Tackling the Impossible: Why NFL Coach Jen Welter is the Real MVP

05 Feb Tackling the Impossible: Why NFL Coach Jen Welter is the Real MVP

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Capella University.

Entrepreneurs are a special breed of people. We go big, we go hard, and we don’t quit. Ok, sometimes we do quit, but it is usually just to refocus our attention on our goals. We’re use to creating the unexpected and know that “impossible” just means it hasn’t been done yet. We don’t just root for underdogs, we idolize game changers. We’re just made up of joojoo that gives us satisfaction not only when we win, but when we see others take on the impossible too.

Well, this week, I’m getting huge satisfaction from the winning Jen Welter.  She’s the first woman to be hired by the NFL to coach, and in her short tenure, she has inspired doubters everywhere to check their stereotypes at the door.

Hired by the Arizona Cardinals in 2015 for a temporary coaching internship with the team, Welter brought a lot of experience to the role. She made it to the big-time after her stint with the Revolution where she was the first woman to play running back in a men’s professional football season. Welter is the real deal. She even played for gold medal-winning Team USA during the 2010 and 2013 International Federation of American Football’s (IFAF) Women’s World Championships.

Welter has been doing the impossible for a while now and the world is finally giving her proper recognition. It can’t be easy holding your own against naysayers your entire life, but Welter makes it look that way.

Even though her coaching time with the Cardinals was temporary, she will forever be the “MVP” of long-shot dreamers for making it there and holding her own. She told the Associate Press, “I consider this a complete win. The biggest question coming in was would guys in the NFL respond to a woman coaching them, and the obvious answer is yes.”

As if conquering the gridiron and opening the door to NFL coaching careers for little girls everywhere wasn’t enough, Welter holds her own in the educational field too. Dr. Jen Welter has a Master’s in Sport Psychology and a PhD in Psychology from Capella University, so clearly she knows how to deal with haters in any situation.

And, she’s showing young girls how to deal with doubters and take on the impossible too. Welter recently sat down for a pretty cool interview with 12-year-old football star Sam Gordon and shared her tips for breaking down barriers.

Maybe Welter should hold a “Breaking Barriers” or “Impossible is Just a Word” seminar at Capella University. She’s already an inspiration to a generation of millions of girls and women. I bet they’d love the opportunity to be coached by the life “MVP” first-hand.

You can check out Jen and Sam’s complete video interview here and more on Jen’s story here.

-Charell Star | Not Just A Girl In A Dress

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Capella University. The opinions and text are all mine.