Julia Benville, 29, is teaching single women how to land professional athletes through bold social media moves.
The Manhattan MD-PhD candidate, engaged to 7-foot Greek league basketball player Josh Sharma, 30, has built a following of more than 71,000 online by sharing the exact strategy that worked for her. She slid into Sharma’s Instagram DMs in September 2020 with a flirty message she has declined to detail, sparking a transatlantic romance that led to an engagement this past summer.
“Just figure out leagues, look up names and team roster pictures, follow [a player] on social media, send him a message and go from there,” Benville encouraged to The Post. “Don’t wait around hoping the world is going to magically give you the man of your dreams. Go after him.”
The aspiring doctor recently packaged that advice into a tutorial titled “How to Become a WAG,” earning praise from followers who hailed her as a “queen.” Her approach reflects a broader trend in which women frustrated with modern dating have begun treating relationships with pro athletes as a coveted status symbol promising romance, financial security and luxury access.
“You can meet any athlete on Instagram,” said the MD-PhD candidate. “You gotta be bold. I’m just that type of girl. I’m brave and really straightforward. I saw him, wanted him, went for it and got him. Josh always says my bold approach was really attractive.”
Their courtship unfolded across continents through exchanged numbers, endless texts and WhatsApp video calls before Benville proposed a holiday getaway for their first date. The pair finally met at a Charleston, South Carolina, airport in 2020. Sharma now keeps her wishlist stocked with Chanel necklaces, Chloe bags and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Relationship coach Paige Osorio, who has spent over a decade helping everyday women attract high-income men, defended the financial focus of such pursuits. “Having financial standards in dating does not make a woman a gold digger,” she insisted. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting financial stability in a relationship.”
Osorio, who landed her own affluent dentist husband through Instagram DMs, offered practical guidance for those seeking wealthy partners. “You don’t need a special pickup line for a wealthy man. Coming with some cheesy, disingenuous approach is usually a turnoff,” she said. For in-person meetings, she suggested charity galas, college alumni events, upscale hotel bars, airport lounges and private soirées.
Calli Joy Novak, 29, a brand marketing specialist in lower Manhattan, followed a nearly identical path to engagement. She met her fiancé Joshua O’Garro, 25, a guard for the London Lions, via Instagram DMs. “We have so much in common, from our faith to our family values and love of sports,” Novak told The Post. “We’re both super driven for success, and we’re both earning a living. I have a great job in corporate America, I make my own money.”
Novak, whose father is a former Jacksonville Jaguars footballer, added that her dad taught her to “always consider myself the prize in relationships, no matter how much money or celebrity a man brings to the table.”
That confidence has drawn harsh online backlash. Novak recently faced a torrent of vitriol after posting a video in which she cheekily declared herself an “upgrade” from O’Garro’s past flings and joked about being with him for his income. Detractors branded her a money-grubber and cursed their upcoming marriage to fail.
“The term ‘gold digger’ doesn’t resonate with me, and I hope to help change that narrative,” Novak fired back. “Our relationship is based on love, not money.”
Benville similarly rejected the stereotype, noting that her circle of WAG friends includes women in science, sports management, nursing, journalism and entrepreneurship. She even plans to become her family’s sole breadwinner once Sharma retires, allowing him to pursue his dream of being a stay-at-home husband focused on cooking, cleaning and caring for their future children.
“My fiancé has been blessed financially, and he’s very generous with me,” Benville gushed, while insisting that neither she nor her friends are with athletes primarily for money or prestige.
The aspiring doctor’s engagement ring — a “large and in charge” elongated oval rock from famed private jeweler Calista West — materialized this past summer. The couple plan to wed in summer 2028.
Osorio cautioned that financial success alone cannot sustain a partnership. “Money doesn’t automatically make a man a good husband,” she warned. “Finances are important. But being morally, emotionally and spiritually aligned are essential, too.”
Novak echoed that sentiment, pushing back against the notion that WAGs sacrifice personal ambition. “Women with athletes are still able to live in their purposes, start businesses and families, and follow their own dreams,” she asserted. “Being a WAG is great, but there is more to this life than just marrying rich.”
Other aspiring WAGs have developed alternative strategies, from scouting NCAA Division 1 training facilities to targeting collegiate athletes before the pro draft, to frequenting exclusive Manhattan venues including Zero Bond, Casa Cipriani, Royal 35 Steakhouse, Pergola and Catch.
Benville’s tutorial arrived as the 2026-2027 NBA season tipped off last week, with the New York Knicks falling 106-100 to the Philadelphia 76ers in their opener. The Knicks and 76ers face each other again this Friday.