Forging Elite FinanceKari Pearce on Reinvention, Responsibility, and Financial Fitness
After retiring in 2021, seven-time CrossFit Games veteran Kari Pearce’s life these days is a whole new kind of endurance challenge: motherhood, entrepreneurship, and navigating life after elite competition.
In June, Pearce and her husband Mitch McClune welcomed their first child into the world.
“I’ve never sat this much in my life,” Pearce said laughing, referencing her baby’s breastfeeding demands.
Ultimately, though, Pearce said she is loving motherhood and feels fortunate that she can be a stay-at-home mother right now (and, of course, she still makes time to squeeze in some workouts in her garage gym).
From Athlete to Responsible Adult
Pearce admits retiring from CrossFit was an incredible challenge for her, largely because the former NCAA gymnast had been an athlete her entire life. It’s all she knew, and suddenly she didn’t know who she was, she explained.
“The identity thing was very tough,” Pearce admitted. “Everything thought of me as an athlete and I can do x, y and z.
That’s what everyone knew me for and then I stopped, so it was like, ‘Who am I now?’"
It was a tough time, but Pearce worked through it and soon learned to embrace post-competitive life, which included creating programs and becoming the face of a company called Power Abs, and buying her first home in Las Vegas in 2023 with her husband.
Most recently, earlier this year, Pearce started her own company with a business partner—KP Living—a company that offers fitness and nutrition programs all the while focusing on hormonal health, mindset and lifestyle.
- “We focus on women’s health as a whole, so not just fitness and nutrition, all women’s health,” Pearce said.
KP Living has now become Pearce’s full-time gig, although she is intentionally taking a step back right now to prioritize her new role as a mother.
It’s a luxury she is able to do because she has always been responsible with her finances, even when she was an athlete who relied on sponsorships and unpredictable prize money.
It’s an approach she urges current elite CrossFit athletes to pay attention to, as well.
Pearce’s Financial Advice to Elite Athletes
When you’re in your 20s, or even early 30s, and your focus is 100 percent on being the best you can at your sport, sometimes finances, let alone planning for the future, just doesn’t seem that important.
But it is, Pearce explained.
This is why she is so grateful that her former coach, Justin Cotler, introduced her to financial advisor Ben Beck, a long-time CrossFit enthusiast and owner of the financial firm Beck Bode.
- “I was making more money than I was spending…but it was just sitting in my checking account,” Pearce remembers, adding that she knew she needed to take her finances more seriously.
Beck took Pearce under his wing and helped her understand the power of investing, and how her money can make more money.
And when Pearce and her husband decided to buy their home in 2023, Beck made the process a lot easier for them, Pearce said.
- “When we were looking to buy, I called him and was like, ‘Can we afford this? If we put this much money down, what can we expect? How much should we put down?’ He was very very helpful in that process,” she said.
More recently, Beck has been instrumental in helping Pearce prepare for motherhood financially—which included helping the couple start an investment account for their newborn baby—and ultimately in helping them plan for the long-term future into retirement.
- “He is always there to answer questions, any questions that I have, or provide me reassurance… Obviously he doesn’t have a crystal ball, but he’s always 100 percent up front with me,” Pearce said.
Two Quick Tips for CrossFit Athletes
1. Earn It, Enjoy It, But Be Smart
Pearce admits when you’re an athlete and all of a sudden you start making real money—or you manage to win a competition and take home a big pay check—this is the perfect time to put money aside rather than spending it all.
- “If you want to buy something that you worked hard for, do it. Treat yourself, but also be smart with it,” she said.
Pearce added: “Make sure that you invest and don’t spend all of that money you just earned on a car.”
2. Don’t DIY
Pearce’s second tip for CrossFit athletes is to “find a financial advisor you trust,” as trying to navigate a world you don’t understand can be daunting at the best of times, let alone when you’re using all your energy training six hours a day.
- “The return is significantly more than if I tried to do anything myself,” Pearce said. “Find a professional you trust with your money and be honest with them about your goals. You’re not trying to impress them. Just be up front about what you want.”
She added: “It’s never too soon to invest.”
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