Leveling The Playing Field

This week’s episode comes with a big announcement from Bobbi-Sue followed by an interview with Minnesota Lynx Head Coach and General Manager, Cheryl Reeve. After playing collegiate basketball, Cheryl immediately started her career as an assistant coach with her alma mater. Not only is Cheryl one of the most successful coaches in our time, but […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Cheryl Reeve, Head Coach/GM of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s guest is Dari Passarello Herman, former sports and entertainment attorney, who turned her love of running and disdain for existing headbands into a new business. She is the Owner/Creator of SparklySoul Headbands. Dari’s path is obviously unique given where she landed. Well before her entrepreneurial hustle started, however, she was blazing her own […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Dari Passarello Herman, Owner of SparklySoul Headbands appeared first on Radio Influence.

Our guest this week is Sarah Axelson, Sr. Director of Advocacy at the Women’s Sports Foundation. Sarah was an athlete all through college and wasn’t quite sure what to do near graduation when she was alerted to an internship by a friend. She’s been with WSF ever since. She talks about her career but also […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Sarah Axelson, Sr. Director of Advocacy at the Women’s Sports Foundation appeared first on Radio Influence.

Stefanie Jewett, CEO/Founder of Activvely – a fitness app that matches people together as workout buddies or activity friends – joins Bobbi-Sue on this week’s episode of LTPF. Stefanie was not a sports girl growing up and truly thought her passion was in broadcast journalism. She had many interesting internships in politics and advocacy before […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Stefanie Jewett, CEO/Founder of Activvely appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week, Bobbi-Sue speaks with children’s book author, Shelly Boyum-Breen. She is the author of the “Shelly Bean the Sports Queen” books. Growing up in MN, Shelly spent countless hours on the basketball court, neighborhood hockey rinks and local golf courses. She spent five years in the education field, coaching college and high school basketball […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Shelly Boyum-Breen, Author & Founder of the Foundation IX & Let Me Play Grants appeared first on Radio Influence.

Celeste Bell, the Senior Director, Talent Acquisition for Major League Baseball. is this week’s guest on the pod. Celeste’s career has been full of twists and turns much like other guests. While in school, Celeste thought she wanted to be an athletic trainer until an internship showed her maybe that wasn’t her path. She then had […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Celeste Bell, MLB’s Senior Director, Talent Acquisition appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s guest is Donna Orender. Donna is a powerhouse in the sports world. Not only did she play professional basketball in the original women’s basketball league, but she also spent 18 years at the PGA, and was the president of the WNBA during one of its most pivotal moments. During her time at the […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Former WNBA President & CEO of Generation W, Donna Orender appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s guest is America East Conference Commissioner, Amy Huchthausen. She is the first woman to lead the conference and has received many industry accolades including being named to the Sports Business Journal’s “40 under 40” and “Game Changers.” Prior to being a Commissioner at the America East, she was with the NCAA and a […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: America East Conference Commissioner Amy Huchthausen appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s episode features Jaclyn Miller, the Director of Marketing & Communications for Up2Us Sports. Up2Us Sports is the nationwide leader in engaging, training, and supporting sports coaches to serve as mentors and role models to youth living in some of America’s most under served communities. Jaclyn’s commitment to giving back and working for nonprofits […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Jaclyn Miller, Director of Marketing/Communications for Up2Us Sports appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s episode of Leveling The Playing Field is with Kate T. Parker. Kate is a photographer whose series of photographs titled Strong is the New Pretty went viral in 2015 after a failed gallery showing. The response was tremendous and she has since turned the series into a book called “Strong Is The New […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Photographer/Author Kate T. Parker appeared first on Radio Influence.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! On this week’s show, Bobbi-Sue talks about some of the things/people she’s grateful for and she geeks out about the new planner she ordered for 2019. This is our first multi-guest episode and for really good reason. The co-founders of Asiya, Fatimah Hussein and Jamie Glover, join Bobbi-Sue to talk about the […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Fatimah Hussein & Jamie Glover, Co-Founders Of Asiya appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s episode is a special one just in time for Thanksgiving. It’s so important to take time to be grateful for the good things in our lives and to be grateful for what sport can do. Katie Lentz was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver just before her sophomore year at Tulane. […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Katie Lentz, Administrator for MLB’s B.A.T. appeared first on Radio Influence.

Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard’s guest this week is Janis Burke, CEO of the Harris County–Houston Sports Authority. She became the third chief executive and first woman to hold the position. In addition to overseeing the billion dollars of bond debt service for Houston’s professional sports stadiums, under her leadership, Houston has been awarded major sporting events to […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Janis Burke, CEO of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority appeared first on Radio Influence.

Quick “mini-sode” for LTPF listeners. You can now join the Leveling The Playing Field Group on Facebook. Bobbi-Sue also reminds y’all to go out and vote and, if you’re in Florida, vote “yes” on the voting rights amendment. You can follow the podcast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LTPFPod or check out the website […] The post Leveling The Playing Field Bonus: Vote appeared first on Radio Influence.

Happy 50th episode!! Bobbi-Sue celebrates by making a few announcements. Keep your eyes open for a private group on Facebook, merchandise, and a new website. And, of course, lots of gratitude to you, our listeners, and Jerry and Jason at Radio Influence. This week’s episode is with Tracie Speca-Ventura, Founder & President of Sports and […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Tracie Speca-Ventura, Founder/President Of Sports And The Arts appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s episode starts with Bobbi-Sue talking about her experience at the Women’s Sports Museum Gala where trailblazers Donna Orender, Justine Siegal, the IAWA, and Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling were honored. She is so proud that the first event that the LTPF sponsored was this event. In addition, Bobbi-Sue shares about speaking on a panel at a […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Anna Karefa-Johnson, VP of Events & Programming for RISE appeared first on Radio Influence.

After a really tough couple of weeks for a lot of women in this country, this week’s guest brings a lot of hope because she’s helping to empower young girls to be go-getters, innovators, risk takers, and leaders. Jessica Muroff is the CEO of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. As a former Girl […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Jessica Muroff, CEO of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s episode is with Christina Unkel, one of three American female FIFA referees. Christina began refereeing at the age of 10. She worked her way up the ranks (once she realized that there were ranks to climb) and now has a FIFA badge. You can find her traveling across the world to referee elite […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Christina Unkel, FIFA Referee, Attorney, & Board Member of the Women’s Sports Museum appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s episode starts with a bit of news! Our 50th episode is coming up! Tell us how we should celebrate. Help us get to 100 reviews on Apple Podcasts and 500 followers on Instagram! Also, we’re thinking of selling swag! Tell us what you want to see in the store. In addition, we’ve become […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Sports Psychologist/Author Dr. Caroline Silby appeared first on Radio Influence.

This episode of Leveling The Playing Field starts with Bobbi-Sue talking about the launch of the Tampa Bay chapter of WISE. There were no less than six former guests and at least one future guest in attendance. Make sure you join the chapter if you’re in Tampa. If not, check out where the closest chapter […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Jenna Byrnes, Senior VP of the Oklahoma City Dodgers appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s episode of Leveling The Playing Field starts with Bobbi-Sue talking about the debacle at the US Open’s ladies finals and how mad she is about it. We move quickly to reminding everyone about the MLB Player’s Trust’s Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies. Go to Playerstrust.org to apply. Our guest this week is […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Kathy Burrows of Sold Out Seating appeared first on Radio Influence.

We are coming up on the 40th anniversary of the landmark victory of Ludkte v. Kuhn. Melissa Ludtke, at the time a 20-something sports reporter for Sports Illustrated, was barred from entering the Yankees clubhouse while on assignment during the World Series. MLB policies banned women from locker rooms at the time. Ludtke’s suit was […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Melissa Ludtke appeared first on Radio Influence.

Laura Okmin is one of the most recognizable faces and voices in sports broadcasting. Her relationships with athletes, coaches, and front office staff are what make her one of the most respected in the business. As a sideline reporter for NFL on Fox and Westwood One, she has one of the most coveted broadcasting jobs […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Laura Okmin of Fox Sports & Westwood One appeared first on Radio Influence.

Jean Afterman is one of the most powerful women in baseball. As only the third female Assistant General Manager in the big leagues, Jean is a force. She did not come into this role through a traditional path. She was a history of art major at Cal Berkley, had an acting career, and found a […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Jean Afterman, Assistant GM Of The New York Yankees appeared first on Radio Influence.

Janet Marie Smith’s imprint on the sport of baseball is seen by millions of people each year. As the architect/planner behind the Camden Yards ballpark, Turner Field, and renovations of Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium, she brought that intimate feel back to the ballpark experience. Her entrance into the sport was part luck, part persistence. […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Janet Marie Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers’ Senior VP Of Planning & Development appeared first on Radio Influence.

Danita Johnson, Director of Business Development for the LA Clippers, joins Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard on this week’s episode. Danita’s career has always been in pro basketball but she bopped around from D-league (now G-league) teams to WNBA teams back to the NBA with the Clippers. Much of her time has been in sales but her new […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Danita Johnson, Director Of Business Development For The LA Clippers appeared first on Radio Influence.

We have our first guest in the eSports space this week! Nicole Pike is the Managing Director of Nielsen Esports. Nicole went to school thinking she would go into international affairs and politics. Instead, she ended up at one of the largest market and product research companies in the world working on eSports. She has […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Nicole Pike, Managing Director of Nielsen eSports appeared first on Radio Influence.

Brenda Andress is the Commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and founder of the #SheIs movement. Brenda’s goal has been to grow the women’s game across all leagues. A hockey player herself, she fell in love with the game and knew she wanted to work in sports somehow. Her path included the unconventional route […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Brenda Andress, Commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League appeared first on Radio Influence.

Emily Jaenson is the first woman in two decades to be named General Manager of a ball club in the Pacific Coast League of Minor league baseball. She is currently the only female GM in all of Triple-A and one of 5 total in MiLB. Her path to the GM role is one of Bobbi-Sue’s […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Reno Aces General Manager Emily Jaenson appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week, Bobbi-Sue sits down with Stephanie Jarvis, principal of SJarvis Consulting, a sports and events consulting firm, and lecturer at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Stephanie’s career started in compliance in collegiate athletics. She continued in that role for quite a while before moving over to the Fiesta Bowl and […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Stephanie Jarvis, Principal of SJarvis Consulting appeared first on Radio Influence.

Content Warning: This episode contains a discussion of sexual assault and child molestation. There is no detail provided, however, I wanted to let you all know beforehand. Nancy Hogshead-Makar is an Olympic gold medalist, attorney, CEO, women’s advocate, and change maker. During the 1984 Summer Olympics, she brought home 3 gold medals and one silver […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Nancy Hogshead-Makar, CEO of Champion Women appeared first on Radio Influence.

Bobbi-Sue is back! This week, she speaks to Nefertiti Walker, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Isenberg School of Management and Assistant Professor for the McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts. She is the co-chair of the Diversity Committee for the North American Society of Sport Management, a member […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Nefertiti Walker of The University of Massachusetts appeared first on Radio Influence.

Margaret Schlachter is a bit of a renaissance woman. She was one of the first women on the scene of obstacle course racing. After 10 years in education and coaching, Margaret found herself at a crossroads. She discovered OCR (Spartan Race, to be exact), began a website to document her training for World’s Toughest Mudder, […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Margaret Schlachter, Obstacle Course Race Expert appeared first on Radio Influence.

After our very tough episode last week, this week’s episode brings some much-needed levity. Bobbi-Sue chats with Susie Piotrkowski, VP of Sales for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Susie’s career began at IMG and then moved onto media buying and then Fenway Sports Management. Her next move, to Spartan Race, would be career changing. […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Susie Piotrkowski, VP of Sales for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) appeared first on Radio Influence.

Morgan McCaul is so much more than just a “Nassar Survivor.” She is a dancer, student, advocate, organizer, sadly allergic to cats, friend, daughter, girlfriend, teacher, intern, change maker. At almost 20 years old, she has experienced more than I wish upon anyone. Imagine your first year of college. What were you doing? Morgan has […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Morgan McCaul, Nassar Survivor appeared first on Radio Influence.

On this week’s episode, Bobbi-Sue speaks with Heather Martin, Integration Specialist for Heritage Werks. While her title and company don’t sound super “sporty,” her current role gives her access to some really cool sports history. Previously, she worked in the Athletics Department at Pepperdine University and the Detroit Pistons. The conversation goes from how hard […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Heather Martin, Integration Specialist at Heritage Werks appeared first on Radio Influence.

On the pod this week, Bobbi-Sue speaks with Darla Hall, the owner of In the Sports Zone. In the Sports Zone is a company that puts out sports-themed activity and coloring books. Through licensing deals with colleges, MLB, NFL, and other brands, the company has grown year over year. It all started with an idea […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Darla Hall of In The Sports Zone appeared first on Radio Influence.

Bobbi-Sue has another local woman in sports pop by her apartment for this week’s episode. Claire Lessinger is the Director of Special Events for the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. TBSC is the organization that attracts and puts on major sports and entertainment events in the Tampa Bay region such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Claire Lessinger of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s guest is a little different than usual, Bobbi-Sue interviews someone outside of the sports world that she has been friends with since law school. Novelist and lawyer, Lauren Stahl, joins the pod to talk about her career path. She went from assistant district attorney to unemployed to author back to law with writing […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Lawyer/Novelist Lauren Stahl appeared first on Radio Influence.

On this week’s episode, Bobbi-Sue interviews the Head Women’s Golf Coach at USF, Coach Erika Brennan. Coach Brennan was named to her current position in December 2017. Prior to USF, she was the Head Women’s Golf Coach at Southern Mississippi for three seasons. At Southern Miss, she led her team to six tournament titles. Erika […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Erika Brennan, USF Head Women’s Golf Coach appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week, Bobbi-Sue chats with Kathleen Scovel, the principle at KAS Group. Kathleen has been in the advertising and marketing world for 20 years. She started off, though, in music video and commercial production. Casually, she mentions working with Prince. What!? After that, she was off to the races with advertising and experiential marketing. She […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Kathleen Scovel, Principle of The KAS Group appeared first on Radio Influence.

On this episode of Leveling The Playing Field, Bobbi-Sue interviews award-winning novelist, journalist, and essayist, Stacey May Fowles. Fowles is the author of the Baseball Life Advice e-newsletter. She released a book by the same name this past year which is an essay collection that looks at topics ranging from bat flips to bandwagoners, from […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Stacey May Fowles, Baseball Writer appeared first on Radio Influence.

This episode of Leveling The Playing Field was taped live at Michigan State University’s College of Law. Bobbi-Sue spoke with Marina Carpenter, Associate General Counsel of the Arizona Coyotes, in front of a live audience. The women discuss their different paths to becoming in-house counsel for a professional sports organization. Marina’s path was more traditional […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Marina Carpenter, Associate General Counsel of the Arizona Coyotes LIVE From Michigan State University appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s guest is Amy Trask, the former CEO of the Raiders, author, CBS football analyst, and current chair of the board for the Big3. She was the first female executive of any NFL team. Her book, “You Negotiate Like a Girl: Reflections on a Career in the National Football League,” details Amy’s experiences as […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s guest is one of Bobbi-Sue’s idols, Kathrine Switzer. Some of you may not recognize the name, but you will surely recognize the iconic photograph of her from the 1967 Boston Marathon when the race director tried to pull her off of the race course and her boyfriend blocked him. Yeah… THAT’S Kathrine Switzer. […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Legendary Marathon Runner Kathrine Switzer appeared first on Radio Influence.

Bobbi-Sue has a great interview this week with Shannon Miller, former Olympic gymnast and now a businesswoman. Shannon is the only woman, in any sport, to be inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame twice, as an individual and for her team. With seven Olympic and nine World Championship medals, Miller is one […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast Shannon Miller appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week, Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard talks with Bärí A. Williams, the former head of operations for North America for StubHub. Bärí is a business, technology, and startup attorney in California. She has worked in a variety of industries including risk management, insurance, advocacy, sports, and financial technology. She is a 2015 recipient of the National Bar […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Bärí A. Williams, Former Head Of Operations North America for StubHub appeared first on Radio Influence.

Bobbi-Sue could not stop laughing during this interview. Whitney Holtzman is the President/CEO of Social Victories, a marketing and social media consulting company for those in the sports world. While the conversation is light and funny early on, the women get into a deep discussion regarding race towards the end. Whitney has always taken the […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Whitney Holtzman, President/CEO of Social Victories appeared first on Radio Influence.

Morgan Skillman is the NHL All-Star weekend Location Coordinator for the 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend in Tampa, Florida. Previously, she was the Volunteer and Staffing Manager at the 2017 World Rowing Championships. She has worked at Adidas in Germany and her next stop is the Super Bowl in Minnesota! A graduate of Liberty University, Morgan […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Morgan Skillman, NHL All Star Game Location Coordinator appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week’s guest on Leveling The Playing Field is the amazing Amy Jo Martin. She is the host of the “Why Not Now?” podcast where she interviews people about the moment they realized they should go for that thing they’ve been thinking of doing. Amy Jo is a New York Times bestselling author, the woman […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: New York Times Best Selling Author Amy Jo Martin appeared first on Radio Influence.

This week, Bobbi-Sue speaks with Tera Black, the Chief Operating Officer of the Charlotte Checkers, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes. Her career in hockey is expansive and includes roles in everything from travel coordinator to athletic trainer to equipment manager. In 2016, she was named the first-ever female winner of James […] The post Leveling The Playing Field: Tera Black, COO of the Charlotte Checkers appeared first on Radio Influence.