In one photo for their upcoming album, Map of the Soul: 7, the seven members of the South Korean supergroup BTS, or the Bangtan Boys, are cloaked in feathers, obscured by an ominous cloud of darkness. Other photos show them dressed in all-white and in neutral tones, posing in the midst of a sumptuous feast in a shadowy room.

These images are a sharp detour from the colorful, Wes Anderson-esque aesthetic of their previous album, Map of the Soul: Persona, but that wasnt a shock to fans: The Bangtan Boys public image, one that doesnt rely on traditional forms of Western masculinity, is constantly evolving, as is their music. Fans will tell you that the Korean supergroups discography, once heavily inspired by hip-hop, belongs to no genre. What defines BTS what sets them apart in the eyes of fans is their emotional honesty, expressed through their lyrics, press interviews, and personal vlogs. Theirs is an underdog story, where they managed to surpass the odds to become one of the highest-earning K-pop acts and the unofficial face of Korean music worldwide.

In Home, a sentimental track that reflects on BTSs material success, theres a verse that translates to the world thinks we own the whole world. It sure seems like it. BTSs new album, which comes out February 21, has garnered more than 3.42 million preorders within the first week of its announcement. The boys have drawn comparisons to legendary music acts like the Beatles and the Jackson 5 for their ability to sell out massive arenas worldwide. Theyve sold out at least seven shows for the North American leg of their 2020 tour from fans in all 50 states, surpassing ticket sale records of top US pop stars Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.

The Western media and the world, for that matter has only been able to gawk at the sheer scale of BTSs dominance. Theyve posed on the covers of glossy magazines with headlines like How BTS Is Taking Over the World, Musics Billion Dollar Boy Band Takes the Next Step, and The K-Pop Megastars Get Candid About Representing a New Generation. BTS is receiving star treatment, but skepticism and resistance to their status as the worlds biggest pop stars still persist on the grounds of their boy band label, the (wrongful) assumption that their fanbase is fueled solely by teenage devotion, and xenophobia from an industry traditionally dominated by white Western stars.

BTSs path to superstardom was paved, in part, by South Koreas wave of cultural exports to the West from music to television dramas to elaborate skincare routines. Before BTS, a series of top K-pop acts (Big Bang, Girls Generation, EXO) have made US debuts, yet none really stuck, making the boys success even more unprecedented and unexpected.

In 2019, BTS reportedly brought in $4.65 billion for the South Korean economy through physical album sales, concert tickets, and branded merchandise. The band is currently worth 0.3 percent of the countrys gross domestic product and is projected to contribute $48 billion for South Korea by 2023, according to a report from the Hyundai Research Institute. These staggering numbers highlight how BTSs influence is a 21st century tour de force, something few Western pop artists are capable of achieving today.

At its heart, the music industry is driven by fan activity the money poured into live shows, album sales, and official merchandise to bolster an emerging artist onto musical charts, whether that be the USs Billboard Hot 100 or South Koreas Gaon Music Chart. To understand the scale of BTSs success among other K-pop acts and Western artists, you have to delve into the Korean entertainment industry and understand how its a wholly different beast than its American counterpart, down to how its biggest stars are cultivated and marketed.

While record labels, artist management companies, and talent agencies operate as separate entities in America, Korean entertainment companies are a configuration of all three. The top K-pop music companies are hybrid, highly integrated, full-stack cultural technology enterprises, said Bernie Cho, president of DFSB Kollective, a Seoul-based agency that specializes in distributing Korean music. That means they have a top-down approach when it comes to managing creative endeavors and, in some cases, producing and shaping an artist or a band.

This is best reflected through K-pops intense trainee system, where potential stars are recruited through auditions and cultivated over years of rigorous performance training. Music studios are typically responsible for a groups formation, their marketing and music, and even their personal lives. While BTS members were recruited through this system, their management label, Big Hit Entertainment, took a different approach, placing fewer restrictions on them. BigHit CEO Bang Si-hyuk envisioned the boys as relatable, down-to-earth figures that fans could connect with. (BigHit did not respond to an emailed request for comment from Vox.)

Compared to other idols, BTS members have more creative and personal freedom, like the ability to write their own songs and lyrics and manage their own social media aspects that BigHit aggressively marketed to audiences. The result is a massive international fanbase nicknamed ARMY (an acronym for Adorable Representative MC for Youth), consisting of millions of people that span across ages and cultures.

These fans are well-organized and single-mindedly devoted to the Bangtan Boys. They constantly flood Twitter with hashtags to promote the bands activities, organize to stream new music, and even create merch for other fans. Perhaps most importantly, fans see BTS as original, authentic, and socially conscious public figures who arent afraid to talk openly about the struggles and anxieties of their career path.

This core notion of authenticity something that influencers, celebrities, and politicians alike aspire to embody is a key factor in BTSs astounding success overseas. It is a large part of the groups appeal to companies seeking their endorsements. From 2013 to 2018, BTS sold more than $1.1 billion worth of branded items, and theyre expected to have an even greater economic impact than the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics within 10 years, according to the Hyundai Research Institute.

When I talk to American BTS fans for my research, they say that theyre drawn to how genuine BTS is and how theyre saying something about themselves, rather than just talk about money, sex, and drugs [like American artists], Jade Kim, an associate professor at Texas A&M International University who researches Korean pop culture and media, told me. BTS blurs the line between [being a pop idol] and a person, and thats a big difference for fans.

The price of a music download or stream in Korea is worth shockingly little, Cho told me. Selling the same exact song or exact same album, Korean acts could earn more than eight times more profit outside of Korea than inside, he said. This has driven all types of Korean artists, from idols to indie singers, to go overseas and target an international audience. There arent enough Koreans on this planet, living inside or outside of Korea, to singlehandedly make K-pop go global, Cho said on BTS and the genres ascending popularity. Simply put, international fans are why K-pop is international.

International fans are why K-pop is international

While product sponsorships are common in the Korean entertainment industry, BTS has broken into the US market by the sheer force of its fandom, who have rallied stores like Hot Topic, Target, and Walmart to carry band merchandise and albums. Thats why you can find virtually every type of BTS-branded product imaginable on the internet. Theres BTS cold brew coffee, hand cream, Mattel dolls, and Funko Pop figurines. You can also buy BTS-inspired colored contacts, streetwear, Reebok shoes, and bank checks.

Granted, this is only a short list of BTSs brand collaborations and official merchandise. There are thousands of other unofficial products on the market, and the Bangtan Boys are also ambassadors for Fila, the city of Seoul (for three consecutive years), the Hyundai Palisade, and an electric street racing championship hosted by Formula E.

In short, BTS is everywhere in Korea and abroad. Their branding prowess is undeniable, and even products that are unintentionally promoted through a BTS members golden touch can quickly sell out, whether that be a sweater, fabric softener, or a bottle of wine. As careful as a member might be to not name-drop a brand, its only a matter of time before sleuthing fans and BTS product accounts identify whatever theyre wearing or alluding to.

The fandom is very focused on buying official merch from concerts, BigHit, or the BTS Line store because it directly supports BTS, said Liv, a 24-year-old BTS fan from England, who didnt want to disclose her last name for privacy reasons. Liv has stopped purchasing BTS merch for herself, but she sometimes gives away items on Twitter for other fans to have a chance at owning some BTS goodies.

Money is an inextricable aspect of any music fandom culture, not just BTSs: Fans want to support their favorite artists, and that devotion is usually expressed through purchasing concert tickets, albums, and merchandise collections all things that help the artist succeed. Still, not everyone can afford that or live where merch is easily accessible, Liv told me, which is why she and her fellow ARMYs are so passionate about hosting social media giveaways. K-pop fan culture is especially consumerist because, as Caitlin Kelley wrote for MTV, fans understand many Korean acts do not make much money if they havent attained the rarified stature of a top-selling group like BTS.

Therefore, fans can feel like they have a responsibility to support their faves by buying branded items every time a new collaboration or album is released. The relationship is like a parent giving unconditional love and support to their child, the band, David Kim, a YouTuber who analyzes Korean culture and K-pop, told the Washington Post.

Theres a downside to this focus on consumerism: Some fans spend thousands of dollars on merchandise or travel to attend concerts and meet-and-greets. Its normal to spend extra on multiple versions of collectibles. Merch-shaming also exists within some corners of K-pop fandom the idea that having a more extensive merch collection or attending a lot of performances is the marker of a good fan. Fan culture is complicated, and not everyone buys into the consumerist (and classist) ideology that owning merch makes someone a more dedicated fan. Most fans buy merchandise and concert tickets simply because they love the artist.

Within online fan circles, ARMY members like Liv have found ways to make the BTS community more inclusive, especially for younger fans and those who live in places where its prohibitively expensive to get items shipped. US BTS ARMY, a not-for-profit organization and fan news site for BTS, occasionally hosts worldwide merch giveaways for global fans, and Album For Every ARMY is a charity project for fans who are unable to buy their own BTS albums.

Theres a wide spectrum of ARMY fans, including those who are teenagers or are in school, that dont have the extra income for merch, Jackie, the chief financial officer at US BTS ARMY, told me. (Jackie, who volunteers to work on the site, asked to only be identified by her first name.)

We like to partner with a company and host these giveaways so that anyone can have access to some of this official merchandise, she said. As with most popular artists, theres a vast black market for unofficial products created and sold by companies and independent artists alike. Big Hit Entertainment has previously sought to curb the use of the Bangtan Boys image and crack down on unauthorized merch outside of concerts, but online, small businesses by fans proliferate.

To their credit, fans are wary of off-brand merchandise that appears to be exploiting BTSs image for purely monetary gain. However, ARMYs are generally supportive of small artists who create original trinkets and drawings, said Stephanie Le, a 21-year-old college student who runs The Happi Peach pin shop on Instagram.

Le has turned several of her original designs of BTS members into enamel pins, a hobby that shes managed to successfully monetize in the past year. Fans tend to purchase official merchandise, but they also see the value we bring to things that arent normally produced, Le told me. I consider myself a multi-fandom pin maker, but BTS has lately been a big inspiration for me so Ive been drawing them more often.

Her operation is relatively small (she needs at least 20-50 preorders before she can manufacture a pin design), but some apparel and merchandise makers operate full-time businesses that solely cater to K-pop fans and even carry official products. Theres a constant stream of demand for novel items or t-shirt designs, especially when a band like BTS releases a new album.

Demand for branded merchandise is huge, but most devoted fans know that physical album sales carry weight in official music rankings. ARMYs have been savvily setting goals online for the boys comeback in late February, according to Jackie. When a new album comes out, we as a fanbase try and encourage the purchase of the album in the country where you reside in so it counts towards a chart in that country, she said. Since were a US base, most of our goals are directed towards the US.

Thats why Korean entertainment companies put so much effort into developing sleek, beautifully crafted albums; theyre marketed as collectibles, not just music products. (BTS was nominated for a 2019 Grammy in the Best Recording Package category.)

Instead of buying a CD with a booklet, you often buy a luxurious photo book [that comes] with posters, postcards, stickers, or tickets with the CD thrown in as a bonus, Cho of DFSB Collective told me of most K-pop albums. Some of these extra items are what industry insiders refer to as bundling, or including concert tickets or a piece of merch with the purchase of an album or song, something many top US artists do to boost album sales. (BTSs upcoming album is not bundled with any merchandise, and the band is one of the few acts that have reached No. 1 on the charts without bundles.)

For ARMYs (and other K-pop fans), it doesnt really make a difference what the album comes with or what it looks like; theyve planned to purchase it from the start. This level of sincere devotion to an artist and even mass mobilization on said artists behalf is what helped propel BTS into the international limelight. In other words, BTS fans take it upon themselves to actively promote the bands work. Theyve already figured out the number of iTunes and Spotify streams, YouTube views, and Shazam song requests it would take for BTS to reach the No. 1 spot once Map of the Soul: 7 is released. If achieved, these goals would once again prove BTSs ability to top the Billboard charts. This energy is something that even well-known stars like Justin Bieber struggle to capture: animating legions of fans to stream or buy music that will benefit the artist.

When journalists and music critics speculate about the future of BTS, the narrative inevitably turns to South Koreas two-year military service requirement, which all BTS members will be subjected to by the time theyre 28. For fans, its a fraught and bittersweet reality, given how Jin, BTSs oldest member, will turn 28 in December. With this latest record, however, 2020 will likely be another big year for the young men in both music and commercial spaces.

In a corporate briefing in early February, BigHit announced its plans to invest in a more immersive BTS concert experience, introducing tour villages in select cities with attractions like a BTS-themed hotel, an exclusive pop-up store, and other themed exhibits. The label is placing its focus on what fans want, a crucial part of its formula for success, according to executives. BTSs trajectory in the past three years has been unstoppable; theyve smashed records, sold out stadiums, cemented their international presence, and signed another seven-year contract, which means theyll likely keep performing into their 30s.

As long as our bodies hold up, well be doing the same thing in 10 years, Suga, one of the groups three rappers, told the Hollywood Reporter in a cover story last year (a story that was thoroughly criticized by fans for its inaccuracies, culturally insensitive sentiments, and lack of prior research).

And, likely, as long as BTSs bodies hold up, its not a question whether their fanbase will continue supporting them, financially and artistically, individually or as a group. Whatever they do and wherever they go, the ARMY will be behind them.

Sign up for The Goods newsletter. Twice a week, well send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.

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BTS Map of the Soul: 7: How K-pop group BTS built a billion-dollar fandom - Vox.com

NEW YORK (AP) David Ourlicht was a college student, walking down a street near campus, when he became one of millions of New Yorkers swept up in the era of stop and frisk.

A police officer accosted Ourlicht, deeming suspicious a bulge in his jacket. Police patted him down, told him to stand against a wall, emptied his pockets, finding nothing illegal, and accused him of lying about his address, according to court testimony. The 2008 encounter ended with a disorderly conduct summons, which was later dismissed.

Ourlicht was embarrassed, angry and rattled, but not surprised. Police encounters like that had become a cornerstone of policing under then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg and a fact of life for Ourlicht, who is of black and white heritage, and his friends growing up.

He later joined a lawsuit that helped curb stop and frisk and became a lawyer himself. But his experiences with police, which he says began with getting beaten and handcuffed at 15 while trying to go up to his apartment, still cast a shadow over his life today.

Every day I get into my car, every day I decide to step out of my house, its a psyching up that I have to do to myself, Ourlicht said. Its always there.

New Yorks stop-and-frisk history is getting renewed attention as Bloomberg campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg long defended the practice, even after a federal judge found that the stops discriminated against those who were black or Latino. He abruptly apologized in November shortly before announcing his White House bid and has largely sought to move past the issue.

That became difficult last week when a 2015 recording of Bloomberg resurfaced in which he said the way to bring down murder rates is to put a lot of cops in minority neighborhoods because thats where all the crime is.

Bloomberg said the remarks do not reflect my commitment to criminal justice reform and racial equity. He has since gotten endorsements from some members of the Congressional Black Caucus. And as he campaigned in the South last week, many black voters said they werent offended by the comments and were more focused on finding a candidate who could beat President Donald Trump.

But the former mayor likely will face more questions about the practice as his campaign gains traction. Bloomberg is on the cusp of qualifying for Wednesdays presidential debate, where his rivals are sure to pillory him on stop and frisk to blunt his rise and appeal to African Americans, who are a critical voting bloc in the Democratic primary.

Stop and frisk is a term for a tactic police have long used: accosting, questioning and sometimes patting down people who officers think might be doing something illegal, but the suspicions didn't necessarily amount to probable cause for an arrest.

The New York Police Department began increasing its emphasis on stop and frisk in the mid-1990s, when Republican Rudy Giuliani was mayor. But stops soared under Bloomberg who held office as a Republican and later an independent rising from about 97,000 stops in 2002 to a high of about 685,000 in 2011. There were fewer than 13,500 stops last year, according to NYPD data.

Over 80% of the people stopped during the surge of stop and frisk were black or Latino.

They include Hawk Newsome, 42, who said he was stopped dozens of times while living in the Bronx when Giuliani, then Bloomberg, served as mayor.

Too often, people overlook the psychological effects of the policy, he added.

We felt like these cops could murder us. They were pulling out weapons on us and pushing us against the wall. There was this anxiety we could be killed at any time, said Newsome, chairman of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York. Just growing up in it, it made you feel hopeless, like, Damn, this is all my life will ever be. This is how they treat me. Look at our schools, look at our police. My life isnt worth much.

Police and Bloomberg insisted that the stops helped drive crime down to record-low levels and that the tactic was legal.

Critics said stop and frisk amounted to racial discrimination with little impact on crime. About 10% of stops led to arrests or summonses, and only about 1% to weapons seizures.

In 2013, a federal judge declared that New York Citys use of the stops had violated civil and constitutional rights.

Bloombergs administration appealed the ruling. His successor dropped the appeal and agreed to reforms and a court-appointed monitor.

It remains to be seen whether voters of color in and outside New York will see past the practice and give serious consideration to Bloomberg. But the national conversation in recent years about racial inequity in the criminal justice system could keep stop and frisk in focus during the rest of the campaign cycle.

Its complicated, said Dayvon Love, director of public policy of the grassroots think tank Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle in Baltimore.

I think theres more of a recognition that that approach doesnt work to solve the problem of violence and homicide in communities around the country, he said, but some people living in neighborhoods plagued by violence would see the strategy, not necessarily to the extreme of Bloombergs approach, as the best option available to them to meet their immediate needs.

From Loves perspective, black people who are politically well-connected and more interested in their own personal success could gravitate toward someone like Bloomberg.

Many young voters outside New York don't know much about Bloomberg's record as mayor.

But for Brandon Kolawole, 24, of Chicago, mention of stop and frisk triggers a response of familiarity and dread.

"I've seen it, and I've dealt with it," said Kolawole, who is black. "If the police see you, they can just pull you over, stop you and frisk you for whatever reason."

Kolawole, who said he won't vote in November, knows "very little" about Bloomberg and his role in expanding the policy. Kolawole has seen the presidential candidate's ads on television promoting his work with former President Barack Obama but doesn't know much about the former mayors time in office.

Warren Evans spent about 30 years in law enforcement in the Detroit area six of those as a county sheriff and one as the citys police chief. On Thursday, he endorsed Bloomberg for the Democratic nomination for president.

Evans, who is black and has been Wayne Countys elected executive for the past six years, understands the initial purpose of stop and frisk. But he says it failed because of bad police practice and the inherent bias many officers have about communities of color.

I dont think its going to resonate negatively over the long term for Bloomberg, Evans told The Associated Press. I agree with his final determination that when he looked at the data and understood what was going on, it wasnt good policy and it wasnt implemented well. But he has done what a lot of politicians dont do. He didnt fake an answer.

Regina Garcia Cano reported from Baltimore and Jennifer Peltz from New York. Associated Press writers Corey Williams in Detroit, Noreen Nasir in Chicago and Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed.

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Stop and frisk gets renewed attention in Bloomberg candidacy - KMOV.com

Democratic Debate

Last nights Democratic debate was a fire fight with verbal sparring in all directions. While everyone watching saw things through their own filters, it was clear that some of the candidates stayed closer to their personal messages and organizing concepts than did others. In general, those that did better in this debate were those that more strongly believed in their organizing concepts and let them guide their words and actions. Be. Do. Say.

Messages/slogans from the candidates websites:

Last year, Tom Porter recapped the winning US Presidential campaign slogans since 1948 and suggested that An effective slogan will sum up a candidate's pitch to the country in a few words, and be powerful enough to cut through the endless onslaught of information in people's lives.

Some of the most powerful were not completely original. But they did reflect the candidates fundamental beliefs:

It must start there. If the slogan does not flow from what the candidate fundamental believes, its highly unlikely that all their actions through the years will have been in line with that slogan. With the intense scrutiny and opposition research of a presidential campaign, they will get caught and called out like Mike Bloomberg did last night. He was forced to defend his previous support of things like Stop and Frisk and the way women had been treated at his company.

An organizing concept is the strategic core idea being executed in a slogan, message and communication points. Those with stronger beliefs in their organizing concepts find it far easier to stay on message. Theyre always communicating what they themselves believe and not reading PowerPoint slides or Post-It notes provided by others.

Bernie Sanders is always fighting for justice. Elizabeth Warren is always fighting corruption. Its harder for Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Bloomberg to stay on message because their organizing concepts are more amorphous.

The best example Ive seen was Charlie Shimanski and his first gathering of the American Red Crosss disaster response directors. As Charlie told me for an earlier article - which you can read by clicking here,

I start by getting a sense of what I want them to feel when they're done hearing from me - what I want them to feel, not hear me say.I wanted them to feel that they are at the core of what we do, that our success is on their shoulders. I wanted them to feel proud."

Feel proud was not a headline message. It was an organizing concept.

The most powerful organizing concepts guide slogans, messages, communication points to impact how others feel. Even though they are rooted in the candidate or leaders fundamental beliefs, they are not about the candidate or leader. They are about what the candidate or leader inspires and enables in others.

The first question anyone has about a presidential candidate or any new leader is What does this mean for me? Ultimately, all communication is personal. Candidates and leaders connect better with people that think those candidates and leaders can help solve the problems they most care about.

Those concerned about injustice or corruptions will gravitate to Sanders or Warren. The other candidates messages may be too generic to inspire the same passion. Their paths to success lie in strengthening messages based on organizing concepts they believe in and others care about.

This lesson applies to any executive onboarding into a new role. They must craft their entry communication plan based on a clear organizing concept. That concept must match their underlying beliefs and guide their actions and words. Everyone they interact with will listen and observe for clues about what this means for them. This is true for presidential candidates, new CEOs and new first line supervisors.

Click herefora list of myForbes articles (of which this is #619) and a summary of my book on executive onboarding:The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan.

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Lessons In The Power Of Organizing Concepts From Last Nights Democratic Debate - Forbes

Veteran broadcast journalist Shaun Robinson

This article is part of an ongoing series The Secrets of Successful Women. Articles focus on providing valuable career advice targeted to women professionals in particular but certainly valuable for all.

To say Shaun Robinson is an accomplished trailblazer is an understatement. In the impossible-to-penetrate world of entertainment and broadcast journalism, success is merely a pipe-dream for many, but Shaun Robinson beat the odds to establish herself as an accomplished veteran. She is celebrated by generations of viewerswhether as a staple on the red carpet conducting celebrity interviews, hosting Access Hollywood for 16 years or hosting Tell All specials for some of TLCs most celebrated shows including 90 Day Fianc. More recently, Shaun has leveraged her success to diversify and expand her reach into areas that fully complement her range of philanthropic and professional interests including founding the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls, and expanding her acting chops by joining the cast of BETs Games People Play. More recently shes transitioned to the role of executive producer (alongside Bishop T.D. Jakes and Senior Vice President of TDJ Enterprises, Derrick Williams) with the launch of an upcoming Lifetime Network series Seven Deadly Sins based on Victoria Christopher Murrays anthology. Shauns list of credentials and achievements is awe-inspiring without a doubt and her generosity is equally compelling. In the midst of a hectic work schedule, she graciously carved out time to share her secrets to success.

Career Advice Big Ideas

1.Dont be afraid to reclaim your power

Early in Shauns career she, unfortunately, experienced the first of several me too incidents when she had to fend off unwelcome physical advances from a station owner during her early days in her hometown Detroit. After rebuffing his advances, she was abruptly removed from the popular talk show that shed created (Strictly Speaking) and demoted to street reporting. She recounts, There was no recourse for meno HR department you could report to. While that type of traumatic experience could have easily derailed her dreams and more fundamentally eroded her sense of self, she instead decided to reclaim her power. Robinson explains, One day I just left for lunch and never came back. Working in an industry known for scarce opportunity, she willingly stepped into the unknown. Indeed, she took the brave step of honoring her personal values and boundaries knowing that she had the grit, determination and skill to start over and succeed.

2.Dont listen to detractorsinstead persevere

Once Shaun left the Detroit station where shed been unceremoniously demoted after rebuffing the owners advances, she found a new job in Flint, MI as an anchor/reporter. She reflects, I wanted to bring more positive stories about black communities in the area because the media focus was usually centered around crime. It always seemed to be a battle. After only 2.5 months at the station, the news director told Shaun that things werent working out and she had two weeks to find another job. Disappointed but not defeated, she pressed on and continued to look for broadcast journalism work. While browsing a broadcast industry magazine, she saw a classified ad for a medical reporter at a television station in Milwaukee. She sent the station a resume tape, and they flew her out for an interview. She reflects, While I had no medical background, they wanted someone who could connect with the audience and deliver complicated and often confusing health information in a clear and interesting way. Needless to say, she got the job and spent the next 3.5 years of her career as an on-air medical correspondent with that station. Reflecting back, she acknowledges that a key to her success having received so many rejections was the determination to not listen to her detractors.

Ive always had detractors people in my ear telling me that what I wanted to achieve was out-of-reach. They told me Id NEVER land a job with a national television show. Some people are well-meaning because they dont want you to be disappointed. Whatever the motivation, Ive learned to drown out the noise, stay centered and persevere! Sometimes its a game of whos the last one standing. Youve got to just keep trying!

3.Be willing to move if necessary

Its easy to get comfortable in a city, but being flexiblewilling to move around (particularly during the early career stages)can make a huge difference. In many industries certain opportunities and experiences are only available to those who are willing to uproot and pursue them, and the broadcasting/media and entertainment space is no different. Shaun clearly prioritized opportunity over comfort in her pursuit of building a credible bio that would help her land her dream jobnational entertainment television show correspondent. When she saw an opportunity, location didnt matter. She knew she would make the best of it, and that job would become just one thread in the tapestry of her soon to be illustrious career.

4.Be prepared

Determined to pursue her dream as a correspondent for a national entertainment program, she submitted an audition tape to Access Hollywood and was flown out for an interview. In 1999 before the ubiquity of cable television and 24 hour news, there were very few national entertainment television programs, and the competition for anchor roles was beyond steep particularly for black females who were glaringly underrepresented. Shaun didnt just get the job. She became one of the longest running entertainment show anchors in network television history having anchored Access Hollywood from 1999-2015. For a whopping 16 years she not only served as an on-air personality covering breaking news, interviewing celebrities, and building a relationship with viewers across the country, she became a staple on the red carpet for Hollywoods most prestigious events including The Oscars, The Golden Globes, The Grammys and other renowned awards shows. Reflecting back on her experience, she credits much of her success and longevity in a brutally competitive industry to her relentless focus on being prepared.

Having an academic background in journalism paired with solid in the trenches broadcast journalism experience was invaluable. During breaking news situations like the deaths of JFK Jr. and Michael Jackson, I wasnt just a talking head. I actually used my journalism skills...It takes skill to ask questions of one celebrity on the red carpet while a producer is telling you in your ear who is coming up next on the red carpet. There is no substitute for preparation and hard work.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 11: TV personality Shaun Robinson attends the 72nd Annual Golden Globe ... [+] Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

5.Make time to give back

After leaving Access Hollywood Shaun says her top priority was establishing the S.H.A.U.N Foundation for Girls.Serving on the advisory board of the United Nations Foundations Girl Up adolescent girl campaign and previously serving on the national board of Girls, Inc.,the national girls empowerment organizationShauns been dedicated to empowering girls and women for decades. The S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls nurtures and supports under-served and underrepresented girls and young women in the areas of:

STEM

Health

Arts

Unity

Neighborhoods

Shaun clearly believes that giving back, mentoring and helping others is a key ingredient for long term success, not just for her but for the broader community.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 19: Shaun Robinson attends the 2014 Girls Inc. Los Angeles Celebration ... [+] Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 19, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

Career Advice Practical Tips

1.Prioritize self care

As a correspondent on a national network entertainment show, Shaun often endured a grueling schedule of personal and professional commitments. She learned early that self care is priority #1. She shares, You have to find time to refuel. Find time to get centered, eat right, and exercise. Her regimen includes starting the day with a healthy breakfast. Some of her preferred breakfast options include.

Oatmeal with blueberries

Power quinoa

Avocado toast with a mixture of avocado, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic salt and pepper on vegan bread

Kale smoothie

Chicken apple sausage (a couple times a week)

Shauns Kale Smoothie Ingredients

Kale

Spinach

Carrot

Banana

Apple

Ginger

Water

2.Develop a healthy rhythm to your day

After leaving Access Hollywood, Shaun, not only, worked on building her foundation, but also immersed herself in multiple television projects. At the end of the day, I had accomplished a lot, but still felt like I was missing something important. I started thinking about what would get me back to my center and more fulfilled. Shaun says she now tries to check four boxes every day:

1.Sharpen the saw (take a class, read a book, etc.)

2.Enhance my health (take an exercise class, monitor eating, etc.)

3.Help someone else (mentor a girl, attend an event for her foundation, etc.)

4.Pure enjoyment (meet a friend for lunch, watch a guilty pleasure show, etc.)

She insists that she doesnt beat herself up if she misses a category on a particular day, but the intentional design helps keep her in balance overall.

3.Use timers to keep yourself on track throughout the day

Virtually everyone struggles with time management, and Shaun is no different. But Shaun has a great technique for keeping herself on track. Throughout the day she sets a timer to alarm 10 minutes before she needs to leave for her next appointment. In fact, as we started our interview, she warned me that she was setting a timer for ten minutes before she needed to leave to help keep herself on track for her next commitment. Its such a simple but powerful technique and given the fact that virtually all phones these days have timers, its such an easy practice to implement. So instead of being habitually late to meetings, appointments, etc., start setting timers to give yourself a 10 minute warning.

Emmy award winning journalist, author, actor, producer, and philanthropist Shaun Robinson long ago silenced her detractors. By any measure, shes not just succeeded but slayed in the cut throat world of media and entertainment. True to form, she shows no signs of slowing down and instead insists that her most impressive accomplishments are yet to come.

Stay tuned for a follow up article to learn about how Shaun dared to leave her dream job and reinvent herself!

Professionalism Matters, Inc.

Here is the original post:
The Secrets Of Successful Women: Broadcast Journalist Shaun Robinson - Forbes

This past weekend, Harvard Track and Field split their efforts, with part of the team competing in the Valentine Invitational at nearby Boston University and part of the team competing at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, South Carolina. Crimson records were tested and broken on the long weekend, as a pair of Havard runners from both the mens and womens sides had incredible performances in the mile.

Entering the weekend, the womens team was ranked No. 1 in the region while the mens team was not far behind, ranked No. 2 in the region.

The second day of the Valentine Invitational was where most of the excitement happened, with strong performances across the board including but not limited to an all-time record broken in the mile for the Crimson.

That performance record was broken by none other than cross country standout and senior Kieran Tuntivate who ran a blistering 3:57.36 to win the event, breaking the once famed four-minute mile barrier, placing second in the Ivy League all time and fifth in the NCAA this year. Obviously, this performance smashed the Harvard record in the event, as Kieran continues to decorate the Havard record books with his individual efforts.

Personally I want to do well at nationals, I dont know what event Ill do, but well see, said Tuntivate on his personal goals for the year and beyond. And then I definitely will continue running post-collegiately, hopefully take a shot at going to the Olympics and world champs next year as well.

Senior Mike Kolor and junior Kaeo Kruse earned personal bests in the mile, finishing in 4:06.83 and 4:11.25 respectively. Kruses run was over 10 seconds faster than his previous personal best as the mens mile runners had a very successful day as a collective.

Along with the record-breaking mile performance, not to be outshined, other Crimson athletes turned in their own strong performances. Junior middle distance runner Ryan Thrush won his heat in the 500 meters and ended up finishing second overall in the event with a time of 1:02.60, good for third all time in the Harvard record books. All other Crimson runners that competed in the 500, junior Charles Lego, sophomore Max Serrano-Wu, and senior Jacob McLennan, had personal bests in the race, showing off strong group training.

Junior standout sprinter Jovahn Williamson took home second in the 400 and sixth in the 200, building off his success at last week's meet. Junior Kahil Wassell finished in 15th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.14 seconds. The top performer outside of the track was junior Wesely Donhauser, who placed 13th in the mens weight throw, good for a personal best. To conclude the night, junior long distance runner Will Battershill notched a personal best in the 3000-meter run, good for third all time in the Crimson record books. A pair of first-years, Acer Iverson and Ben Hartvigsen, and sophomore David Melville grabbed personal bests as well in the event, as the distance runners continued their strong team performances from the fall cross country season.

I want to take it one meet at a time, said Tuntivate when asked about team goals. I think we have a shot at winning HEPs (Ivy League Indoor Heptagonal Championship) this year on the mens side, which would be pretty awesome considering where weve been.

Just a day before, the Harvard women had their own champion performance as junior Abbe Goldstein turned in an incredible showing in the mile. Goldstein crushed her previous personal best with a time of 4:35.70 on the way to a seventh-place finish in the event, placing her second in the Crimson record books for the event. Just behind Abbe was cross country star and junior, Anna Juul, who placed 11th with a time of 4:37.87, just off her personal best. Goldstein's stellar effort in the mile places her in 10th in the NCAA this year, a sure highlight for the Crimson Track and Field squad this season. Tuntivate and Goldstein likely punched their tickets to nationals with their performances and will look to build on their success as the season progresses.

For the womens side on distance Abbe Goldstein ran a fantastic race, likely to get her a spot at nationals, while on the guys side Kieran Tuntivate hammered a 3:57 mile and qualified for nationals in his second event, said sophomore David Melville on the highlights from the weekend. Going forward the team is gearing up for HEPs and trying to get ready to score as many points as possible in two weeks.

To round out day one of the Valentine Invitational, middle distance junior Tessa Medrano finished in 10th in the 1000-meter run, crossing the line in 2:48.67, on the way to a personal best. This strong effort was good enough for fourth all time in the event for Harvard women. Sophomore Fredericka Lucas earned a top-35 finish in the long jump, senior Martha Kebeh and sophomore Obie Amudo placed 16th and 24th in the weight throw respectively, while senior Maya Miklos and junior Rachael Estell, nabbed 34th in the 400-meter dash and 34th in the long jump each.

Down south at Clemson, sophomore pole vaulter Alana Caroll placed ninth, clearing 3.82 meters on her best effort. This result landed Caroll in fifth all time in the Crimson record books for the event. Fellow sophomore vaulter Kylie Hilton cleared 3.67 meters, finishing just behind in 14th.

Other notable performances in the Tiger Paw Invitational included senior All-Ivy Leaguer Simi Fajemisin, who placed 19th in a highly competitive long-jump heat with a mark of 5.90 meters. Back on the track, senior hurdler Zoe Hughes earned a new personal best, crossing the line in 8.66 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.

Day two of Tiger Paw saw junior Erick Duffy take home an impressive third place in the mens pole vault, and Fajemisin continued her strong invitational with a seventh-place finish in the triple jump.

Looking ahead, Harvard Track and Field has a week off before returning to action at the huge Ivy League Indoor HEPs Championship, hosted by Cornell. Building off impressive performances from the men and the women, the team will look to train before its biggest meet of the season thus far as it competes for the Ivy League title.

Read more here:
Men's and Women's Track and Field Put Up Performances for the Record Books in Two Different Meets | Sports - Harvard Crimson

"We aren't over the money taboo yet," said Majd Maksad, co-founder of Status Money, a personal finance site that allows users to anonymously compare their finances with that of their peers. "We're not at the point where people are going to sit with colleagues and friends to talk about how much they make, how much they owe and their credit score."

"Virtually everyone reacts to seeing what their peers are spending," said Francesco D'Acunto, assistant professor at Boston College's Carroll School of Management, "and everyone tries to move to their peers' level."

"It is the opposite of Keeping up with the Joneses" D'Acunto said. "This type of intervention has a sobering effect. It happens for people at all income levels and those with high levels of education, people who should know better."

Any conversation about money is better than not talking about it all, said Dr. Alex Melkumian, a financial therapist in Los Angeles, even if it is just a making a silly joke about "buying back my dignity" or posting a wine glass emoji on Venmo to show that you just repaid your friend for drinks the other night.

"Money is a bigger taboo than sex," he said. "We have an emotional attachment to money and there is guilt and shame about not being able to talk about it."

At his practice, which assists people in making behavioral changes regarding the way they relate to and use money, he asks clients to bring in something deeply personal, that perhaps no one else has ever seen: bank statements.

"It is amazing how much you can know about a person and how intimate that feels when you're reviewing their bank statement with them," he said. Patterns emerge and there is some relief that they are no longer suffering in silence, he said.

"We can talk about anxiety or poor behavior choices," he said, "but unless we look at the numbers and see where the money is going, we can't explore the emotional attachment to it."

A platform like Venmo, which allows people to directly pay one another often with an emoji-filled description that can be seen publicly, also helps make personal spending patterns more open, Dr. Melkumian said.

"What's interesting to me is that they could have set it to private," he said, noting the app has a setting that keeps transactions from being publicly disclosed. "Instead, they chose to put it out there."

But even if they want to share, they aren't being totally transparent.

"It is all coded with funny emojis or inside jokes between people," he said. "Ultimately what they are communicating is that they still aren't comfortable talking about money."

While the conspicuous consumption of those around us can be fairly evident -- the neighbor's fancy new car, for example -- we often don't know the full picture of our peers' finances, like how much they earn, what they spend on groceries or their debt load.

In some cases, the comparisons help users know whether they are even in the ballpark of appropriate spending and saving levels and can even influence them to change harmful behaviors or patterns.

"There is a pent up curiosity about 'How am I doing compared with other people?'," said Maksad. "There is a little fear. A little competition. A little encouragement to do better."

A social network on the site places users in a feed with people in their peer group and allows them to anonymously discuss and crowdsource their money questions, troubles and solutions.

"Being able to share this with other individuals and a community, without having to publicly divulge your identity, allows people to get the benefit of talking about money without enduring the personal psychological cost," said Maksad.

But to get the most out of Status Money, users will need to provide a good deal of personal information -- date of birth, annual income, whether they rent or own a home, an address and the last four digits of their Social Security number if they wish to link to a credit bureau report that provides score-related information. The app also asks users to link their bank accounts, credit card accounts and taxable and non-taxable accounts.

The anonymity that Status Money offers makes the social network for finance more feasible, said Maksad. "The social feed works because it is about preserving this privacy. People don't talk about money on Facebook or post about it on Instagram. This is purpose built for talking about your own finances."

Read the original post:
These apps are changing the way we talk about money - CNN

When he started as a Major Indoor Soccer League referee in the 1980s's, Brian Hall had one big wish. He wanted to work games with Esse Baharmast, the youngest fulltime referee.

"He was that model of the referee that I wanted to be," Hall said. "It was like, please appoint me with him. I want to learn from him. I want to see how he manages these games at the top level."

Hall got his wish, eventually following in Baharmast's footsteps as a national and international referee and working the 2002 World Cup.

Best known for whistling the correct penalty kick call during Norway's win over Brazil that stirred world-wide controversy and headlines at the 1998 World Cup, Baharmast cannot be defined by just that moment. His impact also has been felt domestically and internationally as U.S. Soccer Director of Referees, teacher, FIFA instructor and mentor.

"As an instructor, he's got this use of the language that draws pictures, said Hall, now the head of Concacaf referees. He has the ability to use analogies of other parts of life and tie that into reffing. The way he has conducted himself as a role model and as a mentor to so many people around the world it's pretty phenomenal."

Baharmast, 65, will be honored for his contributions to the game as recipient of the 2019 Werner Fricker Award at U.S. Soccer's AGM in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 15. The award is named for the late U.S. Soccer president who brought the 1994 World Cup to the USA.

"For Esse to receive this builder award, it is really significant because Esse is really the builder of the referee program of U.S. Soccer," said National Soccer Hall of Famer Dr. Joe Machnik, the awards presenter. "He's the foundation block. He's the referee who has accomplished the most and has continued to provide leadership."

Baharmast, who came to the U.S. at 18 to study English at the University of Kansas-Lawrence, got into officiating by accident, breaking his tibia and fibula in a game. A professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia suggested he become a referee.

As it turns out, Machnik, the MISL referee in chief, worked Baharmast's first pro game, an exhibition match in Wichita, Kansas many years ago. When a snowstorm prevented a referee from traveling to Cleveland, Baharmast officiated his first MISL game. He quickly moved up the ladder.

Baharmast's most memorable year was 1996. He worked the middle of the first Major League Soccer game between the San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United, the first MLS Cup played in a noreaster in Foxborough, Mass., Lamar Hunt Open Cup final and A-League (now USL) final. That likely will never be duplicated.

He also officiated the 1996 Olympic men's semifinal match between Argentina and Portugal, though he was criticized beforehand. Baharmast remembered reading the newspapers: "Why is there an American referee in that game? It's a high-risk game. blah, blah, blah."

Nothing went awry.

He caught FIFA's eye and was asked to ref a game between Japan and Korea in 1997 that would determine which team would qualify for the World Cup.

"There was a lot of history between the two countries," Baharmast said. "For FIFA to trust us with a big game like that, Japan and Korea in Korea at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, was incredible. That was another game where we had no problems."

Japan won, 2-1. "On the way back to the airport, the Japanese fans going back [home] were bowing in respect," Baharmast said. "It was incredible.

"After the semifinal of Argentina and Portugal at the Olympics, FIFA had seen the games that I could do, the high-risk games and they were comfortable giving those types of games to us."

Baharmast's defining moment came in Marseille at France 98. Norway and Brazil were tied in the 88th minute when he called Junior Baiano for a shirt-holding foul that denied Tore Andre Flo a goal-scoring opportunity in the penalty area.

"Immediately, I knew my angle was perfect," he said. "I'm looking straight at it. I don't believe he does it. How stupid can he be? Why is he doing it at the last minute? Even I hesitated a little bit because I don't want to call a penalty at the last minute. I am hesitating a little bit to see if an advantage comes. Maybe the ball goes to another Norwegian player who places it into the back of the net.

"No word from Junior Baiano. He was the first one out of there. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as protesting."

Norway converted the penalty for a 2-1 win, qualifying for the next round. Because the proper angle wasnt shown on worldwide television, it looked like a phantom call.

"To make matters worse, Morocco got eliminated from this and the Moroccan coach was Henri Michel, who was former French national team coach. He has the ear of the reporters who are talking, he said, adding that television stations showed a split screen where the Moroccans are celebrating and jumping with joy after beating Scotland and now, they're crying."

"I told the people, 'Hey, all these cameras, tomorrow I'm going to open a newspaper, there's going to be a picture from behind the goal that shows the picture in a clear shot and it would be good to go. No such thing. All it was talking about was scandal. It was a huge controversy. Incompetent referee. FIFA needs to send this referee home."

Vilified for "botching" such an important call, Baharmast remained steadfast. "If I had to do this 100 times over again, I'd do it 100 times over," he said. I know in my mind and my heart I made the correct call."

A few days later a Swedish television station posted a video and picture proving Baharmast was spot on.

"These things happen for a reason. Every tournament I went to I had to justify my presence there because everybody was cutting down the U.S., telling us 'You guys don't even have football, you call it by the name soccer. What do you guys know about the game? You have no business being here type of thing, he said. Even after my decision on television I remember that broadcasters who were showing the red card, who were saying, 'Send the referees from non-footballing countries back and the World Cup should have the best referees ... two from Germany, two from France, two from England. It was for us to endure the pain and ignorance of the people. ... Then they had to eat soccer crow after the video came out. It has served us well. Had the camera showed the correct angle immediately, it would have just been another penalty."

In 2011, the National Association of Sports Officials awarded Baharmast its most prestigious honor, the Gold Whistle. NASO called his decision one of the top 20 calls of all-time.

Beyond his personal success, Baharmast has been gratified by the growth of game officials in the United States. He is proud that more Americans have been receiving FIFA appointments at World Cups and world championships.

"Its really incredible because we are getting the respect that we deserve," he said. "The tree that was planted before is bearing plenty of fruit."

Baharmast has played a role in tending that tree. When he decided to hang up his whistle to become U.S. Soccer director of officials, his final match was the 1998 MLS all-star game. Hall was the fourth official. Late in the game, the ball went out of bounds and Baharmast walked off the field.

"He gave me the whistle and I finished the game, Hall said. It was like handing over the reins to the next person to follow him."

Sounds just like quintessential Esse Baharmast, paying it forward.

Excerpt from:
The Right Call: Esse Baharmast and the Making of a Great American Referee - U.S. Soccer

The following is one of several articles previewing BizWomen Mentoring Monday, a Feb. 24 program for women professionals in Northeast Ohio that is presented by Advance Ohio, including The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. See below for event details.

CLEVELAND, Ohio More than three dozen professionals from fields as diverse as banking, real estate, retail, science and the arts are scheduled to participate this Monday in Mentoring Monday, a special event that seeks to connect women professionals in Northeast Ohio with successful women willing to share advice.

Ahead of Mondays event, which is presented by Advance Ohio, including The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, several of the mentors were asked the following question: If you could give an aspiring businesswoman just one piece of advice, what would it be? Here are their responses:

Anne Harrill, owner, Oceanne Boutique: Look at the big picture. Sometimes we get so busy with the daily tasks we forget why we first started. It really helps me to remember my why and either push through challenges or sometimes just let them go. Deciding our values + mission statement also helped me focus on what really was important for my business.

Jean Angus, CEO, Saint-Gobain Life Sciences: Spend time to become aware of your strengths and passions. Leverage and build upon them. I personally have found my engagement, performance and career rose as I leveraged my own passions and skills.

Develop a strategy of where you might like to be in 5, 10, 15 years. Spend time with people you admire in these types of roles. They may very well offer you a footprint to follow.

Do not be afraid to say yes to new roles (even if you do not have 100% of the skills required). With learning, hard work and perseverance, you can get there.

Margy Judd, owner and president, Executive Arrangements: The best piece of business advice I ever heard came from the Rev. Tracey Lind, former dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland. She told a group of us once: Never let money be your primary motivation. Inauthentic people are easy to spot. Your vocation is where your passion intersects with what the world needs. It should give you energy and make you want to jump out of bed and do it every day. Dont settle for anything less.

Simrit Sandhu, chief supply chain and support services officer, Cleveland Clinic: Become comfortable with being uncomfortable and redefine whats safe. We often avoid situations where we might fail, but these opportunities are the ones with the most potential for learning and growth. You have to put yourself out there, you have to try the hard thing. You might stumble, but it will make you stronger and more successful in the long run.

Sue Workman, vice president for university technology and CIO, Case Western Reserve University: Random opportunities may appear throughout your career journey; these are often gifts that can propel you further or in a different direction. Dont pass these up take the challenge, learn something new, explore.

Shirrell R. Greene-Joe, director of customer experience at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, is scheduled to take part in Monday's event at Tri-C. (David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com)David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

Shirrell R. Greene-Joe, director, customer experience, Cleveland Metropolitan School District: The distance between your dreams and reality is called action. Map out your plan of action, and seek those whose wisdom can groom and guide you along the way.

Jodi Berg, president and CEO, Vitamix: If you allow your personal purpose to be your rudder, you can use the wind and waves of life to achieve great things. Without a rudder, you are at the mercy of the currents.

Laura Kepley, artistic director, Cleveland Play House: My advice to an aspiring female leader is trust yourself dont waste time and energy trying to be someone elses idea of a leader. Be confident that what you bring to the table is singular and of great value and then get to work!

Tari S. Rivera, president, Regency Construction Services: Always recognize that challenges, obstacles and closed doors are opportunities!

Flo Brett, founder and executive director, Effective Leadership Academy: If you stay focused on 1) your health 2) your people and 3) your organizational culture it will lead to success.

Carol Simbeya, vice president of sales and marketing, Charter Senior Living: Recognize when fear is present and push through it with education and questions to help you succeed through any situation.

Control your reactions to situations. All response should be purposeful to allow for a purposeful self-image and response from your audience.

These are two philosophies I have always kept at the forefront of all my actions and have served me well.

Julie A. Weagraff, vice president, fund development, Girl Scouts of North East Ohio: Step outside of your comfort zone to try new things and think creatively about problem solving. Aim to make new connections every day and build authentic relationships with people who can help you advance in your career.

Destiny Burns, owner, CLE Urban Winery: Take every opportunity to educate yourself not just about the products or services your business offers but also about how to run and grow your business successfully. Do your homework, be persistent and build your support network. As you grow and scale your business, plan to work more on your business than in it.

Susan Fuehrer, president, Institute for H.O.P.E., MetroHealth: Incorporate the best traits from leaders you admire but always remain true to who you are. Be your best you.

Ramona Hood, president and CEO, FedEx Custom Critical: Be courageous. Be courageous in your willingness to take risks, learn new skills and express your ambitions and goals.

Plain Dealer reporters Olivera Perkins, Julie Washington, Ginger Christ, Jordyn Grzelewski and Rachell Dissell, and assistant business editor Melodie Smith contributed to this story.

BIZWOMEN MENTORING MONDAY

What: A one-day mentoring program bringing together area women professionals and businesswomen seeking their insights. Presented locally by Advance Ohio, including The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. For the event schedule and a list of mentors, go to https://www.advance-ohio.com/mentoring-monday-mentors/.

Where: Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus, 2900 Community College Ave., Metro Campus Center, Room (MCC) 201.

When: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.; registration begins at 8 a.m.

Tickets: $45 each, or $360 for 10. Cost includes a light breakfast. The deadline to purchase tickets is Sunday; go to events.cleveland.com/e/mentoring-monday.

More coverage: Join a Facebook Live event at 9 a.m. Monday at facebook.com/clevelandcom, and look for a special print section in this Sundays Plain Dealer.

Related stories:

Mentoring gets a reboot as more women professionals break into top leadership

Workplace mentorship can take many forms, says Cleveland Leadership Centers Marianne Crosley

Fount to open leather goods shop as part of LeBron James Cleveland Hustles show

Tari Rivera empowers women to pursue careers in construction, building and remodeling

CLE Urban Winery expanding as it marks year and a half in business

See the original post:
Northeast Ohio women leaders offer tips on seizing opportunities, pursuing your dreams: Mentoring Monday - cleveland.com

The tall trees inside the parking lot area even blocked the vision of the 6-foot-5-inch Price, forcing him to contort his wiry frame just so he could get a better view of his surroundings.

No, its the front. He stopped again for a moment, questioning where he was.

Yeah, this is the front, he finally concluded. Where do you want to do this?

There was a golf cart on one side, and another cart on the other, which had a longer back. It allowed Price to stretch out his long limbs, so, he plopped down on that one.

Much of the Dodgers complex had cleared out for the day. Price, meanwhile, had an appointment at 2:30 p.m. He didnt want to leave the stadium since his appointment was close, so the 34-year-old lefthander had a few hours to spare.

The setting is unfamiliar to Price, but hes a veteran whos been on the move before. Hes used to the business of baseball. Now, in his new home, he had time to reflect on his previous one.

Prices career with the Red Sox was a polarizing one. He knows that.

He came over to the Sox before the 2016 season, inking a record-setting seven-year, $217 million deal. At the time, he tied Miguel Cabrera for the richest average annual value in major league history.

I went there to win, Price said. To me, that is the reason why I went to Boston. I wanted to be able to win right now. I wanted to be able to win the year after and the year after that. That was something I wanted to be a part of. I was comfortable in the American League and even more so in the American League East.

Yet the general thought among media members and fans was that Price didnt like Boston and never quite fit in. The belief was that he didnt want to go to Boston, but couldnt turn down the money former president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski put on the table.

Price said that wasnt the case.

I do think it was overblown, Price said. I didnt feel like it mattered what I said. Theyre going to make their own assessments and thats completely fine. If I didnt enjoy it, I wouldnt get there at 12:30. I love baseball, I love being around the field, and that didnt change in Boston.

Price said a player is under a microscope in Boston. He noted he could feel the difference, even in the tone of his introductory news conference in Boston. His core, in a way, was hardened from the start of his tenure with the Sox. Its no secret that his relationship with the media, at times, soured.

In Boston, theyre all competing against each other, he said. Theres a bunch of different big papers. Theyre all trying to get the big story. I get that.

Prices career with the Sox wasnt linear. After leading the league in games started (35) and innings (230) in 2016, he made just 11 starts in 2017 after dealing with an elbow injury. In 2018, he rebounded, compiling a 3.58 ERA in 176 innings. The Sox won the World Series and Price probably should have been named World Series MVP. In 13 innings against the Dodgers, he tallied a 1.98 ERA, shining in the closeout Game 5 when he went seven innings and allowed just three hits and a run.

He defeated his biggest foe: the postseason.

Yet at his postgame news conference, Price infamously said, I hold all the cards now and that feels so good, which some critics viewed as an odd time to say that.

That card was played, Price explained. That was the first question I was asked in my introductory press conference in Boston. It was, You think you can win in the playoffs? That card had been held over my head for a long time a very long time. It took a while. To go out there and do it once and then do it again. That felt good. It wasnt anything scripted.

As Price spoke, a FedEx truck pulled up. Music blared from the speakers, but Price didnt lose his train of thought. A kid and his father passed by and wished Price good luck on the year. He thanked them and got right back to his conversation.

The fresh air now allows for Price to have a clear perspective. Some of the Boston criticisms, Price knows, came from his missteps.

I could have made a bunch of better decisions, Price said. But thats life. You make bad decisions, you make poor choices. You live with the consequences. Whether people could forgive you and move past that, thats one thing. Im human. I make mistakes.

Price finished his four-year Boston stop with a 46-24 record and a 3.84 ERA in 98 starts. He wishes they could have won more, but winning one World Series is hard enough. He found peace in knowing that.

I went there to win multiple World Series, Price said. But we won one and that experience was pretty special. Ill always remember it. Both my kids were born in Boston. I got married while I was in Boston. It was a very significant chapter of my life.

Price now enters a situation where he might not be looked upon to be the No. 1 guy and he can blend with the other pitchers. He is situated between Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler, Prices mentee who also attended Vanderbilt, in the spring training locker room.

Hes one of the first guys that put that [Vanderbilt] program on the map, Buehler said. He was really accessible to all of us.

Said Kershaw: Were excited to have him. If hes healthy hes a really good pitcher.

Theres some gray in Prices beard now. Hell be 35 in August.

Manager Dave Roberts said his spring training workload will largely be dictated by Price. Price said his wrist is healed, and he threw his first bullpen session Saturday morning. Hes entering the twilight of his career and has just one goal in mind.

For me, Im going to put team success in front of my personal success, Price said. I want us to win a World Series. Whatever it takes to do that, Im on board for it.

The move has brought about a fresh perspective. Hes weighing the possibility of selling his home in Florida and moving his family out West. Video calls dont suffice.

After nearly an hour, Price got up from the cart. He knew where he was going this time. He had an appointment to make, but first had to go back to the clubhouse to change.

Is that David Price? one kid yelled out from afar.

Indeed, it was.

See, I told you, he told his friend next to him.

By that time, though, Price was long gone. A clean slate and possibly his final act ahead of him.

More:
With Red Sox, David Price admits, I could have made a bunch of better decisions' - The Boston Globe

Coming out of the lockout in 2004-05 the Vancouver Canucks made one of their most important hires: Alain Vigneault. The new Canucks coach would take the team to new heights through its most prosperous period in team history. In his first season with the Canucks he guided the team to a record 49 wins, which earned him a nomination as one of the finalists for Coach of The Year, which he won. Jason Botchford was in Toronto for the awards; here is his story:

TORONTO If Michel Therrien had his way, Alain Vigneault never would have been in a position to beat him out for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year Thursday.

If Therrien had his way, Vigneault would have joined his Pittsburgh Penguins staff in 2005 as one of his assistants.

But Vigneault remained the head coach of the AHLs Manitoba Moose, which landed him in Vancouver and the rest is now coach-of-the-year history.

I am so glad for him, Therrien said. But we tried to get him in Pittsburgh. And if he wasnt hired by Vancouver, (theres) a good chance we would have brought him in. We talked about it. Hes such a good hockey mind. He knows so much about the game and the season he had proves that.

Vigneault, 46, beat out Therrien and Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff to win his first Jack Adams Award in what was the surprise of the night.

He took the stage to take the award and in a personal moment thanked his two daughters, Andreane and Janie, who were his dates for the awards show.

The divorced father, whose daughters live in Quebec, made a point to say how difficult it can be to balance a family with life as an NHL coach. It was one of the nicest moments of the evening.

Many were convinced Therrien would win the Jack Adams thanks to a 47-point turnaround in Pittsburgh. But he finished third. Vigneault finished with 134 points (18 first-place votes), Ruff 126 (11 first-place votes) and Therrien 91 (11 first-place votes).

Head coach Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks smiles as he looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena. Jeff Vinnick / PROVINCE NHLI via Getty Images

Vigneault said he was taken off guard when he was announced the winner for his formidable role in boldly turning around a sagging Canucks team.

He returned forcefully to the NHL last season for the first time since 2000. He leaped onto the Vancouver scene. He played no favourites. He benched starters right off the hop. He made his players earn their playing time.

And in so doing, he got a team to buy in to a cultural sea change that showed he had learned plenty since being fired from the Montreal Canadiens.

Its not easy to get here and its not easy to stay and its not easy to come back, Vigneault said. It was a long journey back. But Ive done my best everywhere Ive been. Ive tried my hardest to get back to the NHL.

Therrien, who was hired by Montreal on Vigneaults recommendation, replaced Vigneault when he was fired by the Canadiens.

We both got our first opportunity in Montreal and we are both very passionate about the game, Vigneault said. You know, Montreal was a great time and a great experience. The reason I this award is because of the experience I learned in Montreal.

Vigneault made it clear he doesnt think the award should be viewed as an individual one.

Its not an honour for myself, but the whole organization, Vigneault said. It means I had a lot of good people working with me.

Its just using this individual award to say the team is on the right track.

Vigneault heaped praise on his coaching staff, including Rick Bowness, Mike Kelly, Barry Smith and Ian Clark. He said he was allowed to hand pick his staff. He wanted strong personalities. He didnt want coaches who would just be puck pushers.

I had worked with Rick before, I knew him, and I worked with Mike before, so I knew what he could bring to the table, Vigneault said. One of the best decisions I made was to keep Barry Smith. And Ian is one of the best goaltender coaches Ive seen in a long time.

They all share their opinion with me and usually we talk it out.

As the Canucks celebrate their 50th season, were looking back at the moments that stand out as the biggest in franchise history on the ice and off, good, and a few bad. Were highlighting the top moments from the 1970s through November, the 80s in December, the 90s in January, the 00s in February and the 10s in March.

If you have any great memories of where you were when your favourite moments happened, or what they meant to you, send them to pchapman@postmedia.com

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Originally posted here:
Canucks at 50: Signing of Alain Vigneault as head coach was crucial to team's success - The Province