Meet Marlene “Marley” Holmes, PH.D.C, MSW | CEO & Founder, The BFCA Experience

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marlene “Marley” Holmes, PH.D.C, MSW and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marlene “Marley”, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?

Early in my career, I realized that being a social worker socially confined me into a box of what society and stigma labeled my profession. However, I quickly realized that social workers could adapt and impact many different populations, including sports.  As a social worker, I’ve worked in healthcare, higher education, therapy, instructional designer, corporate trainer for security personnel, and more. I’ve also worked substance abuse for teens and adults.

When I decided to transition back into athletics as a Sport Social Worker, the first thing people said was, “Wow, I’ve never heard of that.” It’s usually followed by a head tilt of confusion. The foundation of social work is rooted in human behavior and assessing the present state and future needs of the client you’re assisting. I mean, that is how we should all process life. Watch before we speak, don’t be so quick to judge, and assess if you’re qualified to assist this person.

One of the most significant components that I would like parents, families, athletes, and other professions to understand is that Sport Social Workers can join any team or community and elevate that experience to ensure the mission is continually accomplished.


Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

God has led my journey. Nothing that I’ve accomplished after earning my Master’s degree was planned or even imagined. My professional career began at a behavioral health facility where I evaluated patients who were experiencing an acute or chronic mental health crisis, substance crisis, and medical concerns. It was life-changing because I went from reading about Schizophrenia to witnessing a patient displaying symptoms. The outside world would see my career as terrifying because we had physically aggressive patients and highly infectious diseases, but my transferable skills from my military upbringing and former athlete taught me to always see the bigger picture. Meaning, our goal is to help others when they can’t help themselves. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout my careers is the significance of compassion.  This also taught me that life after sports was going to be okay because I am a fast thinker, problem solver and understood the importance of responding and not reacting. As a former athlete, your emotions can either help you in the game or create a barrier in the game, so I learned how to always rely upon the skill, not the feeling.

This career was extremely challenging as I moved through the management and eventually became a Director less than two years! I went from clocking out and clocking in, to being on call 24/7! I stayed with that journey for almost ten years, but after experiencing a horrible case of burnout, I decided to take a leap of faith and resign.

From there, I was an adjunct professor and had two new jobs within two years, where I was a Director of Learning at an addiction facility and the Director of Education at tutoring programs between two states. It was a crazy ride; the but most important thing that I learned was that every employment opportunity gave me the necessary skill set to pursue the dream as an entrepreneur.

In 2017, I took on a job that I loved. I was a corporate healthcare trainer and curriculum developer for an international security company. I was responsible for creating and hosting nationwide trainings in the United States for all new employees in healthcare, This was my first remote job, and it was a dream come true. I was able to work remotely, and by 2019, I realized that I could create my own business and have time to travel and manage it. Everything in this role provided me with the final pieces of developing my brand, including hosting trainings, exams, surveys, and how to engage an audience through a virtual platform before the pandemic arrived.

I always tell people that your talents and gifts will be transferrable no matter where you go! This was the case for me! A significant part of my company is educating, teaching, hosting workshops, and developing curriculum for athlete-focused organizations to ensure that mental wellness is managed through a holistic lens. So, not only was my day job giving me the skill set, but as a doctoral student (now doctoral candidate), I was developing the skill of research and critical thinking.

Here at The BFCA Experience, we knew the needs of athletes were being dismissed before it became trendy. How did we know? We lived it. Our motto is simple, “Value the athlete beneath the jersey.” We believe that through education, workshops, and transition prep, we can minimize the mental health crisis, support transitions, and remind the athletic communities that athletes are not superheroes. Athletes are human, and they need compassion, understanding, and support.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well this is a great question, but honestly I couldn’t tell them, because I just moved Dallas to expand our services for athletes and make a larger impact in person. This is the first interview where I’ve shared our transition. I can say that Dallas has amazing food! I’ve also noticed many entrepreneurs in the area, especially Black women.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

This is always tough for me because every chapter of transition blessed me with impactful people and contributors to my athletic journey, which established the foundation of m entrepreneur mindset. So, you know, let me highlight a few chapters in my life that paved the way for me. First, I want to acknowledge my middle school and high school volleyball coaches, Coach Barrett, Coach Dershin, Coach Krupa, Coach Kilgore, and Coach Meade.

From seventh grade to my senior year in high school, they truly believed in me, and honestly, more than I believed in myself. So I’m thankful not to have the horror stories that many athletes have early in life.

During my college journey, I would like to acknowledge a friend and angel, Coach Julian, for believing that I could accomplish my sports dreams, but most importantly, she saw me as more than an athlete. I would also like to think of the last coach of my career, Coach Cogswell. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but I can’t negate that her saying yes was why I was recruited to an HBCU Division I volleyball program.

Lastly, I would like to thank my two of the most impactful people during my education journey, Dean, Dr. Kelsey, and Professor Porter from the GREAT Bethune-Cookman University. They introduced me to social work, which changed my life years before I knew it would. I never had mentors outside of my family, but these women impacted me more than they know!

Website: www.marleneholmes.com

Instagram: the_bfca_experience

Linkedin: Marlene “Marley” Holmes

Facebook: The BFCA Experience

Youtube: The BFCA Experience

Other: Email: bfcateam@gmail.com Contact #: 305-850-9311