August 25, 2022 • 32 mins
Season 5 Episode 6 of The WeCOACH Podcast presented by Hudl highlights longtime WeCOACH partner, the United States Marine Corps. In this episode, we engage with USMC Captain Elizabeth J. Vincent, Officer Selection Officer for Northern Indiana, a former softball and basketball student-athlete, who has served seven years with the Marines. Hear how both participation in sport and service in the Marine Corps has translated into lifelong values, leadership skills, a team-first mentality, as well as cultivated a fighting spirit. These characteristics will certainly serve her well as an aspiring collegiate softball coach once she’s completed her terms of service with the Marines. Captain Vincent shares an opportunity for coaches, teams and athletics departments to engage with Marines in their local community via the Marines’ Influencer Program. Through leadership talks, cohesion team-building exercises, physical training/workouts and more, the Marines’ Influencer Program has an aligned mission with what coaches work daily to achieve—advance today’s youth, equip them with knowledge to be lifelong leaders while ultimately teaching them resilience to fight, win and overcome conflicts, challenges, and obstacles. WeCOACH appreciates the continued support the US Marine Corps provides to our Community and salutes every Marine for their commitment to serve and protect our country. Give this episode a listen then be sure to check out how the Marines’ Influencer Program can impart leadership, teamwork and culture within your team: RMI.Marines.com/Influencer.
Host: Vanessa Fuchs
For more information, links and resources and hundreds more conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com.
WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at info@wispsports.com.
Host: Vanessa Fuchs
For more information, links and resources and hundreds more conversations from the world of women’s sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com.
WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at info@wispsports.com.
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(00:26):
Hello everyone, and welcome to Seasonfive, Episode six of the Week Coach
podcast, presented by our partner Huddleon with Sports. Huddle is leveling the
playing field for women in sports,both through the technology they create and important
events like Breakthrough Summit. Co createdwith Week Coach. All podcasts episodes are
inspired by the collective input from ourWeek Coach community. Please join us every
(00:50):
two weeks for thought provoking discussions focusedon timely topics of national significance impacting the
coaching profession. I'll be your host, Vanessa Fuchs see EO of Week Coach,
a one of a kind nonprofit dedicatedto offering year round growth and leadership
development to recruit, advance, andretain women coaches in all sports and levels.
(01:11):
This podcast is a co production ofWith Sports and Week Coach. With
Sports is the world's largest podcast networkfor women's sports, with more than three
million podcast listeners worldwide. We lookforward to bringing you new shows, dropping
every other Thursday. Well, goodbyesummer and hello new academic year. I
find myself saying it every year thatit feels like the summer flies by so
(01:34):
fast, and what better way tobegin a new academic year than with a
new Week Coach Podcast episode. Inour last episode, we provided a sneak
preview of our Week Coach Enhanced MemberBenefits program by featuring some of our member
benefit partners who will pour into ourweek Coach community. And speaking of our
partners, I'm really excited for today'sconversation. Joining me is United States Marine
(01:57):
Corps Captain Elizabeth J. Vincent,Officer Selection Officer for Northern Indiana. The
Marines are a long time outstanding WeeCoach partner, and we can't say enough
about how grateful we are for thecontinued growth of our relationship and the incredible
support the US Marine Corps provides toour Wee Coach community. The Marines will
(02:20):
also be featured later this month asone of our member Benefit program partners.
Captain Vincent, First, thank youfor your service to protect our country,
and welcome to the Week Coach Podcast. I look forward to the conversation.
Thank you so much for having me, Vanessa, I'm very excited to be
here. The Week Coach Podcast hasbeen very inspirational for women everywhere and a
(02:40):
great partner to the Marine Corps,so I really enjoy listening to it and
it's just a pleasure to be invited. Feel free to just call me Elizabeth
if you'd like. Well, thankyou, Elizabeth. Really excited to get
to know you a little bit hereand learn about your leadership role with the
Marines. So let's go ahead andjump right in. I want to first
just start by talking about you theperson, Elizabeth Vincent, before we discuss
(03:04):
your Marine Corps service. How aboutyou talk a little bit about your background
so our listeners get to know youa little bit more. Where were you
born, where you raised? Feelfree to share a little bit about your
family if you'd like, personal interestsand hobbies. What's most important for our
listeners to know about you? Yeah, well, I come from a small
town in Michigan called Saint John's,which is part of my reason for wanting
(03:27):
to come back to the Midwest.I have a wonderful and supportive family,
a sister who actually served in themilitary as well. She did eight years
in the National Guard. I'm alsohappily married six years to my wonderful husband,
Andrew, and he's going on twelveyears in Army Reserves. I'm actually
five months pregnant with our first baby, and we also have two adorable French
(03:51):
bulldogs. Diesel and pepper, andthen as far as my hobbies go,
I grew up playing sports, basketball, volleyball, snowboarding. Actually you got
to find something to do in thewinters in Michigan, wrestling, softball,
and then most recently started dabbling inbodybuilding and actually picked up my pro card
(04:17):
for that. My main focus,however, was softball. I played in
college at a community college for awhile, but overall, I've just been
very interested in being part of ateam, and I believe that my success
in the Marine Corps definitely stemmed fromthe experiences that I had in team sport
(04:39):
and the mentors that I had inhigh school and college sports as well.
Congratulations on your pregnancy, very excitingnews, and I also thank your family
for their service to our country.And I think we're gonna get along just
fine. I spent and lived sevenyears in Indianapolis working at the NCAA.
(05:00):
It was an incredible opportunity for meworking at the national office during those seven
years. I love Indiana and Ialso owned two French bulldogs, so we're
gonna we have lots in common rightoff the bat here. My I affectionately
refer to them as the uncoachables.Phoenix and Frankie are my two French bulldogs,
female and male, and I thinkI can agree with everything you've said,
(05:23):
except snowboarding. I'll have to savefor another episode. My unfortunate snowboarding
episode incident. The last time Iwas in in Utah, it didn't end
so well for me with a brokenwrist. But enough about that. Really
appreciate you sharing a little bit aboutyourself. And you know, as I
was learning more about you, itlooks like when you were in high school
(05:45):
you started to explore the Marine Corpsand I'm curious to hear from you what
motivated inspired you, motivated and inspiredyou to take the step to look into
enlistment options and can you talk talkus through that exploratory process. Yeah?
Absolutely, Well, for me,I knew that I always wanted kind of
a exciting and adventurous life. Iwanted more than just a desk job or
(06:10):
working for a cause or a personthat I didn't believe in. So job
satisfaction to me was always more importantthan a paycheck, and I wanted to
be challenged. I was a prettytough kid next to my parents and my
older cousins, so I decided prettyearly on that I wanted to serve.
(06:32):
My family has always been quite patriotic, so then my choice really just came
down to where I would be mostchallenged, and that was unquestionably the Marine
Corps. For anyone that might begoing through that same evaluation process, can
you talk a little bit about USMarine Corps enlistment? What advice do you
(06:53):
have for them? Are there someresources where they can go to take advantage
of? Yeah? Absolutely so.Vice will always be to talk to a
Marine, whether that be a familymember, a friend, you know,
somebody who graduated earlier in high schoolthan you and enjoin the Marine Corps,
or even your local recruiter or officerselection officer. UM, that's really going
(07:16):
to be the best way to getyour questions answered. You can even find
a lot of us on social mediaplatforms. For instance, I'm on Instagram,
you can find me at Captain Underscorev ee, and I'm happy to
answer any questions that you have ina lot of recruiters or military personnel in
(07:39):
general would be happy to answer yourquestions. But if you aren't ready to
talk to anyone in person just yet, you can also do research on your
own at Marines dot com or MarineOfficer dot com. Awesome, thank you
for that information and really appreciate youalso offering to be a resource for individual
(08:00):
who are considering and listening. Youknow you you mentioned at the top of
the show you were a multi sportathlete softball, basketball and snowboarding and bodybuilding
now and you were named a teamcaptain. You also graduated with the highest
academic distinction Suma kum laude. You'vebeen the recipient of numerous awards and decorations
(08:20):
throughout your service in the Marine Corps, so it's clear you've led and found
success every stop along the way inyour career. So tell us how the
skills you learn through participation in sport, as well as the fighting spirit you've
cultivated through your Marine Corps service,empowered you to lead and achieve success in
all aspects of your life. Yeah, that's a great question. There are
(08:45):
so many values that are taught insports that directly translate into being a successful
adult, and especially for the MarineCorps which has such a team at atmosphere.
Some some values to me by manymany amazing coaches throughout my athletic career
were things like values such as youknow, dedication, selflessness, initiative,
(09:09):
discipline, courage, all of whichkind of guided my path to becoming a
leader and then, um, youknow, eventually a leader of Marines and
being responsible for their for their welfare. Um, it's a big responsibility to
take that on. And I thinkthat team sports in general teaches you to
(09:31):
be completely responsible for yourself and havingbeen a team captain, m it you
take on the responsibility of the team. UM. So that really prepared me
well for for my career later on. Um. You know, a good
marine officer or a leader in anyfield puts their team first. You know,
the awards, the recognitions, theyall come by just doing the right
(09:54):
thing and working hard for the peopleto your left and your rights. In
the Marine Corps embodies those principles andit's something that I'll take with me for
the rest of my life, youknow, even as a as a mother
and hopefully one day at coach.So all in all, sports in general,
team sports especially have really prepared meto be a leader of Marines.
(10:18):
And I can't think you know,my coaches and everybody who's mentored me enough
for instilling those values in me definitelyprepared me to be a leader. We
talk about this all the time,right, the skill sets, the leadership,
the values you learn from participation insport, from not only as a
(10:39):
student athlete, but then if youpivot into coaching, and we've even seen
coaches leave the coaching profession and goand lead in other ways such as consultants
and experts in their field, helpingto now lead coaches and student athletes as
as a consultant. So certainly everythingyou said as far as the values and
(11:00):
leaderships are transferable, and it's somethingwe discussed all the time. We're going
to get back to the comment youjust made about aspiring to be a coach
once you complete your your service withthe Marines, But first you serve as
an officer Selection officer for Northern Indiana, covering universities such as Perdue, Notre
(11:20):
Dame, Valparaiso, and Indiana Tech, which I will mention there are we
coach schools within that mix that Ijust mentioned. Thank you for your support.
What exactly does that role officer officerselection officer in TAIL and what does
your day to day service in theMarines look like? Well, Vanessa,
I've been a lot of places inmy career, including Norway and Afghanistan,
(11:43):
so coming to Indiana to work withcollege students was a big change in a
challenge for me. But once Igot started, I quickly realized that my
role here with the college students wasone of the most important in the Marine
Corps, and that is finding,mentoring, and shaping the next generation of
military leadership, which arguably is themost important aspect of this job. And
(12:13):
it's It's kind of hard to describemy day to day because it seems like
it's always different. But most daysI spend with officer candidates, helping them
to prepare for the rigors of trainingUM and ultimately leading Marines, and the
ways that I prepare them are typicallymentally obviously for um, you know,
(12:35):
training and going to officer candidate school, but also morally and physically for just
the rigors that they're going to begoing through. UM. It's a challenge
in itself because like any team,sport or challenge that a coach might have,
every candidate or athlete is just alittle bit different and their needs are
(12:56):
and motivators are different. So everydayseems like a new adventure here at the
OST, and I'm loving my jobhere and there's there's nothing better than mentoring
the next generation. Well said.I love that, And it sounds like
the leadership experience as you've gained throughyour service with the Marines will serve you
(13:18):
well with anything you decide to dowith your life, but certainly in the
role as in coaching. And Iwant to stop and focus on what you
just said for a moment here,because I think it's important that our we
coach women coaches community understands how theMarines can engage in their communities, with
(13:39):
their campuses, within their athletics departments, and with the teams that they serve
and their student athletes through leadership talks, workshops, workouts and even more.
And it's called the Marines Influencer Program. And this program has an aligned mission
(14:00):
similar to what we've been discussing interms of the types of leadership skills learning
to fight through adversity that coaches workto achieve daily with their teams to advance
today's youth, equip them with knowledgeto be lifelong learners, teach them resilience
to fight, win and overcome conflicts, challenges, obstacles. So could you
(14:20):
share a little bit more about withour listeners about the Influencer Program and elaborate
on the invaluable skills that coaches andtheir teams can gain to enhance morale,
culture and teamwork. Yeah. Absolutely, you hit the nail on the head,
Vanessa. So having done both competitivesports and served in the military,
there so many invaluable skills that crossbetween the two, which is why the
(14:41):
Marine Corps has put such an emphasison our Influencer program, which not only
exposes coaches and players to the MarineCorps, but it also teaches players and
coaches leadership and how to face thosechallenges and obstacles head on. And one
way we do this, or oneway that I do this with my colleges,
is by hosting leadership cohesion exercises,which is where I take over a
(15:07):
day of practice with the team basically, and we start by doing some physical
training which is going to be MarineCorps style of course, and then we
take up several We set up obstacles. For example, we might set up
like a lane of cones and theteam will cycle through trying to get through
(15:28):
the cones blindfolded without touching any Icall it the blind mindfield. There is
one leader who gives instructions while therest of the team holds a plank position.
This seems like a really simple exercise, but what I preach while the
team is conducting it is that theleader has to use clear and concise guidance
and has to know that teammate verywell, because I have to know how
(15:52):
to give direction to that individual.Not everybody takes direction the same. And
then for the blindfolded teammate, Iteach them that active listening and being coachable
is one of the pillars of beingpart of a team. And then lastly,
the plank adds just a little bitof friction, you know, causing
(16:14):
frustration, which you often see whenplaying team sports in the middle of the
game. So we add that frustration, and the lesson there is that no
matter how tired you get, youhave to continue to support the team because
the divided team doesn't go anywhere.And those principles are the same in the
Marine Corps. So once all ofthe obstacles are completely typically end the practice
(16:37):
with a leadership discussion where I askedthem, we're really hard questions that maybe
a coach isn't comfortable asking, soit's nice to have us there. I
ask you, what is your team'sbiggest problem, how can we as a
team fix it, and what canyou personally work on that would benefit the
(16:59):
success of the team. All inall, it's usually a really great experience
for both myself and in the coachesand players to learn a little bit about
the Marine Corps. Obviously, Ishare some of my experiences and show how
the Marine Corps develops leaders but it'salso good for the coaches to gain a
(17:21):
little bit of a different perspective onleadership and teamwork. It's a great opportunity
for me to get back on thefield and be part of a team again
and influence again the next generation ofleadership. I spent twelve years on campus
(17:45):
at Florida State University, and Iregret saying that I was not aware of
the Influencer program during my tenure asan administrator on Florida State's campus. But
I've done a lot of reading,I've watched some videos, and it's evident
that the coaches around the country thathave taken advantage of the Influencer Program and
brought the Marines to conduct, likeyou said, leadership cohesion exercises. You
(18:10):
know, these are really team buildingleadership workshops that are incredibly impactful for these
young people and helps to bring thatcohesion, like you said, for their
programs, and I wish I wouldhave known about it during my time on
campus, but certainly trying to helpspread the word amongst our weak coach community
of this invaluable opportunity. You know, another unique aspect of the Influencer Program
(18:33):
that's available to coaches specifically are theirCoaches Workshops and so can you talk a
little bit about how our coaches couldbenefit from participating in these coaches workshops through
the Influencer Program? Yes, absolutelyso. Both high school and college coaches
alike can participate in these workshops.Typically the easiest way is by contacting their
(18:56):
local enlisted or officer recruiter. Youcan also go to Marines dot com slash
influencer as well to find more information. But this past year I brought several
coaches from Notre Dame and other universitiesin my area to these workshops. The
coaches are brought to either one ofthe Marine Corps depots, recruit depots,
(19:18):
or the Officer Candidate school for essentially, what's you know, a sneak peek
behind the curtains of how we trainour Marines they get to participate in leadership
reaction courses, leadership discussions, andthey actually get to see Marines in training
as well, all of which teachcoaches new tactics to build team camaraderie and
(19:44):
really develop their team's values. Now, we like our coaches to have a
little bit of fun as well,so we let them do things like the
obstacle course. They get to sometimesflying helicopters, even eat mries, which
can be fun for your first time. All in all, it's typically a
great time for the coaches and theywalk away having learned how to develop leaders
(20:08):
within their perspective programs, which obviouslyis great for them, and it's great
for us to share our experience asMarines as well. And I probably should
have mentioned this from the top,but I'm aware that some programs will pay
for some leadership team building type workshops. These services offered through the Marines and
(20:30):
through the Marines Influencer Program are freefree of charge. Correct, Yes,
ma'am absolutely amazing. You hear thatwe coach community free. What about some
more information? Where can they goto get more information about the Influencer Program?
Yeah, Like I said, localrecruiters are going to have information,
(20:52):
especially for high school coaches and thenfor our college coaches out there, talking
to an officer selection officer like myselfwill be your best bet. If you
don't know who your officer selection officeris, you can also go to Marines
dot com slash influencer perfect. Thankyou for that, and thank you US
Marine Corps for partnering with we Coachto offer this incredible program for our members,
(21:18):
the Marines Influencer Program. Captain Vincent, I'd like to pivot and talk
about some experiences that you've had personallywith the Marines. What's your most rewarding
or personally fulfilling experience you've had sofar as a Marine. Oh that's a
hard one, But I think myfavorite part of being a Marine officer is
seeing my Marines be successful. There'sreally nothing better in this job than,
(21:41):
you know, promoting or commissioning oreven awarding marines that you know you helped
to develop into the leader that theyare today. So and listening to a
lot of the coaches on this podcast, I know they feel the same.
There's truly no better feeling. Andon a personal level, though I really
love to travel and experience new cultures, there's nothing quite like getting to do
(22:07):
the things you love and getting paidto do it. Couldn't agree more.
I love what you said. Itkind of reminds me of a mantra that
I like to say, lift aswe rise. So as you've continued to
advance in your career with the Marines, you're reaching back and lifting up the
next generation of Marines. Lift aswe rise, And I think that's such
a powerful concept that we're empowering thenext generation. And the same goes for
(22:33):
our coaching community. That's exactly whatthey do day in and day out.
It's incredible dedication of what they doto commit their lives and careers to empowering
our next generation of leaders. Let'stalk a little bit about the biggest challenge,
maybe if you're willing to share thatyou've faced in your life and how
skills that you've gained through sport aswell as through the Marines have allowed you
(22:56):
to triumph over that challenge. Absolutelyso, I am, among many other
things, a combat veteran. Ivolunteered to go to Afghanistan in twenty nineteen,
and while my experience was probably slightlyless chaotic than what many of the
listeners here have probably seen in moviessuch as you know, Band of Brothers
(23:18):
or other Marine Corps movies like FullMetal Jacket or something along those lines.
All all the same, a firefightis mentally and physically challenging, and when
you're in that type of environment,you tend to revert back and rely on
your training. And that training forme really started in team sports, where
(23:38):
I learned all the values that Imentioned earlier, but also just to put
the team first and to focus onwinning and to focus on the mission.
And of course I was trained bythe fearcis fighting organization in the world,
the United States Marine Corps. Soin a time where most would feel terrified,
I felt very confident in the skillsthat I've been taught throughout my careers.
(24:03):
But going back to coaches and theimpact that they really have on their
athletes, I mean, it's alittle dramatic in most cases, but those
skills can really be life or death, success or failure. In my case
it was. So when you're acoach, leader, or mentor to someone,
you really have to take that responsibilityto heart. And I take that
(24:25):
to heart. Is a leader ofmarines, to my responsibility to make sure
that they're taken care of, andI thank God every day for the mentors
that I had in my life,both in sports and in my career as
a Marine set incredible commitment, sacrifice, and we can't thank you enough for
how you lead. I wanted toalso spend a little time talking about some
(24:45):
of your long term goals in termsof your service with the Marines, but
maybe also touch on your aspirations ofcoaching one day. Yeah. Absolutely,
you know, at seven years ofservice, Vanessa, I've hit a lot
of my goal that I'd have hadhope for in being a Marine officer.
And like I had mentioned, Iwanted to challenge, I wanted to lead
(25:07):
and coach Marines, and overall Iwanted to just serve the country that I
love. And at this point inmy career, I've really gotten to do
all of those things. So nextyear I'll actually be transitioning out of the
Marine Corps. I'm going to startmy new career of being a mother.
But also I do have other goals. I want to use the education benefits
(25:30):
that the Marine Corps provided me withto go back to school. I'm hoping
to get a master's degree and stillkind of deciding what I want that to
be potentially an MBA, potentially leadershipand management. But I'd like one day
to own my own business and potentiallyto coach softball. Collegiate softball would be
(25:52):
my goal, and the University ofMichigan would be the dream. I mean,
they have such a great program.So you know, Coach, if
you're listening, Ho Chechens is definitelya member of our Week Coach community.
She helped us most recently with rollingout our fiftieth anniversary campaign, and we're
thrilled to have her certainly winningest softballcoach ever in the history. And I'll
(26:15):
tell you, I really do believethis, if that's something that you hope
to achieve coaching softball, I thinkany institution around the country would be fortunate
to have you leading their student athletes. So I wish you all the best
as you prepare for that career pivot, and certainly we welcome you as one
(26:36):
of our newest members of our WeekCoach community. We really do appreciate you
sharing your insights today. There's onequestion that we like to ask at the
end of every podcast episode, andsince you aspire to be a coach,
I'm curious to hear your thoughts onthis. Can you give advice for how
we move the numbers in terms ofsupporting and increasing the number of women coaches
(26:57):
and all sports and levels. Certaindiversity in the military has been a longstanding
issue, something the US Armed Forceshave been intentionally working to address in recent
years, And only a few weeksago, we saw US Marine Corps General
Michael Langley made history as the firstblack four star general in the Marines two
(27:18):
hundred and forty six year history.Just an amazing, amazing honor and recognition
and feet of achievement for him.A similar effort to address the lack of
diversity is being made in the worldof sport. It's certainly the primary reason
why we coach exists in our missionto advance more women and coaches of color
in this profession. So, inyour role assisting with the recruitment of future
(27:42):
Marines, what's your reaction when hearingabout General Langley and his achievement as a
four star general. But also specificinitiatives or practices that are implemented by the
Marines to advance people of color andwomen that you feel might be effective for
helping athletics increase diversity. So thereare a lot of questions here, but
(28:03):
first I would love to address justhow important General Langley's accomplishment is. For
reference, there are only three fourstar generals in the entire Marine Corps,
and his promotion is truly helping toencourage diversity and military leadership by showing simply
that it can be done. Youknow, the military in general has been
(28:26):
a little bit of a white maledominated establishment, and similarly with coaching,
but in the last thirty years orso, women and diversity have really stepped
up and proven that we have aplace here as well. For example,
today we have several female infantry platooncommanders and our artillerymen and other women in
(28:48):
combat arms. And those are thewomen that I looked up to when when
starting my journey as a man officer. So to answer your question of what
I think we can do to increasethe number of women in coaching or similarly
women in the military, my answeris to just do what I'm doing today
and advocates share your story hopefully inspirethe next generation to take the hard road
(29:15):
to work hard and achieve their aspirationsand and and really know that the sky's
the limit for you. But youhave to be willing to work for it.
And I think as long as wecontinue to advocate as women, and
obviously this podcast is doing a fantasticjob of doing that. But as long
as we continue to advocate, youngwomen will see coaches like Coach Huchants and
(29:45):
military leaders like General Ingley as rolemodels and mentors. And as long as
we continue to do that, Ibelieve we can really start to change the
numbers and really start to to provethat women are meant to be here because
we are. And I think thatGeneral Langley is just one of many to
(30:10):
come. Well said, well said, thank you for being a role model,
thank you for advocating for the advancementof diversity, and congratulations to General
Langley. Certainly, as young peoplewatch from around our country and look up
to him, they start to catcha vision for their own life and know
that they too can achieve the statusof a four star general because he's opened
(30:33):
that door. So thrilled for thatopportunity. You know, we have a
saying with we coach that if shecan see her, she can be her.
And I've always believed that there's enoughroom for everyone, and we are
at our best when everyone is representedin the room. We are wrapping up
(30:56):
here, but I want to encourageour WEE coach community check out the Marines
Influencer program. Coaches all over thecountry a test that this program has served
to elevate not only them as acoach, but also in part critical leadership,
teamwork and culture on their teams.And to learn more again, you
can go to RMI dot Marines dotcom backslash influencer. That's all the time.
(31:22):
Unfortunately, I feel like I couldtalk all day with you, Captain
Vincent, but that's all the timewe have for today. The United States
Marine Corps Captain Elizabeth J. Vincent, Officer Selection Officer in Northern Indiana.
I've really enjoyed the conversation and wewish you continued success in leadership and to
our partners, the US Marine Corps, thank you for not only supporting Week
(31:45):
Coach, but most importantly for yourdedication to protecting and defending our nation.
You are a special, special partof our week Coach community. Thanks for
listening to episode six of the WeekCoach Podcast, season five, and thank
you again to our sponsor, Huddleand Protect production partner with Sports. Please
follow us and share your comments onthe Week coach and with sports social media
(32:07):
accounts, and please visit our websiteat we Coach sports dot org to learn
more about our upcoming events, resources, membership and donor options. Until next
time, keep moving the numbers.We teach, we inspire, we motivate,
we lead, We coach
Hello everyone, and welcome to Seasonfive, Episode six of the Week Coach
podcast, presented by our partner Huddleon with Sports. Huddle is leveling the
playing field for women in sports,both through the technology they create and important
events like Breakthrough Summit. Co createdwith Week Coach. All podcasts episodes are
inspired by the collective input from ourWeek Coach community. Please join us every
(00:50):
two weeks for thought provoking discussions focusedon timely topics of national significance impacting the
coaching profession. I'll be your host, Vanessa Fuchs see EO of Week Coach,
a one of a kind nonprofit dedicatedto offering year round growth and leadership
development to recruit, advance, andretain women coaches in all sports and levels.
(01:11):
This podcast is a co production ofWith Sports and Week Coach. With
Sports is the world's largest podcast networkfor women's sports, with more than three
million podcast listeners worldwide. We lookforward to bringing you new shows, dropping
every other Thursday. Well, goodbyesummer and hello new academic year. I
find myself saying it every year thatit feels like the summer flies by so
(01:34):
fast, and what better way tobegin a new academic year than with a
new Week Coach Podcast episode. Inour last episode, we provided a sneak
preview of our Week Coach Enhanced MemberBenefits program by featuring some of our member
benefit partners who will pour into ourweek Coach community. And speaking of our
partners, I'm really excited for today'sconversation. Joining me is United States Marine
(01:57):
Corps Captain Elizabeth J. Vincent,Officer Selection Officer for Northern Indiana. The
Marines are a long time outstanding WeeCoach partner, and we can't say enough
about how grateful we are for thecontinued growth of our relationship and the incredible
support the US Marine Corps provides toour Wee Coach community. The Marines will
(02:20):
also be featured later this month asone of our member Benefit program partners.
Captain Vincent, First, thank youfor your service to protect our country,
and welcome to the Week Coach Podcast. I look forward to the conversation.
Thank you so much for having me, Vanessa, I'm very excited to be
here. The Week Coach Podcast hasbeen very inspirational for women everywhere and a
(02:40):
great partner to the Marine Corps,so I really enjoy listening to it and
it's just a pleasure to be invited. Feel free to just call me Elizabeth
if you'd like. Well, thankyou, Elizabeth. Really excited to get
to know you a little bit hereand learn about your leadership role with the
Marines. So let's go ahead andjump right in. I want to first
just start by talking about you theperson, Elizabeth Vincent, before we discuss
(03:04):
your Marine Corps service. How aboutyou talk a little bit about your background
so our listeners get to know youa little bit more. Where were you
born, where you raised? Feelfree to share a little bit about your
family if you'd like, personal interestsand hobbies. What's most important for our
listeners to know about you? Yeah, well, I come from a small
town in Michigan called Saint John's,which is part of my reason for wanting
(03:27):
to come back to the Midwest.I have a wonderful and supportive family,
a sister who actually served in themilitary as well. She did eight years
in the National Guard. I'm alsohappily married six years to my wonderful husband,
Andrew, and he's going on twelveyears in Army Reserves. I'm actually
five months pregnant with our first baby, and we also have two adorable French
(03:51):
bulldogs. Diesel and pepper, andthen as far as my hobbies go,
I grew up playing sports, basketball, volleyball, snowboarding. Actually you got
to find something to do in thewinters in Michigan, wrestling, softball,
and then most recently started dabbling inbodybuilding and actually picked up my pro card
(04:17):
for that. My main focus,however, was softball. I played in
college at a community college for awhile, but overall, I've just been
very interested in being part of ateam, and I believe that my success
in the Marine Corps definitely stemmed fromthe experiences that I had in team sport
(04:39):
and the mentors that I had inhigh school and college sports as well.
Congratulations on your pregnancy, very excitingnews, and I also thank your family
for their service to our country.And I think we're gonna get along just
fine. I spent and lived sevenyears in Indianapolis working at the NCAA.
(05:00):
It was an incredible opportunity for meworking at the national office during those seven
years. I love Indiana and Ialso owned two French bulldogs, so we're
gonna we have lots in common rightoff the bat here. My I affectionately
refer to them as the uncoachables.Phoenix and Frankie are my two French bulldogs,
female and male, and I thinkI can agree with everything you've said,
(05:23):
except snowboarding. I'll have to savefor another episode. My unfortunate snowboarding
episode incident. The last time Iwas in in Utah, it didn't end
so well for me with a brokenwrist. But enough about that. Really
appreciate you sharing a little bit aboutyourself. And you know, as I
was learning more about you, itlooks like when you were in high school
(05:45):
you started to explore the Marine Corpsand I'm curious to hear from you what
motivated inspired you, motivated and inspiredyou to take the step to look into
enlistment options and can you talk talkus through that exploratory process. Yeah?
Absolutely, Well, for me,I knew that I always wanted kind of
a exciting and adventurous life. Iwanted more than just a desk job or
(06:10):
working for a cause or a personthat I didn't believe in. So job
satisfaction to me was always more importantthan a paycheck, and I wanted to
be challenged. I was a prettytough kid next to my parents and my
older cousins, so I decided prettyearly on that I wanted to serve.
(06:32):
My family has always been quite patriotic, so then my choice really just came
down to where I would be mostchallenged, and that was unquestionably the Marine
Corps. For anyone that might begoing through that same evaluation process, can
you talk a little bit about USMarine Corps enlistment? What advice do you
(06:53):
have for them? Are there someresources where they can go to take advantage
of? Yeah? Absolutely so.Vice will always be to talk to a
Marine, whether that be a familymember, a friend, you know,
somebody who graduated earlier in high schoolthan you and enjoin the Marine Corps,
or even your local recruiter or officerselection officer. UM, that's really going
(07:16):
to be the best way to getyour questions answered. You can even find
a lot of us on social mediaplatforms. For instance, I'm on Instagram,
you can find me at Captain Underscorev ee, and I'm happy to
answer any questions that you have ina lot of recruiters or military personnel in
(07:39):
general would be happy to answer yourquestions. But if you aren't ready to
talk to anyone in person just yet, you can also do research on your
own at Marines dot com or MarineOfficer dot com. Awesome, thank you
for that information and really appreciate youalso offering to be a resource for individual
(08:00):
who are considering and listening. Youknow you you mentioned at the top of
the show you were a multi sportathlete softball, basketball and snowboarding and bodybuilding
now and you were named a teamcaptain. You also graduated with the highest
academic distinction Suma kum laude. You'vebeen the recipient of numerous awards and decorations
(08:20):
throughout your service in the Marine Corps, so it's clear you've led and found
success every stop along the way inyour career. So tell us how the
skills you learn through participation in sport, as well as the fighting spirit you've
cultivated through your Marine Corps service,empowered you to lead and achieve success in
all aspects of your life. Yeah, that's a great question. There are
(08:45):
so many values that are taught insports that directly translate into being a successful
adult, and especially for the MarineCorps which has such a team at atmosphere.
Some some values to me by manymany amazing coaches throughout my athletic career
were things like values such as youknow, dedication, selflessness, initiative,
(09:09):
discipline, courage, all of whichkind of guided my path to becoming a
leader and then, um, youknow, eventually a leader of Marines and
being responsible for their for their welfare. Um, it's a big responsibility to
take that on. And I thinkthat team sports in general teaches you to
(09:31):
be completely responsible for yourself and havingbeen a team captain, m it you
take on the responsibility of the team. UM. So that really prepared me
well for for my career later on. Um. You know, a good
marine officer or a leader in anyfield puts their team first. You know,
the awards, the recognitions, theyall come by just doing the right
(09:54):
thing and working hard for the peopleto your left and your rights. In
the Marine Corps embodies those principles andit's something that I'll take with me for
the rest of my life, youknow, even as a as a mother
and hopefully one day at coach.So all in all, sports in general,
team sports especially have really prepared meto be a leader of Marines.
(10:18):
And I can't think you know,my coaches and everybody who's mentored me enough
for instilling those values in me definitelyprepared me to be a leader. We
talk about this all the time,right, the skill sets, the leadership,
the values you learn from participation insport, from not only as a
(10:39):
student athlete, but then if youpivot into coaching, and we've even seen
coaches leave the coaching profession and goand lead in other ways such as consultants
and experts in their field, helpingto now lead coaches and student athletes as
as a consultant. So certainly everythingyou said as far as the values and
(11:00):
leaderships are transferable, and it's somethingwe discussed all the time. We're going
to get back to the comment youjust made about aspiring to be a coach
once you complete your your service withthe Marines, But first you serve as
an officer Selection officer for Northern Indiana, covering universities such as Perdue, Notre
(11:20):
Dame, Valparaiso, and Indiana Tech, which I will mention there are we
coach schools within that mix that Ijust mentioned. Thank you for your support.
What exactly does that role officer officerselection officer in TAIL and what does
your day to day service in theMarines look like? Well, Vanessa,
I've been a lot of places inmy career, including Norway and Afghanistan,
(11:43):
so coming to Indiana to work withcollege students was a big change in a
challenge for me. But once Igot started, I quickly realized that my
role here with the college students wasone of the most important in the Marine
Corps, and that is finding,mentoring, and shaping the next generation of
military leadership, which arguably is themost important aspect of this job. And
(12:13):
it's It's kind of hard to describemy day to day because it seems like
it's always different. But most daysI spend with officer candidates, helping them
to prepare for the rigors of trainingUM and ultimately leading Marines, and the
ways that I prepare them are typicallymentally obviously for um, you know,
(12:35):
training and going to officer candidate school, but also morally and physically for just
the rigors that they're going to begoing through. UM. It's a challenge
in itself because like any team,sport or challenge that a coach might have,
every candidate or athlete is just alittle bit different and their needs are
(12:56):
and motivators are different. So everydayseems like a new adventure here at the
OST, and I'm loving my jobhere and there's there's nothing better than mentoring
the next generation. Well said.I love that, And it sounds like
the leadership experience as you've gained throughyour service with the Marines will serve you
(13:18):
well with anything you decide to dowith your life, but certainly in the
role as in coaching. And Iwant to stop and focus on what you
just said for a moment here,because I think it's important that our we
coach women coaches community understands how theMarines can engage in their communities, with
(13:39):
their campuses, within their athletics departments, and with the teams that they serve
and their student athletes through leadership talks, workshops, workouts and even more.
And it's called the Marines Influencer Program. And this program has an aligned mission
(14:00):
similar to what we've been discussing interms of the types of leadership skills learning
to fight through adversity that coaches workto achieve daily with their teams to advance
today's youth, equip them with knowledgeto be lifelong learners, teach them resilience
to fight, win and overcome conflicts, challenges, obstacles. So could you
(14:20):
share a little bit more about withour listeners about the Influencer Program and elaborate
on the invaluable skills that coaches andtheir teams can gain to enhance morale,
culture and teamwork. Yeah. Absolutely, you hit the nail on the head,
Vanessa. So having done both competitivesports and served in the military,
there so many invaluable skills that crossbetween the two, which is why the
(14:41):
Marine Corps has put such an emphasison our Influencer program, which not only
exposes coaches and players to the MarineCorps, but it also teaches players and
coaches leadership and how to face thosechallenges and obstacles head on. And one
way we do this, or oneway that I do this with my colleges,
is by hosting leadership cohesion exercises,which is where I take over a
(15:07):
day of practice with the team basically, and we start by doing some physical
training which is going to be MarineCorps style of course, and then we
take up several We set up obstacles. For example, we might set up
like a lane of cones and theteam will cycle through trying to get through
(15:28):
the cones blindfolded without touching any Icall it the blind mindfield. There is
one leader who gives instructions while therest of the team holds a plank position.
This seems like a really simple exercise, but what I preach while the
team is conducting it is that theleader has to use clear and concise guidance
and has to know that teammate verywell, because I have to know how
(15:52):
to give direction to that individual.Not everybody takes direction the same. And
then for the blindfolded teammate, Iteach them that active listening and being coachable
is one of the pillars of beingpart of a team. And then lastly,
the plank adds just a little bitof friction, you know, causing
(16:14):
frustration, which you often see whenplaying team sports in the middle of the
game. So we add that frustration, and the lesson there is that no
matter how tired you get, youhave to continue to support the team because
the divided team doesn't go anywhere.And those principles are the same in the
Marine Corps. So once all ofthe obstacles are completely typically end the practice
(16:37):
with a leadership discussion where I askedthem, we're really hard questions that maybe
a coach isn't comfortable asking, soit's nice to have us there. I
ask you, what is your team'sbiggest problem, how can we as a
team fix it, and what canyou personally work on that would benefit the
(16:59):
success of the team. All inall, it's usually a really great experience
for both myself and in the coachesand players to learn a little bit about
the Marine Corps. Obviously, Ishare some of my experiences and show how
the Marine Corps develops leaders but it'salso good for the coaches to gain a
(17:21):
little bit of a different perspective onleadership and teamwork. It's a great opportunity
for me to get back on thefield and be part of a team again
and influence again the next generation ofleadership. I spent twelve years on campus
(17:45):
at Florida State University, and Iregret saying that I was not aware of
the Influencer program during my tenure asan administrator on Florida State's campus. But
I've done a lot of reading,I've watched some videos, and it's evident
that the coaches around the country thathave taken advantage of the Influencer Program and
brought the Marines to conduct, likeyou said, leadership cohesion exercises. You
(18:10):
know, these are really team buildingleadership workshops that are incredibly impactful for these
young people and helps to bring thatcohesion, like you said, for their
programs, and I wish I wouldhave known about it during my time on
campus, but certainly trying to helpspread the word amongst our weak coach community
of this invaluable opportunity. You know, another unique aspect of the Influencer Program
(18:33):
that's available to coaches specifically are theirCoaches Workshops and so can you talk a
little bit about how our coaches couldbenefit from participating in these coaches workshops through
the Influencer Program? Yes, absolutelyso. Both high school and college coaches
alike can participate in these workshops.Typically the easiest way is by contacting their
(18:56):
local enlisted or officer recruiter. Youcan also go to Marines dot com slash
influencer as well to find more information. But this past year I brought several
coaches from Notre Dame and other universitiesin my area to these workshops. The
coaches are brought to either one ofthe Marine Corps depots, recruit depots,
(19:18):
or the Officer Candidate school for essentially, what's you know, a sneak peek
behind the curtains of how we trainour Marines they get to participate in leadership
reaction courses, leadership discussions, andthey actually get to see Marines in training
as well, all of which teachcoaches new tactics to build team camaraderie and
(19:44):
really develop their team's values. Now, we like our coaches to have a
little bit of fun as well,so we let them do things like the
obstacle course. They get to sometimesflying helicopters, even eat mries, which
can be fun for your first time. All in all, it's typically a
great time for the coaches and theywalk away having learned how to develop leaders
(20:08):
within their perspective programs, which obviouslyis great for them, and it's great
for us to share our experience asMarines as well. And I probably should
have mentioned this from the top,but I'm aware that some programs will pay
for some leadership team building type workshops. These services offered through the Marines and
(20:30):
through the Marines Influencer Program are freefree of charge. Correct, Yes,
ma'am absolutely amazing. You hear thatwe coach community free. What about some
more information? Where can they goto get more information about the Influencer Program?
Yeah, Like I said, localrecruiters are going to have information,
(20:52):
especially for high school coaches and thenfor our college coaches out there, talking
to an officer selection officer like myselfwill be your best bet. If you
don't know who your officer selection officeris, you can also go to Marines
dot com slash influencer perfect. Thankyou for that, and thank you US
Marine Corps for partnering with we Coachto offer this incredible program for our members,
(21:18):
the Marines Influencer Program. Captain Vincent, I'd like to pivot and talk
about some experiences that you've had personallywith the Marines. What's your most rewarding
or personally fulfilling experience you've had sofar as a Marine. Oh that's a
hard one, But I think myfavorite part of being a Marine officer is
seeing my Marines be successful. There'sreally nothing better in this job than,
(21:41):
you know, promoting or commissioning oreven awarding marines that you know you helped
to develop into the leader that theyare today. So and listening to a
lot of the coaches on this podcast, I know they feel the same.
There's truly no better feeling. Andon a personal level, though I really
love to travel and experience new cultures, there's nothing quite like getting to do
(22:07):
the things you love and getting paidto do it. Couldn't agree more.
I love what you said. Itkind of reminds me of a mantra that
I like to say, lift aswe rise. So as you've continued to
advance in your career with the Marines, you're reaching back and lifting up the
next generation of Marines. Lift aswe rise, And I think that's such
a powerful concept that we're empowering thenext generation. And the same goes for
(22:33):
our coaching community. That's exactly whatthey do day in and day out.
It's incredible dedication of what they doto commit their lives and careers to empowering
our next generation of leaders. Let'stalk a little bit about the biggest challenge,
maybe if you're willing to share thatyou've faced in your life and how
skills that you've gained through sport aswell as through the Marines have allowed you
(22:56):
to triumph over that challenge. Absolutelyso, I am, among many other
things, a combat veteran. Ivolunteered to go to Afghanistan in twenty nineteen,
and while my experience was probably slightlyless chaotic than what many of the
listeners here have probably seen in moviessuch as you know, Band of Brothers
(23:18):
or other Marine Corps movies like FullMetal Jacket or something along those lines.
All all the same, a firefightis mentally and physically challenging, and when
you're in that type of environment,you tend to revert back and rely on
your training. And that training forme really started in team sports, where
(23:38):
I learned all the values that Imentioned earlier, but also just to put
the team first and to focus onwinning and to focus on the mission.
And of course I was trained bythe fearcis fighting organization in the world,
the United States Marine Corps. Soin a time where most would feel terrified,
I felt very confident in the skillsthat I've been taught throughout my careers.
(24:03):
But going back to coaches and theimpact that they really have on their
athletes, I mean, it's alittle dramatic in most cases, but those
skills can really be life or death, success or failure. In my case
it was. So when you're acoach, leader, or mentor to someone,
you really have to take that responsibilityto heart. And I take that
(24:25):
to heart. Is a leader ofmarines, to my responsibility to make sure
that they're taken care of, andI thank God every day for the mentors
that I had in my life,both in sports and in my career as
a Marine set incredible commitment, sacrifice, and we can't thank you enough for
how you lead. I wanted toalso spend a little time talking about some
(24:45):
of your long term goals in termsof your service with the Marines, but
maybe also touch on your aspirations ofcoaching one day. Yeah. Absolutely,
you know, at seven years ofservice, Vanessa, I've hit a lot
of my goal that I'd have hadhope for in being a Marine officer.
And like I had mentioned, Iwanted to challenge, I wanted to lead
(25:07):
and coach Marines, and overall Iwanted to just serve the country that I
love. And at this point inmy career, I've really gotten to do
all of those things. So nextyear I'll actually be transitioning out of the
Marine Corps. I'm going to startmy new career of being a mother.
But also I do have other goals. I want to use the education benefits
(25:30):
that the Marine Corps provided me withto go back to school. I'm hoping
to get a master's degree and stillkind of deciding what I want that to
be potentially an MBA, potentially leadershipand management. But I'd like one day
to own my own business and potentiallyto coach softball. Collegiate softball would be
(25:52):
my goal, and the University ofMichigan would be the dream. I mean,
they have such a great program.So you know, Coach, if
you're listening, Ho Chechens is definitelya member of our Week Coach community.
She helped us most recently with rollingout our fiftieth anniversary campaign, and we're
thrilled to have her certainly winningest softballcoach ever in the history. And I'll
(26:15):
tell you, I really do believethis, if that's something that you hope
to achieve coaching softball, I thinkany institution around the country would be fortunate
to have you leading their student athletes. So I wish you all the best
as you prepare for that career pivot, and certainly we welcome you as one
(26:36):
of our newest members of our WeekCoach community. We really do appreciate you
sharing your insights today. There's onequestion that we like to ask at the
end of every podcast episode, andsince you aspire to be a coach,
I'm curious to hear your thoughts onthis. Can you give advice for how
we move the numbers in terms ofsupporting and increasing the number of women coaches
(26:57):
and all sports and levels. Certaindiversity in the military has been a longstanding
issue, something the US Armed Forceshave been intentionally working to address in recent
years, And only a few weeksago, we saw US Marine Corps General
Michael Langley made history as the firstblack four star general in the Marines two
(27:18):
hundred and forty six year history.Just an amazing, amazing honor and recognition
and feet of achievement for him.A similar effort to address the lack of
diversity is being made in the worldof sport. It's certainly the primary reason
why we coach exists in our missionto advance more women and coaches of color
in this profession. So, inyour role assisting with the recruitment of future
(27:42):
Marines, what's your reaction when hearingabout General Langley and his achievement as a
four star general. But also specificinitiatives or practices that are implemented by the
Marines to advance people of color andwomen that you feel might be effective for
helping athletics increase diversity. So thereare a lot of questions here, but
(28:03):
first I would love to address justhow important General Langley's accomplishment is. For
reference, there are only three fourstar generals in the entire Marine Corps,
and his promotion is truly helping toencourage diversity and military leadership by showing simply
that it can be done. Youknow, the military in general has been
(28:26):
a little bit of a white maledominated establishment, and similarly with coaching,
but in the last thirty years orso, women and diversity have really stepped
up and proven that we have aplace here as well. For example,
today we have several female infantry platooncommanders and our artillerymen and other women in
(28:48):
combat arms. And those are thewomen that I looked up to when when
starting my journey as a man officer. So to answer your question of what
I think we can do to increasethe number of women in coaching or similarly
women in the military, my answeris to just do what I'm doing today
and advocates share your story hopefully inspirethe next generation to take the hard road
(29:15):
to work hard and achieve their aspirationsand and and really know that the sky's
the limit for you. But youhave to be willing to work for it.
And I think as long as wecontinue to advocate as women, and
obviously this podcast is doing a fantasticjob of doing that. But as long
as we continue to advocate, youngwomen will see coaches like Coach Huchants and
(29:45):
military leaders like General Ingley as rolemodels and mentors. And as long as
we continue to do that, Ibelieve we can really start to change the
numbers and really start to to provethat women are meant to be here because
we are. And I think thatGeneral Langley is just one of many to
(30:10):
come. Well said, well said, thank you for being a role model,
thank you for advocating for the advancementof diversity, and congratulations to General
Langley. Certainly, as young peoplewatch from around our country and look up
to him, they start to catcha vision for their own life and know
that they too can achieve the statusof a four star general because he's opened
(30:33):
that door. So thrilled for thatopportunity. You know, we have a
saying with we coach that if shecan see her, she can be her.
And I've always believed that there's enoughroom for everyone, and we are
at our best when everyone is representedin the room. We are wrapping up
(30:56):
here, but I want to encourageour WEE coach community check out the Marines
Influencer program. Coaches all over thecountry a test that this program has served
to elevate not only them as acoach, but also in part critical leadership,
teamwork and culture on their teams.And to learn more again, you
can go to RMI dot Marines dotcom backslash influencer. That's all the time.
(31:22):
Unfortunately, I feel like I couldtalk all day with you, Captain
Vincent, but that's all the timewe have for today. The United States
Marine Corps Captain Elizabeth J. Vincent, Officer Selection Officer in Northern Indiana.
I've really enjoyed the conversation and wewish you continued success in leadership and to
our partners, the US Marine Corps, thank you for not only supporting Week
(31:45):
Coach, but most importantly for yourdedication to protecting and defending our nation.
You are a special, special partof our week Coach community. Thanks for
listening to episode six of the WeekCoach Podcast, season five, and thank
you again to our sponsor, Huddleand Protect production partner with Sports. Please
follow us and share your comments onthe Week coach and with sports social media
(32:07):
accounts, and please visit our websiteat we Coach sports dot org to learn
more about our upcoming events, resources, membership and donor options. Until next
time, keep moving the numbers.We teach, we inspire, we motivate,
we lead, We coach
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