1. What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job and why?
The most challenging aspect of my job is also the most rewarding — my students. Each of them takes their role as a pitcher very seriously and they push me every day to be better and make them better. I watch them start out as students asking questions, who then become individuals making adjustments on their own based on what they’ve learned. I’m not only training athletes to be better athletes, I’m training them to be more successful people.
2. Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
I honestly don’t have a particular person, but rather a type of person. I look for coaches who talk about hard losses compared to those who lump all losses together. A hard loss means the team made errors that shouldn’t have been made. A good loss is one where you leave your heart on the field and simply got outplayed. Coaches who know the difference in losses coach differently — they coach to improve players not just on the field but also off. They are not limited to seeing black and white numbers, but rather individuals who have grown throughout a season or offseason. Those are the coaches I learn from the most.
3. What has been the high point of your career so far?
If you’d ask me what the high point of my career had been before starting my company, it would have been getting students into college — for free. But it’s not that, not even close. The high point is watching parents watching their daughters. Seeing a parent’s face light up when their daughter conquers a struggle, watching the tears come to their eyes — you can see the pride they feel written all over their faces. It’s truly awe-inspiring!
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4. Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
You really can make a career out of coaching softball pitchers! I took an entrepreneurial course in school and recently found my paper — a marketing plan for a pitching company. Who knew that more than a decade later I’d put it into action!
5. What would you say are the best things about living and working in Dane County?
The options are unlimited. Any time of the year, any day of the week, there is always something going on — from farmer’s markets to art shows to restaurants to nature activities. I’ve traveled the U.S. and no place compares to Madison!
6. Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I’m a fast reader. On vacations, I’ve been known to take 7-plus books for a weeklong trip and will crush two in a day. I could easily kill a day just reading!
7. What are your guilty pleasures?
Infomercials! I get completely sucked in every time. I haven’t bought anything yet but I did convince my family to do Christmas based on “As Seen on TV” gifts one year, just so I could buy and try some without feeling guilty!
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