Talk That Talk to Me

Kitchen Table Talk

This week I had a great meeting with a long-time friend who agreed to create the artwork for my next book, which features the experiences of girl athletes across five decades. The book is completely written and edited, and just needs a few finishing touches like cover art. And a title. It's one of those "minor" details that I keep putting off. When I was a journalist, I wrote articles but never created my own headlines, and it's a habit that refuses to quit.

I guess cool people call this "kitchen table talk", referencing the centuries-old, cross-cultural habit of women meeting in the kitchen to hash out ideas. Sitting in my friend's suburban kitchen, we talked about our summer vacations, movies, town gossip, and of course, women athletes and their lived experiences.

Our talk also touched upon what it's like to start and run a business. Both of us have a teaching background, but have creeped into the entrepreneurial world at our own pace. Sometimes the ebbs and flows of building a client base and a quality product weave perfectly around our lives. Other times we wish it could be our sole professional focus, but the lofty expectations of educating children make it impossible. Like any athletic endeavor, running your own business can be exhilarating and exhausting. You don't know how it will turn out, but that's why you play the game.

My friend is a mother of four and runs two side hustles. In the past we have talked about lessons we've learned from starting our own businesses where time is of the essence. How do we prioritize creation, marketing, and the delivery of a product on our own? I know for many of us, it's a book in itself on lessons learned from being solopreneurs.

So Monday was a good day. Working on this particular book is certainly a passion project, but it's also one that I have been able to put to the side for other pressing priorities. Sitting down and getting real about the problems I've run into has breathed new life into the project. My vision for amplifying voices on the pages remains strong, but I no longer feel the pressure to design the perfect cover page or even title.

As for what that title will be, what happens at the kitchen table, stays at the kitchen table. For now.

In My Research

"Participants were asked if they noticed whether they spoke more or less since becoming an athlete. The girls responded that they had developed a confidence in their voice in multiple spaces, including in their community and amongst their peers. Five participants specifically acknowledged the Life Skills program as key to this confidence.

One participant cited the importance of teammates stating, “I talk about many things with my athlete friends; especially in ‘Life Skill’ class.” Other participants reiterated the question in their response, using phrases like “Yes, I speak more now because…” they were no longer afraid, had experienced improved confidence to persuade others, and had gained valuable experience presenting in front of their peers in class. one participant stated that she spoke more because she now spends a lot of time with people, most likely referring to the isolated life with which so many Ethiopian girls and women contend (A. S. Erulkar & Muthengi, 2009). It was clear that the girls attributed greater agency within their community as a result of GGRF, although whether it was specifically because of their athletic experiences was unclear. Life Skills programs that promote socialization and improved health by providing safe spaces are common in girls empowerment programs in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Bangladesh, among other countries (A. Erulkar & Medhin, 2017)." - A MIXED METHODS EXPLORATION OF GIRL ATHLETES’ DEVELOPMENT OF VOICE EMPOWERMENT IN WOLAITA SODDO AND BEKOJI, ETHIOPIA: A THREE ARTICLE. - K. Ralls

Take Her Word for It

"Perhaps because it was virtually impossible during the 1970s and 1980s to watch women athletes competing on TV, apart from the Olympics, Maura did not see herself as a professional athlete.

“You didn’t even know much about (World Cup champion) Mia Hamm because you only saw the highlights,” said Maura. “You didn’t get to see her talk (because her interviews were not televised).”

This lack of visibility for women athletes is one of the reasons the Association of National Advertisers and The Female Quotient teamed up on the “If you can see her, you can be her” campaign in 2016. The goal of “SeeHer” is to provide a broader representation of women in terms of age, race, and body type in media."

Women's Sports History

I spent my Friday night watching the U.S. defeat a tough Vietnam team 3-0. The Americans had many more shots on goal but only converted on three.

I looked back at the 1999 U.S. women's team, which was seeded in a field of 16 teams, exactly half of the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Sixteen was an increase from the 12 teams that competed in 1995. During the first round, Denmark lost to the U.S. 3-0 as Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Kristine Lilly all recorded tallies.

Just like the 1999 squad, the 2023 U.S. team outshot their opponents by a wide margin. Yet, the differences between these two teams are stark. In 2023, the margin of talent is steadily decreasing as more nations invest in their women athletes. In 1999, the mere thought of women athletes playing in front of a sold-out Rose Bowl stadium was thought to be an anomaly. Now we know that it wasn't.

And that's worth talking about.

At KR LLC, we believe women athletes are perfectly positioned to be standout leaders.

And if you want to relive a little bit of your glory years, we’re here for that as well!