Play Today. Lead Tomorrow. Workshops

Goal: Support South St. Paul Girls’ Hockey players as they develop as players and leaders.  Help them build the leadership skills and mental mindset to be strong leaders on their team and in their careers.

Guiding Principles:

Workshops will all incorporate:

• Reflection on how the skills they are learning are transferrable to sports and life
• How topics are relevant right now (on their teams and in the classroom, etc.)
• How the skills they are developing in sport will translate to careers

Participants:  South St. Paul Girls’ Hockey Program Players 

Coach: David Palmquist
Contact: Lori Felton

Session #1:  Your Superpower

Student-athletes build incredible leadership skills through sport.  Yet it can be challenging to identify and translate those skills and experiences to life and careers.  During this interactive session, student-athletes will:

• Learn how to articulate the transferrable skills they are learning as an athlete
• Identify their “superpower” – what strength differentiates them and drives their success?  
• Reflect on how they use their “superpower” on their team and how they might apply it as a leader and in potential careers

Session #2:  Playing Bold: Resilience

Mental skills are critical to success both on and off the ice.  Developing a strong mental framework to play bold, take risks and adapt to constantly changing environments will help athletes to be resilient not only in their sport, but in their life. In this session, student-athletes will:

• Learn strategies to help cope with adversity
• Understand how to develop a resilient mindset 
• Identify and utilize their strengths to help them perform even in the toughest situations
• Develop a support system to help them maintain resilience

Session #3:  Confident Communication Skills

Communication skills are critical as student-athletes lead both in their teams and in their lives.  Through improv exercises and interactive activities, student-athletes will learn communication and presentation skills that will increase their credibility and build their confidence.   Student-athletes will learn:

• How to build, maintain confidence and overcome lost confidence 
• The importance of non-verbal communication and how body language can impact confidence on the ice and in life
• How to project confidence when communicating
• How to listen, be present, and improvise in communication situations
• How to find their voice to advocate for their sport and career aspirations 

Session #4: Building Your Team to Dream BIG

Student-athletes have a built in team through sports, but need to learn how to build a support system as the develop as leaders beyond sport.  

In this session, student-athletes will learn how to connect to build new relationships and maintain existing bonds as they move through high school, college, and begin their careers.  Focus areas will include:

• Building relationships and career advocates
• Developing mentors
• Building a support system through high school and college
• Starting to test career hypotheses through informational interviews and job shadowing
• Making bold career plans and dreaming BIG

Student-athletes will also hear from 1-2 former college athletes about their leadership journey and what they wish they had known as high school and college athletes about building their team and career readiness skills.

FACILITATORS

Audra Emerson – Her Next Play

Audra Emerson founder of CareerPrep and Vice President of Her Next Play, a non-profit that empowers female athletes to launch successful careers.  A passionate speaker, trainer and career coach with over 20 years of experience in recruiting and human resources, Audra has helped thousands of people advance their careers at top start-up and elite Fortune companies such as Target, Russell Investments, US Bank, Ameriprise, Allianz and more.  She knows what recruiters and managers are looking for, how hiring decisions are made, what skills matter, and what types of jobs are now available in the marketplace. 

Audra also serves as a Board Member of the Edina Girls Athletic Association, and enjoys raising two athletic daughters and coaching various youth teams.  She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Sara Wegmann – Her Next Play

Sara Wegmann is passionate about coaching, guiding, and teaching student-athletes and young professionals as they navigate their early careers .  This passion lead her to create Her Next Play, a nonprofit that empowers female athletes to confidently launch successful careers.

Sara is a powerful guide for emerging careers and brings extensive experience in talent development from top companies such as Deloitte, Target, and Merrill Lynch.  As a college athlete, a youth soccer and volleyball coach, and a competitive tennis player, Sara is a strong believer in the power of sports in developing young leaders.  Sara was a Captain, MVP and All Conference Varsity soccer player at Lawrence University, and now serves as Co-Chair of the Lawrence University Viking Athletics Alumni Advisory Committee.  She has a B.A. in Psychology from Lawrence University and an MBA in Human Resources from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Elizabeth Best – Premier Sport Psychology

At Premier Sport Psychology, Elizabeth is a resilience consultant and mental performance consultant. Elizabeth is a Gustavus Adolphus College graduate where she studied Psychology. Elizabeth recently completed her masters in Sport Psychology through John F. Kennedy University in California.  At John F. Kennedy University, Elizabeth was the Sport Psychology Student Association Event Coordinator and Overall President. In internships for her masters, Elizabeth has worked with athletes from middle school through D1 college level. She has presented at a regional conference and is passionate about the growth of sport psychology and teaching resilience.  Elizabeth has played volleyball for most of her life, but grew up playing a little bit of everything (recreational) with her family. She has also coached volleyball at the middle school competitive level. 

Taylor Finley – Premier Sport Psychology

At Premier Sport Psychology, Taylor Finley is a student-athlete leadership consultant for the Leadership U program at the University of Minnesota and other colleges. She also is the Director of Premier Mindset Academy and Client Services, managing all major client engagements, products and mental skills programs. Taylor graduated from Harvard University where she studied Psychology with a secondary in Sociology. In high school she was a two-time captain, five-time All-Conference selection, two-time All-State and All-Section selection, and led Providence Academy to a State Championship in 2012. She has also coached basketball, including 14U and 15U AAU teams for the MN Metro Stars and directed a high school basketball camp. She played Division I basketball at Harvard where she was the team captain for her senior year.