds between Coach J and his athletes transcended the sports field. During summer camp, Coach J took the kids on a field trip to the beach where it was many of their first times feeling sand between their toes. In another instance, Coach J gave special recognition to one young boy’s talents: “He wanted to be more than his environment...he would bring me his architectural designs, so I bought him a drawing pad so he could practice.” In Coach J’s mind, it wasn’t just about sports anymore; it was about life - “coaching life.” 

When Josie’s service term ended, he once again contemplated returning to the construction industry. But those thoughts were short-lived when a fellow Up2Us Sports Coach, Michael Cornell, introduced Josie to Hope for Miami, a local nonprofit working for the betterment of youth and families in the Miami-Dade area. Without missing a beat, Josie followed a new call-to-action in the nonprofit sector, accepting a role as a Health Educator for Project U-Turn. Before long, Josie was promoted to Program Manager of Project U-Turn and then Director of After-School and Disability Services. With each new title change, Josie relied on his SBYD training and continued “coaching life,” only this time, with his own staff. He used SBYD strategies he learned from Up2Us Sports’ master trainers to help his staff manage stress, work together and help achieve their goals.

Josie’s compassionate and committed attitude as a leader at Hope for Miami eventually ushered him into the Chief Operating Officer (COO) role where he now goes by “Mr. J.” Josie recognizes the role Up2Us Sports has played in his career trajectory: “I would not be where I am today without Up2Us Sports.” He believes his present success at Hope for Miami can all be tied back to his days serving the youth at Touching Miami with Love and his Up2Us Sports training. It may have been an unforeseen career journey for Josie, but it was a serendipitous one - from Coach to C-Suite! 

Josie served as an Up2Us Sports Coach from August 2014 through January 2015 at Touching Miami With Love thanks to support from The Miami HEAT and The Miami HEAT Charitable Fund.