I have been working with the NWA Naturals since January (Martin Luther King Jr Day) 2011. I wanted to work in baseball ever since I changed my major my freshman year of college. Living in St Louis I realized baseball is life, but there was more than just a game involved in baseball. I started dreaming of working in Community Relations and Events in the small world of baseball. After graduating I took a few paths off course, but eventually landed on my feet, with a seasonal internship, with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals-- the AA Affiliate of the KC Royals.
I was hired on as a full-time staff member March 2012. Through the experience I have planned events, been a part of long hours, and even had to learn to speak up for women in this industry. It's not common for you to find a front office of a team that includes many woman, let alone working moms. Thankfully I have had another staff member be my shoulder when I needed support, someone who was able to understand the struggles of being a working mom, a woman in a man's world.
There are a lot of assumptions about people who work in the sports industry, Minor League Baseball, and most of those are that we are only here for games. Truth be known I have spent many hours in the office and the ballpark when the team is on the road and even when we do not have a team. The events at the ballpark are not things that happen overnight and the many hours I have spent here have been planning for the future. People assume you're here for player development or here just for the players-- husband searching, is a common misconception-- but my interaction was typically limited to asking a player to catch a Ceremonial First Pitch or the brief interaction with Naturals or Royals Alumni when they were here for our sponsors or fans. My job expanded from promotional planning to intern training to sponsorship coordinating to so many other tasks.
This job has taught me so much and has been an incredible place to work. I have had the opportunity to watch the future of baseball pass through this ballpark on their way to win a World Championship! While my job may not have been related to the players themselves, my job was here, at the ballpark and I have seen some great baseball along the way. I am a proud Cardinals fan, from the fans world, but the Kansas City Royals taught me about the world of baseball. I have a new understanding for what money cannot buy. I get what it means for someone to come up from the minor leagues and become the MVP of the World Series. Watching Salvador Perez go from the Catcher for the Naturals in 2011 to the MVP in 2015 for the Royals was amazing and fun! It was an experience like no other.
Of course, beyond baseball, I have learned a lot about myself and have built some lasting relationships, with co-workers, fans, and clients! I have been here since before being engaged, through my wedding, my pregnancies, and now my life as a mother of two toddlers. I am strong, I am smart, I am creative, I am hard-working, I am a leader, I am capable of anything I put my mind to... this was the first place that gave me the encouragement to be everything I thought I could be and gave me the support to challenge myself. It hasn't been the easiest ride, and there have been difficult days, weeks, and maybe months, but honestly, it's been something I wouldn't ever change about my life.
However, as most of you know, my role as a mom has been the MOST important role I have ever signed up for, it has been the most rewarding and fun, the most valuable and difficult role. I have struggled over the last (almost) three years as a mom in Minor League Baseball. The hours are long, the nights are tough, my babies are usually asleep when I get home, meaning the one hour or so in the morning with them is the only hour I get with them during long homestands! I have been blessed with a supportive husband and two amazing parents, but I am mom. I want to be mom. I want to tuck them in at night. I want to hold them & love them. I want to hear about their day. I want to have dinner with them. My kids are my everything and sacrificing these precious moments has been incredibly tough.
That is why I recently agreed to take a different path. I made the decision to start a new chapter. I decided the things I enjoy about my job will never outweigh the time I spend with my children. I accepted a new job. To be honest, I always knew it was going to take a lot for me to leave, I wasn't going to leave the job I actually enjoy doing and go some place that I wasn't sure would be the last job change for me. So when the opportunity came for me to apply for a position with a company that I admire, one I have seen first hand treat their employees with respect, and some how balance work & life, I knew I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by!
I am excited to announce that I accepted a job with General Mills. The company that both of my parents found their careers in. The company that has made it almost "easy" to be a working parent. The company that has supported my entire family through family sicknesses, deaths, births, marriages, and many other milestones! I am not saying there won't be trying times as a working parent, or that my parents actually had it easy. Simply put, I have felt a part of the General Mills family for all of my 35 years of life and I am proud to make it the home of my career, so my children can be a part of an amazing organization for their lives. It truly is a company that nourishes lives and I feel like I am leaving the baseball World Champions and heading to an entire Company of Champions!
It is hard to believe this is where my baseball career ends, but I cannot imagine leaving all of that behind for any place other than General Mills and I am excited (& terrified) for this new chapter in my life. I am thoroughly looking forward to family dinners, tucking my babies into bed, morning routines, and entire weekends off with my family! Thank you to everyone who has been a support system for me, has been there for my family, and has supported us through chasing our dreams!
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