Every fall, AB Show feels a little like the industry’s family reunion. Thousands of athletics, fitness and recreation professionals come together to exchange ideas, discuss what’s next and return home reenergized for the year ahead. This year is especially exciting because AB Show 2025 is again teaming up with the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) for its annual event next month in San Diego, where I am honored to deliver the AORE keynote.
If you have read The Owners Club column before, you know I usually focus on the nuts and bolts of running a successful business — sales, customer experience, staff training and leadership practices, among other themes. This article is different.
Instead of day-to-day operations advice, I want to share three skills that elevate how we run our organizations and how we grow as individuals: self-awareness, growth mindset and resilience. These skills have shaped my journey from Power Rangers stunt performer to club owner, author, consultant, session presenter and keynoter.
Self-awareness: Look in the mirror
One of the first lessons I learned as a Power Ranger was that what you think you look like in a fight scene and what you actually look like can be very different. Early on, I watched myself on video and realized my “big heroic moves” looked more like awkward flailing. That moment of self-awareness was humbling, but it was also the start of growth.
Self-awareness is the ability to pause, reflect, and recognize your strengths, weaknesses, values and blind spots in real time. For leaders, this is non-negotiable. You cannot grow if you do not know where you stand, and your team will not buy into your vision if they sense you do not understand yourself.
The best way to build self-awareness is to make reflection a habit. Once a week, block 15 minutes to ask yourself: Did I lead in alignment with my values? Where did I feel “off” and how can I realign? What feedback did I hear or avoid? Small, consistent check-ins like this create clarity and momentum.
I once worked with a club owner who believed he was the “approachable boss.” In reality, his team described him as intimidating and unapproachable. His intentions were good, but his tone and body language told a different story. Once he became aware of that gap, he adjusted how he communicated, and staff engagement improved overnight. The lesson is simple: How you think people see you and how they actually experience you can be worlds apart if you lack self-awareness.
Growth mindset: Flip the script
When I was a rookie Power Ranger, I remember watching the seasoned performers absolutely crush their stunts. They were so fluid, powerful and precise. I thought, “I could never do that. They just have it.” What I didn’t realize was that what looked like pure talent was really years of practice, failure and learning.
Once I shifted my thinking from “I can’t” to “I can, with work,” my performance started to change. That shift is the essence of a growth mindset.
A growth mindset is the belief that skills can be developed through effort, learning and persistence. For leaders, it matters because our industries never stop evolving. Those who cling to “the way we’ve always done it” eventually stall, while those who embrace challenges as opportunities continue to grow.
Developing a growth mindset starts with reframing setbacks. Instead of asking, “Why can’t I do this?” try, “What can I learn here that will help me next time?” Leaders who model this attitude encourage their teams to take smart risks, see feedback as fuel, and value persistence as much as outcomes.
I once worked with a manager who struggled with hiring. After a few misses, she told me, “I’m just not good at spotting talent. Other people can do it, but I can’t.” That was a fixed mindset. Once she reframed her mistakes as opportunities to improve, she dug into better interviewing strategies, asked colleagues for feedback and tracked what worked. Over time, her hiring decisions improved dramatically. What once felt like a permanent weakness became a strength, all because she flipped the script.
Resilience: Bounce, don’t break
During my Power Rangers days, we did a lot of live shows. And with live events, things could always — and often did — go wrong. Costumes ripped, props broke, stunts went sideways, sound cues failed. The show had to go on, and that meant we had to adapt in real time, recover quickly and keep moving. That constant unpredictability taught me resilience.
Resilience is the skill of adapting, recovering and thriving in the face of adversity. For leaders, it matters because challenges are inevitable: budgets get cut, staff leave unexpectedly and programs underperform. The question is not if you will face setbacks, but how fast you can recover when you do.
The best way to build resilience is to practice small habits that keep you steady. Self-compassion helps you avoid beating yourself up when things go wrong. Mindfulness keeps you grounded, so stress does not spiral out of control. Optimism lets you see possibilities even in tough times. Leaning on a support network reminds you that you do not have to do it alone.
I once coached a client who faced a failed program launch. She had poured months of work and resources into it, and when it flopped, her first instinct was to scrap new ideas altogether. She thought she just was not good at innovation. But with a little perspective, she reframed the experience, kept what worked and relaunched with adjustments. The second time, the program exceeded expectations. The difference was resilience — the ability to bounce, not break, when things went wrong.
AB Show is about big ideas, new tools and powerful connections. But at the core, it is about people — how we lead, how we serve and how we unlock potential in ourselves and others.
That is why self-awareness, growth mindset and resilience are not soft skills but leadership superpowers. They create cultures in which staff are engaged, members feel valued and organizations stay strong no matter what comes their way.
As you head into AB Show, take a moment to check your mirror, flip your script and bounce back. Even one small step in these areas can help you maximize your potential and empower those around you.
Maximizing potential is not about perfection. It is about being intentional, staying open to growth and moving forward even when things get tough. Leaders who model these skills not only change themselves, they transform their organizations and communities. That is the journey I am excited to share in my AORE keynote at AB Show 2025, and it is the journey our entire industry is on together. Let’s make it count.
