Marci LaRouech’s Post

Celebrating all month long for #WomensHerstoryMonth and today we share insights from one of Team RISE’s very own, Lola Tsai Small, who will always tell you that she never intended to work in the world of sports! So now that she is here, what are her top tips for other women aspiring to be, or growing within, the sports business industry, and what impact does she hope to make by being here. Hear it from her own words: ….. Growing up as a girl in Asia, having the opportunity to learn and participate in sports is nearly non-existent. My sisters and I were very lucky that my parents learned tennis as we moved to North America and that became our family sport. I played on my high school team, which was one of the best experiences of my life, but sadly my John McEnroe temper cut my tennis career short! Now married to a sports fanatic with 25+ years in the sports business and having an incredibly athletic son, I get to channel my love and passion for sports at this phase of my life through building with my husband Shawn Small + Team RISE. It is a gift and privilege to combine passion with business and I would love to see more women, especially women of color, as thriving leaders in this space. Here are four favourite tips: 1️⃣ YOUR UNIQUE TALENTS + PASSIONS ARE YOUR SECRET WEAPONS: Regardless of what industry you started from or what you aspire to do or be - your personal strengths and the things that excite you are your superpowers. Lean into them and let them guide you to your success and impact. 2️⃣ SHARE YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE: Resist the pressure to be conventional and focus on listening within to what you know to be true and share THAT voice. Only you can create content from your point of view - that’s your gift to the world. 3️⃣ CREATE, CREATE, CREATE: Whether you are in a role at an organization or you have your own business as an entrepreneur, harness the infinite power of your creativity. Our ability to create is our path to abundance. 4️⃣ GROWTH MINDSET, ALWAYS: It doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro - keep a growth mindset always and focus on expansion, collaboration, and RISING TOGETHER. There is more than enough for everyone to succeed. ….. Share this with someone who may need it and give a shout out to a woman in sports by tagging them below 👇🏽 #WomenInSports #WomenLeaders #FeminineLeadership #WomensEmpowerment #WomensHistoryMonth Suzanne Duncan Justin Senior Raffy Fermin Haspreet Singh Hooda

Redefining the game! Shout out to Cheryl Lala for creating an extraordinary training program — Parity Narratives! This is a golden opportunity for pro women athletes who want to enter into the realm of public speaking: a unique solution tailored exclusively for them. Parity Narratives is an online learning module designed to help our athletes gain a deeper understanding of how we at Parity facilitate speaking opportunities for women athletes, connecting them with brands, providing training, and emphasizing the importance of impactful and professional presentations. TLDR: Goodbye gatekeeping, hello more athlete resources!! 🎉

📚 NEW BOOK RELEASE 📚 Fedd Agency Author Riley Gaines' book “Swimming Against the Current: Fighting for Common Sense in a World That’s Lost its Mind" is out now! 🎉🙌 What’s the story? America’s most sought-after voice in the fight to save female sports shares her unbelievable story and inspires readers to embrace common sense and truth in discussions about women's rights. Riley Gaines has been called many things: Collegiate athlete. All-American. Champion. But in 2022, everything changed. The narrative shifted. Now, critics smeared her as: Transphobic. Narrow-minded. Evil. What changed? Riley gave the truth a voice. She stood up, spoke out, and dared to ask questions -- not just for herself, but for all female athletes who refuse to accept an ideology where "inclusivity" for trans-identifying male athletes now means treating women unfairly. Riley Gaines is changing minds in the process, and this highly anticipated, fearless, pro-woman book takes on controversial but critical questions we must confront about women (and sports) in America. Can't we embrace policies that give everyone the chance to compete but still protect women and ensure they have a fair shot at success? In this book, Riley scrutinizes the perspectives of athletes on the opposing side of this debate, deconstructing their arguments with science, facts, and logic. She also asks what has happened to free speech and dissent in this country, where it now seems nearly impossible to have a well-reasoned debate. And in telling her story, Riley reveals what’s at stake if the truth-seekers remain silent about the injustices women face from radical agendas.   Where to buy it? ➡️ Amazon amzn.to/3yBoLfL #TheFeddAgency #FeddBooks 

Today is National Coaches Day, so this post is to honor all you busy, working parents who take the time to invest in our kids through sports. Trust me, your investment will pay off. Deloitte recently released a report titled “Impact of Sports on Women’s Professional Success." It revealed that women who played competitive sports in their youth are more likely to be in leadership or management roles. I'm honored and grateful to have helped launch many girls down this path as their basketball coach, and can't wait to see what their futures hold. Check out Deloitte's survey results! - Eighty-five percent of surveyed women who played sports say the skills they developed playing sports were important to success in their professional careers — the findings are even higher among women in leadership roles (91%) and women who make $100,000 or more (93%). - Of female respondents who make $100K+ annually and are in management or leadership roles, 69% have played competitive sports. - Regardless of personal experience playing sports, 61% of respondents agree that girls who play sports are likely to have successful careers. - Three-fourths of women surveyed who played competitive sports (75%) agree that girls who play competitive sports are more likely to be successful in their careers. - According to respondents who have played competitive sports, the top skills gained from competitive sports include teamwork (69%) and leadership (41%). Other skills include managing stress and pressure (36%), problem solving (35%), and effective communication (34%). https://lnkd.in/gHw9nkMT

Do you think it's good to have a community to celebrate our wins? 💫✨ Our recent STELLAR retreat left us feeling energized and inspired, as one of our amazing participants shared: "One of the things that energizes me is feeding off other successful women. We need partnership to celebrate our wins." 🙌👩🔬 As a Division 1 athlete who's had countless coaches throughout her life, this is what this participant says she loved most about working with Vanessa: "What I like about Vanessa is that she has a very gentle way of telling you what you need to hear, not only what you want to hear." 🗣️🧠 She highlighted the importance of continuous improvement: "If you're not thinking about how you can be better, that is a big risk to your business. It's imperative to have coaches in your world to help identify what is going on in your business. Her team is tried and true and has success doing it - it's a no-brainer." 📈 We believe in the power of partnership and the guidance of dedicated coaches. Your success is our passion. Share your own thoughts or experiences with coaching in the comments below! Let's celebrate the journey to excellence together. 🌟💬

5th Annual Women's Empowerment Symposium (October 10th - 12th) There is still time to register for this terrific virtual and FREE event for students (women and men). Primary themes for each day will be Sportsmanship, Leadership and Citizenship. Samples of session topics are: = Women Leading the Way in Sports = Women Entrepreneurs = Financial Literacy = Women in Sports Innovation There will also be featured speakers for each of the 3 days. Check out the event description below and get a preview of the outstanding speaker lineup at https://lnkd.in/ghBS7hZF. ============================================ "Don't miss out on amazing speakers, discussion and networking opportunities through our customized digital platform for just two hours a day over three days. Topical panel speakers and networking opportunities showcase women's leadership, confidence, character, and more. The symposium provides high school, college and post graduate student attendees the opportunity to listen to female leaders from various industries. While women are our main target demographic, we also think it’s important for men to learn how to help with this movement and are invited to join. Young leaders of the future will benefit from the Rose Bowl Institute’s approach to learning from sport’s values and experiences."

WIN BOOK CLUB Good for a Girl: Running in a Man's World by Lauren Fleshman Please join the WIN Book Club on September 20, 2023 at 5:00 - 6:15 PM PST to discuss Lauren Fleshman's part memoir, part manifesto Good for a Girl: Running in a Man's World. In an age of social progress women's sports are still seen as an afterthought and women athletes face the same sexist barriers found in all career fields, according to M. MacKenzie. We will examine how sports shape culture and how women athletes are fighting back, changing the way we talk about social justice issues, debunking myths that women aren't as skilled, competitive, or capable. Fleishman, one of the most decorated collegiate athletes and a national champion as a pro, left her running career with Nike in order to shake up the industry and coach elite young female runners. Combining personal narrative with emerging research on the physiology and psychology of young athletes of any gender, her book can serve as a guide to two worlds: elite athletics but also the unjust system that gifts men with riches and fame but crushes the hopes and bodies of women, according to P. Sagal. Bring your own experiences, thoughts, and stories about women, sports, and feminism! We look forward to a lively discussion. SIGN UP VIA Stanford Alumni Association (SAA).

When I reflect on my career as an athlete, of course I think about the championships, the records, and the medals. But even greater, those big moments remind me of what it took to actually earn them. 16 years of running track & field didn’t just transform my body - I learned how to strategize and how to be intentional about my success. I learned the importance of a race plan (and better yet, how to follow one). I gained a new respect for multitasking and organization as I maintained an elite athlete regimen while also growing in leadership at my 9 to 5. I became an expert at overcoming adversity and using my losses to guide my wins. These are not just byproducts of a professional athletic career, but intentional skills that I’ve been honing since I was a kid and the exact skills that I’ve been tapping into to address current inequities for women in sports. In collaboration with a diverse team of elite athletes and industry professionals at PARITY | A Group 1001 Company, we are challenging the status quo to envision a more equitable landscape for women athletes where they receive the recognition that they so deserve. It’s no secret that conversation surrounding women’s sports has been at an all time high as of recent and I love it! But another side of me knows the reality for myself and so many peers that, unfortunately, athletic prowess alone is not enough to pay the bills for many professional women athletes. Creating lasting impact will require strategy and intentionality, so I’d love to hear thoughts from this community: How do you envision this wave of energy surrounding women’s sports can lead to more sustained and widespread monetary recognition for women athletes across the board? #TeamParity #paywomenathletes #sponsored

#LinkedInSports 30 Day Challenge; Day 11, Discuss developments in women's sports, what trends are emerging? As an advocate for the growth and facilitation of women's sports, especially at the collegiate and professional level one thing that has struck me is the differences in the types of endorsements that male and female athletes receive. On the #NIL front, the top female collegiate earners only make up three out of the top 20; those being Livvy Dunne, Angel Reese, and Flau'jae Johnson. This discrepancy is alarming when looking at the current state of collegiate athletics as all three of these women attend Louisiana State University. Why is it that the Tigers' Athletic program is the only representation of women NIL. In other sports around the world, I believe that the narrative is starting to shift around women's sports. As more athletic play and visibility has increased over the last decade, women athletes are becoming common place in the casual fan's conversations leaving a path to greater expansion and equality in the sporting industry. With more women representing in the front offices of teams and leagues, we are heading to a better tomorrow.