This spring I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class.

In this bonus episode of Season 5, I'm sharing "Outside the Lines" which was created and produced by Harrison Durow, Christian Green, and Zander Guckian. Here are their liner notes:

In this episode of Outside the Lines, we interviewed Maryellen Durow, a Hall of Fame volleyball player at the University of Northern Iowa and a varsity coach and athletic director in her own right, about how her experiences shape her outlook on leadership.

Maryellen narrates her journey from growing up in Milwaukee, to being a successful athlete at Pius High School, where she helped her teams compete for state championships. She explains how being an athlete helped her develop resilience, teamwork, and the potential to change a team culture when things go south.

The discussion explores gender expectations in leadership, changing opportunities for women in athletics, and the balancing act of being assertive versus likable. Inspired by her high school coach, Mr. Fisher, and the great UCLA Coach John Wooden, Maryellen teaches the fighting values of hard work, trust, and teamwork.

She also discusses the significance of setting goals, building strong relationships, and adapting a leadership approach to individual and team needs. Her advice for aspiring coaches and athletes centers around being vulnerable, honing people skills, and valuing team success over individual accolades.

The lessons from this episode go beyond lessons we can learn on the court and in administration, and they also show how we live our day-to-day lives around building a culture of trust and growth. Maryellen’s wisdom offers concrete advice for all who want to lead with authenticity and purpose.

Podcast Music- https://freemusicarchive.org/music/daynigthmorning/business/for-podcast/ “For Podcast” by DayNigthMorning