The Origins
Why Sports?
I’ve always been drawn to the sports industry. No matter where I went, I always came back to it. There’s something unparalleled about the field - it allows a way out, a chance for leaving a legacy that’s bigger than you, the ability to unite.
"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." - Vince Lombardi
Sports teach us lessons that can be applied to every facet of our lives.
How it showed up for me:
As a kid, I wanted to be the first female GM of an NFL team.
As a teen, I wanted to go into Kinesiology (I went into Fitness & Health Promotion to be a personal trainer, then pivoted).
As a young professional, I started blog writing for the Boston Red Sox.
When I started questioning my path working at an agency, I started networking with sports professionals to explore career routes.
While listening to a podcast, I came up with the first iteration of the Passion to Legacy Podcast (on pause for right now).
As a freelancer faced with an opportunity to work as a coach full-time, I again came back to the desire to work in the sports industry.
Growing up as an only child, when my dad first tried to draw my interest towards professional sports, I ran in the opposite direction. It wasn’t until I watched movies like Friday Night Lights and Gridiron Gang that I really started to see the power of sports.
I still remember sitting at a little breakfast place and seeing Jerome Williams. From my recollection, I must have been about 9. It was shortly after he left the Toronto Raptors. Sitting at our table, my dad pointed him out and said,
“that’s Jerome Williams! He plays in the NBA. He’s not with Toronto anymore, but he’s involved with philanthropy and associations here. That must be why he’s here. You have to go talk to him!”
So as a young girl, trying to remember what my dad told me to say, I marched over to his table and interrupted his meal. Heart pounding so loud I was sure that he could hear it. After seeing me walk over, another young boy did the same. So I started a ripple effect, eating into his time.
I still remember the interaction as if it happened yesterday. It was a short conversation, but Williams left a mark on me.
It’s not lost on me that he didn’t have to talk to me. He was having lunch. He no longer represented the team in the city. He didn’t owe me anything. He very well could have politely said no and went on with his day.
But, he didn’t.
That interaction left such an impact that I’m here, years later writing about. It stuck with me and it shaped me.
Yes, he’s an athlete and in the public eye. Yes, he was building something bigger than himself. All of which could have contributed to his willingness to talk. However, I believe it’s greater than that. I believe that there’s something about the caliber of people that are in the sports industry.
That they’re willing to spend their personal lunch time chatting with a nine year old. I can’t say that would have been the case had I approached someone in a different industry.
Memories and interactions shape us. And sports played a role in shaping me. In teaching me lessons that are applied in life.
The Path
I was always searching for my greater purpose. Like many, I believe that there’s something greater than myself that I can help contribute to. I was looking for something I was passionate about so I could leave a legacy.
I have always worked in marketing and communications in different sectors. Community, collaboration, and the human aspect have always been at the center of my work. During that time, I have:
Assisted an online fitness and health blog in growing their community to over 1 million.
Supported a nonprofit during the implementation of new initiatives and shifting to new ways of campaigning during a pandemic, raising over $78k for one initiative and nearly $1.2 million for another.
Oversaw and led ad campaigns that helped coaches generate over 1 million in revenue.
Supported a consultant to generate more leads and convert them into clients helping her reach her first six figure year.
Coached a client that had to go on a waitlist because she sold out her available spaces before even launching.
I’ve been fortunate to have been part of some incredible teams with incredible visions. But I always kept coming back to sports.
I longed for more. I was being called home.
Enter the development - The Peerless Leaders & Co Brand
With an adventurer’s heart, I’ve always searched for deeper answers.
The greater why.
The initial inspiration.
The motivation behind.
The bigger picture.
While embarking on the journey of this rebrand, I knew the following:
My desire is to bring on other leaders and experts, creating a stage for others to be able to shine their light on. I’m very aware that I only know what I know. And I believe, collectively, we’re stronger. That’s where the real magic sauce is. As a result, it couldn’t just be under my name. There had to be a bigger umbrella.
I wanted the name to have meaning. Something reflecting on the bigger purpose and ultimate goal of creating it in the first place.
Peerless Leaders was Inspired by sports history. Let’s take a walk down memory lane..
Back in 1898-1914 there was a Major League Baseball player named Frank Chance. During that span he acted as a player-manager for the Chicago Orphans (later named the Cubs) and the Yankees, then later managed the BostonRed Sox in 1923.
For those sports history buffs, this is Frank of the well known strong double play combination, “Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance” in “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon”.
Chance was one of the few that performed remarkably well as a player-manager, gaining him the all-time leader in managerial winning percentage in Cubs history. His ability to lead sparked his nickname “Peerless Leader”.
Peerless Leader to me means that you’re unmatched. It’s someone who’s doing it differently. They’re coming at it from a place of honorable purpose. It might be someone who’s standing alone for what they believe in. They aren’t afraid to use their voice about something that they’re passionate about and if they’re wrong about something, they’ll make the adjustments to face it.
The industry is calling for people to do things differently. Consumers want more out of the brands that they engage with. Sports organizations have a following, they have the chance to use their platform for something bigger than themselves.
& Co because we have a network of trusted experts we turn to. And you aren’t alone in being a Peerless Leader. There’s something unique about your approach and you. That makes you unmatched. There’s no one who can replicate and stand with you, but you aren’t the only one desiring to do it differently.
Our Why - The Peerless Leaders & Co
I believe that there’s passion, purpose, and legacy in the sports industry that’s unmatched in other industries. But where does that really come from?
Traditionally in most industries, the passion comes from the head of the organization. It’s the founder, CEO, top leadership that holds the bigger vision. And from them it trickles down within the rest of the team.
In my opinion, it’s not the same in the sports sector. In sports it starts on the field.
Athletes are the initial touchpoint that a fan has with a team.
Athletes carry the fire and drive that ultimately results in consumer interest, fan engagement, ticket and merch sales, sponsorship opportunities, etc. The athlete acts as a bridge, it’s because of the team that the community connects with the organization. It’s through them that people see a gateway to a community, a career path opportunity, a way to be a true changemaker, and a future available to them.
The problem is that this is being left on the field. It’s not trickling back up through the organization.
That’s where this work comes in. Peerless Leaders & Co was created with the mission of helping employees reconnect with the magic of the game.
The pandemic has influenced the way that we work, the way that fans consume, and buyer behaviour. Although there is an end in sight to the pandemic, the effects of prolonged uncertainty change and disruption to our health and performance are far from over.
Now it’s time to take stock and refocus on how to prepare them mentally for the year ahead, learn some powerful strategies and transformational techniques that will help to increase cognitive function, reduce stress and champion their health, energy, passion and purpose.
What We Do
We provide resilience empowerment & leadership training for sports organizations. Helping you optimize talent retention, Stand out in the crowded market by developing a reputation as innovative leaders, and enhancing sports revenue generation.