National Women in Sports Day, a Conference Hall, and a New Idea I Can't Shake

Every once in a while, an idea doesn't arrive loudly.
It shows up quietly — in the in-between moments — and just sticks.

This week, I attended a COSMA Sport Management conference in Florida — and it has been one of the best professional development experiences of my career. You should see the list of awesome stuff I have to take back.

But this is what happens when you have four hours at the airport with a cancelled flight — and my brain could not stop during the downtime. Spring season is right around the corner. And as we celebrate National Women in Sports Day, I find myself reflecting on the girls who have taught me more than any textbook ever could.

I've spent years focused on leadership through sport — as a coach, as an educator, and as someone who believes deeply in the power of teams. I've trained coaches. I've redesigned programs. I've talked endlessly about culture, mindset, and development.

But recently, something shifted.

We offer professional development for teachers. For coaches. For administrators. For executives. We invest in adults learning how to lead, communicate, and navigate hard moments.

So why aren't we offering it to our youth?

What if leadership development doesn't start with adults at all?
What if it starts with girls — right in that 5th–8th grade window — when confidence is fragile, team dynamics get complicated, and voices often get quieter instead of stronger?

What if we gave them tools before the hard moments happen?

That question has been following me into this conference, into planning for the spring season, and into conversations with people I trust. And it's led me to begin building something new under an umbrella that already feels like home: Leadership Through Sport.

The first idea is simple — intentionally so.

Team First.

An experience designed to help girls understand their role on a team, reflect on who they are as teammates, practice empathy for others (coaches, teammates, umpires, parents — all human), and think about the kind of player — and person — they want to be.

In honor of National Women in Sports Day, I'm calling this first signature experience Girls Can Do Anything.

It's not a lecture.
It's not about being perfect.
It's not about positions or playing time.

It's about reflection, scenarios, choice points, and learning to lead — sometimes quietly, sometimes bravely — in moments that actually matter.

This spring, I'm planning to gift this experience to the girls of the Upper Arlington Softball Association as a pilot. Not because it's finished — but because it's not. Their voices, feedback, and honesty will help shape what this becomes.

And maybe that's the part that excites me the most.

Leadership Through Sport has always been about people. About meeting girls and students where they are. About believing they can do more — even before they believe it themselves.

I don't have all the answers yet. But I do know this:
The girls are ready.
The season is coming.
And sometimes the best ideas begin by simply listening.

More to come.