Latest / City Vibes / CityVibes.tv Lifestyle Show Episode 3 with Deborah Hall-CEO YWCA; Sherry Levin-Hall of Fame Basketball high scorer, Coach, ESPN Broadcaster, Author

Transcript

CityVibes.tv Lifestyle Show Episode 3 with Deborah Hall-CEO YWCA; Sherry Levin-Hall of Fame Basketball high scorer, Coach, ESPN Broadcaster, Author · City Vibes

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_03: Hello and welcome to City Vibes.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Christina Andrianopoulos.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_03: City Vibes is all about people, places, life, and stories happening throughout our communities, including Worcester County in central Massachusetts.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_03: We're coming to you from the beautiful view on the 24th floor in downtown Worcester, offering an incredible setting for our show.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_03: City Vibes is back in a new digital format, bringing you great conversations and stories across websites, YouTube, social media, podcasts, and more.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: So be sure to like, follow, and share, and subscribe to City Vibes to grow this community together.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_03: Today we're meeting two extraordinary women who turn passion into purpose and prove that one woman's vision can inspire change far beyond herself.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_03: A belief that lies at the very heart of CityVibes.tv.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_03: My first guest, Deborah Hall, is the CEO of the YWCA Central Massachusetts and the organization's first Black Chief Executive Officer.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_03: She's also the founder of the Worcester Black History Project, dedicated to documenting and celebrating historic contributions of Black residents throughout the region.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: Her leadership extends beyond the community, including her appointment to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, and more recently by Governor Mora Healy for the inaugural Massachusetts Cultural Economy Advisory Council.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: Deb's work focuses on racial justice, gender equity, violence prevention, and community empowerment throughout the region.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: My second guest, Sherry Levin, is a Hall of Fame basketball player, longtime coach, broadcaster, author, and speaker whose accomplishments span athletics and executive leadership.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: A standout player at the College of Holy Cross, Sherry remains the program's all-time leading scorer with an incredible 2,253 points.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: In recognition of her legacy, Holy Cross retired her jersey number 24 and named its women's basketball lounge in her honor.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_03: She later served as head coach of Worcester Academy's girls' basketball team, leading the program to multiple NEP, SAC, New England Championships.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: Today we'll also explore the inspirational book Pre-Game, A We Winning Not Mindset, where she translates lessons from athletes athletics into practical strategies for leadership, resilience, and personal growth.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: Lessons that apply to all of us, not just athletes.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: I'm looking forward to hearing some of her insights and winning strategies we can bring into our own lives.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_03: And a special thank you to my sponsors and brand partners who believe local programming and make City Vibes possible.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you to the Beachwood Hotel, home of Sonoma Restaurant, and to our media collaborators, Discover Central Massachusetts, along with our other partners that are helping us bring City Vibes to you.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_03: And thank you to Mike Covino and the Niche Hospitality Group as proud media partners with CityVibes.tv celebrating the art of living and for providing this beautiful space at the View as City Vibes Studio.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: And now for our first guest, Deborah Hall.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_03: How are you?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_03: You're not only a successful businesswoman, a leader, but you are my friend and a soul sister.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm doing well, and I'm just so happy to be here, Christina.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm happy to be on the show and to be sharing this time with another phenomenal woman, uh Sherry Levin.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm I'm just excited.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: This view is amazing.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so just looking forward to talking with you today.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: I was so happy when I first met you.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: I first met you out and about.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_03: You're a person that gets recognized when you're in a room for sure.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_03: But I didn't know who you were, and then I believe I got to know you a little bit better when you had the preview of the wall, the YWC.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_03: Now we're gonna talk about that, but first, what I like to do is I'd like to hear your story because when I heard your story, that's when I said soul sister.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: So I'd like to hear your story on how you came into central Massachusetts and Worcester.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Wonderful.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I came to Worcester about 13 years ago.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm originally from St.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: Louis, Missouri.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: I was born and raised there, um, and then uh lived in Kansas City, Missouri for about seven years prior to moving to Worcester.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: I moved to Worcester um for love.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I um I was in a long-distance relationship and decided to make the move to New England.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: I've always loved this part of the country um and uh specifically Massachusetts and all of the history in Massachusetts.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I moved here for love, that brought me here.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And um uh when I moved here, I, you know, obviously wanted to get to know my new community and find people with similar interests, which would be in the arts and and theater.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I thought the best way I could do that is to volunteer and get to know the community.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and also what I could do to contribute to the community.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's just what my mom and dad always taught me.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I started off volunteering on the uh advisory committee on status women for the city of Worcester.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that was uh a great time just getting to know other women, um, knowing other people who were change makers in the city.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: Eventually I joined the board of YWCA Central Massachusetts under my predecessor, Linda Cabbioli, and got to know a lot more people and got involved in the community.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: So it's been uh a wonderful time.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: It is my second home.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: I uh made some wonderful friendships here and definitely some inroads.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: I think I've contributed to the community, and that was the whole thing.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_03: You I also what I I you what you're saying, your story, at the end, I always have my guests say something to the audience.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: Your story resonates with especially a lot of young people or people who maybe not may even entry-level positions or mid-positions, because what you did what you did is you gave the formula of how you get recognized.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_03: And that was what you said.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: You volunteered.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: You just stepped out there, you knew nobody, and you volunteered.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I believe you told me that you even ran for politics.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: I did.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um I almost forgot that.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um during COVID, I think you know, a lot of people, we were all dealing with a worldwide pandemic, and we were stuck at home.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, people were dying.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: It was tragic.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think a lot of people, whether it was baking, um, painting, whatever people were doing, it's like, hey, we're facing our lives.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: What is it that you wanted to do that you've never done?
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that's kind of the way I looked at it.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: I always thought I'd run for office.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: What better time?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I threw my hat into the ring and um I began a campaign for an at-large city councilor seat.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um at the time, Linda Cavioli uh told us she would be retiring.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I had no thoughts at the time of um, you know, applying for that position because I was running for a city council seat, and so I was really focused on that.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: But after some consideration and really, I will say um a lot of encouragement from mentors and my circle of friends, mostly women, yeah, uh, who said, Oh, you can do this, and more importantly, you should do this.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: You are ready for this, even if I didn't think I was ready for it.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: I had those sisters saying, Oh no, you're ready.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so um, you know, the rest is her story as I say.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but then once I was appointed, had to suspend my campaign.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: We'll never know what would have happened.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think I would have won a seat, I'm not sure.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I may have to revisit that at some point.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we were the reason why I brought that up is because you tried everything, every channel that came into your path, this one looked like a good opportunity.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_03: You dove into it, you did it.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: And then I know that when we were talking, you said, you know, I had a little luck.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_03: Well, yes, I believe in luck too, but I also believe we create our luck.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_03: And basically by looking at what's in your path path and then what you create.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_03: And so that path looked like it was an option for you.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_03: But then your path steered you to the YWCA CEO.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, so now let's put you there.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_03: You're in an interview, you told me, and you're meeting um all these people, the selection committee, and you said something that you believe, and it was Zoom because it was during the pandemic.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: And that was really a challenging way back then when we weren't experts and we didn't know how we looked on camera before, you know, before the pandemic.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_03: But you spoke to the selection committee and you believe this is one of the reasons why they hired you, other than your credibility, your credentials, and all that, of course.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_03: But what did you say to them that brought tears to their eyes?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: It um the question at the beginning of this second or third interview um uh was why do you think you are why did you apply for this position?
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: And why do you think you need to be here?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I was nervous, as I you know, anybody would be, I think a little nervous and said, I'll get back to that.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: I needed to think about it.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so we continue with the interview and other questions around budget, et cetera, some are real um uh questions that you would expect.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: And at the end of the interview, I said, now I want to come back to the question.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't forgotten it, but if I had time to think about it.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: And um really for me, uh, it is because it's what my mother and father would expect me to do.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was raised this way and I was raised um uh to take on challenges, and particularly with the mission that we have at YWCA of Central Mass.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I may have said some other things, I'm sure.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: When I looked up, yeah, people were crying, and I didn't know how hard it is to move people on Zoom anyway.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's so a Zoom, but I in that moment I was really uh I think speaking to them, but also talking to myself and remembering and and and it gave me even more strength.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, that's fine.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: I think I knew why, but verbalizing that um uh for people on the panel uh gave me chills, actually, as I I uh talk about it now.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but it moved people.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I think uh for that that translated into a passion and a vision that they needed in the next CEO.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that was part of it for sure.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: But I do remember that moment and I talk about that moment because you go back to the reasons you do anything.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and that has to do with I I think uh partly at least uh your upbringing.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yes and what you're taught and how you're taught to be in the world with other people and how you treat other people and my parents' expectations of me.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I think it's always I I have expectations of people.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's important for us to have expectations, um, but always their belief in me that I could do whatever I wanted to do.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: So I had to remember that they have both uh passed on, um you know, and even at the time I talked about it, so it was really me remembering those lessons.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, that's wonderful.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: I wanted you to share that because this is one of the missions of the show that I'm doing, is that it's all about empowerment.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_03: And we can talk about the YWCA, everybody could go on your website and learn everything that there is to know, but it's the story that comes with it when you were there at this particular path and you answered it with that, it came from your foundation, and you felt that your ex exhibiting your foundation was really important because it was the truth.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: Was the truth?
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_03: It was the truth.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_03: Another truth that you started that I commend you for is the um or the organization you created that brings um the light to black histori historians and and success stories too.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_03: Talk about how you created that.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I created it.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you know, I think I mentioned, or we've talked in the past about I'm not the first person to do that.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh definitely there was Professor Doughton.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: There were people doing the work in the community, Jeanette Greenwood from Clark University.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it was an original, it wasn't an original idea.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: I said there aren't any original ideas, but it's what we do in our moment uh in our lives that make a difference in how we approach it, approach it.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I just, in me trying to um get acclimated to my new community, the one thing I've always been interested in is black history.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: It was part of uh I majored in undergrad in African American studies at Washington University.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I came here, I love history.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so I said, what happened here?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: I knew it was full of historical facts and things that had happened.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and particularly what was the contribution of black folks.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um so um that led me to meet with Professor Doughton and talk a little bit about the work he had done with his uh students at Holy Cross.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I said, Professor, I'd be interested.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'd want to learn more.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'd be interested in maybe getting a group of people together, and we can talk about it and discover even more things with community members.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so the first meeting was called in 2018.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: And um group of community members, and it it was a wonderful way of meeting other people in the community and uh community members who have been here, other families have been here forever, five, six generations.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: So it was really fun for me, a way of bringing uh another group of people together and just uncovering um those hidden stories, stories that just because no one had told them we didn't know about that make our community community so much richer.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I really enjoy that product uh uh project, rather.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: And we uh have done a lot of um good things, YouTube videos uh about black churches and and uh William Martha Brown, who are portraits, have a portrait now in Mechanic Hall.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um but a lot of great things uh and it most recently the Hidden Census, which is a history of uh black and knit muck folks who were part of the uh Revolutionary War.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: So we continue to do that with community members, and I think we're all better for it.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_03: That's great.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_03: So let's go a little bit back into the future, like today.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: So now, as past the pandemic, after you know, as a CEO, you've done so many tremendous things.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_03: The du YWCA is in front of everything with that's happening.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_03: That's fantastic, including that beautiful wall that you created.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I love the way that you said that it was a YWCA initiative.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_03: You helped fund it.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, the organization funded it, and so you probably had a committee to pick the women that you you put on, the wall of women.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_03: And so talk a little bit about that.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_03: And again, everybody can go on the website to do it, but talk about it from how it was a passion for you.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was approached by the one of the original muralists of the Maiden Mother Prone, which was the mural that was there prior.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and she said, Debbie, I'm interested in doing a refresh.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, I got a better idea.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, I have to raise money once I found out how much it costs.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: If I have to raise money for this mural, let's do a whole new mural.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: And going back to the pandemic, uh, the idea was we don't really have anything, any monuments other than Abby Kelly left turn uh that you can miss if you're in a car on Main Street that really pays homage to women and the work that women in the Worcester community have done.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I had this idea, I saw an exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Anita Koontz, uh Canadian artist who during the pandemic just started painting portraits of women throughout history.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: It was a fabulous exhibit.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember at the end, um, as I you were exiting the exhibit, she said, if you're interested in bringing something similar to your community, feel free to use this idea.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I just kept that in mind.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I was approached along with uh Sharina and Marie Murphy, who has done a book on a coloring book of Worcester Women in History, um, I said, Hey, why don't we do portraits?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll pick a certain number of women.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: We have the wall, and it will pay homage to women, both past and present, um, who have contributed to our society.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: It will necessarily also tell a history of YWCA women.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: So uh you'll see um we have a lot of YWCA women on the wall.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then Sharina took that, that artist took that and turned it into something just uh so beautiful that I have not seen.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: There is nothing like it in the Commonwealth, and I would go as far as to say in the country.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've seen quite a few murals.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think it's something we're definitely very proud of.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's a community.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we've gotten such positive feedback from it.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, um, people were uplifted.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: We had the unveil last Saturday, as you know.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um there were tears, there was laughter.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um people were really moved by it.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm glad.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: I see it as a thing that uh, although I coordinated that YWCA is giving to our community.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I uh it was there throughout the painting uh at different moments, and just the young people, young girls, men, women, didn't matter, would stop by and say what joy was bringing up.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm so happy with it.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_03: And you beautified that part of the city.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_03: It's downtown, and we're all trying to really get the downtown to be what it what we remember it as little girls when I was here.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I'm gonna get a little bit personal.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, by the way, if if anybody wants to see the wall, you know, it's just right outside on um Major Taylor Boulevard.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's on the graph.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, right there.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: And there's also the QR code, so you really modernized it, and so you can see who the women are, the names of it.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: So it's really great.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_03: So uh you came here for love, you fell in love.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: And now and you're now you you go with your heart, where your heart brings you.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_03: And so did you find more love?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um love for the city.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I did.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: Love for art, love for theater, love for uh people.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, more personal love, no.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay, because I love you.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: You love, I have my soul sister, and I'm okay.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's not even uh something I I feel uh a need to explain any more than anything else.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's such a love for uh, you know, I I tell people it's part of life.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: You love, and I'm so glad I've been able to love and I love in different ways and have so many different people in my life.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: But but no, I've been so busy.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've been so busy, I haven't made time to even um think about it.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, guess what?
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_03: If you believe that yes, I have a big Greek family and uh we always do these either cookouts or stuff.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: And guess who's coming?
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_03: And then I have all these events, and maybe for a future fashion show, because we raise money with Karen Shade as the moderator, and uh, we'll have you in a fashion show.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_03: We'll have you strutting the catwalk.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_03: You are for sure.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_03: You have me all over the place.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: So anyway, you're part of our family now.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: I love it.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: And so what I'd like you to do is I'd like to finish with my guests telling your audience something that you want to share with them and have them take with them.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Wonderful.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I would say, you know, uh moving to Worcester, uh, you know, you're always growing and learning different things.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: I will say a lot of those things that Christine and I have talked about was done not without without fear, but I'm saying I I just did it anyway.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: And and I will say I've learned that um uh I'm glad I learned it, period, maybe a little later in life, because I think it takes experience, it takes learning, it takes mistakes, it takes growth.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um but anything you want to do, as I tell uh my team, just do it.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I tell people around me, if you want to do it, just do it.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: Our time here is limited.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh do what you want to do and don't have any regrets.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, face the fear and just move through it and do what you want to do.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: Trust me, uh, there's reward on the other side, and you'll be glad you did.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: So that's my message to people.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_03: You're going to make my show almost as popular as Oprah Winfrey's.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: You're a great interviewer.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_03: All right.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: I love you.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for being here.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: We'll have you back again.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I'll be back.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_03: Great.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: Whenever you want.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_03: And we'll be with you.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Beachwood Hotel, home of Sonoma Restaurant.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: Perfectly situated adjacent to the Biotech Research Park and minutes from downtown Worcester, we put you right in the center of it all.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: From the DCU Center and Holy Cross to UMass Medical School, everything you need is just around the corner.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Whether traveling for business or leisure, discover comfort in our 52 boutique guest rooms and 21 elegant suites.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: Reserve your stay today at the Beachwood Hotel.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_05: Discover Central Mass.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_05: Endless adventures await in central Massachusetts.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_05: Located in the heart of New England, the region welcomes visitors to explore historic treasures, museums, parks, botanical gardens, and wildlife sanctuaries.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_05: Catch a Woos Ox game or a holy Cross matchup at family friendly prices.
• 22:03
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• 22:06
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• 22:13
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• 22:17
  SPEAKER_05: Learn more.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_05: Discover centralmass.org.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_03: And now I have the absolute pleasure of introducing Sherry Levin, a famous woman's basketball player.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: How are you?
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: I am great.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: And you know what?
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: That was such an inspiring interview you did.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: The questions were amazing.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_02: And Deborah, what a rock star.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: I you know, you've made a connection.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: And when you think about things in the way in the world we live in, when you can make a connection like that, that you have done a great thing.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I enjoyed the interview.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: I hope everybody else does as well.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_02: Great to be here.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_03: Wow, that's the biggest compliment ever.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much because that's what I want, and that's why I meet all my guests ahead of time, like I met you.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_03: And I also hear your story because City Vibes TV is about people, places, life, and stories.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_03: And I love the stories.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: And so you have a beautiful story.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_03: Your story is amazing from your upbringing with your family and your father who got you into sports to eventually being an all-star at um the College of Holy Cross.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: So why don't you start and tell us a little bit about your story and then we'll come into today, we'll talk about your book.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, well, thank you.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_02: And um we we don't have a couple of hours, but you know, I'm I'm sitting here in this beautiful set and I'm realizing that Holy Cross is out there, Worcester Academy is out there.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: I've spent over 20 years of my life in both of those places.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_02: So whenever I come to Worcester, it really does feel like home.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you for that.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I grew up outside of Boston and my dad was a great sportsman.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: And I had the privilege and the honor of going to Red Sox and Celtics and Bruins and Patriot Games with my dad.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_02: And the memories and the experience I shared with him were amazing, and obviously I will never forget.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but what it did is it gave me a whole lens of experiences.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_02: So I was a great fan, but then I was also that kid that did every sport.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_02: Like from the time I was three, they gave me the nickname Monkey and you know, monkey because I climbed over everything and I was just constantly going and active.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: And that led into organized sports.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, growing up as a young girl in the in the 70s, Title IX was not yet a big thing.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: So there were times where I participated with the boys, and I didn't think too much of it because I was good and I was a great athlete, great hand eye coordination, and I'd be playing football with the boys at recess, and I'd be playing uh ice hockey, and I'd be playing street hockey and tag and all these games that I never really thought too much like, oh, I'm the only girl doing this.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, what that gave me was kind of a competitive mindset, and it gave me an ability to really be aggressive because I knew I had to be.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, organized in high school, and I was a three-sport athlete, and it was an all-scholastic in each sport, and basketball was what I chose.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_02: And that's amazing.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_03: I chose Holy Cross for Togo Pelazzi.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's great.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we'll go back to that in a minute because one of my favorite shows is Ted Lasso.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_03: And the new season, Ted coaches the women's football team in the UK.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: And it goes into all the what the women's sports and athletes don't get versus compared to the men.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_03: And it's, you know, we're not here to talk about what they don't get and what they do get, but it was really interesting to see it from that perspective.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: And then I'm sure you faced some of these things in in your career as well.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I think growing up, it was I was in it and I lived, you know, near the Boston Marathon run.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: And so every Boston Marathon, me and my friends from from middle school up through, you know, high school, would be on the marathon selling things.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: And when I was in probably like sixth grade-ish, um, I sold bumper stickers support Title IX.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_02: Who knew that Title IX would be so prevalent in in my life?
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_02: Because when I chose to to attend Holy Cross, I became the first women woman on a full athletic scholarship.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_04: Wow.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_02: And that was in 1980.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_02: And it was kind of the transition from, you know, that that was supporting Title IX, where all of a sudden things, it was on the forefront and it was a focus on making sure that women would get equal opportunity.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I think back to the the women who were the trailblazers before me, um, and who I looked up to and who I, you know, looked at as mentors, and I stood on their shoulders, and hopefully the young girls that come after me will stand on my shoulders.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: And and when we finish, which is not now, I want you to talk to the audience.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_03: So that might be a really good message to get out there.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_03: All right.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_03: So you're now um at the College of Holy Cross, and you're a freshman.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: You started as a freshman, okay.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: Because sometimes they recruit you into the upper classes.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: But so you started, did you start right away?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: They they recruited you so you could be on the starting um team.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, um the experience of recruiting back in 1980 compared to now, very different.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I was not decided where to go until the springtime.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I had seen Togo Pelazi as a guest lecturer at a basketball camp when I was a sophomore in high school.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I was immediately attracted to his energy, his intensity, his motivation.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I sat there, I was that kid in the front row at the foul line, just like, oh my God.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember going home, telling my parents, I want to someday play for a coach like that.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_02: Who knew?
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_02: Fast forward to you know, senior year.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_02: He reached out to me.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_02: I hadn't yet signed yet.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_02: And many, many opportunities.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to be closer to home so my parents could come to see me play.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: And he brought me and my mom to Holy Cross for the day, and he rolled out the red carpet, and Ronnie Perry Jr.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_02: took me to lunch, which, if you've not from this area, you've heard the name of Ronnie Perry Jr.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_02: and senior.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I remember sitting in his office and he said, What do you think?
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, Don't ask me where I got this as a high school senior.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_02: But I said, You know what?
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: I really want to come play for you.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_02: I feel it.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: I really felt it in my bones.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: I said, but I have full scholarship offers.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: And so he said, Well, you guys hang on.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_02: And he took me and my mom to the middle of the heart center court, um, now the Bob Kuzi court.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_02: But it was uh Heart Center Court, and he said, He's calling his AD, who was Ron Perry's senior, and he came back out.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_02: I still remember the sound of that click of the handle going down and the door opening, and he walked over to us and he put out his hand and he said, You got it.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I got chills.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_02: And he and he sh shook shook my hand.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, I don't tell admissions, I don't remember applying.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sure I did.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_02: I got into Ivy League schools, I was okay student.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and um, and that was that was the history.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_02: So, yes, I I started my entire career.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I never missed a game, you know, knock on wood, never missed a game.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you know, 103 games in those days, not as many as they play nowadays.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, I started right from the start, and and the rest is is history.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: And by the time you were done, you had scored 2,253 points.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_03: You remember, okay.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_03: You get a gold star for that.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_03: That number just is amazing.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_03: And so you were driven and you were determined.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_03: But something you say in your book that we'll get there, yeah, you were a team player.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_03: And so talk about how, even though you had over 2,000 points and they retired your jersey, talk about it, how you made it a team, you know.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, it's the coaching, but yeah, that you bought into that too.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, Togo was this incredible motivator.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_02: And Togo would always come to the locker rooms, whether it was practice or whether it was games, and he would give us a rousing speech, which is where I kind of got my my lens, if you will, of pregame speeches.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: And one thing he always said is, you know, you can never do this by yourselves.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, everybody knew that from my point guard and and Kim Kelly, who's a dear friend of mine, was a freshman point guard, and I was a senior, and and we joke and we see each other often, and she's like, Yeah, you know, I was smart.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_02: I knew if I wanted to get an assist, I get need to give the ball to you.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_02: But, you know, it was one of those things where I look back and I'm I'm like, you know, I did score a lot of points.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the makeup of the team, we had some great players, you know, Phyllis Townsend and Janet Orihan, and you know, we had some some great players.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_02: So in order for us to succeed, you know, I would never score 70 points a game, right?
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_02: So I did my part and my role uh and my value to the team was to lead in in scoring and rebounding.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I was a very heady player.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: I I used what what God gave me and I used it well.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's great.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_03: So you would be strategic and calculating and get to the line eight to ten times a game.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_02: It was, you know.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_02: It was in those days, it was a very much um cerebral game as well.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_02: And Togo would always talk about that, and yeah, and he would give us little catchphrases and and we would implement those.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I bought in.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_02: I bought in completely.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: That's great.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_03: And so then you finish and then you become a broadcaster.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, and then you got called back to Worcester.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_03: So talk about that.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I was you know, living in New Jersey and New York, and I was a television producer, and I had good fortune of being on on uh ESPN and and Nessen as a as a uh analyst.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh in 1995, when UConn won their uh undefeated national championship, I got to announce all the games at UConn, so that was very exciting.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I came back to this area and and my friend at WPI, still the coach, Sharice Galasso, um, needed an assistant coach.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_02: And she said, you know, would you be interested?
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, yeah, sure, I would love to.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: So then the word was out that I was back in the area.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I'll never forget this story.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_02: And those of you who have been in Worcester for a while may remember Bob Fouraker, who was WTAG's voice of Holy Cross.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: And I saw him when I was announcing a game at Navy.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: It was in Annapolis, it was Holy Cross Women and versus uh the Navy, Naval Academy.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_02: And he said, Hey, I hear you're going to be coaching at Worcester Academy.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I looked at him, I said, Really?
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_02: I I not to my knowledge.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_02: He said, Oh, well, Ernie Floyd told me that you're going to be coaching there.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: And Ernie's daughter, Sardet, was going to be a junior at Worcester Academy.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, Well, I'll again I'll never forget this.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_02: I said, if if they want me to coach there, they're going to need to reach out to me, first of all.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: Instead of finding out, you know, just to ask me.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's how Worcester Academy came about.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_02: The athletic director called me, said, Would I be interested?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: I went and I met with the athletic director and and Dexter Morse, the head of school.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I ended up working in development and and coaching.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I coached for eight years.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_02: And during that time, we uh went to four championships and we won two.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: And Wine was undefeated season in 2006.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_02: So very memorable and just wonderful.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's wonderful.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_03: That's so great that you have these home stories that you were um and so great that you're on my show and you can talk about them.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_03: And then you coached um a very famous young lady.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_03: So talk a little bit about her because she did go to Worcester Academy.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_03: And for those who don't know this particular basketball player, talk about her.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so uh I left Worcester Academy to work as an athletic director and a coach at a different school near Boston where my daughter went to school.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_02: And then in 2016, I got a call back from Ed Riley and uh Ron Cena was the head of school, and they said, Our coach is leaving.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_02: Would you like to come back?
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_02: And there were, I there weren't many places I would want to come back to.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, you know what?
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_02: It would feel like I'm coming back home.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_02: So the timing was perfect.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_02: I said, yes, I'll do that.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_02: I did not know who was on the team at the time.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_02: So I met with Ed Riley and he said, you know, here's your roster and here's the list, and you probably want to reach out to this young lady and her parents.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_02: It turned out it was Aaliyah Boston.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_02: And Aaliyah was a sophomore, so I did not coach her her freshman year.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I watched every one of her freshman games, and um, then I spoke with her mom for about 90 minutes, and I I literally said in that conversation, I think Aaliyah could be one of the best players in all of women's basketball.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: I said her skill set is amazing.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_02: I said, she what you know what she did her freshman year is nothing, the tip of the iceberg.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I would like the opportunity to to help her make that happen.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so they said yes, and they they Aliyah stayed at Worcester Academy, and I came in, and in the three years we won two NEPSAC championships.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_02: Her sophomore year we did not.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we learned from that, and then we won the next two.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_02: And to coach someone of her skill set um was amazing because she was the type of player who said, What's next, coach?
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah right.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_02: And and we we would work out individually in the gym and she would work out on her own at the weight room.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, it was a progression, and I got to be part of that and just wonderful to see.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_02: But then she went on to South Carolina, won a national championship, and then was the number one uh draft pick in the WMBA.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_02: So um and continues to do amazing, wonderful things.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_03: That's wonderful.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_03: Well, let's bring you to today.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_03: So you wrote this book, yes, Pre-Game, a winning mindset, and it's basically your um experience as a coach, as a player.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_03: And there's some great tips here that are not only just for athletes, but for everyday life, for leaders, for just living.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_03: So tell us a little bit about writing this book, and then I'd like you to get into a couple of the tips that you do, words of wisdom.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_02: So um it kind of came about for my players.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and one particular player I'm on the phone with her, is around COVID.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_02: Everything happens around COVID, right?
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Leticia Roll, she's out in California.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_02: And Letitia's one of those players that we have stayed connected.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I love her and and and everything that she represents.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_02: And so we talk to each other often.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_02: If I if I need a pick-me-up, I'll call Letitia.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_02: And um, so we're on the phone and we said something about, you know, my motivations.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_02: And she said, Coach, you need to share this.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so I started thinking, all of these pregame speeches are in my head.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I would sit on a quiet sunny morning, you know, in in the sunroom and with the sun, and I'd just be typing away.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_02: And then the progression of the book was I took my pregame speeches, which were never just a let's go out and you know, win the game.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_02: It always was just something that I created through my lens.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_02: And my my daughter used to joke that I'm a pregame speech waiting to happen.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_02: Because we could be doing anything.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I'd be like, huh, that could be what the story that I is the intention for the game that we're playing.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: So I would set out to be, if we were gonna play a game that would go down to the wire, I would have one kind of pregame speech.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_02: If we were gonna play a game that, oh, you know what, we should win by 40, I would have another pregame speech.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I put them all together and you know, I got a publisher and and away we went.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_02: So I think what is most important to me with that is that it's not just basketball, as you said, it's really life lessons.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I've been through a lot, we all have, and challenges, and how you look at that is the most important thing.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_02: And so I took my pregame speech and I wrapped it around a story, and the story has motivation and a lens on how to live a positive life and how to really look through a positive lens.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's great.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I definitely recommend it really highly.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_03: And thank you.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_03: You speak to me because I I love words of wisdom and motivation and so one of them that's one of my favorite is um the one about the pencil and the diamond.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_03: So why don't you share the pencil and the diamond, and then when you're done with that, I'll just open it up and we'll pop into one more, and then that'll everybody else will have to read the book.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yep, yep.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that's one of my favorites.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_02: So in at Ollie Cross, I was an English major in English and communications.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_02: And I think as I've gotten older, I've become a little bit more of a science geek.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like science and neuroscience like is just excites me.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so years ago, I was a video producer, I told you, and I was shooting at uh BASF Corporation, and we were shooting the chemical division's president's office.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_02: So we're arranging everything and dressing the set.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_02: And he had a framed story on his desk, which was the diamond or the pencil.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_02: So uh I didn't know I was gonna be a coach at the time, but that story always stuck in my head, and then I started using it.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_02: And the story goes like this everything's made of atoms.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_02: And if you take atoms of carbon and they are arranged in one way, become the lead of a 10-cent pencil.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_02: They're kind of layered on each other and become very fragile.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_02: If you take those exact atoms and you pressurize them, they become a precious diamond.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I would use that usually in the beginning of the year, and I would look around the room and I look around the locker room, and I would say, it's your choice.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_02: You take the same atoms and you can be a diamond or a pencil.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_02: And it's your choice how you show up.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I, in basketball terms, it was, you know, are you gonna get that extra rebound?
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_02: Are you gonna box out?
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_02: Are you gonna sprint?
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_02: Are you gonna, you know, defend harder?
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_02: It's your choice.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_02: And in and in life, I think we wake up every day and we can set an intention on how do you want that day to go.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_02: And when you do that, that's one of my stories in in my mental fitness um speaking now, and mindset as a muscle, is it's your choice.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_02: So wake up and say, today I'm gonna be productive.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_02: Today I'm gonna be happy, today I'm gonna be energized.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_02: Today I woke up, it was game day because I knew I was coming on your show.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_03: Because you attract that energy.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_03: Whatever energy you put out, you attract.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_03: So you might as well start with number one, I like to start with being grateful, and number two, setting those positive intentions.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm going to open this up and it will go into, I want to go into the believe um chapter.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: And I thought I saw something.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_03: You can thumb through it.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_03: 25, 525,600.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_02: All you all you Broadway fans out there would recognize that from Rent.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um beautiful song.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I happen to be driving uh the mass pike uh with my daughter on way to our championship game.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I did not yet have a formalized pregame speech.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_02: It's a championship game.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_02: Clearly, you don't need a big rousing speech for a championship game, right?
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_02: Your players should be ready after a whole season.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_02: And my daughter was listening to, she may be embarrassed when she hears this, but we were listening to Broadway kids in the car.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_02: And that song came on.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I thought, oh my gosh.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_02: I stood up in front of the team and I said, uh, went through all the X's and O's, which I always do.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, we don't need the big rousing speech.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_02: I said, but think of this.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_02: In a year, there's 525,600 minutes.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_02: The next 32 you'll remember for a lifetime.
• 41:22
  unknown: Wow.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I just, you know, I get a little choked up just thinking about this.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_02: And and that was the truth.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_02: Like in that moment, those minutes count.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the way that you live your life, um, that was one pregame speech that, and I say that for the end.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, one pregame speech that when you think about how you you go through every day, that's what you want to do.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, that's wonderful.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_03: This was such an inspiring.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for somebody introducing us, just like life happens, and now and we're as friends too.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_03: So before we go, I'd like you to say one thing to the audience because you have a lot of things to say, but say one more thing you'd like to leave them with.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I would really like to a couple of little ones.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_02: But uh the first is is authenticity is your superpower.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you need to be yourself and you need to be the best version of yourself.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_02: And how you do that, one way is to surround yourself with incredible people.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, people who will challenge you, people who will make you better, people who will lift you up.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the other thing I'd say is follow your your, and I know you would totally agree with this, is follow your heart, your mind, and your and your guts, because if you have your lens open, then you will always be receptive to wonderful things.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_02: And then finally, I I think, and and sorry for I got four little four little things.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_02: And one most important thing is, you know, your mindset is a muscle, and guess what?
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_02: You can train it every day with one rep at a time.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_02: And we don't all wake up and being positive, that's really hard to do some days.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_02: But if you can train your brain one rep at a time, yeah, you will have success.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's great, like one step at a time.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_02: One step at a time.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_02: You're gonna run it.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_02: One rep at a time.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's great.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_03: Well, thank you so much.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_03: It was great to see you.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's so great.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_03: Great to see you too.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for having me.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_03: We'll have coffee and lunch.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_03: You'll tell me more stories.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_03: I you read the book, you know a bunch, but I'll always create more.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_03: I do.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_03: It spoke to me.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, and we'll be right back.
• 43:19
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• 43:46
  SPEAKER_03: Wow, what an incredible show.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_03: I hope you've enjoyed these conversations as much as I have, because that's what CityVibes.tv is all about bringing fascinating people, inspiring stories, fresh perspectives.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: And ideas that make us think, feel, and see the world a little differently.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_03: A heartfelt thank you to my wonderful guests for sharing their stories, insights, and experiences.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_03: And I hope something you heard today sparked an idea, inspired you to take action, or simply reminded you of an extraordinary people and exciting things happening right here in our community.
• 44:26
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• 44:32
  SPEAKER_03: Special thanks to Beachwood Hotel, our media sponsor, Discover Central Massachusetts, and our other valued brand partners who believe in the importance of supporting local programming.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_03: And a very special thank you to Nick Nich Hospitality Group for providing our spectacular studio here at The View with its breathtaking views of Worcester.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_03: What an extraordinary place to bring City Vibes to life.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_03: To my amazing City Vibes TV production team, including your our talented interns from local universities.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you to your creativity, enthusiasm, and dedication.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_03: And to OPA photography, thank you for bringing fabulous photography and your experience in video production and to every single episode.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_03: Now, before we say goodbye, I want to leave you with something close to my heart.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_03: Every day we have a choice about the energy we bring into the world.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_03: I connected through energy, and when we choose gratitude, kindness, and positive thoughts, we raise our vibration and open ourselves to incredible possibilities.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_03: So take a moment each day to appreciate what you have, celebrate the people around you, and remember that even the smallest positive action can make a meaningful difference.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_03: And if today's show inspired you, but don't keep it to yourself.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_03: Please comment, share, and follow, and let everybody know all about it.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_03: This way you can help me grow.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_03: You can help us grow our community.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_03: And let's celebrate the best of people, places, ideas, and life.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_03: Until next time, keep your energy high, your heart grateful, and your mind open to possibilities.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_03: Because when you live with gratitude and positive energy, you make room for miracles.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_03: May your day and your week be filled with miracles.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Christina Andronopas, and I'll see you next time on city vibes.