Success Advice
It’s Imperative That Women Take the Field And Find Success

As a former Division I softball player, captain of multiple USA Women’s Rugby Teams, and an elite Aquabike athlete for Team USA, I’ve experienced more bumps, bruises, and concussions than I can remember. But that doesn’t compare to the challenges I encountered while bringing to life my vision: a revolutionary toy that celebrates girls’ and young women’s athletic identities.
In retrospect, it’s been one of my most rewarding journeys, but it didn’t come without significant hurdles. I could easily write a book about the experience, which has ultimately been one of my most rewarding journeys. But instead, I’m going to focus on the three insights I gained in the process that might help other women carve out their own entrepreneurial paths:
1. Start with the ‘why’ and let it guide you.
Growing up as an athlete, I never understood why every sports-related figurine, magazine, and poster I saw featured only men. The “why” behind developing my company, SPORT BIGS, started with creating the toy that I always wanted but never had — because it didn’t exist.
What the toy represents further establishes my purpose. As an athlete, I’ve encountered inequity my whole life. In high school, my basketball team had to change in the sprinkler room while the boys’ team got the real locker room. We also played in the “bad” gym while the boys enjoyed the new facilities. These conditions still exist at the grassroots level: In 2019, coverage of women’s sports on televised news and highlight shows accounted for only 5.4% of all airtime, and women teams and athletes have historically received less than 1% of sponsorship dollars.
You’ll always learn new things along the way, but it’s important to develop your “why” when you begin your entrepreneurial journey. Dig in to find it, and let it motivate you and inspire resilience through your entrepreneurial journey.
“Whatever it is that you think you want to do, and whatever it is that you think stands between you and that, stop making excuses. You can do anything.” – Katia Beauchamp
2. Don’t take your ball and go home.
I thought my sports background prepared me for the difficulties of running a business. Challenges on the field are expected. You’ve seen them before. You know how to deal with them. And you know when the game ends. But entrepreneurship is a whole new ball game.
Challenges in entrepreneurship can often feel overwhelming and never-ending, and winning can sometimes seem impossible. When a purpose-backed vision fuels you, it’s easy to set your sights on the end game of your idea and overlook all the details you’ll have to cover to get there. Along the way, those details can come out of nowhere and try to knock you off your feet. Get back up, stay in the fight, and keep your eyes straight ahead of you.
When I decided to make my idea a reality, I didn’t consider how complex the differences between stuffed toys and figurines were. I didn’t think about how the toy’s size would impact its shelf liability, or how to source materials and coordinate with suppliers. Figuring out the details with each new step was challenging, but I kept thinking back to my athletic training that baked perseverance into my DNA. When you come face-to-face with a new hurdle, remember the other places in your life where you’ve shown resilience. Bring that spirit to the entrepreneurship table and fight for your success.
3. Add new players to your team.
A huge part of my journey was learning to temper my instinct to “put the team on my back.” When I look back at times I hit a wall, I realize I never broke through by myself. When I struggled to build out the concept in the beginning, for example, my brother connected me with his wife’s best friend’s cousin, who happened to be in the business of incubating toy ideas. And I joined a mentorship program with the Women in Toys group, which connected me to a toy expert named Irene. She was retired in Hong Kong but decided to bet on my success and come out of retirement just to help me.
Author Dan Sullivan wrote a whole book about how better teamwork can lead to achieving bigger goals. In “Why Not How,” he writes, “If you are like most people, the first thing you do when you imagine a bigger future is ask yourself: ‘How do I achieve this goal?’ A much better question is ‘Who can help me achieve this goal?’”
Knowing who can help you is more effective than walking a lonelier path. When you get stuck, don’t try to figure out yet another way to put your team on your back. Think of who you can add to your team instead. Building out an effective team that believes in your vision and has the skills to bring it to fruition is often the key to success.
I was driven to put a new toy into the world because I wanted to open new doors for young women and girls. Now, I’m driven to share the journey of its creation to help women entrepreneurs who, frankly, are still forced to play behind the scenes.
Success Advice
Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)
The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)
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What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)
Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)
Entrepreneurs
The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025
Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
Entrepreneurs
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