Women Leaders Podcast

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast! I’m your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports. Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by a true trailblazer—Jill Ellis. Jill is the former President of the San Diego Wave and the legendary coach who led the U.S. Women’s National Team to back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles. And now, she’s breaking even more ground as FIFA’s first-ever Chief Football Officer! Jill’s leadership spans from guiding championship teams on the field to shaping global strategy at the highest levels in Zurich—bringing a strong blend of vision, grit, and impact on the world stage. What sets her apart? Her fearless curiosity and willingness to take bold risks! Keep listening for powerful insights from Jill —and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast! I’m your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports. Today, I’m excited to be joined by Kim Davis, Senior Executive Vice President at the NHL.  Throughout her journey across industries, Kim has brought with her a powerful toolkit of transferable leadership skills and a strategic mindset.   In addition, she has developed a framework—what she calls the 7 Dimensions of Excellence and Growth that help drive real, measurable impact everywhere she’s been.  Be sure to listen to hear what those are!  We also unpack how to build professional intimacy, how to harness data to drive change, and how reach and reputation create relevance—and ultimately—results. 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports. Today, I’m joined by Lynda Tealer, Senior Vice President of Championships at the NCAA. With nearly 29 years in collegiate athletics, Lynda has a wealth of experience making an impact in every room. We dive into the importance of working with the right people, practicing agility throughout your career, and the value of clear communication and setting expectations as a leader. Plus, Lynda reveals her thoughts on leading in today’s rapidly changing landscape of college athletics, and why it’s crucial to remain fit in mind, body, and soul as a leader. Keep listening for more takeaways from Lynda and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports. Today, I'm joined by Shauna Barnes and Kristin Frade, Elite Executive Coaches and Partners at Novus Global, Together, they’re passionate about helping leaders and organizations go BEYOND high performance to reach their full potential. Shauna and Kristin emphasize a powerful belief: though change can be uncomfortable, it is inevitable. The key to harnessing potential through change is to work on shifting our mindset: —change isn’t happening to us; it’s happening for us. We must embrace it, take ownership of it, and evolve as leaders in the midst of it. This will better position us to leverage the opportunities that lie on the other side of change. In this episode, we’ll explore tangible strategies for focusing not just on what we need to do as leaders, but who we need to become to catalyze the change we want to create.  Keep listening for more takeaways from Shauna and Kristin and remember

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports. Today I’m joined by Lara Krug, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Executive Vice President and Chief Media & Marketing Officer. Yes, THOSE Chiefs, on their way to the Super Bowl, in pursuit of a historic three-peat! Lara made history herself in 2021, as the Chief’s first-ever CMO. Her career spans from the beauty industry to beer to sports, giving her a unique perspective on leading one of the NFL's most iconic brands. In this episode, we dive into Lara’s approach of embracing opportunities with a “why not?” and “what if?” mindset, how she believes in taking risks, and her tips on being the only woman in the room in a male dominated space. Keep listening for more from Lara and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.  Today I am joined by Jessica Gelman, Co-Founder and CEO of Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR), a leading sports and entertainment analytics firm. Jessica is an influential leader and innovator who is driving the sports analytics movement. She co-founded the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and continues to create new avenues for women to succeed in data science careers.  She believes and its true – data is the great equalizer! Jessica explains that KAGR uses analytics to better understand fan behavior and leverage technology to drive more efficient business decisions. We unpack the importance of having a growth mindset, not being afraid to challenge the way things have always been done and how thinking like a point guard is a great tip for leaders. Keep listening for more from Jessica and be sure to check out the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference coming up March 7th in Boston!  

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast! I’m Dr. Angel Mason, Director of Athletics at Berry College. This episode, we take you back to the 2024 Women Leaders National Convention, where the Women of Color Virtual Circle Community comes to LIFE with the Women of Color Conversation. I had the privilege of sitting down with Nitra Rucker, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Talent at the USOPC, in front of a packed audience of Women Leaders. With over 20 years of experience in the DEI space, Nitra shared valuable insights on what diversity truly means and how to create a more inclusive workspace, in every room. Let’s jump right into this impactful Conversation.

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast! I’m your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.   We are taking you back to Baltimore and the Women Leaders in Sports National Convention, for our powerful “In Every Room” Keynote Panel with Allison Barber, former President and COO of the Indiana Fever, Jill Ellis, President of the San Diego Wave FC and former USWNT Coach and Gloria Nevarez, Commissioner of the Mountain West Conference AND your new Women Leaders in Sports Board President!  In this impactful discussion, these visionaries and game changers share their personal journeys and valuable insights on how to get in the room, how to have influence in the room, and how to STAY in the room. Keep listening for more perspectives from Allison, Jill, & Gloria...& remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast! I’m your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.  Today, I’m excited to be joined by our current Board of Directors President, Meg Stevens.  After 11 years as Vice President and Director of Athletics and Campus Operations at Averett University, Meg made a significant career shift, and began her new role as President of Arizona Athletic Grounds in July.  The timing of her transition, which happened shortly after our brand evolution—focusing on impacting women in the broader world of sports—was an unexpected, but  perfectly timed coincidence.   We dive into the details of her new position, explore imposter syndrome, and emphasize the importance of having the confidence to seize opportunities that challenge you—not just for yourself, but for the women who will be inspired to follow your lead.  Keep listening for more from Meg and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.  Today I am joined by Dr. Ivana Rich, Associate Vice President & Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Edwards Waters University. Dr. Rich made history as the first female athletic director in the school’s 155-year history...Let’s go!  We discuss career pivots, being the first and overcoming associated challenges, cultivating a growth mindset both on and off the field, and taking the necessary time and doing the work to prepare for your dream job. Keep listening for more inspiration from Ivana and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports. Today I am joined by Sherika Montgomery, Commissioner of the Big South Conference. Sherika’s path to the commissioner chair at the Big South started as a student athlete in that conference, and as her career progressed includes leadership at just about every level of the NCAA. We discuss the importance of being informed of industry changes and headlines, showing up prepared so you can show up with confidence, & how intentionally raising her hand for opportunities led her to the role she is in today. Keep listening for more inspiration from Sherika and remember, We are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.   Today I am joined by Dionna Widder, Chief Revenue Officer at the Nashville Predators. Dionna is an outstanding leader and has had a remarkable career in pro sports working in the NBA, NFL,MLS and now the NHL.    She has elevated quickly in all of her roles, but not without grit & determination.  We talk about how she used observation as a superpower, what makes us different is what makes us valuable, the importance of actually listening in sales, and that relationships are built with people that are relatable!  Imagine that.      Keep listening for more from Dionna and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports. Today I’m joined by Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee! With the Summer Olympics only two weeks away, Sarah explains how she is leading her team in preparation for Paris! We also talk about leading through crisis, the importance of athlete well-being, her focus on inclusivity, the effect team sports had on her developing as a leader, and how she continues to lift others around her. Keep listening for more incredible insights from Sarah, and LETS GO TEAM U-S-A.!!! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.   In this episode, I’m joined by good friend and partner of Women Leaders, Chrissy Dunlap. Chrissy is the Chief Revenue Officer at BirdieBox, a luxury gifting solution that focuses on the creation of extraordinary personalized experiences.  Chrissy’s journey to leadership is interesting, because she elevated through the world of sales, which is somewhat non-traditional for a woman.   But Chrissy dismantles the silent objectives that we all have around sales – and we ALL need to hear this. In fact, Chrissy says that the foundation of sales is the  ‘psychology of connecting with people’ and she even outlines 3 steps to take to do that at a high level.  There is so much here!  Keep listening for more from Chrissy, and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.  Today we connect with Jovan Overshown, the Deputy Athletic Director & Chief Revenue Officer at Baylor University - where Jovan is doing it ALL! We talk about her evolution into fundraising, development, and multi media rights in addition to being the primary sport supervisor for football, and she shares some GREAT advice for pivoting into new roles. Keep listening for more insights from Jovan, and remember, We Are Women Leaders!  

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.  We’ve got a special one for you today as I talk with Beth Goetz, the Director of Athletics at the University of Iowa.  She joins us coming off the SPECTACULAR run the Iowa Women’s Basketball program had this year…making it all the way to the NCAA championship game for the 2nd year in a row.  We ask Beth for her perspective on “The Caitlin Clark Effect”, what it was like being the A-D during this historic season, and the current state of women’s sports. Keep listening for more from Beth, and remember, We Are Women Leaders! 

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast... I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.   Today we are joined by the author of THREE Wall Street Journal best-sellers and workplace strategist, Erica Keswin! Erica was a big hit as a LeaderShop speaker at our last convention and we are thrilled to have her on the podcast!   Erica's most recent book - The Retention Revolution: 7 Surprising (and Very Human!) Ways to Keep Employees Connected to Your Company – offers practical strategies for updating culture while attracting and retaining the best people... Erica provides us with really great tactical and actionable insights, so keep on listening, buy the book! and remember, We Are Women Leaders. 

Today, we take you back to our Big 12 Reception in Kansas City, taking place during the Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, where I had a chance to sit down with Commissioner Brett Yormark for a fireside chat!   Keep listening for more from the Big 12 Commissioner, and remember, We Are Women Leaders.

Welcome to the Women Leaders Podcast. Today is a very special episode as I'm joined by Sheri Fella, the founder and CEO of Bloombase, an executive development firm that focuses on increasing the high-performance impact of executives and teams.    Sheri here today to talk more about her career journey, leadership and working with executive coaches. Listen in and remember, We are Women Leaders.

Hello and welcome to the Women Leaders in Sports Podcast...I am your host, Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports.   Today we have a VERY special guest – Angie Long, Co-owner of the NWSL Kansas City Current.  Angie and her husband Chris are not just making an impact on the NWSL and Kansas City, they are creating a legacy for women’s sports.   We discuss how it all began, including bringing the team to KC, the hiring of staff, building the FIRST-of-its-kind training facility, and of course, the new best-in-class, first female sport specific stadium  in the world - CPKC Stadium...with the home opener just 2 weeks away!    The women leaders staff and Board of Directors got a sneak peak of the stadium a few weeks ago - we were blown away!     Angie also shares insights on leadership and the journey to leadership; how to make big dreams a reality, and how she balances two full-time jobs and 4 active kids. WOW.     Listen in, and remember, We Are Women Leaders.