Hi friends,
This became my and Sam’s unofficial motto back in 2015 when we first met as overeager interns determined to squeeze every possible opportunity out of our 10-week internship in Bristol. Fast forward to present day, working together on empowHERed, and it’s still the mindset we take into every call, meeting, conference, and chance encounter.
Why? Because nearly every opportunity we’ve gotten in this industry came from asking for it. Some examples:
When we teamed up to create a digital series for the intern pitch competition, we decided to think big by emailing as many anchors as we could and asking them to come on our show. Not only did an overwhelming majority say yes, the series resulted in us having the opportunity to travel the country creating content for College GameDay.
After a chance encounter with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at the WNBA All-Star Game in 2015, we got his card and asked if we could set up time to chat more. After a follow-up email, he invited us to the league offices in New York, where we spent over an hour talking. He’s still a valued connection and advisor to this day!
As we were starting empowHERed, we began looking for networking opportunities that would help us connect with future mentors and partners. We came across the espnW Summit, but tickets to attend in person, plus travel and hotel costs were expensive. So we reached out to one of our old friends and the head of the department at the time to ask if we could provide social media support in exchange for discounted tickets. Instead, she offered us complimentary admission, while seeking nothing in return.
That same day, we reconnected with our past mentor Julie Foudy, who was eager to hear more about empowHERed. Not only did she invite us to an exclusive after party (with free margaritas!) and introduced us to so many of women who have since become empowHERed mentors, webinar speakers, and partners!
You get the idea. Now I know that even the thought of putting yourself out there can be nerve-wracking. Some of you are sitting there reading this thinking, “I would never do that”, “I’m too shy”, “I don’t want to be annoying”. And let me tell you, I feel you! I was – scratch that – I am the same way. No matter how many times I push myself outside my comfort zone (usually at Sam’s insistence 😂), I still think of myself as awkward and quiet and wonder how I’m being perceived and what the heck I’m even doing. When I start overthinking like that, I think of all the times that I’ve put myself out there before and it’s worked out better than I could have ever imagined or opened doors I never thought possible. And if that doesn’t work? Well, then I remind myself that the worst thing that can happen is that the person says no or doesn’t respond. And so what? Then I’m in the same spot that I was before. No harm no foul.
So as difficult as it may seem, we’re here to remind you that it never hurts to ask. Some of the best opportunities come from simply asking the question. So send the email, request that LinkedIn connection, pitch your ideas, speak your mind, and remember…you’re awesome and you belong here.
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