June 1, 2021 • 25 mins
Host Olivia Landis welcomes ESPN's NFL Communications Co-Lead Allie Stoneberg to the New YorkHER Podcast to discuss her role with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Stoneberg talks with Landis about her responsibilities as a storyteller, her career and some advice for those interested in the profession. Listen to learn about a very important behind-the-scenes job within ESPN's campus.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome into another episode of the New
Yorker Podcast. I'm your host, Olivia Landis. It's been a minute.
I'm super excited to have everybody back in this month
for another episode of the New Yorker Podcast. And this
month I am joined by Manager of Communications NFL co
lead at ESPN, Ali Stoneberg. Ali, thank you so much
(00:24):
for joining me today. How are you doing, Olivia, I'm
doing great. It's wonderful to be with you. It's so
wonderful to be able to speak with you. Ali. We
we actually connected those of you who have listened to
the podcast previously. Ali has played a large role in
actually helping us to get some of our other guests
on this podcast who work at ESPN. So very excited
(00:45):
to have the woman who helps a lot with the
talent it is. It's funny, so a little bit of
a role reversal for me a little bit right now.
You're now you're the one being interviewed instead of scheduling
the interviews exactly exactly. It's a fun her to be here. Ali.
Let's let's take a bigger look at your career. So,
(01:06):
like I already mentioned, you are manager of Communications, the
NFL co lead at ESPN. A lot of people when
they hear that, maybe they don't know exactly what that means.
Can you give our viewers and our listeners kind of
a background of exactly what your job entails you, bet Olivia.
You know, I like to look at it as a
(01:26):
really great privilege and responsibility to be a storyteller, to
tell ESPN story and my colleagues and I do that
in a variety of ways, be it press releases or
internal communications, or preparing items for social media, creating content
and then helping external media and team media tell our
(01:50):
story as well, whether it's through access to our folks
information that we provide, so a lot of it, everything
is revolved around the story retelling, which is my favorite part.
We you say storytelling, right, that can encompass a lot
of different things, because I know, for me personally, I'm
(02:10):
also a storyteller, right. A lot of people here on
the content team at the New York Jets, we're all storytellers,
and like you said, it's the same for me. Being
a storyteller is an amazing job and I think it's
a very important job. But how do you specifically determine
which stories are important to tell. It's a great question.
(02:31):
I think that that is such a challenge, right because
everyone has a story. Everybody's story is valuable, is impactful,
is important, and so I think for me, the biggest
thing is to really draw upon the resources around me,
and the biggest one are my colleagues, my coworkers, and
(02:51):
even though Olivia working in this business, it's oh, I've
I've done this event before or I've had experience with this,
but everything is all is changing. So it's taking a
moment to tap someone on the shoulder and hey, can
you tell me about what's new with you right now?
Or what are you working on or what are you
passionate about? And continuing to ask questions to learn about people.
(03:15):
And I will tell you though, that's the hard part
because there are so many stories to tell. It's it's
kind of pacing yourself, right, Okay, we've told these great
stories and now we're gonna get this person the next time.
So there are there are so many great ones to tell,
and it's hard. It's hard to get to all of them. Yeah,
(03:35):
I'm I can imagine. It's the same. It's really the same.
When you're in a position to be able to tell stories.
It's an amazing feeling, right, almost an empowering feeling to
be able to put other people in positions to tell
their stories. But sometimes it can get tough to really decide, okay,
which one is the most important message that we want
to get across. Now you specifically working for a national
(03:59):
network like ESPN, I'm sure at times can be challenging
to determine, okay, which one is the right story to
tell and in the right way. Because when I when
I was reading up on some of your bio and everything,
is that you are able to determine some of those
stories across many, many platforms. So can you kind of
(04:19):
walk me through maybe what an average day for you
would look like in order to get those stories across
the platforms at ESPN? Yeah, I think, um, and you
would probably know this to Olivia, right, it seems like
there's never an average day, which is the exciting part, right, Um.
And So I think when we're thinking about an event
(04:41):
or some particular initiative, again, that first thought is the
resources around us. Who at our company can we go to,
who might be involved and making sure that we have
a diverse set of voices in the room. We just
started this new idea. I credit a colleague of mine
and but we got a bunch of people in a
(05:03):
zoom room and we did these series of brainstorming exercises,
and it was really about building off each other and
throwing out all of these ideas and maybe I say something,
and then Olivia, you build off of that. We go
on and on and just getting it all out there,
and then from there kind of letting it marinate, if
(05:25):
you will, and honing it down and figuring out, Okay,
what are some of the creative ideas we have, what
are our priorities, and how do we create those wind winds.
So that's something that again with new technology and new processes,
that is always evolving, and I think the best ideas,
(05:46):
the best results come from starting with a big circle
and involving people. Especially for me, I'm working on NFL,
but it's really wonderful. It's refreshing to get in folks
who maybe work on our images team, or maybe work
on Major League Baseball. Just getting a lot of people
in the room to give their ideas and perspective and
(06:06):
then build on that. I'm curious on a day to
day basis, how many ideas run across your desk or
how many how many different people come up to you
with new ideas that they want to pitch. That's a
great question. I mean, I think there are a lot
right people are externally coming to us and saying, hey,
(06:27):
would your colleague be interested in X, Y or Z?
Or somebody a colleague of mine in my department might say, hey, Ali,
I know we have this initiative coming up. What do
you think of this? Um Olivia. Maybe it's the same
for you. But when I'm working out or when I'm
having dinner or doing something, it's like, oh my gosh,
this great idea, this person would love this. It comes
(06:49):
to you at different times. That's so true. I feel
like at times, some of some of the times where
the best ideas come to you, it's always when you
least expected. It's almost it's almost when you're like about
to give up, like okay, maybe I should move on
to something else, and then right then and there, that's
that's always when the idea has come for me. Anyways,
(07:09):
I can only speak for myself, but it seems like
the best idea has always come at the most inconvenient times,
or or it's just you, you let it sit right,
And I think for part of us being storytellers, that's
why I think it's so important to do another activity
or read up on something completely different, listen to a
podcast that has nothing to do with what you're working on,
(07:31):
and all of a sudden something else might pop out.
So I love the idea, the idea of kind of
dabbling in a lot of different things and then oh
my gosh, this came to me or I have a
little bit more clarity in this area. Yeah, okay, So
we have established that you are an avid storyteller. You
love storytelling, You love to bring new I guess you
(07:53):
could say energy right to two people to be able
to view new stories. Where did that passion come from?
When did it start? You? So, Olivia? I grew up
in a sports family. UM My parents named me after
my grandmother's favorite Minnesota Twins player. They took me to
my first football game when I was a month old.
(08:14):
UM played sports growing up, and all of the lessons
in my life, whether it had to do with the
game I was playing, or something in school or something
with a friend, it was usually talked out through sports analogies,
through stories, and I just came to love that to
relate to that, and even in today, when I'm going
(08:38):
through maybe a challenge or something I'm working on, I
call back to those stories and remember, oh, this was tough,
but this is how this person got through it, or
this person persevered and look at what happened on the
other side. And it's been such an encouragement in my
life that I like to share that and pay it
(08:58):
forward with others. It sounds like it started young then.
You said you were brought to brought to games when
you were one month old. You were named after one
of your mother's favorite professional baseball players, so it sounds
like it started at a very young age. What did
your parents do that inspired them to pass that on
to you? Yeah, I mean they were sports fans, and
(09:20):
like I said, they would use sports analogies and and
different stories that they had been a part of in
terms of the sports realm growing up to teach me
and my siblings, um, and so yeah, it just got
to be Olivia ingrained within our family, and it was
something that it just seemed very natural to me, very
real to me, and very powerful because I saw from
(09:43):
an early age how sports and the stories within sports
brought people together and united people and encouraged people, and
there was there was just this power to it, and
I thought, I want to be part of that. Mm hm,
I can understand why. Like I said, it's it really
(10:04):
is a beautiful thing. We're gonna kind of take a
little bit of walk back through history. So you start
off young, it already had a passion and love for sports.
Fast forward to college days. You into the University of Minnesota.
You majored in communications and journalism. At that moment when
you when you were done with school, did you know
what you wanted to do? Did you know the path
(10:25):
you wanted to take or did it develop later? Yeah?
I did know that I wanted to be in sports.
I was interning as part of our marketing team at
the University of Minnesota, working on Gopher baseball and definitely thought, hey,
this is the path for me. And so in my
last semester, there was a sports career fair Olivia, and
(10:48):
before the Vikings were at US Bank Stadium, they were
at the Metrodome and this is where that career fair was.
And so I'm lined up and looking around and trying
to figure out, Okay, I need to strategize and who
can I talk to? And I had seen that ESPN
was at this career fair, and so I thought, gosh,
(11:10):
I've got to get in that line. I've got to
meet this person. And I'm sure the same for you, Olivia.
A lot of people contribute to success or to achieving goals, right,
you know, your parents encourage you, your coaches, your friends,
different mentors throughout your life. Um, but that day at
the career fair, there was one person and I still
(11:33):
feel badly I don't know his name, but who helped
me on my journey. And like I said, I saw
ESPN at this career fair, and so at a certain point,
I saw this break in the line, screwed on in
and kind of rehearsing my elevator speech, and all of
a sudden taps me on the shoulder and says, Hi,
(11:54):
what line are you in? And I said, well, the
ESPN line, and he said, no, you're not skanline. It's
way back there, the end of it, way down there.
You can't even see it. And Olivia, I don't know
about you, but I am a rule follower, so I
was kind of horrified, like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
And he said no, no, no, just stay here because
(12:15):
if you don't, you might not meet this person. Well
lo and behold, I get to meet this person and
months later he was the person that actually hired me
at ESPN. So thanks to that kind fellow student in line,
that's how I got to ESPN. Really, that's an incredible story.
(12:37):
And I love hearing stories like that because oftentimes I
tell people, even younger college students, when they approached me, hey,
how do you make it in this industry? And I
always tell people, you know, it's first and foremost, it's
about your work ethic. You have to be the hardest
working person in the room constantly. I know it sounds cliche,
but you have a people I'm sure I can speak
(12:58):
to it. That is the absolute truth. I Then the
second part of that, in my opinion, is connections. It's
building those relationships, it's maintaining those relationships. It's it's making
those connections not just because it benefits you, but because
you're truly interested in those other people. So it sounds
like that's what kind of worked out for you, and
(13:18):
it ended up being that same man who hired you
at ESPN. Right, you're so, you're so right on that
because I think you're right. It has to be hard work,
for sure. It also has to be having the opportunity
and making the most of it. Um. It wasn't like
I was hired on the spot, right. There was plenty
of networking, keeping in touch. I did freelance work, I
(13:41):
had informational interviews, so definitely that was part of it.
Is is staying on top of it, staying engaged. But again,
it's such a team effort. I had so many people
helped me along the way, and so Olivia. Every once
in a while, I'm at the grocery store or something
and it's like, hey, go ahead of me, you know,
(14:02):
and you just you you want to pay things forward,
and so I do. I think about those little things
that other people might not know. You made such a
big difference in someone's life, and that's part of my story.
And like I said, I just I want to pay
it forward and continue the kindness. That's a beautiful thing
(14:22):
to definitely to pay it forward and to kind of
reciprocate that kindness. That's so important. You don't hear a
lot of people talk like that nowadays. So good for you. Okay,
So you started with ESPN in two thousand and eight
as the Monday night football operations coordinator. When you began
in two thousand eight with ESPN, how did you envision
(14:43):
your career going? Because what is it? Thirteen years later
you're still there? Yes, can you believe it? Thirteen years?
How amazing? How it just flies by. And it's it's
funny because I just remember at that point in time
and being a college grad and you know, you're taking
all these different courses and trying to remember the lessons learned,
(15:05):
and and part of it was just always be a learner,
adapt to technology, adapt to new processes, don't be afraid
of doing new things. And so I had that in
the back of my mind, like as much as you
might envision a path, don't be too tunnel a vision alley,
Like there's a brand new world out there. I mean, Olivia,
(15:25):
I grew up in a small town, and so to
first of all, make the jump to the University of
Minnesota where not everybody knew my parents right in the hometown, Hey, Ali,
how how are your parents? How your family doing? But
to jump to the University of Minnesota and make a
name for myself and make those meaningful connections, build relationships.
(15:47):
That was part of my journey, and then I tried
to part lay that into ESPN and just take those
lessons learned, like, Alli, you've been in a big place before,
you can do this again. And so what I first
remember doing when I arrived in two thousand eight is
and I kind of did this too in freelance working internships.
(16:07):
But Hi, I'm Ali, what do you do? You know?
Just trying to take pockets of time to introduce myself,
to learn from people, because Olivia, I'd be curious if
you experience this. But as much as I studied journalism
in school, it was like a whole new language. I mean,
I have these a different language with the trucks, like
(16:28):
what is all of this? So I just I really
tried to be a sponge and to not be afraid
to ask questions. I would love for the college students
who are trying to break into the sports world to
listen to what you have to say, because it's it's
such an incredible approach that you have, and it's true,
(16:48):
especially when you enter a new place, right a new
working place, a new area. Your job really when you
get in there is to absorb as much as you
can you said it, you have to be like a
sponge and absorb as much as you can. And I
think people especially, we all just want to connect with
one another. So when you show people, hey, I think
you're important, I want to know your name? What do
(17:09):
you do that goes such a long way. I totally
agree with that. I think people, especially in the world
we live in today, we just need more of that.
We need more kindness, we need more people caring. Um.
So I definitely agree that that is that's an incredible
approach that you have. So I hope everyone listening takes
something out of that. Something you mentioned that I would
(17:30):
like to touch on. You mentioned the word adapt You
said that when you began in two thousand and eight
with ESPN, one of the biggest things you had in
your head was adaptation. That is an incredibly in in
my opinion, I think that that could be very important
in this industry, especially because it's a very competitive industry
(17:52):
and things are constantly changing. So if there's constant change,
if you want to roll with the with the change,
you have to adapt. So what does adaptation look like
to you? Wow, Adaptation, I think part of it is
is just acknowledging for me at least. Hey, I'm a
little bit afraid here. You know, I'm one of those
(18:13):
Olivia that I like the path, I like the answer.
I like to ensure the scene is safe, if you will,
And so it is to just kind of take a
beep and to acknowledge, you know what, I'm a little
bit afraid. I don't know what this looks like, but
this is an opportunity for me to be brave and
just to take that step forward and then acknowledge I
(18:37):
don't know the answers, but if I don't step forward,
that's almost more risky then going into the unknown. Does
that make sense? It does, It absolutely does, And that
takes a lot of bravery. Like you said, you said
you have to be brave. What did it take for
you personally to reach within yourself to be able to
(18:59):
do to be able to find that courage, Because that's
not something that's very easy to do. No, no, it's not.
And I'll tell you I actually kind of use this
little trick that my dad had suggested to me. I
was in high school playing basketball, and I remember that
our team was matched up against this team and they
(19:20):
had one of the best basketball players in the State,
and so as we were getting ready for the game.
Of course we're doing everything on the court and you're
studying film and going through all of this. And he
said to me, you know, Ali, what might be helpful.
I want you to come up with a theme song,
you know, like baseball players a walk up song, and
(19:41):
want to come up with a theme song to just
so you're mentally prepared as well. And so I I
thought about it, and I'm sure Olivia he thought I
was going to come back with like some really pump
up song or something. Um, but have you seen the
sound of music I have us so with the song,
(20:01):
I have confidence, yes, Julie Andrews. And so that was
my song. And to this day, before I do a
big project, you know, super Bowl press conference or something
that I feel like, Okay, I'm a little bit nervous
here or again I'm going into the unknown, um, I
will listen to some type of theme song and just
(20:24):
really this day still to this day, and I will
look back in my head, these are some successes. You know.
Again I was afraid to do this, or this was
new for me, or I had some anxiety around this,
but hey, that turned out well, Hey that turned out well,
you know, and and just kind of get myself ready
for whatever it is that's next. Okay. I have to
(20:47):
ask you then, if you were to have a pump
up song or a theme song today, no matter what
the situation is, is it do you know what it
is today? Or does it kind of depend on each situation.
It does depend on situation, But I still I will
go back to the I Have Confidence song. I love it.
I I think it's a great one and it's kind
(21:08):
of like that old reliable but I do mix it up.
I love that I'm gonna have I'm gonna have to
try that trick, and you know, I kind of just
want to bring this to your attention. You you talk
a lot about being brave, finding courage within yourself, adapting
two changes around you in big situations when they're new
and scary. You have that theme song to bring yourself
(21:28):
some confidence. But as a woman in it that's working
at ESPN in your position, have you ever thought that
a lot of people probably look up to you as
as a brave woman and a courageous woman in what
you do, Because I'm sure there are a lot of
people out there, whether you know it or not. They
probably think that, well, thank you, and I think the
(21:49):
same of you, Olivia. It kind of goes back to
that career fair right. We don't always know the great
impact we have on people, and so as best I
can in and I'm certainly not succeeding at it every time,
But whether I'm going into an informational interview talking to
excuse me, a young professional, or just going into a
(22:12):
meeting I'm leading or something, I do try to take
a beat to kind of set that intention um. And
the biggest thing is I do I want people to
leave feeling encouraged after we've talked, because again I've experienced
it in my life. It's it's a powerful thing. It's
it it propels you. And I think if I can
(22:36):
do that in some small way, then that's a win,
and I want to do that. It really is a win.
I always it's funny because you remind me a lot
of myself. I always tell myself, no matter what situation
I enter, if it's a new situation, I always hope
to leave a positive impact in one way or another.
No matter what it is, I always hope and pray
(22:57):
to leave a positive impact on others. And you just
mentioned how important it is to be kind and and
leave positive impacts on people to our listeners, what would
be one piece of advice you could provide on how
people can do that more and how people can, you know,
just treat each other better and find those connections. Yeah,
(23:20):
I think it's it's different for every person, right. We
all have different strengths. And I remember to talking with
young professionals about what I was doing. When I was
first searching for a job in the sports world. I thought, gosh,
I'm talking to all of these people that have been
in the industry for a long time. They held this
wonderful experience. What might I have to offer them? Um?
(23:44):
But there were there were always these little pockets where,
you know, somebody shared with me a favorite meal that
she liked, and so I had found a recipe that
was I thought kind of similar, and hey, I'm thinking
of you. You know, I wanted to send this your way.
I think it's it can be as simple as a note. Hey,
I read this article where you and your company were mentioned.
(24:06):
Congratulations on this project. Um, it doesn't have to be
a big thing, but we all do. We have different
gifts to share, and so I think whatever way is
unique to you and feels right to you, then lead
with that. Yeah, and I would just to reiterate kind
of what you say. I would encourage those listening, and
(24:29):
even if you're not listening, for those who are, share
it with those who have not listened yet to the podcast.
Share your gifts with one another, because we each have
gifts walking on this earth, and I think it's important
to be able to share those and spread that positivity. Really,
I think I love listening to you talk and some
of the things you're saying, because I think we need
(24:49):
more people like you in this world truly. So thank
you so much, Ali Stoneberg from ESPN for sharing your
story and your journey with us here on the New
Yorker Podcast. It was an absolute pleasure to get to
know you and to speak with you. Thank you so much,
Alie Pauler was mine, Olivia, Thanks so much. That's a
wrap on another episode of the New Yorker Podcast. I'm
(25:11):
your host, Olivia land Is. I hope you guys enjoyed
getting to know Ali Stoneberg a little bit more from ESPN.
I know I did. Please great share and subscribe to
podcast as much as possible. We'll see you guys, next time.
Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome into another episode of the New
Yorker Podcast. I'm your host, Olivia Landis. It's been a minute.
I'm super excited to have everybody back in this month
for another episode of the New Yorker Podcast. And this
month I am joined by Manager of Communications NFL co
lead at ESPN, Ali Stoneberg. Ali, thank you so much
(00:24):
for joining me today. How are you doing, Olivia, I'm
doing great. It's wonderful to be with you. It's so
wonderful to be able to speak with you. Ali. We
we actually connected those of you who have listened to
the podcast previously. Ali has played a large role in
actually helping us to get some of our other guests
on this podcast who work at ESPN. So very excited
(00:45):
to have the woman who helps a lot with the
talent it is. It's funny, so a little bit of
a role reversal for me a little bit right now.
You're now you're the one being interviewed instead of scheduling
the interviews exactly exactly. It's a fun her to be here. Ali.
Let's let's take a bigger look at your career. So,
(01:06):
like I already mentioned, you are manager of Communications, the
NFL co lead at ESPN. A lot of people when
they hear that, maybe they don't know exactly what that means.
Can you give our viewers and our listeners kind of
a background of exactly what your job entails you, bet Olivia.
You know, I like to look at it as a
(01:26):
really great privilege and responsibility to be a storyteller, to
tell ESPN story and my colleagues and I do that
in a variety of ways, be it press releases or
internal communications, or preparing items for social media, creating content
and then helping external media and team media tell our
(01:50):
story as well, whether it's through access to our folks
information that we provide, so a lot of it, everything
is revolved around the story retelling, which is my favorite part.
We you say storytelling, right, that can encompass a lot
of different things, because I know, for me personally, I'm
(02:10):
also a storyteller, right. A lot of people here on
the content team at the New York Jets, we're all storytellers,
and like you said, it's the same for me. Being
a storyteller is an amazing job and I think it's
a very important job. But how do you specifically determine
which stories are important to tell. It's a great question.
(02:31):
I think that that is such a challenge, right because
everyone has a story. Everybody's story is valuable, is impactful,
is important, and so I think for me, the biggest
thing is to really draw upon the resources around me,
and the biggest one are my colleagues, my coworkers, and
(02:51):
even though Olivia working in this business, it's oh, I've
I've done this event before or I've had experience with this,
but everything is all is changing. So it's taking a
moment to tap someone on the shoulder and hey, can
you tell me about what's new with you right now?
Or what are you working on or what are you
passionate about? And continuing to ask questions to learn about people.
(03:15):
And I will tell you though, that's the hard part
because there are so many stories to tell. It's it's
kind of pacing yourself, right, Okay, we've told these great
stories and now we're gonna get this person the next time.
So there are there are so many great ones to tell,
and it's hard. It's hard to get to all of them. Yeah,
(03:35):
I'm I can imagine. It's the same. It's really the same.
When you're in a position to be able to tell stories.
It's an amazing feeling, right, almost an empowering feeling to
be able to put other people in positions to tell
their stories. But sometimes it can get tough to really decide, okay,
which one is the most important message that we want
to get across. Now you specifically working for a national
(03:59):
network like ESPN, I'm sure at times can be challenging
to determine, okay, which one is the right story to
tell and in the right way. Because when I when
I was reading up on some of your bio and everything,
is that you are able to determine some of those
stories across many, many platforms. So can you kind of
(04:19):
walk me through maybe what an average day for you
would look like in order to get those stories across
the platforms at ESPN? Yeah, I think, um, and you
would probably know this to Olivia, right, it seems like
there's never an average day, which is the exciting part, right, Um.
And So I think when we're thinking about an event
(04:41):
or some particular initiative, again, that first thought is the
resources around us. Who at our company can we go to,
who might be involved and making sure that we have
a diverse set of voices in the room. We just
started this new idea. I credit a colleague of mine
and but we got a bunch of people in a
(05:03):
zoom room and we did these series of brainstorming exercises,
and it was really about building off each other and
throwing out all of these ideas and maybe I say something,
and then Olivia, you build off of that. We go
on and on and just getting it all out there,
and then from there kind of letting it marinate, if
(05:25):
you will, and honing it down and figuring out, Okay,
what are some of the creative ideas we have, what
are our priorities, and how do we create those wind winds.
So that's something that again with new technology and new processes,
that is always evolving, and I think the best ideas,
(05:46):
the best results come from starting with a big circle
and involving people. Especially for me, I'm working on NFL,
but it's really wonderful. It's refreshing to get in folks
who maybe work on our images team, or maybe work
on Major League Baseball. Just getting a lot of people
in the room to give their ideas and perspective and
(06:06):
then build on that. I'm curious on a day to
day basis, how many ideas run across your desk or
how many how many different people come up to you
with new ideas that they want to pitch. That's a
great question. I mean, I think there are a lot
right people are externally coming to us and saying, hey,
(06:27):
would your colleague be interested in X, Y or Z?
Or somebody a colleague of mine in my department might say, hey, Ali,
I know we have this initiative coming up. What do
you think of this? Um Olivia. Maybe it's the same
for you. But when I'm working out or when I'm
having dinner or doing something, it's like, oh my gosh,
this great idea, this person would love this. It comes
(06:49):
to you at different times. That's so true. I feel
like at times, some of some of the times where
the best ideas come to you, it's always when you
least expected. It's almost it's almost when you're like about
to give up, like okay, maybe I should move on
to something else, and then right then and there, that's
that's always when the idea has come for me. Anyways,
(07:09):
I can only speak for myself, but it seems like
the best idea has always come at the most inconvenient times,
or or it's just you, you let it sit right,
And I think for part of us being storytellers, that's
why I think it's so important to do another activity
or read up on something completely different, listen to a
podcast that has nothing to do with what you're working on,
(07:31):
and all of a sudden something else might pop out.
So I love the idea, the idea of kind of
dabbling in a lot of different things and then oh
my gosh, this came to me or I have a
little bit more clarity in this area. Yeah, okay, So
we have established that you are an avid storyteller. You
love storytelling, You love to bring new I guess you
(07:53):
could say energy right to two people to be able
to view new stories. Where did that passion come from?
When did it start? You? So, Olivia? I grew up
in a sports family. UM My parents named me after
my grandmother's favorite Minnesota Twins player. They took me to
my first football game when I was a month old.
(08:14):
UM played sports growing up, and all of the lessons
in my life, whether it had to do with the
game I was playing, or something in school or something
with a friend, it was usually talked out through sports analogies,
through stories, and I just came to love that to
relate to that, and even in today, when I'm going
(08:38):
through maybe a challenge or something I'm working on, I
call back to those stories and remember, oh, this was tough,
but this is how this person got through it, or
this person persevered and look at what happened on the
other side. And it's been such an encouragement in my
life that I like to share that and pay it
(08:58):
forward with others. It sounds like it started young then.
You said you were brought to brought to games when
you were one month old. You were named after one
of your mother's favorite professional baseball players, so it sounds
like it started at a very young age. What did
your parents do that inspired them to pass that on
to you? Yeah, I mean they were sports fans, and
(09:20):
like I said, they would use sports analogies and and
different stories that they had been a part of in
terms of the sports realm growing up to teach me
and my siblings, um, and so yeah, it just got
to be Olivia ingrained within our family, and it was
something that it just seemed very natural to me, very
real to me, and very powerful because I saw from
(09:43):
an early age how sports and the stories within sports
brought people together and united people and encouraged people, and
there was there was just this power to it, and
I thought, I want to be part of that. Mm hm,
I can understand why. Like I said, it's it really
(10:04):
is a beautiful thing. We're gonna kind of take a
little bit of walk back through history. So you start
off young, it already had a passion and love for sports.
Fast forward to college days. You into the University of Minnesota.
You majored in communications and journalism. At that moment when
you when you were done with school, did you know
what you wanted to do? Did you know the path
(10:25):
you wanted to take or did it develop later? Yeah?
I did know that I wanted to be in sports.
I was interning as part of our marketing team at
the University of Minnesota, working on Gopher baseball and definitely thought, hey,
this is the path for me. And so in my
last semester, there was a sports career fair Olivia, and
(10:48):
before the Vikings were at US Bank Stadium, they were
at the Metrodome and this is where that career fair was.
And so I'm lined up and looking around and trying
to figure out, Okay, I need to strategize and who
can I talk to? And I had seen that ESPN
was at this career fair, and so I thought, gosh,
(11:10):
I've got to get in that line. I've got to
meet this person. And I'm sure the same for you, Olivia.
A lot of people contribute to success or to achieving goals, right,
you know, your parents encourage you, your coaches, your friends,
different mentors throughout your life. Um, but that day at
the career fair, there was one person and I still
(11:33):
feel badly I don't know his name, but who helped
me on my journey. And like I said, I saw
ESPN at this career fair, and so at a certain point,
I saw this break in the line, screwed on in
and kind of rehearsing my elevator speech, and all of
a sudden taps me on the shoulder and says, Hi,
(11:54):
what line are you in? And I said, well, the
ESPN line, and he said, no, you're not skanline. It's
way back there, the end of it, way down there.
You can't even see it. And Olivia, I don't know
about you, but I am a rule follower, so I
was kind of horrified, like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
And he said no, no, no, just stay here because
(12:15):
if you don't, you might not meet this person. Well
lo and behold, I get to meet this person and
months later he was the person that actually hired me
at ESPN. So thanks to that kind fellow student in line,
that's how I got to ESPN. Really, that's an incredible story.
(12:37):
And I love hearing stories like that because oftentimes I
tell people, even younger college students, when they approached me, hey,
how do you make it in this industry? And I
always tell people, you know, it's first and foremost, it's
about your work ethic. You have to be the hardest
working person in the room constantly. I know it sounds cliche,
but you have a people I'm sure I can speak
(12:58):
to it. That is the absolute truth. I Then the
second part of that, in my opinion, is connections. It's
building those relationships, it's maintaining those relationships. It's it's making
those connections not just because it benefits you, but because
you're truly interested in those other people. So it sounds
like that's what kind of worked out for you, and
(13:18):
it ended up being that same man who hired you
at ESPN. Right, you're so, you're so right on that
because I think you're right. It has to be hard work,
for sure. It also has to be having the opportunity
and making the most of it. Um. It wasn't like
I was hired on the spot, right. There was plenty
of networking, keeping in touch. I did freelance work, I
(13:41):
had informational interviews, so definitely that was part of it.
Is is staying on top of it, staying engaged. But again,
it's such a team effort. I had so many people
helped me along the way, and so Olivia. Every once
in a while, I'm at the grocery store or something
and it's like, hey, go ahead of me, you know,
(14:02):
and you just you you want to pay things forward,
and so I do. I think about those little things
that other people might not know. You made such a
big difference in someone's life, and that's part of my story.
And like I said, I just I want to pay
it forward and continue the kindness. That's a beautiful thing
(14:22):
to definitely to pay it forward and to kind of
reciprocate that kindness. That's so important. You don't hear a
lot of people talk like that nowadays. So good for you. Okay,
So you started with ESPN in two thousand and eight
as the Monday night football operations coordinator. When you began
in two thousand eight with ESPN, how did you envision
(14:43):
your career going? Because what is it? Thirteen years later
you're still there? Yes, can you believe it? Thirteen years?
How amazing? How it just flies by. And it's it's
funny because I just remember at that point in time
and being a college grad and you know, you're taking
all these different courses and trying to remember the lessons learned,
(15:05):
and and part of it was just always be a learner,
adapt to technology, adapt to new processes, don't be afraid
of doing new things. And so I had that in
the back of my mind, like as much as you
might envision a path, don't be too tunnel a vision alley,
Like there's a brand new world out there. I mean, Olivia,
(15:25):
I grew up in a small town, and so to
first of all, make the jump to the University of
Minnesota where not everybody knew my parents right in the hometown, Hey, Ali,
how how are your parents? How your family doing? But
to jump to the University of Minnesota and make a
name for myself and make those meaningful connections, build relationships.
(15:47):
That was part of my journey, and then I tried
to part lay that into ESPN and just take those
lessons learned, like, Alli, you've been in a big place before,
you can do this again. And so what I first
remember doing when I arrived in two thousand eight is
and I kind of did this too in freelance working internships.
(16:07):
But Hi, I'm Ali, what do you do? You know?
Just trying to take pockets of time to introduce myself,
to learn from people, because Olivia, I'd be curious if
you experience this. But as much as I studied journalism
in school, it was like a whole new language. I mean,
I have these a different language with the trucks, like
(16:28):
what is all of this? So I just I really
tried to be a sponge and to not be afraid
to ask questions. I would love for the college students
who are trying to break into the sports world to
listen to what you have to say, because it's it's
such an incredible approach that you have, and it's true,
(16:48):
especially when you enter a new place, right a new
working place, a new area. Your job really when you
get in there is to absorb as much as you
can you said it, you have to be like a
sponge and absorb as much as you can. And I
think people especially, we all just want to connect with
one another. So when you show people, hey, I think
you're important, I want to know your name? What do
(17:09):
you do that goes such a long way. I totally
agree with that. I think people, especially in the world
we live in today, we just need more of that.
We need more kindness, we need more people caring. Um.
So I definitely agree that that is that's an incredible
approach that you have. So I hope everyone listening takes
something out of that. Something you mentioned that I would
(17:30):
like to touch on. You mentioned the word adapt You
said that when you began in two thousand and eight
with ESPN, one of the biggest things you had in
your head was adaptation. That is an incredibly in in
my opinion, I think that that could be very important
in this industry, especially because it's a very competitive industry
(17:52):
and things are constantly changing. So if there's constant change,
if you want to roll with the with the change,
you have to adapt. So what does adaptation look like
to you? Wow, Adaptation, I think part of it is
is just acknowledging for me at least. Hey, I'm a
little bit afraid here. You know, I'm one of those
(18:13):
Olivia that I like the path, I like the answer.
I like to ensure the scene is safe, if you will,
And so it is to just kind of take a
beep and to acknowledge, you know what, I'm a little
bit afraid. I don't know what this looks like, but
this is an opportunity for me to be brave and
just to take that step forward and then acknowledge I
(18:37):
don't know the answers, but if I don't step forward,
that's almost more risky then going into the unknown. Does
that make sense? It does, It absolutely does, And that
takes a lot of bravery. Like you said, you said
you have to be brave. What did it take for
you personally to reach within yourself to be able to
(18:59):
do to be able to find that courage, Because that's
not something that's very easy to do. No, no, it's not.
And I'll tell you I actually kind of use this
little trick that my dad had suggested to me. I
was in high school playing basketball, and I remember that
our team was matched up against this team and they
(19:20):
had one of the best basketball players in the State,
and so as we were getting ready for the game.
Of course we're doing everything on the court and you're
studying film and going through all of this. And he
said to me, you know, Ali, what might be helpful.
I want you to come up with a theme song,
you know, like baseball players a walk up song, and
(19:41):
want to come up with a theme song to just
so you're mentally prepared as well. And so I I
thought about it, and I'm sure Olivia he thought I
was going to come back with like some really pump
up song or something. Um, but have you seen the
sound of music I have us so with the song,
(20:01):
I have confidence, yes, Julie Andrews. And so that was
my song. And to this day, before I do a
big project, you know, super Bowl press conference or something
that I feel like, Okay, I'm a little bit nervous
here or again I'm going into the unknown, um, I
will listen to some type of theme song and just
(20:24):
really this day still to this day, and I will
look back in my head, these are some successes. You know.
Again I was afraid to do this, or this was
new for me, or I had some anxiety around this,
but hey, that turned out well, Hey that turned out well,
you know, and and just kind of get myself ready
for whatever it is that's next. Okay. I have to
(20:47):
ask you then, if you were to have a pump
up song or a theme song today, no matter what
the situation is, is it do you know what it
is today? Or does it kind of depend on each situation.
It does depend on situation, But I still I will
go back to the I Have Confidence song. I love it.
I I think it's a great one and it's kind
(21:08):
of like that old reliable but I do mix it up.
I love that I'm gonna have I'm gonna have to
try that trick, and you know, I kind of just
want to bring this to your attention. You you talk
a lot about being brave, finding courage within yourself, adapting
two changes around you in big situations when they're new
and scary. You have that theme song to bring yourself
(21:28):
some confidence. But as a woman in it that's working
at ESPN in your position, have you ever thought that
a lot of people probably look up to you as
as a brave woman and a courageous woman in what
you do, Because I'm sure there are a lot of
people out there, whether you know it or not. They
probably think that, well, thank you, and I think the
(21:49):
same of you, Olivia. It kind of goes back to
that career fair right. We don't always know the great
impact we have on people, and so as best I
can in and I'm certainly not succeeding at it every time,
But whether I'm going into an informational interview talking to
excuse me, a young professional, or just going into a
(22:12):
meeting I'm leading or something, I do try to take
a beat to kind of set that intention um. And
the biggest thing is I do I want people to
leave feeling encouraged after we've talked, because again I've experienced
it in my life. It's it's a powerful thing. It's
it it propels you. And I think if I can
(22:36):
do that in some small way, then that's a win,
and I want to do that. It really is a win.
I always it's funny because you remind me a lot
of myself. I always tell myself, no matter what situation
I enter, if it's a new situation, I always hope
to leave a positive impact in one way or another.
No matter what it is, I always hope and pray
(22:57):
to leave a positive impact on others. And you just
mentioned how important it is to be kind and and
leave positive impacts on people to our listeners, what would
be one piece of advice you could provide on how
people can do that more and how people can, you know,
just treat each other better and find those connections. Yeah,
(23:20):
I think it's it's different for every person, right. We
all have different strengths. And I remember to talking with
young professionals about what I was doing. When I was
first searching for a job in the sports world. I thought, gosh,
I'm talking to all of these people that have been
in the industry for a long time. They held this
wonderful experience. What might I have to offer them? Um?
(23:44):
But there were there were always these little pockets where,
you know, somebody shared with me a favorite meal that
she liked, and so I had found a recipe that
was I thought kind of similar, and hey, I'm thinking
of you. You know, I wanted to send this your way.
I think it's it can be as simple as a note. Hey,
I read this article where you and your company were mentioned.
(24:06):
Congratulations on this project. Um, it doesn't have to be
a big thing, but we all do. We have different
gifts to share, and so I think whatever way is
unique to you and feels right to you, then lead
with that. Yeah, and I would just to reiterate kind
of what you say. I would encourage those listening, and
(24:29):
even if you're not listening, for those who are, share
it with those who have not listened yet to the podcast.
Share your gifts with one another, because we each have
gifts walking on this earth, and I think it's important
to be able to share those and spread that positivity. Really,
I think I love listening to you talk and some
of the things you're saying, because I think we need
(24:49):
more people like you in this world truly. So thank
you so much, Ali Stoneberg from ESPN for sharing your
story and your journey with us here on the New
Yorker Podcast. It was an absolute pleasure to get to
know you and to speak with you. Thank you so much,
Alie Pauler was mine, Olivia, Thanks so much. That's a
wrap on another episode of the New Yorker Podcast. I'm
(25:11):
your host, Olivia land Is. I hope you guys enjoyed
getting to know Ali Stoneberg a little bit more from ESPN.
I know I did. Please great share and subscribe to
podcast as much as possible. We'll see you guys, next time.
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