empowHERed | career resources and networking for women in sports

A community of support dedicated to creating more opportunities for women in sports through professional development, mentorship, mental health resources, and more!

EDUCATION

EXPOSURE

EMPOWERMENT

About empowHERed

Inspired by a passion for sport and a desire to create a pathway for other women, empowHERed is designed to connect female students and

young professionals with exclusive opportunities, relationships,

and resources to help break into and navigate a male-dominated industry.

A membership-based service, empowHERed offers:

Educational webinars & Q&As with trailblazers in sports
One-on-one mentorship from industry leaders
Exclusive job shadows, internships, and jobs with partner organizations
In-person and Zoom networking events
Mental health resources
Career development materials
A community of support
And so much more!

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Meet Our Team

"empowHERed provides the resources we wish we'd had as college students and young professionals."

"The idea for empowHERed stemmed from our own experiences navigating the male-dominated sports landscape and a desire to open doors for other women in the industry. We found there were many communities to support women in sports, but none that took the next step to actually find and create more opportunities for those women. empowHERed is designed to fill that gap."

- Meghan and Samantha

Meghan O'Donnell

Founder

Meghan is a sports analytics and communications professional with experience working for ESPN's Statistics and Information Group, College GameDay, and the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2022, she launched Character Plus Consulting, a draft analytics company working with professional teams and athletes.

After experiencing sexism and harassment in the industry, Meghan has become an advocate for women in sport and contributed to multiple studies on the topic, including, "A vicious cycle: Women's experiences with hostile work environments in the professional sports industry" and "Scarcity and queen bee syndrome: Women's role in creating and maintaining toxic work environments in sport organizations".

In an effort to change the narrative, she and Samantha launched empowHERed as a way to provide much-needed guidance and mentorship to young women in sports.

Samantha Ward

Founder

Samantha Ward is a sports marketing and social media professional with experience working for espnW, College GameDay, and the Boston Red Sox. After honing her skills for seven years in the sports industry, she launched her own marketing consulting agency, Local Social, where she continued working with athletes to build their brands and provided personalized support to growing businesses and foundations.

While blessed with a strong network of support, Samantha felt the urge to provide that same support to others after encountering many women in the industry who were unapproachable or unwilling to provide mentorship. As a result, she and Meghan launched empowHERed as a way to connect with and provide resources to women in the sports industry.

Interested in career advice, networkings events, one-on-one mentorship, health and wellness resources, and more?

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