The game may build the name, but Chelsea S. Phillips is focused on building what remains after the crowd stops watching. As a publicist and communications strategist, Phillips works with athletes at the point where performance, identity, and opportunity intersect. Her role goes far beyond securing headlines. She helps clients define who they are outside competition and turn that identity into something with staying power.
In this conversation with Be’n Original, Phillips talks about trust, NIL, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, public scrutiny, and the responsibility that comes with helping athletes prepare for life beyond sports. It is the philosophy behind “Beyond the Jersey”: athletic success may open the door, but it should never be the only thing standing on the other side.
You often work with athletes who are already known for what they do in competition. How do you figure out which parts of their identity are worth developing publicly beyond sports?
It starts with getting to know the person, not just the athlete. I want to know what matters to them, what they cared about before becoming a professional, and what kind of impact they want to have. I don’t believe in creating something just because it looks good publicly. There has to be a real connection to who that person is.
That’s where “Beyond the Jersey” comes from. Athletes are more than what they do on the field or court. They have families, businesses, causes, and communities that matter to them. My job is to help people see those layers.
What is the difference between building an authentic personal brand for an athlete and simply creating a polished public image?
A polished image can be created quickly. An authentic brand takes time because it has to be based on something real. I’m always asking whether what we’re putting out publicly matches the person I know privately. If we’re constantly trying to make somebody look like something they’re not, people will eventually see through that.
Branding isn’t about making somebody appear perfect. It’s about helping people understand who they are and making sure their partnerships, community work, and opportunities align with that.
You’ve maintained long-term relationships with some clients. What makes an athlete-publicist relationship strong enough to last for years?
Trust. I’ve always said relationships are important in this business. Some of the relationships that have helped me professionally started long before there was ever a business opportunity attached. Jonathan Jones is a great example. We became friends at Auburn, and years later, when he was ready to build something outside football, he reached out to me. He knew that he could trust me to always act in his best interest before the fame and success.
A client has to know that I’m going to tell them what I believe is best for them, even when it isn’t what they want to hear. When both sides respect that, the relationship can become much bigger than a contract. My clients know that my advice comes from a genuine place with real understanding.
How do you handle the tension between what may generate media attention and what is actually in a client’s long-term best interest?
Everything that gets attention isn’t necessarily good attention, and every opportunity isn’t the right opportunity. I’m always thinking beyond the immediate headline. What does this interview, partnership, or moment associate the athlete with, and will it still make sense years from now? You can’t be successful if you say yes to things that conflict with your goals and plans. Sometimes saying no is part of the job.
We want visibility, but visibility without strategy can become a problem. I’m more interested in building credibility and long-term brand equity than chasing attention for the sake of attention.
Philanthropy appears frequently in your work. How do you make sure an athlete’s community involvement feels substantive rather than like a branding exercise?
It has to start with the athlete genuinely caring about the issue. I don’t believe you begin by asking what kind of charity event would look good. You ask who they care about helping and why. With Trey Flowers, for example, the work through Flowers of the Future has continued for years. That kind of consistency shows the work isn’t about creating a moment.
The publicity should amplify the work. The work shouldn’t exist just to create publicity.
What did working inside college athletics teach you about media and storytelling that still influences the way you advise professional athletes today?
Working at Auburn Athletics taught me how much happens behind the scenes before the public ever sees the finished product. I was exposed to media relations, recruiting, digital storytelling, and the way athletic departments communicate with different audiences. Helping start Auburn Football’s Instagram also showed me early that sports storytelling was becoming bigger than traditional media relations.
The game gets people’s attention, but stories make people connect. Statistics can tell you someone is a great athlete. My job is helping people understand who that person is beyond the numbers.
As college athletes gain larger platforms through NIL, what branding mistakes are you seeing young athletes make before they reach the professional level?
One of the biggest mistakes is thinking that having followers automatically means you have a brand. Followers are an audience. A brand is what that audience understands about you. NIL gives athletes opportunities earlier, but it also means decisions made at 18, 19, or 20 can follow them into their professional careers. Every check isn’t necessarily helping you build something.
Young athletes need to think about consistency, partnerships, how they present themselves, and the relationships they’re building. Those relationships can open doors long after an NIL campaign ends.
You’ve built your own business while also working within larger sports organizations. How has your definition of entrepreneurship changed since you first became an independent publicist?
When I first started, entrepreneurship represented independence to me. I have always been an independent publicist. I grew up around entrepreneurship, so owning something was never a foreign concept. I wanted the ability to create the career and life I envisioned.
Over time, I learned that independence doesn’t mean doing everything alone. Collaboration, mentors, relationships, systems, and partnerships all matter. Entrepreneurship now means being able to create value in different spaces while staying focused on what I’m building for myself.
The concept of “Beyond the Jersey” implies that an athlete’s career is just one aspect of their identity; what do you envision an athlete having established by the time they take off their jersey?
Options. Every athlete is going to play their last game one day. I want the people I work with to reach that point knowing that their identity, influence, and opportunities don’t disappear with the uniform. Maybe they’ve built a business, foundation, media career, investment portfolio, or something completely different.
What matters is that they know who they are without the sport. That’s the idea behind “Beyond the Jersey.” The platform sports creates can become the beginning of something, not the end.
What do you hope people will recognize about your impact years from now that may not be evident from media placements, events, or your client list?
I hope they see the relationships. Media placements, events, and client lists matter, but some of the things I’m most proud of don’t necessarily show up on a résumé. I’ve mentored students, built client relationships that have lasted for years, and helped athletes turn ideas into things that can impact other people.
I hope part of my legacy is that I poured into people the same way others poured into me. If somebody can say Chelsea helped me see something in myself beyond what everybody else saw, that would mean a lot.
You have worked with clients who have encountered significant unfair public scrutiny. As a publicist, how do you determine when to respond to such negativity and when it’s more strategic to refrain from amplifying it?
The first thing is understanding that every comment does not deserve a response. Clients with a high level of visibility—some people genuinely want a conversation, while others are looking for attention or a reaction. If you respond to everything, you allow other people to control the conversation around your brand. The question is, does responding accomplish something?
If something is false and could damage their reputation, that’s different. If there’s a larger issue being discussed, there may be a reason to address it. But responding doesn’t always mean arguing online. Sometimes it’s a statement, sometimes an interview, and sometimes you don’t give something any more oxygen.
The goal isn’t to win every argument. It’s to protect the person, protect the brand, correct what needs correcting, and keep moving toward the bigger picture.
Be’n Original
