Convinced she was on her way to becoming part of a championship squad, Phaidra Knight found out she was not selected for the 2009 World Cup Sevens team while playing in a tournament in San Diego. She had an important decision to make: Fly back with her team to the training center in Arkansas and help the selected players prepare, or go home to lick her wounds?
“I was devastated. There were no indicators that I would not make it. I had played with the team for three years and was selected for every trip, and tournament,” Phaidra recalled.
The media must have been shocked, too, because shortly after, Rugby Magazine named Phaidra USA Rugby Player of the Decade. “None of that made a difference to the way I felt,” she recalled.
Phaidra chose to be a teammate first, the kind of person you would expect of a leader. “It took a lot to bury my pride, ego, and anger to fly back and show up for them,” she said. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
But in that moment, she learned something that changed her life, “You have to be able to sit in the failure to let go of the bad. As long as I still have breath in my lungs, I know there’s an opportunity for me to do something great,” she said. “Something greater than anything else I’ve already done.”
She was right. One of those “things” was becoming President of the Women’s Sports Foundation. Another? Launching PSK. Collective, a fusion of activewear and streetwear that is now available in Target, Walmart, and Kohls.
In the podcast, business leaders and sports enthusiasts will acquire deep self-leadership insights through Phaidra’s intense examples.
“Listen, you’re going to get blindsided. That is life,” said Phaidra, the first African American inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. “That means there’s something else out there for you!”
You will learn:
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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