Lisa joined the JVA Staff in December 2013. She has a solid volleyball background at all levels. After completing her volleyball career at Purdue University, she served as the Student Assistant Coach followed by three seasons as the Assistant Volleyball Coach at Samford University where her responsibilities included recruiting, aiding in day to day team training, managing community service functions, and coordination of camps. In 2011 she helped guide the program to its first NCAA appearance.
Message of the Week
Message of the Week
“Listen to the people. Learn from the people. Love the people.” – Cynt Marshall
As I finally had a chance to sit down and process Align, I kept asking myself the same question…did anything go wrong?
Honestly, I am not sure I heard one bad thing from anyone all week (unless nobody wants to say it to my face). Hopefully the survey gives us constructive feedback because we genuinely want to keep improving this event every single year. Obviously we are our own biggest critics as well. But walking away from those few days, I mostly just felt inspired. Inspired from the conversations, the honesty, the collaboration, and the people who continue to show up for this sport.
And how about Cynt Marshall opening Align? I honestly do not know how we will top that next year.
Not sure about the rest of the room, but in the 40 minutes she spoke, I think I felt almost every emotion possible. I laughed hysterically at times. I fought back tears at others. There was one line she said that has stayed with me ever since:
“Listen to the people. Learn from the people. Love the people.”
That is leadership. That is business. That is sports. Most importantly, that is life.
We should all run our organizations and live that way.
Always listen, no matter who is talking or what the conversation is, because every single person has something to teach us if we are willing to hear it. Sometimes the most important lessons come from the conversations you almost overlooked.
Outside of all the amazing speakers, one of the most humbling parts of Align was simply looking around the room. The leaders in attendance. The experience. The passion. The people willing to take time away from already impossible schedules because they care deeply about where this sport is headed.
I mentioned this a few times during the event, and I mean it wholeheartedly: yes, there are competitors in the room. That is reality. But if all of us are truly here to make clubs better, to create better experiences for athletes and families, then we should always be willing to collaborate where we can for the good of the sport.
There is something powerful about sitting across the table from people with different opinions, different business models, and different ideas, and still being able to have honest conversations about the future of volleyball. Those conversations matter. A lot.
Honest moment here…
If you know me, you know I am an extremely passionate person. I take what I do very seriously, and I am fiercely protective of the people in my life and the people we serve. Standing in that room full of club representatives for two days honestly fired me up even more.
Because the truth is, there is a very self-serving era happening in sports right now. You see it everywhere. Decisions driven by ego, power, money, and control. And while that can be discouraging at times, it also motivates me. It pushes me harder to make sure JVA stays on course and continues fighting to protect clubs, support directors, and advocate for what is best for the people actually doing the work every day.
I can promise you this: our staff has never been more motivated.
Motivated to push.
Motivated to grow.
Motivated to evolve.
Motivated to pursue whatever it is YOU need us to pursue.
Not what is easiest. Not what is most profitable. Not what looks best in a headline. What actually helps clubs. What actually helps directors. What actually helps the athletes and families that depend on all of us.
The energy leaving Align was different. You could feel it. The champagne toast may have helped…
We are going to give back more than ever this year and heading into next year. More opportunities. More collaboration. More support. More education. More investment into the people who continue building this sport the right way. Bettering the Ball every single day.
And we want you to be part of it.
Thank you for believing in Align.
Thank you for believing in JVA.
And most importantly, thank you for continuing to show up for this sport and for the kids who make all of this worth it.
Now it’s time to figure out how we top Cynt Marshall next year because there really “ain’t no mountain high enough…”
With a lot of gratitude,
Lisa
“Listen to the people. Learn from the people. Love the people.” – Cynt Marshall
As I finally had a chance to sit down and process Align, I kept asking myself the same question…did anything go wrong?
Honestly, I am not sure I heard one bad thing from anyone all week (unless nobody wants to say it to my face). Hopefully the survey gives us constructive feedback because we genuinely want to keep improving this event every single year. Obviously we are our own biggest critics as well. But walking away from those few days, I mostly just felt inspired. Inspired from the conversations, the honesty, the collaboration, and the people who continue to show up for this sport.
And how about Cynt Marshall opening Align? I honestly do not know how we will top that next year.
Not sure about the rest of the room, but in the 40 minutes she spoke, I think I felt almost every emotion possible. I laughed hysterically at times. I fought back tears at others. There was one line she said that has stayed with me ever since:
“Listen to the people. Learn from the people. Love the people.”
That is leadership. That is business. That is sports. Most importantly, that is life.
We should all run our organizations and live that way.
Always listen, no matter who is talking or what the conversation is, because every single person has something to teach us if we are willing to hear it. Sometimes the most important lessons come from the conversations you almost overlooked.
Outside of all the amazing speakers, one of the most humbling parts of Align was simply looking around the room. The leaders in attendance. The experience. The passion. The people willing to take time away from already impossible schedules because they care deeply about where this sport is headed.
I mentioned this a few times during the event, and I mean it wholeheartedly: yes, there are competitors in the room. That is reality. But if all of us are truly here to make clubs better, to create better experiences for athletes and families, then we should always be willing to collaborate where we can for the good of the sport.
There is something powerful about sitting across the table from people with different opinions, different business models, and different ideas, and still being able to have honest conversations about the future of volleyball. Those conversations matter. A lot.
Honest moment here…
If you know me, you know I am an extremely passionate person. I take what I do very seriously, and I am fiercely protective of the people in my life and the people we serve. Standing in that room full of club representatives for two days honestly fired me up even more.
Because the truth is, there is a very self-serving era happening in sports right now. You see it everywhere. Decisions driven by ego, power, money, and control. And while that can be discouraging at times, it also motivates me. It pushes me harder to make sure JVA stays on course and continues fighting to protect clubs, support directors, and advocate for what is best for the people actually doing the work every day.
I can promise you this: our staff has never been more motivated.
Motivated to push.
Motivated to grow.
Motivated to evolve.
Motivated to pursue whatever it is YOU need us to pursue.
Not what is easiest. Not what is most profitable. Not what looks best in a headline. What actually helps clubs. What actually helps directors. What actually helps the athletes and families that depend on all of us.
The energy leaving Align was different. You could feel it. The champagne toast may have helped…
We are going to give back more than ever this year and heading into next year. More opportunities. More collaboration. More support. More education. More investment into the people who continue building this sport the right way. Bettering the Ball every single day.
And we want you to be part of it.
Thank you for believing in Align.
Thank you for believing in JVA.
And most importantly, thank you for continuing to show up for this sport and for the kids who make all of this worth it.
Now it’s time to figure out how we top Cynt Marshall next year because there really “ain’t no mountain high enough…”
With a lot of gratitude,
Lisa
