My day job is working in the credit union industry, but I recently founded an effort to help sports moms build strong daughters: SportsMomMantra .

My daughter, who just finished her freshman year of high school, has been active in sports since she was in kindergarten (so I’ve been a sports mom a long time!). As she’s participated in different activities over the years, we’ve created amazing memories and made great friends, but at times I’ve realized that we both struggle to navigate today’s youth sports culture.

From team dynamics to playing time to her overall health and wellness—there’s so much to think about!  I’ve found myself wondering how to best support my daughter whether she’s struggling with a game loss or when she thinks she’s had a bad game. How can I guide her to be a supportive and encouraging teammate? Or how to be a good loser—and a good winner—and to learn from failure. Most of us will deal with vulnerability and disappointment more often than victory and the lessons we learn through sports can help us adapt and cope in every aspect of our lives.

As a sports mom, I’ve seen confidence and self-assurance in my daughter and her teammates, but it can quickly erode. Their bodies are changing; they spend a lot of time comparing themselves to others and feeling they’re not enough. This should be their time to learn, to grow, to have fun.

SportsMomMantra is my way of creating a platform to start the conversation for moms. I want to help them learn and remember what to say to connect with their daughters; to have a mantra to break through their self-talk and empower them.

I hope SportsMomMantra will be a place that focuses on building self-esteem and confidence and shows girls their value over and over.  I’m excited to learn along the way and share resources and tools to make both moms’ and daughters’ experiences more fun and less stressful, especially when issues pop up.  

I just launched the SportsMomMantra social media accounts a few months ago and I have a lot of ideas percolating. I’d love to make this a place to share insights and articles, to start discussions and find resources.

I’d be especially excited if this platform helped give girls the confidence to lead. Girls are good at supporting one another, but they’re not necessarily comfortable leading and are worried about what people will think if they do. Acting in a leadership or coaching capacity requires vulnerability and courage.  Maybe my efforts with this site can help create structures that allow a whole new generation of girls to pass on what they’ve been taught and to lift us all up. 

I’m excited to watch it take shape and invite others to reach out and help make that happen!

My most memorable caffeine is my Grandfather’s coffee—or, more accurately, the sugar cubes he added to his coffee. We grandkids would fight over whose turn it was to put that cube in!

My current caffeine of choice is always something flavored. I’ll even bring a jar of flavoring with me when I’m traveling to a game or tournament. You never know what kind of coffee you’ll run into on the road and I like to be prepared. My absolute favorite caffeinated beverage is the Firefly Mocha (from my favorite coffee shop—see below!). This was developed by a previous owner of the shop and it’s not on the menu. You have to know to order it. It’s a delicious combination of orange and chocolate and I highly recommend it.

My favorite place for caffeine is the Firefly Coffeehouse in Oregon. It’s very much a community space—couches, a play area for the kids—and it’s so welcoming. I love local and the idea of enjoying food and beverages crafted by someone with a passion to create something beautiful.

The person I’d love to share a cup of caffeine with is Serena Williams. She owns her confidence, she stands up for herself and she has always been her own person. Williams is filled with courage and drive and she’s a mother who came back from health challenges and reclaimed her spot in the world of tennis. She’s amazing.

World problem that could be solved with the right amount of caffeine: Giving moms the language to build girls’ self-esteem. Let’s do the research, let’s get together and problem solve and create a powerful tool to help our girls. That cup of coffee will provide the clarity to know exactly what we need to work on to tackle this together!