E45 | Molly McCage: Find Your Voice

[00:00:00] Donnie: Welcome to the team behind the Team podcast. I am your host, Donnie Maib. This is the monthly show focused on building conversations around the team-based model approach to ethic, performance, strength, and conditioning, sports medicine, sports science, mental health and wellness, and sports nutrition.

Hello and welcome back to the team behind the Team podcast. I’m your host, Donnie Maib, and this month I have got a special guest in the studio that I’m gonna inter uh, introduce in a moment. First though, Joe, uh, coach Joe is out this week. We’ve had a busy, busy spring, so he’s busy covering some teams, but we had a guest in town, uh, former Longhorn.

Stud. All American business lady entrepreneurial world changer, in my opinion, difference maker, uh, was in town. Uh, our volleyball team was playing Athletes Unlimited for an exhibition match. So please welcome to this show, Molly McCage.

[00:01:05] Molly: Donnie, happy to be here. Thanks so much. So

[00:01:07] Donnie: excited, uh, you were open to doing this interview and, uh, again, the, the difference you made at ut not only in volleyball, but in our, uh, sports department has been huge to have you back has been surreal.

So what’s it been like, uh, since you’ve been back to Austin so far?

[00:01:22] Molly: I mean, it’s, it’s really special that the staff is all still here, right? Like, to come home, it really feels like home because of you guys. And I mean, the team just won the national championship and this fast season. So, you know, the team is obviously full of wonderful people and, um, it’s, it’s feels like home.

It’s good to

be

[00:01:39] Donnie: back. I know, uh, the fans have appreciated it. I know the staff, uh, has been excited to have you back, and I think the cool thing for me is just to see, and we’re gonna get into this in a minute, just see what you’ve done since you left Texas in 2015 to where you’re at now, and kind of, and I’m so excited just to see kind of where your career goes as a player and as a professional.

So excited to have you on the show. Yeah, thank you. A little bit about Molly and then we’ll kind of, we’ll kind of kick it to her for an introduction. Uh, Molly MCC cage, parents of Larry and Denise, if you’ve ever met her family, they are a tight-knit family, or dad is huge. Right? How tall is your dad, Molly?

He’s six nine. Six nine. You won’t forget it. I get you mom’s a little. She’s a little smaller though. She’s. But still the fiery one too of the family. But, uh, Larry and Denise, uh, has three brothers, Ryan, Nathan and Colin. Two sisters, Miranda and Carly who passed away, right? Yes. So sorry to, so sorry about that.

Just a little bit more about Molly, member of the USA national team. In Anaheim 2017 and 19 through 19 Played for, say that

[00:02:42] Molly: for me, Molly Allion’s, mtv. Stut in Germany, right? Yeah. And that

[00:02:47] Donnie: for a couple years there again, just some background on some of your work you’ve done. I love this. The marketing communications coordinator, the ladder method for short STT there in 2020.

I didn’t know this about you. Director of volleyball operations at Pepperdine. 20 to 21 and 22, 10 months I think it was. And then now currently you’re the athletes Unlimited manager of player care and coordination. So a little bit about Molly. So Molly, with that, take a moment for our listeners wrapping up your career at Texas to the path you’ve been on as an athlete professional of today.

Tell us what’s been going on.

[00:03:19] Molly: Yeah, sure. So I finished my season in 2015, had a semester left and graduated May of 2016. And I signed my first pro contract in Vsat in Germany, which is right near Frankfurt. And I met my husband over there. We were both playing, um, volleyball over there. And, uh, I stayed there for.

Three more years and absolutely loved my experience. I played with so many wonderful people. I had an American coach. I had a very smooth experience, which I don’t think that everybody gets. Mm-hmm. When you, whenever you just jump into a new team, new culture overseas and, but, Life happened and I wanted to get married and moved to California with my husband.

And so 2019, I retired air quotes here and moved to California with him and was really craving something different out of my career. Like I, I just needed to develop other skills. I felt like volleyball is my passion and was my passion, but, There was something in missing in my career that I felt so worked for a couple startups and communications and I got a message from Jordan Larson on the national team and was like, Hey, would you play volleyball if we were here in the United States, professional volleyball?

And I was like, that’s not a thing. But yeah, that sounds like the best experience ever. And, um, that was Athletes Unlimited. And so, um, I joined, Jordan, Larson and Fluk and Rodwell. At the time she had, she didn’t end up playing cuz her Japanese season went long. But the three of us started to recruit other athletes in 2020 and, uh, 2021 we had our first season.

And then through Jordan I met. David and, um, worked at the University of Pepperdine as the director of volleyball operations after season one of Athletes Unlimited. And the cool thing about Athletes Unlimited, I’ve been involved in their player executive committee from the beginning, so I’ve been a player, but I’ve also been part of this group of five players that recruits other athletes.

Mm-hmm. We meet with the staff weekly to discuss league decisions. Like uniforms or a venue design or athlete experience. Our pregnancy policy, like anything within the league, the staff runs it through us, five players, and then we meet to discuss if that’s in a agreeance with the rest of the, the volleyball group.

And so being a part of that group, I think kind of. Made me super passionate about Athletes Unlimited. It’s a very player led league. It’s a very different format. But then I, I found that joy and that passion with volleyball, again, it was, it was kind of tough playing overseas. You’re away from home, you’re away from family, and, but I still love the sport and I still love the community.

And so being back, I think the combination at, at Pepperdine, I had a wonderful mentor there. Um, Marv Dfi and being around men’s volleyball, actually, there’s so much joy still in that sport. Women’s volleyball too, but, Men’s volleyball is so much smaller and they have to, most of ’em, pay their way. And it’s like, yeah, right.

They’re just doing this because they love it. And that kind of ignited something in me of like, I, I still need to play. Like there’s still something in me that, you know, loves this community. And so, um, I also love Athletes Unlimited and my coworkers and I joke, I’m like very au so I’m still part of the player executive committee.

I’m actually, its chair. Um, I signed for another season and then I was hired full-time in February as the manager of Player Care and Coordination.

[00:06:31] Donnie: Man, that is, that’s crazy and incredible. I think, you know, listen to that story. I’m curious, how did you get put on that executive committee who selected you?

How did that happen? Is that like, I’d like to do that. Like you’ve been groomed for that obviously, but it kind of crazy how it happened. Yeah,

[00:06:48] Molly: I think I signed really early, so that was one piece of it. And then they were like, Hey, in softball, they had softball only at the time they were like in softball.

We have this group. Would you like to be a part of it? And I was like, yes. Mm-hmm. You’re asking me if I ever have any opinions to share them. I always have opinions, so I’m, I’m definitely open to sharing them.

[00:07:07] Donnie: That’s good stuff. So with kind of your role at Athletes Unlimited, you’re obviously still playing and you’re doing this, you know, this show, we talk a lot about it just.

The team behind the team, like Athlete Care and Support. You obviously experienced that at Texas being a professional athlete. You’ve seen that at a, at the national level. Now you’re on a committee where you kind of probably help with some of that as well. From your perspective, how important is that today?

And what have you seen that helps increase longevity in success in sport?

[00:07:37] Molly: Yeah, athlete care and athlete experience is incredibly important. The life of a of an athlete, collegiate and professional, it might actually be more difficult. Collegially now with so many. Different factors that I didn’t even have mm-hmm.

In college. Mm-hmm. But the life of an athlete is very unique and very challenging. And so whatever we can do to like supplement that and make sure that morale is high, that these athletes feel taken care of, that these athletes feel like they can share their struggles with other athletes because chances are like other athletes are going through that too.

There’s, there’s such a power in our network, but I feel like athletes and myself included, struggle with like, Yeah, you wanna be the best. And so you don’t want to share your struggles sometimes because you don’t wanna be perceived as weak. And so if we can create a culture, we obviously did this at Texas, and we try to do it at Athletes Unlimited, but if we can create a culture that is, we can create conversations with other athletes about sharing our struggles or things in the world that are affecting us.

If we can make sure that like, even if it’s like we do, you know, team outings, you know, like any team does, you know, let’s go get ice cream randomly, or hey, there’s a local business that we wanna support and let’s get involved in our community together. That kind of camaraderie and network makes the athlete stronger.

I think that there’s so much power and connection that not all teams really tap into.

[00:08:58] Donnie: Mm-hmm. So what if you’re thinking of this for a moment, you’re speaking directly to that performance team. Maybe it’s the athletic trainer or physio, or maybe it’s somebody in mental health or sport psychology. What do you, from your experience as a high level athlete, what do you look for in somebody like that, that you’re gonna put around you to help you be successful?

What are you looking for in those kind

[00:09:19] Molly: of, that is a good question. I, um, So I’m, you know, professional now I need to like, hire these people sometimes for myself. And, um, I was actually looking for a strength coach recently to kind of develop a plan for this tour and volleyball is a very specific sport and, and I’m a specific position and, and then I wanted someone that like, understood my mental path, right?

Like what I was trying to achieve and Right. Um, I think what I look for is, Is someone who’s constantly curious a learner, right? And learning about personalities or learning about their trade or even, even other science that would coincide like you just, I gravitate towards the people that are trying to learn more about the entire space, like yourself, Donny.

[00:10:04] Donnie: Yeah, I think that’s so important because. To your point right there, this game. And what I mean by game, just sports is changing like so fast with technology, the awareness of mental health now that we’re, we’re seeing kind of come on board in this diversity piece, it’s come on board over the last, what, two or three years It’s been really brought to awareness.

Mm-hmm. So the game’s changing. So you’ve gotta be constantly like innovating. And thinking of different ways to make it better and to tweak it. So there’s gotta be this curiosity and and growth piece, so it’s huge. Yeah. The other thing I’ve always admired and respected about you, Molly, that at Texas you were a team captain and did an incredible job.

You know, looking back, that was 2015, your senior year, that team. You guys, uh, weren’t really picked to do that great that year and you went to the national championship, had a phenomenal year. Uh, and again, I attribute that to a lot of your leadership and your teammates. Amy Neal, Nicole DA and Kat Brooks, uh, class that came in that finished up and had such a great run.

Look over your resume from a young age. Up to today, leadership has kind of marked you and followed you through your whole life and career. Take a moment and talk about what is leadership to you and then. How does leadership help build strong, successful team culture? So what is it and how does that build a team culture?

Strong?

[00:11:24] Molly: Yeah. Leadership. I learned a lot from you, Donnie. One, one thing that still sticks with me today is serving others like you have to be. You have to show up for your team and make sure that they feel like you’re taking care of them, whether that’s mm-hmm. Weekly check-ins or compliments or things that you know, that they know that you care.

And that piece I think is like the foundation and then it’s consistency. Nobody’s gonna look to a leader that’s like hot and cold and you never know whenever they’re gonna Yeah. You know, explode or something. So I think that consistency piece, and I think also admitting that I’m never gonna be perfect and I’m gonna have to lean on you guys just as much as you’re leaning on me.

Mm-hmm. Like there’s still. I don’t know. I think what was so great about that class is that like we really leaned on each other to get through a lot of stuff. Like we were really, really close, um, through our four years at Texas. Um, and I think that there was something about that class that like found the joy in things.

Like I, I thought, I honestly thought we were a hilarious group and I think that if you can kind of keep things, I’ve always thought this like. Playing a sport should be freeing. It should be fun. Like that’s why I came back cuz I was like, I’m missing that like, Being competitive is fun, right? Like going all out every single day, like, and pushing some or pushing yourself to your absolute limit is so fun to me.

And you really don’t get that in any other setting besides sports, right? Yeah. Right. And, um, I think that that kind of fun, joyful atmosphere attracts people and wants people to perform. For you and like for the team and for our goals. And, um, that’s something that’s difficult to do because you have to earn that trust first.

You can’t just be a jokester from the beginning. You have to earn that trust. You have to have consistency. And then it’s keeping things light. And I don’t know, we always used to crack up during our strength training sessions, and that’s, to me, made me feel like a free bird. Like I could, I could do things, you know, outside the norm if I, if I were all stressed all the time, I couldn’t actually push myself.

But I was in a free space.

[00:13:30] Donnie: Yeah, I think you know some memories, Molly, that come to mind. Just look as you’re talking right there, reflecting back, I remember sitting. Um, the season had ended and of course we did not win that year, but still was a phenomenal, successful year. Um, I remember all the staff going around and you guys, I don’t think you were anywhere.

We were just kind of hanging out and like, we don’t, we were like, man, we don’t want this season to end, you know, cuz we just enjoyed working with you guys. It was like, it was a, it was a seasons gimme long, right? Um, but what can make ’em even longer is if you don’t have the leadership or the team culture, uh, that you guys had.

And I think, again, a big piece of that I, I’ll never forget walking in the practice gym one day, and this was your senior year and. I knew that this, when I saw this, cuz I’d never really seen this up to this point, uh, from you, you had called up the team. I don’t know what was going on. I don’t remember the, the, the scenario, but you’d called up the team, the coaches were standing on the side and you were just meeting with the team and just talking to, and I think you were just kind of getting on ’em and saying, uh, hey, this is not our standard.

I don’t know what you said. You might have. Use some colorful language, I’m sure, which sometimes can be very appropriate. Um, but I just remember that, like you said, everybody was bought in. There was a cohesion and. There is to me, there, there’s this piece of leadership, I think sometimes that people ignore that you have and your, this ability to be tough, but also to have a tender side.

And I think sometimes, uh, in sports you can be so tough that it can be. Not abusive, but oppressive a little bit and kind of not approachable. So I think today the leadership, you’re seeing that people that’s attractive is like you. You’re, you have high demands, high expectations, and, but the culture is accepting, it’s inclusive and you love people.

And so it’s this kind of blend of these two. Paradox balance that you, you guys did such a great job and it doesn’t surprise me that Athletes Unlimited has pulled you into this role because again, you guys kind of led the team back then and now you’re helping lead this professional, uh, organization. So kudos to you.

[00:15:38] Molly: Thanks Donny. Yeah. Yeah. Lead with love. I absolutely. That’s something that you taught us.

[00:15:43] Donnie: Got to, um, kind of a transition here. A topic I always love, uh, discussing. You’ve been a very successful. Female athlete on court. You have obviously now transferred that success in the business off court, and you don’t always see that in that.

A lot of athletes struggle with making that transition into the business world, right? Their identities in sport, in the game, they’re on this platform, and now maybe they’re not as successful or as popular or people are not. Cheering them on or celebrating them like they did. So what have you done to make that transition to so successful over the years coming out of college into the professional sports world?

[00:16:23] Molly: I will say that it hasn’t been without struggle. There were definitely periods in my life, months even that I was, you know, what do I do? How do I transition? How do I put a resume together? How do I make this sound, you know, authentic And I don’t wanna lie on a resume. So I, but I have these skills. I knew I had these skills.

I think the biggest thing, honestly, even now, working at Athletes Unlimited, you can tell. Who was an athlete because of conflict resolution and stress management. Um, those are two things that really stick out to me. I think being an athlete, being a female athlete, there are some things that are thrown your way.

Chaos always ensues and you have to have a level head and you have to find a solution. Um, especially in sporting events and athletes Unlimited is a special one and things move really fast and um, you have to just. Find a solution, stick with that direction and then figure it out and trust your team.

Right. And, and that’s sports. Like, that’s what we did at Texas. That’s what I did in Germany. And I think athletes forget that they have that innately. And that’s not something that comes to everybody. Um, I think what I found through volleyball is my voice and confidence, and I, I actually think a lot of women struggle with that.

And sports helped me find that there was always a space at Texas where it was like, it wasn’t top down. It wasn’t the coaches always telling us what to do. Jared was like, what do you think? You were like, Hey, like, do you have anything to say to the team? And so slowly but surely I gained my voice. And I think that that helps me a lot here at Athletes Unlimited.

One, they, they give me the stage to speak and kudos to them. Not all organizations are that way. Um, but that helps me a ton in my career. I, I work with a lot of athletes and, and for me, for them to see that. That I can speak my opinion. They also can, and it, it’s just an encouragement throughout all female athletes within Athletes Unlimited of like, find your voice.

Absolutely use it. Most of the time you have better skills than the person next to you that didn’t play sports. Right. So like Right. You need to use them.

[00:18:32] Donnie: No, I, I think it’s, uh, I mean, I’m a parent as well of four girls and I’ve always told my wife that I want my kids in sport for everything you just said right there.

The leadership, the team building, the, be able to handle cri criticism, right. Conflict, um, how do you. Become disciplined. How do you prioritize your time and what’s important and what’s not important? How do you, uh, how do you pick and build a team of friends that’s gonna be good influences? What if you got a bad influence?

Like how do you kind of change and navigate some of that? So, mm-hmm. That’s always been something I’ve, I’ve felt that, and from sports that people don’t always see, uh, that always to your point, isn’t always easy, right? It’s not always the easiest thing to navigate and work through, but, The benefits of that, if you can do that, are tremendous.

So, uh, would love to, one question I have kind of off topic here a little bit to this, this, this, uh, question Molly b Cage Now. Could meet with Mama Cage as a freshman coming into Texas, what advice would you give to that younger version of yourself? I

[00:19:45] Molly: love that question. Oh gosh. I think my freshman self was a bundle of nerves and wanted to be something that I wasn’t truly, and um, Gosh, uh, what comes to mind is just I was anxious, excited, and like, so like doe-eyed and ready to take on the world.

But, um, I think I would tell her to stick to like what truly matters and people will come, you’ll figure it out. Um, yeah, I, I think I. I kind of was pushed around a bit and maybe I needed that. I needed it to be toughened up. Um, but I think I had that fire in me, but it wasn’t ready to come out yet. And I, I think that.

People respect that fire. Mm-hmm. I think my teammates needed that fire and I wasn’t ready to give it to them because of nerves and lack of confidence. But that confidence, you know, comes from just, just staying true to yourself and being yourself. I, no one’s gonna knock you for that. And yeah, be authentic.

You

[00:20:54] Donnie: reminded me of a athlete. Um, I listen to a lot of, uh, audible books and this guy, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard, his name is Rich Roll. Hmm. He’s this ultra. Athlete marathons. And anyway, he, I listened to one of his books, uh, pretty recently and he talked about how like, Kind of what you were saying, like every one of us kind of has a song that we need to sing and you gotta find that song, you know, kind of to your point.

And you’re really never truly satisfied or fulfilled till you find it. So it’s kind of cool to hear you talk about that advice, kind of stick to what’s true to you. Cause I know even like my college career has been many, many moons ago, obviously I remember the, one of the darkest seasons of my time, uh, when I played at Georgia was I kind of just lost my sense of identity.

Mm-hmm. Kind of who I was, wasn’t happy, didn’t enjoy the game. Kind of forgotten, kind of like what was important to me, to your point. And my dad took, my dad reminded me, sending me this article that was written years prior. And kind of as I read that, and it was me talking about myself in the, in this article.

And it reminded me of some key things about who I was as a, as a person, first and foremost, right? And then kind of how I played the game. And so that was, Such a pivotal moment for me as an athlete to remind me of like, what’s important to me and who I am. Mm-hmm. And it kind of got me back on track, so that’s great advice, Molly.

Great advice.

[00:22:19] Molly: Yeah. I, yeah, I had a wonderful class and a wonderful group of people surrounding me, right. So no doubt it all, it all ended up being great and groovy. But, um, yeah, I had, I had a pretty strong grip to lean on. Good

stuff.

[00:22:33] Donnie: Um, kind of another topic I’d love to just get your perspective and advice on is, Big, big hotspot in sports right now is mental health and.

You know, being, I’m a co I’m obviously coaching now and, and definitely seeing it on the front lines. You’re playing and working in an organization that’s fighting and taking care of athletes. So you’re an athlete now and then you’re also fighting for others. Uh, what trends are you seeing in sports in regards to mental health?

What are you seeing going

[00:23:01] Molly: on? Yeah, like I touched on earlier, it has to be part of sports leagues. It has to be part of college teams. Um, we had a psychiatrist on staff and that was wonderful and, but Athletes Unlimited. We were developing this mental, um, health and wellness program actually that I, I’m in charge of as of a couple months ago.

And, um, what I’m looking for is someone honestly that understands and. I’ve actually found that former athletes can help athletes and that, that connection piece that I touched on earlier is huge. And so, um, what we do actually, that I found to be incredible, we, so our season is really short. It’s only six weeks.

And so once a week we have an optional, you can come if you want, it’s one hour long. And, um, we just talk about, we can pick a topic. So it could be women in sports, it could be motherhood, it can be, um, Uh, performance anxiety, it can be body image. Mm-hmm. And just the, those conversations were incredibly powerful.

I didn’t know what to expect. And we just wanted to touch on things cuz it was, it was right after 2020 and there were so many things in the world that people needed to talk about and people needed to air out. And so we wanted to provide that space. But what we found is that like the, those conversations helped these athletes perform freely on the court and, um, It was special to see in volleyball the groups that formed, um, Like I said, we, we think we’re in like a silo.

Like we think we’re really just kind of struggling on our own. And, you know, I’m the only one that has, has the YPs right now. Like, you know, I, I, yeah, I need to get through this on my own. And, um, the power and connection, whether that’s with. A mental health professional. Um, I think that those have a serious impact or therapy or it’s with someone that’s older than you within your sport.

Um, there’s so many. We have Olympians, we have women in their thirties playing with girls right outta college. And so what better person to help that athlete navigate than the person that’s already been through it all? Connection, connection, connection is massive. I think it has. To be a factor in sports

[00:25:13] Donnie: leagues.

Mm-hmm. That’s so good. I think just listening to you, you just as a coach, right? Or even you see as an athlete in, in the job, you’re too, people are fighting battles that you’re not always, they’re not gonna be like open about that. Right? We know a lot about vulnerability today through Brene Brown and how important that is, but, I think it’s a lot harder to open up and be trusting the people.

Right. It takes time. Um, I think the one piece that I’ve learned, I’ve seen with mental health is, um, this ability to, you kind of spoke to it a minute ago. Um, whatever you’re going through, that’s hard. Whether it’s on court, off court, right? And good mental health is your ability to take that story or narrative that’s currently playing in your head and reframe that in a way that changes a story that makes you find a way to become better because of that.

Um, I remember one of the books I read, uh, by Sean Acor, it’s called The Happiness Advantage, and it’s all the current research on happiness today in in the World, really in the us. And they did this experiment. And in this experiment they did, and I forget the parameters of it, but basically the scenario was, again, this was hypothetically, you walk into a bank, it’s middle of the day, two o’clock, there’s 50 people.

In the bank, a robber walks in a bank robber shoots one bullet. It hits you. It’s not mortal. It just, it’s, it’s a flesh wound and you’re not gonna die. Are you lucky or unlucky? And Molly, the, the crazy thing was most of the people picked, they were unlucky. Mm-hmm. They didn’t see that, oh, it could have killed more people, or I could have died, or, you know, and so, He, the Sean talks about in the, in the book how we have this ability in our minds to create this counteract of how you view things.

And so I think a lot of mental health today is kind of, kind of that right there. And so, What I like about what you said about mental health is that you’re bringing in a community of people and you’re having these discussions because in that discussion, I can guarantee you there’s different narratives going on that kind of brings in, well, maybe I’m not crazy as I think I am.

Or maybe, uh, that helps me. So I think with part of this mental health, it’s gonna have to be communal, right? There’s gonna be a community support and not be isolated. Because the, the worst mental health I’ve seen is when somebody gets injured in sport and they get isolated from their team. So guess what comes next?

You z. Depression. Mm-hmm. Anxiety, uh, social awkwardness, motivation, morale declines. And now we have, you know, other things can lead to eating disorders. But again, that communal piece, like you said is a big piece of it. So like, I like what you had to say there. Yeah. Anything else to add to that?

[00:28:08] Molly: No, that’s excellent.

Yeah. Yeah. The vulnerable piece is, is absolutely part of it, and that’s really, really hard for athletes. Um, but yeah, it’s. It can take you to really cool places.

[00:28:20] Donnie: What do you think, again, this is a little bit of mental health, um, and I’m even starting to see this in mental health, is that they really haven’t got into the mental health of coaches yet.

But here’s my thing, Molly, right? You, you understand if a, if a coach isn’t healthy mentally, he’s not gonna bring in a, a healthy, uh, mental environment for the team. So, What do you think? Have you seen, again, I don’t want to put anybody’s on blast on the podcast here, but uh, how important is it for coaches to be healthy mentally to bring that into their team?

[00:28:52] Molly: Yeah, it’s, it’s huge. Um, yeah, I’ve had a ton of coaches in my career and I. I think coaches like that passion piece is obviously there, they’re coaching for a reason and, and sometimes even athletes do this. They treat practice and or games like an escape and I’ll, I’ll deal with life. And they have, they have bigger, usually bigger life stressors.

Like they usually have a family and you know, or they’re living in a different country and like, Those life stressors kind of get put on the back burner because this job is very demanding. You’re putting in all of the hours, and then if you’re, if you’re just at practice and waits and scouting and ev whatever, and you’re like, okay, like most of my day is done, then you spend the other, you know, hours scouting or finding the best, you know, nutrition planner or something.

There’s always coaches. What I love about coaches is that they’re always trying to find ways to be better, but at the same time, like I’ve seen it many, many times that that. Mental health, like care isn’t there for the coaches and so they’re dealing with all these other things and putting it on the back burner and that builds up in festers.

And I’ve, yeah, I’ve been on many teams where that has, you know, exploded and, and been really hard to manage because then the athletes feel like they’re managing the coach. But absolutely, mental health needs to be provided to everybody within the organization. That’s something actually, we’re talking about Athletes Unlimited now, crisis management.

Uh, you know, the staff is working double time. The best job I always say in sports is being the athlete, and that’s probably why I’m still playing, but right. The staff, the support staff, you’re making sure that these athletes feel like a million bucks are, but do you get to feel like you feel like a million bucks?

Like you also need to be taken care of to show up and make sure that these athletes feel amazing.

[00:30:37] Donnie: Yeah, I like that. I think, uh, speaking of coaches, mental health, um, you kind of gotta start getting into what you just said, a little self-care. And I don’t know that a lot of coaches prioritize their own health, you know, because they’re so, like you, there’s so much pressure and demands and things pulling on ’em and things to manage and oversee, and there’s always, you know, it’s, it almost feels like you, I’ve seen in this, in this business, you really can’t enjoy a championship or a big win because you gotta, okay, we gotta gear up and we gotta get the next win.

It’s like, it’s, it’s the beast that’s never got enough to eat. So, uh, definitely I, I think in the future you’ll see the. The athlete piece, mental health, continue to get better, but I think it’s going to start to shed some light over into some of the coaches because they have a direct impact, influence into some of the mental health, especially your style of coaching, right?

And how you kind of communicate those things and be bring awareness. Uh, last thing on mental health. How do you, uh, manage your mental health? You have a ton of responsibilities. You’re married, you travel, you’re running, you help running an organization. Speak to that. What do you do for your mental health?

[00:31:46] Molly: Uh, again, I’m not perfect. Um, I do work with a therapist. She’s lovely. I lean on my husband a lot. Um, I’m gonna say my dog has saved my life. I love it. I love it. I, I mean, really though, you know, like morning walks are like so healthy for you and, and he gives me love all the time. I, um, And there are periods where I’m not wonderful at it, but like leaning on my community and my friends and, uh, that helps me.

I, I think I took a lot from being an athlete mm-hmm. Of like mm-hmm. I have to sleep, like whatever’s going on, like that email will answer, I’ll answer it in a couple days. And my coworkers like, I need to stop thinking about, are they gonna hate me if I don’t answer this email real quick? No. I need to sleep, I need to take care of myself.

I actually find myself. Um, and I think this lends itself to the previous question of whenever I stopped playing, it was like, oh, I don’t need to actually take care of myself that much cuz I don’t need to perform. And so I, I didn’t eat well, I didn’t sleep well. I didn’t actually think that like, you know, Stretching or like checking in with my teammates, which was my family or my coworkers, was as important because I didn’t have to perform for this goal.

But that is false. Like we actually need to do that throughout our careers. And I slip up a couple times, but um, thankfully in the world of sports, I have people being like, no, no, no. Like for you to be your best and for them to be their best. Like, you need to show up for yourself and take care of yourself.

That’s good.

[00:33:13] Donnie: Uh, I think, you know, um, To your point, like, I love how you talked about sleep. I mean the, the research they’ve done on sleep today as far as like, You know, lack of sleep is elevated. Cortisol levels, you, your stress is higher, inflammation’s higher. You have a greater degree, or excuse me, greater chance of like depression.

Um, your diet is off a little bit for sure. And then it, it impacts your mood, right? One of the cool things I’ve studied over the last few years with, in regards to recovery in sports has been their measuring mood in athletes. Mm-hmm. And it’s more of a subjective thing, right? Like, what’s your mood? Are you irritable?

Are you. Are you kind of anxious? Are you at peace? Do you feel tranquil? Right? Are you in a good mood? You know, are you upbeat? Where’s your morale? Like you can start to see if an athlete consistently is in a bad mood. It kind of lends itself back to what you’re saying. They’re not sleeping enough, they’re not eating good.

Uh, probably don’t have a great social life, or something’s going on behind the scenes privately. That you’re starting to see, show up on the course. So yeah, I think the, uh, I always say the hardest person to lead is yourself, right? And so if you can, if you can lead yourself well get good sleep, eat good, and just kind of manage that piece, then you can kind of take on the day, whatever challenges lie ahead a lot better.

So that’s good advice. Molly. Um, currently you are the, the manager of player care and coordination at Athletes Unlimited. Can you talk about what that role is? And why you enjoy it? What’s what, what most do you enjoy about it?

[00:34:49] Molly: Yeah. Um, I love this role because I get to work with other athletes. So it’s the manager of Player Care and Coordination and Athletes Unlimited.

We have four sports. We have volleyball. I play volleyball, but we also have lacrosse, softball, and basketball, all women’s sports. And my job is mainly. I’m the staff member that communicates with the athletes the most. Mm-hmm. Um, and so that could be, you know, broadcast needs this person to hop into chair chat during the game.

I’m the person to get them, or, you know, this outing that we’re doing for, you know, athlete experience. Like I’m the person coordinating the athletes. I’m also just like, the coolest part of my job is that I just get to be around these other athletes. Mm-hmm. And I get to hear what they, what they enjoy. I get to hear, you know, the pain points and I, I get to.

Develop the communities, I get to connect people. I think that’s one of my biggest passion pieces is connecting the sports. And, um, yeah, it’s, I just finished up basketball before joining this volleyball tour, and it was, I had never been about around women’s basketball before and just hearing their stories, you know, obviously maybe a little similar to volleyball, but.

Also completely different, and I’d never been immersed in that world before. Mm-hmm. And, you know, I’ll work with softball and lacrosse this upcoming summer and, um, yeah, it’s, it’s a really cool role. I’m really happy that Athletes Unlimited is hired an athlete to do this role. Um, because also I think a piece of it, because I am also an athlete mm-hmm.

You know, I can, I can connect on a deeper level with other athletes. Um, It’s, it’s been a dream role for me so far.

[00:36:25] Donnie: How do you, uh, so again, part of this podcast, right, is you’re working across different diverse teams, which means, you know, ethnicities, philosophies, temperaments, personalities, beliefs, um, Raised in different homes.

Right. Uh, neighborhoods. Uh, what have you learned from working across multi-sport, multi coaches and different philosophy? What have you learned the most, uh, being in that role?

[00:36:56] Molly: I love that question, Donnie. Um, I’ve learned that like, You can’t come with any judgements, right? Or preconceived notions to any sport.

Like you really don’t know people’s struggles. You don’t know anything. Like I did not understand basketball. There’s, there’s so much trash talk going on, but that’s like the game of basketball, right? Like you’re on the court, you’re like super close to the rest, super close to the players, but there’s that kind of respect that they all have for each other, right?

And that like, Toughness that they have. And softball, it’s more like laid back and chill. And I don’t know if it’s just being out in the sun, but like, let it, it can be intense, but like there’s a different kind of community vibe to it. And, um, I hadn’t been, I haven’t been around lacrosse yet, but, um, yeah, so it’s, it’s picking up on what the general sport culture is, but then.

I don’t know. What I’ve loved is that like teams are still full of completely different personalities. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. And, um, at Athletes Unlimited, actually every week, the teams change. And that’s a really cool piece to see because who’s gonna be the leader this week? It, it might be the captain, but like, Most of the time it’s really not.

And it’s, it’s that person that doesn’t play or hasn’t really been a voice in their sport before, but they’re like, you know, I have this background knowledge and I can use this to my ability. Um, I don’t know. I, I’ve really enjoyed taking kind of a backseat and working for the other sports because I, I try to be that leader in volleyball, you know?

Mm-hmm. But yeah, I’ve, I’ve loved watching other women step into the different uncomfortable roles. You know, in their diverse backgrounds, um, within Athletes Unlimited. It’s, it’s a, it’s a cool role for me.

[00:38:48] Donnie: Another question, this is one of my favorite, um, not on our notes today, listeners, but working across all those, not that this would ever happen, Molly, but how do you manage and deal with difficult people?

[00:39:04] Molly: Oh yeah. Never happens. It never ever happens. Put you on the spot. Got you. Yeah,

[00:39:10] Donnie: yeah, yeah. You do it, you do it with grace, by the way. I know you do. But, uh, I’d love to hear like, how do you, cuz that I just listening to that story of all these teams in sports

[00:39:19] Molly: Yes, yes. Difficult people are and like the emotions of the game, right?

Like you’re in the middle of the season and you wanna win, there’s money on the line. Like you’re bound to have some difficult people. Um, So I always try to tackle it through an empathy piece, right? Like, Hey, I’ve been there. Like, I get it. I also have had all of these emotions, you know, where you choose to express them.

I think you need to be more careful with, or something along those lines. And, um, hey, like, why are we here? What, what are we trying to do? I think, uh, everybody at a professional level understands. Why they’re there. Like, especially Athletes Unlimited. There’s other things like, you know, we’re growing women’s sports, like there’s such a passion piece to it.

Um, but you wanna win, like you’re a competitor. Like that happens. Um, and, and we have a different piece that players recruit the players, right? So there’s gonna be something there. The players also choose their teams. Each week there’s gonna be something there of like, she didn’t pick me, you know? And. I think if you can still, I always try to come at it like, hey, like one, it’s just one week or, or like, Hey, This will only, it’s so cheesy, but this will only make you stronger if you’re dealing with all these difficult people and, and you’re gonna run into this in your corporate life.

If you choose that path, like managing different difficult people, hiring people that are good people that you want, it’s, I, I am not gonna say I’m perfect with it, but what I always try to do is say, yeah, hey, I’ve been there. I get it. I’m right there with you. But there’s a certain level of professionalism that we gotta

[00:41:04] Donnie: have.

Yeah. That is such, uh, just solid advice. I read a book recently. The book is just outstanding. It’s called Think Again by Adam Grant. He’s a professor outta Wheaton College on Leadership. And anyway, you, you, the empathy piece, you piece you talked about, I think that’s critical when dealing with difficult people.

And this is what he talked about in the book. There’s a chapter in there. And I think it’s called like the vaccine whisper or something, and this is nothing to do with necessarily Covid and all that. It was a story of a mom that had a young girl and was needed to get some vaccine for, again, it wasn’t Covid, it was something else.

I can’t remember the vaccine. And she just was. So terrified, uh, and just would not get it. And they, the hospitals knew if she’d get this, it would, her kid had a condition. This would probably not only save the young girl’s life, but like give her a longer life. And so nobody could get her to do it. They tried to throw stats at her and make her feel guilty as a mom.

And anyway, they did all this. So they hired this guy that, that was, he’s, I forget his name, he’s the vaccine whisperer, and they brought him in. He spent time with her. Sure enough, after we spent, I think several hour or a couple hours with her, she ended up getting the vaccine and they did a post-interview with her of like, what?

Did he do that changed your mind and it was simple. When he started asking about how she felt as a mom about her, her daughter, that changed her perspective on if she should get this or not all, because he was empathetic. Mm-hmm. And he didn’t beat her. Right? He says what in the book? That we can be three things sometimes.

I can’t remember all of them, but you can be a politician, right? You can come at people like and just politic ’em. Right. Um, You can be a preacher, right? And, and you can come at ’em and you just give ’em all the, the lessons and, and all that of like why, or you can prosecute people. Right. So you can be a politician, you can be a preacher or a prosecutor.

You can just make him feel horrible and like we don’t respond well to those three things, right? But this guy came at it from a place of empathy and tried to understand what was going on in her life and when he, she felt that love and care. It changed her perspective on why it was important for her to get this for her daughter, and she ended up getting it.

I love that. And I think, you know, again, one of my favorite quotes, uh, John Maxwell, is, uh, love his stuff. And it’s simple. It’s kind of what you just said. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Hmm. And so, man, if as, as leaders. Obviously you are. Like, if you can just come into that without judgment and like, let me try to understand, and then you formulate your conversation with them and move forward and then once they feel understood, then there’s common ground there you can kinda link up and maybe move forward.

So doesn’t mean you always get what you want, but at least it makes it a better situation. Mm-hmm. Good stuff. Uh, a couple more questions here. We’re getting close to our time, but I wanna talk a little marketing and branding, um, on social media. How important is that, uh, for athletes today and coaches, and can they leverage it for good?

Speak to

[00:44:10] Molly: that. Yeah. I have a love-hate relationship with social media and marketing. It’s, it’s, uh, such a big part of our world. This meta world and reality are like blending now, and it’s weird and strange and how you show up online people, that’s, that’s your face to the world and that might be different than who you are.

I think my biggest piece of, of advice is to make sure that they connect your real self. You don’t have to post anything personal, but like still stick to your values about who you are. And, um, if your, if your goal is to, I’m speaking to athletes here. If your goal is to partner with agents or brands, like Stick True to your.

Yourself. Um, my advice is maybe to find five buckets of, of things that you are passionate about and stick to that, like, write about that like people can hear your authentic voice when you’re writing those captions, or even if you’re making a video. Honestly, the, the reels or the tos that have done well or just like me on my phone being myself, like, and then brands and people and communities are like, oh, this is what she’s about.

Mm-hmm. And. And whoever’s not, isn’t relevant. Like they’re, I don’t know. I think that even within Athletes Unlimited, we have this Player Network program and brands are really out there just being like, it’s, it’s factual. Like who’s a mom, you know, or who’s interested in hiking or sustainability and or you know, who plays basketball?

And then we pull from tho those people that are, and if you don’t show that. You’re interested in sustainability, you’re not gonna be partnered with brands that are interested in sustainability or, or mental health or things like that. And, um, it, it is all consuming. I feel that sometimes as well. Um, but if you can separate the two, I almost feel like I treat my.

My social media is kind of like, it’s all kind of LinkedIn now. Yeah. We, we say that LinkedIn is like our professional for or uh, right platform, but like people are on your Facebook and Instagram and TikTok too. Like it’s all linked or it’s all linked together. Um, yeah, and if you, obviously that professional piece athletes, please stick to that.

Um, but then, yeah, stick into your core values and those five buckets that you’re passionate about.

[00:46:30] Donnie: Yeah, I like it. I think, you know, I remember having a conversation with a coach several years ago, and he would, there’s a lot of coaches out there. I say a lot. There’s some I know that are just kind of anti, you know, social media and, and I, and I definitely, I feel them and hear that to a point.

But today, like. People are gonna Google you. I mean, they’re gonna pull up your name and go like, kind of what’s on that first or second page that pop. That’s kind of who you are, right? To your point and mm-hmm. Uh, I call it like it’s your digital handshake. I. And I mean, I think part of, even like this podcast was created so that we could create a portfolio for different professionals in this world of performance and sport.

That it’s gonna live on the internet probably forever, for a long time at least. Right. And so I think it’s a platform that. You know, to your point can be very powerful. But like what have you seen pitfalls of social media? What have you seen? Um,

[00:47:28] Molly: I’ve seen obviously the, the devil of comparison, right?

Everybody’s posting, it’s their resume now. And so they’re posting things that. This is, this is my highlight reel. This is who I am all the time. Right? And so that double of comparison pops up and that’s something, and it’s like it’s designed to be addicting. Facebook and TikTok and Instagram, like they want you to stay on the app for hours.

They want you to actually have it be a reflex when you open up your phone, like first thing you do Instagram. It’s designed that way. And all of us are tricked. And so if you can be mindful, And knowing the awareness of like, Hey, this is everybody’s highlight reel. Is this actually this person? Maybe. But most of the time it’s not healthy to compare yourself to others in real life or on Instagram or TikTok.

That’s the part that I hate about it and. It’s your face to everybody, so you need to keep it updated. Right. And that pressure is sometimes I even feel the weird pressure of thinking of like, the best caption ever. And, and I’ll sit on it for hours. Like in wasting my time, I’m, I’m, I’m wasting my time doing this.

No one cares. It’s not even gonna resonate with anybody really. And so I think I need to get off of it. I need to stop, you know, you can now check to see who’s looking at your posts. I don’t think that’s healthy either. Oh, I didn’t know that. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah, I’m like mentally seeking validation through a social media app, and that’s not gonna give me validation, like real true concrete validation.

But I think that that’s a major pitfall with social media that I can kind of fall into sometimes. Yeah. I

[00:49:00] Donnie: really, you, you made me think the other day, we’re sitting at a dinner table at home and one of my daughters brought up that somebody unfollowed them, and I was like, What, like, does that even matter?

If somebody like, don’t follow me, then I’m good. You don’t need them probably. Yeah. Yeah. I’m like, oh, okay. I, you could probably follow me back with a click too, if you, anyway, it’s good. Uh, good advice. Um, what do you see yourself doing next three to five years? I got a, I got a thought on this, but I wanna hear you first.

Go ahead.

[00:49:31] Molly: Ah, also a good question. I’ve bounced around a lot in the past three to five years, so, um, I’m really happy where I’m at right now. I, I really enjoy growing women’s sports and Athletes Unlimited gives me that and fuels me daily. Um, I could see myself, I actually enjoy the operations piece of sports.

I, um, had a big role in planning even this volleyball tour. And I kind of enjoy like the, the planning piece, the experience piece, and, um, So I could kind of maybe see sports operations, um, for a sports league. Mm-hmm. Maybe, you know, in athletics. Um, I actually, like, I’ve always said, I’m not gonna be a coach, and this past summer it, there was, you know, some job openings and I was like, Hmm, maybe I don’t know if I’m ready for it.

Now, but I’m not gonna rule it out anymore in my life. Right. You know? We’ll, we’ll see down the line.

[00:50:28] Donnie: You kind of just can talk to you today looking at your career, where you’re, where you’re at now, kind of that your experiences. I’ve read this very interesting book recently called How to Win at Work. And it’s a very up to date.

I forget the author’s name. I can put it in the show notes, uh, later on, but it had a interesting kind of take on the work world today, right? 20, 30 years ago, it was a career ladder, right? That was that metaphor. Like you just went from run rung to the next, you start at the bottom and work your way up.

That was kind of the. The old landscape, today’s current landscape is what you’re doing. And he draws a picture in there. It’s a career lattice. Hmm. And so what you end up doing is you end up working for different organizations in different roles, and you build experience with different titles and responsibilities.

And at some point you end up getting this huge role because people are looking for that broad range and diverse experience in different areas of their job. Because when you come onto. Whatever it is. If you’re leading an organization, you need those, that broad range of experience. The other way I’ve heard it say too, Molly, is like this.

If you want to move up in any organization, and this is the challenge, right? In our profession, you’re a specialist, right? You, you know a lot. Mm-hmm. About one subject. It’s very deep, but very narrow. Mm-hmm. The higher you move up. You become a generalist, you know, a little bit about a lot of different topics.

And I remember hearing that the president at the University of Maryland gave a speech and I was, uh, in the, that night, he gave a keynote years ago, and he said that, and I’ll never forget that, and I kind of see that happening in you. So I’ve got a prediction. I don’t know if it’s prediction, but let’s hear it.

You’re gonna run some organization. One day you’re gonna be the leader, the c e o, the boss. Just because you’re building all these, I mean, I can just see this kind of portfolio of if you go and look at your LinkedIn profile and just, I could see at some point, not saying anytime, maybe soon, but down the road, I don’t know what that role’s gonna be, but I will not be shocked when you accept that role and step into it.

Maybe something for women’s sports, I don’t know. We’ll see. So that’s my prediction.

[00:52:38] Molly: Hi. I appreciate that, Donnie. Yeah. And, and from someone like yourself who has also been, I think what, what is the phrase that Jack of all trades, master of? I don’t think that that’s true for you. I think you’re a master of a lot of different trades.

Yeah. I appreciate it.

[00:52:53] Donnie: Yeah. I, uh, get to work with awesome, uh, people like you, so that, that helps. Yeah. Fun questions here and we’ll be done. Yeah. If you could play. A role in the Harry Potter movie? What role? You have to pick one now. Who do you play and why do you play that role?

[00:53:11] Molly: Minerva McGonagal, played by Maggie Smith because, I mean, Wanda, Maggie Smith is amazing, but Minerva’s role is, uh, she’s like the matriarch of Hogwarts.

She’s so wise and I hope that I can be that person. See there, it’s, it’s, I knew it. Right. Right. Maybe it’s, uh, present. Yeah, sure. She, yeah. She just takes care of everybody in such a good way. And I, yeah. I wanna be Minerva. I love it. I

[00:53:38] Donnie: love it. Here we are folks. She’s, uh, your next career when they start the Harry Potter movies over again.

You’re ready to go, Molly? Uh, last question and then we’ll, we’ll wrap it up. You’re in Austin, Texas. You can, you don’t have to, I’m not gonna pigeonhole you here. Favorite food, place to eat or type of food. You can go two or three choices on this, but gotta gimme your number one and then from there,

[00:54:01] Molly: Yeah, so it’s actually weird now because I’m vegetarian.

Oh yeah. Detail. Yes. I like this. Yeah. Yeah. And um, in coll, like of course Austin and Barbecue and my dad, like, he grills every Sunday. And so I’m actually, when I get to Austin, you know, in the airport, it like smells like brisket cuz the salt lake stand. And you’re like, oh, I want that. So I think if I weren’t vegetarian, I’d do something like black’s barbecue.

Awesome. Yeah. Um, she’s not getting paid for that, by the way. No, no, no, no. Just love your stuff. What I did whenever I landed Sunday, I went straight to Torchy’s and got their queso. There’s nothing like that. Queso. You can’t find it. Anyway, that’s got like

[00:54:37] Donnie: liquid crack in it or something. I agree. We got one near the house.

I can’t help it. So. Yeah. Uh, good stuff. Well, Awesome. Molly, this has been a treat for me and I know it’s gonna be a treat for our audience. Thank you for your time and thank you for coming to Austin. It was great to have you back in Gregory Jim. I know the fans love it. I know the staff and the team. Yeah.

Enjoyed seeing you again. So thank you so much. And hey, you have an awesome rest of 2023, so thank you. Thank you, Donnie. Love being on this. We’ll see you next side on the team behind the team. I’m Donnie Mabe. This is Molly Cage. Hook em horns, hook em. Thanks so much for tuning in and listening to this episode of the team Behind the Team podcast.

For future episodes, go to iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, or Stitcher. We definitely want to keep having great guests on the show and great content. So if you have a moment, please go to iTunes, leave a rating and review and let us know how we’re doing. I’m Donnie Mabe, and thanks so much for tuning in.