Lea B Olsen
As a sports broadcaster and former collegiate athlete, Lea B. Olsen knows how leaders inspire teams to deliver results.
After years of interviewing and working with world-class athletes, Lea now brings that leadership wisdom to organizations.
Lea’s signature PLAY TO WIN keynote speech and breakout sessions equip leaders to BELIEVE in their people, BUILD winning teams, and EMBOLDEN them to succeed.
As a Division 1 athlete, sports broadcaster, entrepreneur and mother, executive speaker Lea B. Olsen has spent her life learning about the benefits—and costs—to Winning.
Lea was raised in a blended family in South Minneapolis. Growing up in poverty, with parents and siblings who all looked they came from different families, created social dilemmas for Lea from a young age. Lea learned early that when your family doesn’t fit the mold, you have to be comfortable breaking the mold. This was one of Lea’s first Wins in life.
Introduced to sports relatively late, Lea began her basketball career her junior year of high school and after only two years, went on to play Division I basketball at the University of Minnesota. Sports changed Lea’s life for good. Surrounded by coaches and teammates and doing what she loved, Lea found her place in the world. Playing sports gave Lea a deep appreciation for the important role “process” plays in success. Whether you win or lose, success lies in your process for getting there.
Lea transformed her success on the court into a sports journalism career. She broadcasted basketball on ESPN’S national WNBA coverage, as a game analyst for the Minnesota Lynx, and as a television sideline reporter for the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with numerous college and high school games. Throughout her sports journalism career, Lea has interviewed dozens of Winning athletes, from high school to pro, about what it takes to Win.
Lea’s experiences playing and covering sports, and seeing the pressure youth athletes face to Win at all costs, lead her in 2015 to found Rethink the Win. Rethink the Win is an organization dedicated to preserving the fun in youth sports while teaching kids how to apply lessons learned in sports to the real world.
Lea’s unique perspective on Winning in sports, in business and in life has given her a game plan on how to Win with purpose and passion. As a speaker and thought leader, she thrives on helping people and businesses find their Wins while staying true to their values and beliefs.
PLAY TO WIN: THE SECRETS TO FINDING THE WINS THAT MATTER IN LIFE AND IN WORK
The Win: We want it, we see when others have it, and we believe we need it. Many of us are high-achievers who want to Win in everything we do. While that attitude has served many of us well through the years, it can also be overwhelming and self-defeating. When we Rethink the Wins in our lives and at work, we find a path that is sustainable and healthy. Finding our Wins in life always starts with knowing ourselves and owning our Winning Ways. From there anything is possible.
As a Big Ten collegiate athlete, sports broadcaster, entrepreneur and mother, Lea B. Olsen has learned first-hand and from other world-class athletes and businesspeople what truly makes a Win. Through her Winning Ways model, Lea B. helps your audience dig into what they’re really trying to find for themselves when they play to Win.
Lea B.’s signature keynote speech, workshops and breakout models will help your audience think through the following topics:
- What does Winning mean to you?
- Is it the same for your team?
- Does Winning at the highest level fit in with your morals and belief system?
- How do you make decisions that allow you to Win the day?
- How do teams Win together?
- What’s the impact of Winning at all costs?
Audience members will come away with a clearer sense of their own personal Winning Ways and they’ll be inspired to bring their Winningest self to work and their lives.
PICKING WINNING TEAMS
When we were kids, being good at picking your team on the playground was critical to Winning both at sports and at life. At this young age, we built decision-making skills about whom to surround ourselves with: should we pick our friends, the best player who’s a ball hog, or the kid no one knows? The choices we face as adults are more complex, but fundamentally success is still about building the Winning team. In her Picking Winning Teams breakout session, Lea B. breaks down the process for picking teams that Win. Audience members will leave the session with actionable ideas for how to choose the best people for their team.
Lea was the epitome of a great program’s closing speaker. She brought incredible energy and authenticity with her fitting, influential, and timely message. We concluded feeling inspired and better equipped to become more effective leaders. Thank you, Lea!
North Star Resource Group
Finding Ways to Rethink the Win” was a hit during our company’s video conference. Lea presented herself well and helped all of us understand new ways to think about ourselves and our business. The way she connected professional athletes and championship teams to business motivated us to find WINS every day. I look forward to working in the future again with Lea.
Bio Clean System & Supply
Lea’s keynote at the Young Authors Conference was engaging, informative, and inspiring. She truly connected with our audience – great energy!
Authors Conference Coordinator
This was a really superb talk. Lea struck an excellent balance between sharing her unique personal stories and offering great professional advice. She was very careful to connect her anecdotes to the life lessons she took away from those experiences, and she made it engaging and fun. I could listen to her speak every day, and I appreciate very much that we had the opportunity to hear this presentation.
Ryan Companies US, Inc.
Loved this speaker! She was well-spoken, articulate, engaging, and related her presentation to working here at Ryan. Would definitely recommend this presentation to anyone. Very inspiring.
Ryan Companies
Lea B. Olsen joined Women’s March Foundation’s Connecting Community series featuring the topic “Finding Wins That Matter” and instantly resonated with our members.
Women’s March Foundation