WEEK #50: SARAH BARNES-HUMPHREY

 

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. 

 

I am a podcaster, entrepreneur and a catcher passionate about supply chain and women in sports. For 34 years I have played a form of baseball – softball, fastpitch, slo pitch and modified slo pitch and for majority of that time I have been behind the plate calling plays, pitches and just having a lot of fun. I currently have a media company in supply chain and an online marketplace for active women called sarahcaroline.com

 

Please share a story about an internal or external barrier you have faced.

 

I was teased, from Grade 5 through Grade 12, by various different people in different provinces for a variety of reasons. I have one example I will share with you as it has stuck with me throughout the years: I was in speech competitions and got up in front of my Grade 5 class to practice, once I was finished the speech they all threw paper balls at me and booed, it was one of the worst days of my life.

How did you overcome that barrier? What skills did you develop in sport that helped you overcome your barrier?

 

It was devastating, I think the one thing that I had to look forward to and kept me sane was playing ball. It has taken me years to overcome the emotional pain that comes with bullying, I was terrified of speaking in public but in the last year I have been on stage in front of 2500 people. Growing up sport was my constant, it was what I was good at and  on the field was the only place I felt confident, like I could be myself and where people liked me.. As I kept playing and through my own motivation of getting outside my comfort zone, my self confidence that had always been there shone through. I learned on the field that I had to keep pushing myself to be better and that time will heal all wounds, and it did.

 

If you had one word to describe your character, experiences or philosophy what would it be? Why?

 

VICTORYUS

 

It is my company name and incorporates everything I am, have been and will

continue to be. It means “Victory Us = Winning Together”, I have always had a collaborative mindset and I believe I get that from playing team sports. We all worked together on the ball field for an end result, each player had their role and we trusted one another to play our best at all times. That is how you win together, in life, in sport and in business.

 

If you wanted to motivate a young female athlete to #BuildHerUp, what quote would you use? Why?

 

“Life is Lived Forward and Understood Backwards” – Unknown

 

You may not understand everything that is happening right now, so trust yourself, work hard, take time to find what you enjoy and what you are passionate about and let go of the rest so when you come out the other side you can look back and it will all make sense.