Sometimes, when you are simply doing what you love, you end up blazing a trail, or breaking a ceiling – maybe even a grass ceiling.
Just ask Dr. Jen Welter, who became the first female coach in the National Football League after pursuing her passion for playing the game. She didn’t have some grand, epic plan to make it to the NFL, she said.
Unimagined dreams
“Actually, this is not a dream I was ever permitted to have,” she said. “But the beauty of this is, that now every little girl can look up with a dream that was bigger than I ever aspired to.”
Or ask Christine Brennan, a USA Today sports columnist whose childhood love of writing and sports led her to become the first female sports writer for the Miami Herald and the first female beat writer for Washington’s NFL team.
“I had no role models,” Brennan said. “I never saw a woman’s sports byline until I got to (college).”
Sharing their wisdom
These two sports icons shared their experiences at Amway World Headquarters recently for an Inspired Coaching summit called Tackling Grass Ceilings: Building a Winning Game Plan. The event was made possible by the Amway Coaches Poll and Amway’s Women Inclusion Network.
They were joined on the stage by Amway Independent Business Owner Lauren Wilz, who is a passionate advocate for other women entrepreneurs.
The trio, along with moderator Stephanie Funkhouser, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-area sports anchor, had a great discussion rich with advice and insights they each learned on their journeys and carry forward into other parts of their lives.
Importance of mentoring
They also answered questions from the attendees – both in person and online. The event was live-streamed on the Amway US Facebook page and can be viewed there at any time.
One of the biggest themes running through the discussion was the importance of mentoring. All three women embrace that role as a responsibility of their achievements.
Jen put it best: “The awesome opportunity of being the first … is that your job is to ensure that you’re not the last.”
Coming soon
Watch for more wisdom from the discussion in future blogs right here. And to learn more about Inspired Coaching from Amway, look for an Inspired Coaching Facebook Group launching soon.
The average monthly Gross Income for “active” IBOs was USD $207 (in the U.S.)/CAD $186 (in Canada). Approximately 48% of IBOs in the U.S., and 52% of IBOs in Canada, were “active.” IBOs were considered "active" in months in 2016 when they attempted to make a retail sale, or presented the Amway IBO Compensation Plan, or received bonus money, or attended an Amway or IBO meeting. If someone sustained that level of activity every month for a whole year, their annualized Gross Income would be $2,484(U.S.)/$2,232 (Canada). Of course, not every IBO chooses to be active every month. "Gross Income" means the amount received from retail sales, minus the cost of goods sold, plus monthly bonuses and cash incentives. It excludes all annual bonuses and cash incentives, and all non-cash awards, which may be significant. There may also be significant business expenses, mostly discretionary, that may be greater in relation to income in the first years of operation. For the purposes of the calculation in Canada, individuals who were IBOs for less than the entire year in 2016 were excluded. Before registering as an Independent Business Owner (IBO) powered by Amway, you should read and understand the AMWAY™ Business Overview Brochure, which contains important information for those interested in becoming IBOs.
