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Cheri Kempf is no stranger to playing bigger — she’s made incredible moves in the infield, in the dugout, on the mic, and at the boardroom table. A celebrated leader in women’s fastpitch softball, the four-time National Champion and six-time Hall of Fame Inductee pitched for Team USA during their 1992 World Cup victory. Today, she works tirelessly to promote women’s sports through Athletes Unlimited, a player-centric network of women’s pro leagues.

In this episode of Shift Out Loud, Cheri and I sit down to discuss her inspiring athletic journey, how she learned the value of honoring her commitments, what she thinks about women’s sports coverage and the Caitlin Clark effect, and how she became a respected trainer who literally wrote the book on pitching! 

Ready to play bigger? Listen now to discover: 

• What made Cheri an amazing sports analyst — and why she decided to leave the broadcasting booth
• The corporate and network buy-in required to elevate the popularity of women’s sports to the level they deserve
• How Athletes Unlimited is changing the game for women’s softball, indoor volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse

Guest bio: Cheri Kempf is a Senior Vice President and executive producer at Athletes Unlimited, a network of professional women’s sports leagues. She also serves as Director of Pro Softball, working with the Player Executive Committee to shape the league. She’s been recognized as a Sports Business Journal Game Changer (2022) and an Adweek’s Champion of Change (2023). She was Commissioner of National Pro Fastpitch for nearly 15 years. 

Timestamps:

01:48  Intro
04:08  Meet Cheri Kempf
08:47  Choosing a school
12:50  Shift to Maryville College
16:39  New school & 3-foot shift
20:49  Film school dream & Austin Peay
26:04  Shift to teaching
30:31  Women’s sports coverage
34:35  Softball’s tipping point
38:20  Shift from broadcasting 
42:55  Shift to Athletes Unlimited
49:03  Caitlin Clark
56:02  Corporate & network buy-in
1:01:46  Being in-studio
1:05:04  Shift to writing

Links:

Cheri KempF
auprosports.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cheri-kempf-683605227

Discover your tactical leadership toolkit: exceptionalleaderslab.com

Interested in working with me or having me speak at your event? Find more information at tracyspears.com

For insights that will help you play bigger in your life, work, and community, visit my resource library: tracyspears.com/blog

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Twitter: @tracylspears
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