Intercollegiate athletics is an incredibly dynamic and complex industry that has evolved significantly over the past few years. It lives at the intersection of education, sport, business, and development. At these intersections, several scholars have advocated and written about equity, access, and opportunity in college sport (Carter-Francique et al., 2017; Cooper et al., 2020; Dancy et al., 2018; Hawkins, 2010; Hawkins et al., 2017; Hextrum, 2021; Keaton & Cooper, 2022; Lapchick, 2023c; Simien et al., 2019; Staurowsky et al., 2022). Through these writings, scholars and practitioners can develop a more nuanced understanding of the industry and its potential. However, a gap remains in linking the literature on intercollegiate athletics, the development of educators, and their collective understandings of themselves, identity, critical issues in college sport, and how that operates within the greater system of college athletics at the highest level. The current literature and context of the NCAA was used to inform the goals of this phenomenological research to understand college athletics from the perspectives of current professionals and develop an understanding of the ways critical consciousness impacts how they view themselves, their careers, and their impact. The study included nine student-athlete development professionals who shared experiences in how they move through the different stages of critical consciousness, the self-authoring process, and motivations in their work. Collectively, they shared an understanding of the complex duality of the industry -- it's triumphs, challenges, and pitfalls -- as well as both uncertainty and hope for the future. Through these findings, leaders can continue to implement more comprehensive support for staff that addresses these very contradictions to develop more conscious practitioners. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]