Bowdoin College

Program Vision:
The Leadership and Empowerment through Athletics Principles (LEAP) Initiative leverages the reach and visibility of Athletics at Bowdoin College to positively influence campus culture, highlighting the values of teamwork, health and wellness, and personal growth through healthy competition. Embracing the invitation the Offer of the College provides for students' learning and development, this initiative equips all members of Bowdoin's Athletic community – coaches, students, and staff - to develop as "leaders in all walks of life" and to "cooperate with others for common ends" in a manner that benefits the entire campus.

History of the Program:
Beginning in the Fall of 2015 with a generous gift from a Bowdoin family, the College laid the groundwork for the LEAP Initiative as a way in which to move the Bowdoin student-athlete experience from excellent to exceptional. Drawing upon the perspectives and expertise of both internal and external sources, over the course of the 2015-16 Academic Year, the Athletic Department worked with a committee of College representatives to conduct a needs assessment; develop and implement both pilot and long-term related programming; and to review and implement corresponding program evaluation. In the process, during a year of events that mark the College's own transition, it became evident that the LEAP Initiative had potential for reach well beyond Athletics in providing a mechanism by which the Department could serve as an important anchor and partner for campus-wide education regarding current issues affecting the entire student body.  Through this convergence of events and equipped with the financial resources necessary to do so the Bowdoin Athletics Department is in a unique position not only to better develop our education of the whole-student-athlete, but also to be a leader in shaping campus culture around related issues for the benefit of the College more broadly.

Programming:

• The Coach Development Program provides our coaches the opportunity to grow in the 'art of coaching' while gaining important technical training, emphasizing the value of the student-coach relationship and the role of athletics in the campus community.
• Our Campus-wide Education and Professional Development Program provides meaningful and enriching campus programming and professional development opportunities for Student Affairs staff, with Athletics serving as a clear and visible leader influencing relevant issues of the day. 
• Health and Wellness Initiatives highlight links between Athletics and Bowdoin's Counseling Center and student wellness programs, fostering non-stigma attitudes towards mental health and wellness and offer the benefits of a sports psychology consulting relationship with X Factor Performance.

Prior and Ongoing Consultants:

Premier Sports Psychology (On Campus Sports Psychology Consulting)

Minneapolis based Premier Sports Psychology began working with the Bowdoin athletic department in the fall of 2018, providing on campus individual, leadership group and team based consulting services for student-athletes.  Individual sessions help an athlete improve their mindset and/or talk through psychological/emotional issues that may be impacting their performance, health, and/or overall well-being. Premier's sports psychologists help students take a proactive approach toward issues such as performance anxiety, mental blocks or loss of confidence.  Leadership group and team sessions can take on many forms, including coach consultations, mindset optimization workshops, team building sessions, and team leadership training, with the goal of providing athletes with individualized skills training, awareness of group/team dynamics, and tools to foster a positive and supportive team culture.  In addition, all student-athletes and coaches have access to Premier Mindset, Premier's eLearning Sports Psychology platform.  Dr. Marissa Norman, who was a Track student-athlete at the University of Rhode Island and holds a M.S. in Sports and Exercise Psychology and a Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology serves as the lead Premier consultant at Bowdoin.

Dr. Tiff Jones (Sports Psychology Consulting)

Dr. Tiffany Jones is the Owner and President of X Factor Performance Consulting Group.  Dr. Jones is a graduate of Hobart & William Smith Colleges and earned a MS and PhD in Sports Psychology from Springfield College.  Tiff has consulted with athletic programs across Division I, II and III and began working with the Bowdoin athletic department in the spring of 2016.  Tiff is available for individual consulting sessions with members of Bowdoin athletic programs regarding issues such as dealing with adversity, maintaining self-confidence, competing consistently, and setting and achieving goals, both within and outside of the athletic arena.

Joe Ehrmann

Joe Ehrmann played professional football for 13 years and was the first recipient of the National Football League's Ed Block Courage Award.  Joe is the author of Inside Out Coaching and is a nationally recognized speaker on issues related to character development and coaching.  Joe's approach is based upon three key questions for coaches – "Why do I coach", "Why do I coach the way I do" and "How does it feel to be coached by me".  Joe provided a workshop for the Bowdoin coaching staff and provided a lecture for the Bowdoin community in September 2015. 

Sue Enquist

In 2006, Sue Enquist concluded her storied 27-year career as head coach of the UCLA Bruins Softball program with a 887-175-1 (.835) record, making her the winningest softball coach among all active coaches.  Sue "articulate(s) my philosophy of life, leadership, and competition in three words:  Prepare. Love. Honor. Anything worthy of your passion should be worthy of this approach, whether it's achieving success in business, growing your service organization, or leading your athletic team to victory".  In April 2016 Sue conducted a workshop for members of the Bowdoin coaching staff and gave a talk entitled "Competitive Character Blueprints:  Building sustainable & relevant leadership systems" to the Bowdoin community. 

Tim Wise

Tim Wise is an anti-racism activist and writer who visited campus in the spring of 2016.  Tim provided a workshop regarding contemporary issues of race in America to members of the Division of Student Affairs, participated in a luncheon dialogue regarding race in athletics and our campus community with our athletic department coaching staff and a presented a talk on racism in the post-Obama era to our entire campus community. 

Maren Rojas

Maren Rojas is the Director of Sport at Boston, MA based Edgework Consulting.  With over 20 years of coaching experience, including a highly successful tenure as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Bowdoin, and several years of higher education consulting experience, Maren was uniquely qualified to provide a workshop for the Bowdoin coaching staff in the fall of 2016 which was focused on working with student-athletes to develop confidence while dealing with adversity. In addition, Maren oversaw an afternoon Captain/Team Leader leadership development activity on the Pickard Fields.  

Brett Ledbetter

Brett Ledbetter specialized in team cohesion and character development with high performers.  Brett is a co-creator of a conference which is focused on engaging in conversations with championship coaches on answering the question of What Drives Winning. The conference has evolved to become a movement that transcends sports and has created a community of coaches who want to increase awareness of drivers of success beyond the X's and O's.  In the fall of 2016 Brett provided a workshop for members of the Athletic Department coaching staff which examined factors which influence character development within the context of collegiate athletics and how coaches can work with student-athletes to position themselves for success as an athlete and member of the broader community.  In addition, Brett provided an evening talk for our entire campus community which focused on similar themes related to positive character development.


 

Chamique Holdsclaw

Chamique Holdsclaw, one of the most decorated collegiate athletes of all-time, travels across the country to share her experience of living with mental illness.  Chamique's journey is chronicled in the 2015 documentary Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw (directed by Rick Goldsmith) and her current work is centered on demystifying mental wellness issues and encouraging open dialogue among peers and support networks. Holdsclaw was a six-time WNBA All Star, an Olympic Gold medalist and was a two-time AP Player of the Year at the University of Tennessee.  During a visit to Bowdoin in the spring of 2017, Holdsclaw conducted a mental wellness workshop with our coaching staff, met with a group of students from across the campus community to discuss their mental wellness journey, attended a women's basketball practice, and held an evening talk and viewing of Mind/Game with our local and campus community.

Maricela Shukie

Cela is the Vice President of Operations at Forward Progress Consulting, a Denver based company which provides academic performance consulting and leadership development training services to NCAA Institutions, conferences, and individuals.  Most recently Cela was the Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development at the NCAA national office, where she focused her work on creating impactful programming for student-athletes through leadership conferences, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee support, and NCAA Youth Clinics operations and curriculum creation.  In the fall of 2017, Cela provided a workshop for athletic department staff members which focused on understanding our student population and supporting staff members and students through stressful situations.  In addition, Cela provide a captains/team leadership training session which helped leaders further understand their own leadership style and how they can more effectively lead their teammates and communicate effectively with their coaches.

Jeff Moore

During his 23 year career at the University of Texas, Jeff's Longhorn Women's Tennis teams won 2 NCAA Championships, appeared in 2 NCAA finals, advanced to the Final Four 3 times, reached the Elite Eight 3 times, and won 18 conference titles. Jeff is a member of both the Longhorn Hall of Honor and the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame. He has been named National Coach of the Year and was Conference Coach of the Year 10 times.  After the conclusion of his coaching career, Jeff established Moore Consulting as a way of sharing his philosophy regarding coaching and the development of students with a broad audience.  In the fall of 2017, Jeff provided a workshop for our coaching staff which focused on his philosophy of Strivership and the ways in which coaches and students can work together toward common goals.  In addition, Jeff provided a talk to our campus community which focused on the ways in which adopting the Strivership approach can be of benefit to students both within and outside of the athletic arena.

Anson Dorrance

Anson Dorrance is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in English and Philosophy.  In 1977 Anson was named head coach of the University of North Carolina Men's Soccer program and in 1979 he was named Head Coach of the newly established Women's Soccer program at UNC.  Anson identifies himself as the "head mentor" of the UNC Women's Soccer program and under his guidance the program has won 22 national championships, which included a 101 game unbeaten streak.  Anson visited campus in the spring of 2018 to provide a workshop for our coaching staff and an evening talk to our campus community.  Anson's community talk focused on lessons on leadership, competition and maximizing your potential while his workshop with athletic department staff members was centered around the establishment and maintenance of core values within a team environment.  

Ben Bernstein

A veteran psychologist and educator specializing in performance enhancement, Ben Bernstein is a member of the Bowdoin class of 1969.  Ben is a performance coach with sports psychology as an area of focus; he has also served as a performance coach for Academy Award, Tony Award, and Pulitzer Prize winners and his list of clients includes athletes, dentists, lawyers physicians and students.  Ben is the author of three books that focus on the impact stress has on performance; Stressed Out! For Parents (2014), A Teens Guide To Success (2015) and How To Crush Your Test Anxiety (2018).  In the fall of 2018 Ben returned to campus to provide a workshop for athletic department staff members which focused on their own ability to perform well under pressure and the ways in which coaches can support students in times of considerable anxiety.  In addition, Ben provided a workshop for team leaders and captains which provided tools for their work as leaders of an athletic program as well as ways in which they can manage performing under pressure individually and support teammates when faced with adversity and anxiety.

 

Jon Gordon

Best-selling author and keynote speaker Jon Gordon visited campus in February 2020, providing an evening talk for the campus community and a workshop for athletic department staff members.  A graduate of Cornell University, Gordon is the author of 23 books, including 10 best sellers, which include works such as The Energy Bus, The Coffee Bean, Stay Positive and You Win in the Locker Room First.  At Bowdoin, Gordon's evening talk was entitled "The Power of a Positive Team" and his workshop with athletic department staff was centered on "The Power of Positive Leadership".



 

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Jen Fry

Jen Fry, owner and CEO of social justice education firm Jen Fry Talks, partnered with the athletic department during the 2020-21 academic year on a number of anti-racism and social justice education initiatives.  Fry, a former Division II scholar-athlete with 15 years of collegiate coaching experience specializes in providing workshops designed to empower athletes, coaches and staff members through an anti-racist lens on the issues of race, inclusion, intersectionality, diversity and equity.  Fry developed a foundational workshop attended by Bowdoin teams and a series of six workshops for athletic department staff members on topics such as "The Cycle of Socialization", "Understanding Personal Micro and Macro Perspectives" and "Implicit Bias".


 

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Dr. Loren Bush

Dr. Loren Bush received his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University New England.  He works with a wide range of clients across the developmental lifespan and has a focus on sport and performance psychology.  Dr. Bush enjoys working with students to enhance personal development and performance by fostering the mental skills necessary for optimal success within and outside of athletics.  In the Fall of 2020 the athletic department partnered with Dr. Bush to provide weekly consultation appointment offerings for members of our athletic programs.





 

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Joanne Palombo-McCallie

Joanne McCallie compiled a 72% winning percentage while serving as the head coach of women's basketball at the University of Maine (1992-2000), Michigan State (2000-2007) and Duke (2007-2020).  Coach P, who is the author of two books, Choice Not Chance and Secret Warrior, spent a portion of her childhood in Brunswick and returned to campus in February 2022 to provide a workshop for athletic department staff members and a community talk entitled "Stories Over Stigmas".  Since leaving coaching McCallie has devoted her efforts to sharing her own mental health journey while striving to eliminate stigmas associated with mental well-being within the athletic community.




 

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Victoria Garrick Browne

Former University of Southern California volleyball player, mental health and body image advocate, and host of the RealPod Podcast Victoria Garrick Browne visited campus as a byproduct of the athletic department's partnership with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (BSAAC) in the October 2022.  Garrick Browne, who is the CEO and Founder of The Hidden Opponent, provided a mental health and body image workshop for coaches, trainers and administrators and a community talk on mental health in athletics that built upon her groundbreaking Ted Talk, which she delivered while a student-athlete at USC.  


 

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Renee Montgomery

WNBA and women's college basketball national champion, sports broadcaster, and activist Renee Montgomery visited campus in February 2023 for a community conversation focused on her ceiling shattering life experience and social justice advocacy.  The conversation was hosted by the leaders of the Athletes of Color Coalition and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.  Montgomery left the WNBA in 2020 to focus on social justice work and has since become the first former player in WNBA history to be an owner of a franchise and the first female owner of a Fan Controlled Football franchise.



 

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