Today’s episode is all about breaking barriers—paving a path when no one has gone before you.

We address:

• What it was like growing up as the “token female” in hockey games
• Traits of the most successful coaches in sports
• How women can strive for success in an arena without a role model to follow
• Kelsey’s coaching philosophy and the legacy she wants to leave
• The progress of gender equality in collegiate and professional sports so far

Today, Karen speaks with Kelsey Koelzer, the first black and the first female coach of an NCAA hockey team. She will be starting the inaugural season in the Fall of 2021 at Arcadia University.

3 MAJOR POINTS DISCUSSED

• The number one trait of a successful sports coach is their ability to communicate. Whether they are a man or a woman, the best coaches are those who can forge the best bonds with their players, and this starts with their communication skills.
• If you don’t have a role model to follow, have an ideal level of skill to strive for. Kelsey had no female role model to look to when she began her career in ice hockey. However, what helped her stay on track and motivated to move forward was that she knew the type of athlete she wanted to be. She knew what it took to stand out in her sport, and she trained the specific skills that it would take for her to do just that.
• When looking to leave a lasting legacy, focus on the small steps. There is a lot of work left to do when it comes to gender equality in collegiate and professional sports, and it is right to acknowledge that. However, the best thing that anybody can do to make progress is to take every win that comes—big and small—and soldier on with the little things they can do to create even more change. For Kelsey, her sole focus today is to create a great program and be the best NCAA hockey coach she can be.

RESOURCES

• Kelsey Koelzer on Instagram
• Kelsey Koelzer on Twitter

Kelsey Koelzer is an American ice hockey defender, currently serving as head coach of the Arcadia University women's ice hockey program, the first black female head coach in NCAA ice hockey history, as well as the Advisor to the Commissioner on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the NWHL.

She was drafted 1st overall by the Metropolitan Riveters in the 2016 NWHL Draft, the first black player to be the first overall pick in a professional North American hockey league draft. She played two seasons in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) with the Riveters before joining the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) in 2019.

Karen Morales is founder and brand champion at Marketing Magnet.

Marketing Magnet was founded by Karen and her lean team of Fortune 500 marketing and advertising talent. We’re a world-class marketing department that has decided to take our big brand experience and direct it at the clients we want to serve: purpose-driven enterprises. Our secret sauce is our ability to focus companies on three marketing pillars to create great impact.

If you are looking for a solution to a marketing challenge, a specific project to be completed or a team to drive marketing on your behalf, we can help.

• More about Karen
• Find us on Facebook
• Visit our website
• Find us on Instagram

The power of an outsourced team makes possible the ability to work together and create a culture of understanding, even if you and your team are not within the walls of the same office.

We address:

• Why doubt or nervousness about making the next hire is only a matter of mindset
• How to become more confident about outsourcing business processes overseas
• How to decide which tasks are best suited for your virtual assistant
• What makes a great manager and how to lead your VA and help them improve
• How to stay productive while working from home
• The future of work

Today, Karen speaks with Linh Podetti, Director at Outsourcing Angel, an Australian based offshore recruitment agency that specialises in providing premium Virtual Assistants from the Philippines to companies around the world like Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, Europe and Dubai.

3 MAJOR POINTS DISCUSSED

• No matter where you outsource, you need to know what you’re doing, i.e. have experience and/or knowledge in the area you’re outsourcing to. “Otherwise,” says Linh, “it’s very easy to get ripped off.” After discovering the “magic” of outsourcing, it’s very tempting for business owners to go for cheap providers who promise the moon. Like anything, you have to do your research when going through your options.
• Newer business owners should begin by outsourcing tasks that are chargeable to the client. For example, if you’re building a website for your client, find specialists that you can relegate different elements to, such as content writers, front-end and back-end developers, the SysAdmin, etc. Once you have a system in place and have increased profitability, start delegating administrative and other repetitive tasks.
• Don’t blame the person. Blame the process. As an employer, particularly to a virtual assistant, understand that there will most likely be mistakes and/or miscommunications made throughout your partnership, especially at the beginning. To maintain a great relationship with your VA as well as to encourage them to improve and stay loyal, never assume right away that it’s an issue of character, but of process. Work together to find solutions and establish better systems going forward.

RESOURCES

• Outsourcing Angel

Linh started her first business in 2009, and built multiple successful businesses using the outsourcing model. With nearly a decade experience in outsourcing, she saw an opportunity in the market to provide offshore staff directly to companies and hence started Outsourcing Angel in 2015.

Linh grew up in Vietnam and moved to Australia when she was 9 years old. With first-hand experience living in a developing country, she is on a mission to help reduce poverty in developing countries like the Philippines. Since the inception, Outsourcing Angel has always reinvested its profits to charitable projects because Linh believes in a business with purpose not just profit.

• Connect with Linh on LinkedIn

Karen Morales is founder and brand champion at Marketing Magnet.

Marketing Magnet was founded by Karen and her lean team of Fortune 500 marketing and advertising talent. We’re a world-class marketing department that has decided to take our big brand experience and direct it at the clients we want to serve: purpose-driven enterprises. Our secret sauce is our ability to focus companies on three marketing pillars to create great impact.

If you are looking for a solution to a marketing challenge, a specific project to be completed or a team to drive marketing on your behalf, we can help.

• More about Karen
• Find us on Facebook
• Visit our website
• Find us on Instagram

Consumer expectations. It’s the one factor that stands in the way of having a marketing campaign that will work.

We address:

• What every business needs to know about customer experience
• How to retain customers and ask the right questions early on to set expectations
• Differences between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty
• The three rules of customer success

Today, Karen speaks with Erica Newell, a client success leader, entrepreneur, and product/marketing strategist who has worked for years developing leadership, mentorship, and retention strategies at Wells Fargo. Today, she consults, writes copy, and leads the Client Strategy Team at Instructure.

3 MAJOR POINTS DISCUSSED

• Customer experience/success is all about understanding what your clients’ desired outcomes are and helping them achieve it alongside your business. Putting their needs over yours or yours over theirs are never sustainable strategies in the long run. The key to great customer experience is carving a path that brings both them and your business to success.
• Every business should be asking not only, “Why are we losing customers?” but also “How are we keeping customers?”. Always keep the customer journey in mind so that it becomes easy to optimize or troubleshoot their experience at any point in the entire experience. Customer success and retention is an initiative for the whole organization.
• Set expectations with your customer by asking the tough questions early on. Put the customer at the center and have systems and processes in place to make sure you are keeping track of their wants and needs while at the same time establishing a personal, human relationship with them. That includes asking them the uncomfortable questions early on to ensure that you’re meeting their expectations every step of the way.

RESOURCES

• Erica Newell

Erica Newell is a client success leader, entrepreneur, and product/marketing strategist. She has worked for years developing leadership, mentorship, and retention strategies at Wells Fargo. She has also grown her own small businesses.  Now she consults, writes copy, and leads the Client Strategy Team at Instructure.

• Connect with Erica on LinkedIn

Karen Morales is founder and brand champion at Marketing Magnet.

Marketing Magnet was founded by Karen and her lean team of Fortune 500 marketing and advertising talent. We’re a world-class marketing department that has decided to take our big brand experience and direct it at the clients we want to serve: purpose-driven enterprises. Our secret sauce is our ability to focus companies on three marketing pillars to create great impact.

If you are looking for a solution to a marketing challenge, a specific project to be completed or a team to drive marketing on your behalf, we can help.

• More about Karen
• Find us on Facebook
• Visit our website
• Find us on Instagram