I am a lifelong competitor, in sport and business. I work hard and love to win. But here's the thing... being competitive doesn't mean pushing others out of the way. Others in the arena elevate your performance and push you to be better. So invite someone in when you see potential in them. I also learned long ago that teams achieve more. Even in my seemingly individual pursuits, there was a team of mentors, support, and peers who were part of the equation. This is why I am so passionate about elevating other women in the sports industry, especially in leadership. Women are 50% of the population and when we have diverse leadership, business does better. There is room at the top of the mountain for more than one of us. And the view from the top is worth sharing. This clip is from one of my proudest achievements in 2024. Helping organize a panel of female leaders in the outdoor industry called "Bringing Outside Women In". Hosted at the inaugural Outside Festival with Melanie (Mel) Strong Jess Kimura Sophie Bambuck Susan V. and Juliet Starrett. How will you invite and elevate women in leadership so everyone wins? Outside For Business Outside #liftwhileyouclimb #womensupportwomen
As a father of 2 daughters, this was also one of the more real panels that did not overcompensate on the inspiring narratives available and kept things grounded.
"We can still achieve our goals while bringing others up with us." Yes! And I love the part about how we often see in others what they can't see in themselves. Well said all around.
Thank you again for continuing to bring awareness and connecting women in the outdoor/sports industry. I was at the event and this sparked me to continue work towards creating environments and workshops where women in our industry can up level our leadership skills and have a community to connect in. I have been a independent sales rep for over 20 years and had to figure out the job mostly on my own with very few female mentors. My belief is to share our knowledge and we will all uplevel all. Thank you again for that spark and courage to just go out and share.
Melanie (Mel) Strong and Sophie, I still want to intro you to Stephanie Wiguna at some point.
YES!!! Thank you for leading the way in this!
Love this!
Yes 🙌🏼. The expression “it’s lonely at the top” is the essence of ego in competition. I was so obsessed with inviting more women to the game that I innovated the Bloomers to disrupt the Spandex kit “requirement” to ride a bike. The impact was so slow at first that I used my “Free time” to start the first elite mtb girls team to seed the field with supportive comradery. Love to watch the impact ripple and spark new levels in both directions 💫