Some professional athletes struggle to determine what the NEXT Quarter of their lives will look like, while others find inspiration in unexpected places. Stefanie Gilbreath and Briana Gilbreath Butler knew that their professional basketball careers wouldn’t last forever, and a near family tragedy motivated them to find purpose in their pain. The charming and talented Gilbreath sisters have tackled most of life’s challenges together, and starting a business was no different. Keep reading to learn how the University of Southern California duo have used their WNBA and European basketball experiences to help them touch the lives of athletes around the world!
Stefanie and Briana were both already accomplished professional basketball players. The sisters enjoyed standout careers at The University of Southern California and New Mexico State University, before taking their sports passion to the professional level. Entering USC as a McDonald’s High School All-American, Stefanie’s perseverance through three collegiate seasons wrought with ACL injuries to enjoy a two-year professional basketball career in Europe is a testament to her faith and work ethic. Before being drafted into the WNBA, Briana earned All-American, PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year, and PAC-10 All-Academic honors with USC.
As with most elite athletes, their talents afforded them the opportunity to travel the world, living in countries like China, Germany, Poland, Belgium, and Portugal. However, despite all the perks of being a professional athlete, the sisters quickly found that eating healthy was sometimes a challenge for athletes and traveling could be quite isolating. They were often far away from home for long stretches of time and very much wanted to share their favorite recipes and ideas with family, friends, and teammates. After creating their food and wellness lifestyle blog, “The Food Connect,” its popularity grew, as did the requests for personalized meal plans.
Their shared interest in nutrition and body performance was delivered to them in a life-altering way. After their beloved father almost succumbed to a near fatal heart attack, they noticed the focus his medical caregivers placed on his diet. This would light the fire that would bring them to their greatest collaboration to date, Power Portions. “Food brought us together as a family, at the end of the day. It was a connector,” Briana mused. They combined forces to create a service that provides “hands-on nutritional expertise and chef-quality meal preparation at an affordable price.” Approaching their one-year anniversary, the sisters say this is only the beginning. Their goal is to use science and artistry to make healthy eating enjoyable and easy for those who seek variety in their daily meal preparation. Their service can help the busy Mom who needs to fuel her body for a fitness regimen or the business executive who is frequently in transit and needs guidance.
Although Power Portions serves more than professional athletes, it is an incredible resource for athletes with a fast-paced lifestyle. Oftentimes, athletes hire personal chefs to come in and cook for them, but those arrangements can be very expensive. Additionally, many personal chefs do not prepare their meals with the specific needs of a high-caliber athlete in mind. “We started cooking for professional athletes. We both have our degrees in human performance. So, we use body composition and body fat percentage, and we incorporate that into each individual meal preparation. Everyone’s meals are different and highly customized. They are based on what your body actually needs,” said Briana.
The sisters have been around coaches, trainers, and sports medicine their entire lives, and they understand, first-hand, how limited access to affordable food can be to athletes in college who may come from poorer areas. To address this issue, the Power Portions duo have created several charitable initiatives. According to Stefanie, “We are passionate about teaching others, especially young people in impoverished areas, about healthy dietary choices.” Currently, Stefanie is working to help end childhood obesity and to educate individuals about affordable meal options in impoverished neighborhoods.
Many professional athletes become so consumed with their sport, that their entire identity is wrapped in being an athlete. Once their career ends, they are often left wondering what their next endeavor will be. Although basketball was always a huge part of the Gilbreath sisters’ lives, they never wanted to be defined solely by their prowess on the court. “You have to find things you love to do other than your sport. You have to be open to figuring out what you love to do.” Stefanie advised. “I was plagued by injuries. My basketball career started with a torn ACL. I didn’t think I would ever play on the level that I did. That experience always gave me the freedom to think about life after basketball.” Having been plagued with injuries consistently throughout her career, she made a decision to leave basketball behind and focus on her own business aspirations.
The Gilbreath family had run a successful advertising business, Gilbreath Communications Inc, for almost 30 years. Stefanie spent her summers and off-seasons learning about business operations, accounting, and management from her parents, a business she still plays a major role. Ironically, Briana was winding down her professional career around the same time, before serving as an interim sports nutritionist at Southern Methodist University, working with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, and interning at EXOS. EXOS is an American company that focuses on proactive health and performance for elite athletes, the military, and businesses. Collectively, these experiences gave the sisters insight to follow their shared dream.
In 2014, Briana married her college love, Brice Butler, who is now a wide receiver for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Her personal experience as a professional athlete and as a wife of a professional athlete gives her a unique perspective when advising younger athletes about business and financial decisions. “Talk to people that are successful about how to handle your money. People you trust. You don’t have to do everything they say, but seek advice from those who have made good decisions with their money or businesses. Those people are all around, you just have to seek them out.” She suggests to start small and to start early. Opening a checking and savings account when you’re still in high school is great practice to a lifetime of financial responsibility. She warned, “Once you have lots of money coming your way, it is harder to know what to do and who to trust.”
The Gilbreath sisters are not only inspiring young women and men all over the country, they are also cultivating the lives of children and elite athletes. By combining science and fresh, flavorful food combinations, the Power Portions model can extend athletic careers, maximize performance, and improve life quality. Help us make Power Portions a household name. Keep up the great work, Ladies!
-By LaToya Baker & Tywanna Smith of The Athlete’s NeXus
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