You Can Create Change w/ Christine Simmons

SOLUTIONS, JUSTICE, and BUSINESS... “You can make a ridiculous impact without having to be in politics. Your business can make a ridiculous social impact without having to be a 501c3.” These words spoken by my dear friend, business tycoon, social justice advocate, and inspirational leader, Christine Simmons, could not be more TRUE and more NEEDED than right now in history. Yesterday, I called the Maxout Community to action. We need a shift in the world right now and this call for justice shouldn’t just start at your front door… It should be a part of your business! Whether you’re an employee or a CEO this applies to you. In this interview, I sat down with Christine Simmons, COO of the Oscars, The Academy, and former President and COO of the WNBA, LA Sparks as she reveals how she redefined an entire sports franchise by focusing on community development and what matters most… PEOPLE. This interview details one of the most extraordinary examples of how you can use your business to take ACTION. It will leave you equipped and empowered. We get very REAL about the issues that people of color and women face in the business space. Christine breaks down head-on exactly HOW to navigate these waters and STILL find TREMENDOUS success in business and all other areas of her life, all while being a single mother. Named as one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles, AND an EBONY MAGAZINE POWER LIST Hero, being listed amongst the great MVPs including Stephen Curry James Harden and Venus Williams, failure, fear, and intimidation never stopped Christine from dominating the sports world and continuing to be a trailblazer for other women in business. This is the blueprint for you to TAKE ACTION and fight for justice with your business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Ed Mylett?

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• 0:45Ed Mylett?

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• 1:01Speaker 01

  Mr. President, my company, for me, of the explosion on our rig.

• 1:05Speaker 02

  On October 2nd.

• 1:06Speaker 01

  Causing massive water displacement and triggering a tsunami. They all heap the blame on me.

• 1:11Speaker 02

  Tom Cruise is. Digger got us into this mess. And Digger's gonna dig us up. From the director of Birdman and The Revenant.

• 1:18Speaker 01

  What would happen if I stopped drilling? You stop, you freeze to death, that's what.

• 1:22Speaker 02

  With great power comes great deniability.

• 1:25Speaker 01

  I'm not the first nanny.

• 1:27Speaker 02

  Digger. See the trailer online. Only in theaters October 2nd. Rated R. Under 17. Not a minute without parent.

• 1:36Speaker 03

  This is The Ed Mylett Show. Brought to you by Ass Kicking.

• 1:47Ed Mylett?

  Welcome back to Max Out, everybody. I'm Ed Mylett. I am super pumped about today's interview because I have a very unique and special woman sitting here with me today. This lady, by the way, she's funny, too. Which is why this is gonna be good. But this lady is the president and chief operating officer of the WNBA's L.A. Sparks. And her name is Christine Simmons. So thank you for being here.

• 2:09Speaker 04

  Thank you for having me. This is exciting.

• 2:11Ed Mylett?

  It's already been good off camera.

• 2:12Speaker 04

  I know, I know.

• 2:13Ed Mylett?

  So. Obviously, you're an executive of one of the biggest sports franchises in the world. That's a pretty unbelievable achievement you've had in your life. And we're gonna get to that part, but I wanna go back a little bit.

• 2:24Speaker 04

  Sure.

• 2:24Ed Mylett?

  So, because I want people to have the background, I started the show and I wanna feature prominent people that are maxing out, obviously, different areas of their life. And in your case, obviously, all of your achievements are impressive. But also, those of you that aren't watching this but listen to the audio, you're an African-American woman too.

• 2:40Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 2:41Ed Mylett?

  And that brings with it a set of dynamics that I wanna discuss today too.

• 2:45Speaker 04

  I love that, yeah.

• 2:46Ed Mylett?

  And so, but let's go back a little bit, because you've always been an African-American woman or girl. So that part's been permanent, right?

• 2:51Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah.

• 2:52Ed Mylett?

  But if we go back, you grew up, are you the first person to graduate college in your family?

• 2:55Speaker 04

  I am, the first to graduate. One of my sisters did begin college, but I, so, and the craziest part about it is that my mom is a skinny white girl from Oregon. My dad is a black man from Pensacola, Florida. In fact, he ex-marine and ex-Pomona PD. We were talking about 909, right, with Empire?

• 3:12Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 3:13Speaker 04

  So he pulls my mom over to get her number. That's how I got here today.

• 3:16Ed Mylett?

  You gotta be kidding me.

• 3:17Speaker 04

  No, dead serious, dead serious.

• 3:18Ed Mylett?

  Are you kidding me, really?

• 3:19Speaker 04

  True story, true story. I don't know, that might get him in trouble. But no, nonetheless, he was a very honorable cop.

• 3:25Ed Mylett?

  I'm sure.

• 3:25Speaker 04

  But, and then, but my mom's first husband was Mexican. So I have three older half-sisters that are white and Mexican.

• 3:31Ed Mylett?

  Oh my goodness.

• 3:32Speaker 04

  Then, my mom married my dad, then they divorced when I was seven, so she raised four of us on her own. And then, it just goes on.

• 3:39Ed Mylett?

  When you say "on her own," can I ask you, so does your dad was gone altogether, or was he still in your life?

• 3:41Speaker 04

  He was like, he was here and there, you know? And we didn't have a very close relationship as I grew up. So really, it was just on mom with these four crazy chicks that she was trying to raise. My dad and I have since reconnected, and it's been amazing. And I'm so grateful to have him back in my life. Once I got to college, we kinda reconnected again. But, so, talk about United Colors of Benetton, like, it is my family. Like, we don't know if we're doing tamales or gumbo at Christmas, you know?

• 4:09Ed Mylett?

  That is unbelievable. See, your mom's a pretty big figure in your life, so.

• 4:12Speaker 04

  She is everything. She's everything. She, you know, it's those people that you just watch them work, and they don't have to teach you what discipline is, or what work ethic is, or... And like, my mom, we never sat down and talked about... Working hard, you know, she raised four very strong women and and so she's she's everything.

• 4:30Ed Mylett?

  She's so she's your model in that sense from the work standpoint.

• 4:33Speaker 04

  Hands down.

• 4:33Ed Mylett?

  We're talking off camera about how intense you are. By the way, you have a seven year old son.

• 4:37Speaker 04

  I do, Christian.

• 4:38Ed Mylett?

  Christian.

• 4:38Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 4:39Ed Mylett?

  And we're talking about how intense you are sometimes in the sports. I'm just curious how personalities are made up because

• 4:43Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 4:43Ed Mylett?

  to become as successful as you become, you have exemplary traits about you, which we're gonna talk about some of them today. But you're pretty intense.

• 4:50Speaker 04

  I am, but I mean, you are athlete, right?

• 4:51Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 4:52Speaker 04

  So and you went far farther in your athletic career than I did. I was a three letter athlete in high school. So volleyball, basketball and track.

• 4:59Ed Mylett?

  Good athlete.

• 4:59Speaker 04

  And I think that anytime you are in athletics, then that gives you an intensity. It's a drive. It's an internal competition. Like, I don't even care what you're doing. I need to be better for me, right? And so for my intensity with my son, and again, I mentioned I'm on the board of Positive Coaching Alliance. So we're all about making sure that they have great experiences. And so I knew that I needed to kind of take myself out. I want to make sure he had a really good experience as coaches to coach him. So I'll let them do that, but but I want him to be his best him.

• 5:27Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 5:28Speaker 04

  I want him to max out, right?

• 5:29Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, of course. I know.

• 5:30Speaker 04

  Um, you know, and and as you talk about like reinvention, right? So I was an athlete. I had two knee surgeries in high school.

• 5:37Ed Mylett?

  In high school?

• 5:37Speaker 04

  In high school, ACL and MCL. Um, so blew my knees out. So I was being scouted for volleyball. That didn't work out. My grades were decent enough to get me in, um, so I did go to UCLA. So I was pre-med there.

• 5:48Ed Mylett?

  I know. So

• 5:49Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 5:50Ed Mylett?

  So this whole thing.

• 5:51Speaker 04

  I know. It's this.

• 5:52Ed Mylett?

  This is important though, because there's a lot of people listening to this that at one point in time were chasing one dream or one path in their life.

• 5:58Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 5:59Ed Mylett?

  And then new paths have revealed themselves. So you go in there pre-med, tell me about that.

• 6:02Speaker 04

  I go in pre-med and then there was this like thing where I thought I was gonna model for a hot second. Like, I even did that. That wasn't working out. They were like, they wanted me to be so skinny. I was like, no, I like to eat too much. I didn't, it didn't work out. And so that wasn't for me. So pre-med, I wanted to help people. Um, but when we talk about like exposure and just, I didn't have a lot of exposure to what the possibilities were. So I knew doctor, lawyer.

• 6:23Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 6:24Speaker 04

  Right?

• 6:24Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 6:24Speaker 04

  I knew at that time, I remember I had this figure in my head. If you're a doctor, you'll make a hundred thousand dollars and you'll be wealthy and you're good to go. And there's a path to get there.

• 6:33Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 6:33Speaker 04

  Right? And I was like, done. And I get to help people? Cool.

• 6:35Ed Mylett?

  Cool.

• 6:35Speaker 04

  All in. So in my undergraduate career at UCLA, I found myself helping people a bit too much. I was in the community. I was mentoring. I was tutoring. I was doing hypertension screenings on Crenshaw Boulevard. I was leading all of these student organizations. I was protesting and shutting down Wilshire and Westwood around propositions at the time. And I always joke that had I maybe been studying a little bit more, I might be Dr. Simmons today instead of organizing because I didn't get into medical school.

• 7:05Ed Mylett?

  Got it. This is great to hear.

• 7:07Speaker 04

  Did I fail again, quote unquote.

• 7:10Ed Mylett?

  Thank you for being so honest about that.

• 7:13Speaker 04

  And it took a while for me to be able to say that publicly. Like, I'd be like, oh, I changed paths.

• 7:19Speaker 04

  You didn't get in, chick. Like, come on, let's be real. You didn't get in.

• 7:22Ed Mylett?

  That is, I did not know that. And all the research is done on you too. So that's really, that's awesome that you're willing to share that. So all of this monster success comes out of you not essentially getting good enough grades to get into medical school.

• 7:33Speaker 04

  But at the time, I was also working at UCLA after I graduated. And it's in a building that happens to have a basketball court in it. Back in the day, we called it the men's gym. They changed the name now. I'm old. But the guys, the NBA guys would come in the offseason and play pickup ball.

• 7:50Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 7:50Speaker 04

  Well, one of those guys happened to be Urban Magic Johnson. And so at the time, he had all of his clinics across the country focusing on HIV and AIDS. And so I said, okay, go talk to him. You want to start clinics? Here's Magic. Go talk to him. So I got the balls up to do it. And I went up and I said hello and I introduced myself. I told him what I wanted to do. And we ended up, he let me pick his brain and...

• 8:18Ed Mylett?

  It's a life-altering decision you made there.

• 8:20Speaker 04

  It's kind of how I'm here now.

• 8:21Ed Mylett?

  My goodness.

• 8:22Speaker 04

  Literally, that one decision, that one, that one piece.

• 8:25Ed Mylett?

  That's the whole thing, isn't it? Like, in your life, there's these moments.

• 8:29Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 8:30Ed Mylett?

  And you get a handful of them, I think, in your life.

• 8:32Speaker 04

  Yeah, agreed. There's not just one. You get a handful.

• 8:33Ed Mylett?

  You get a handful. And you better make your move when you have that opportunity.

• 8:36Speaker 04

  Exactly.

• 8:37Ed Mylett?

  I mean, see, the whole direction of your, the trajectory of your entire life is altered by that decision to walk over there. And that had to be pretty damn scary, too.

• 8:43Speaker 04

  It was so scary. Imagine, like, I'm walking through, there's all these dudes, like, you, half of it, you know what it's gonna be. You know, like, oh, here we go. But I was like, deal with it, let's go. You want this, let's go. Like, you're gonna have to do it. It was scary.

• 8:56Ed Mylett?

  So this starts sort of just an ongoing relationship that you maintain over time.

• 9:01Speaker 04

  Exactly.

• 9:01Ed Mylett?

  You've always, though, I'm just listening to your story, and I got a really weird question, and I had no idea I was gonna ask you, but I wanted to, you've always been kind of a leader, though, it sounds like to me. Like, if you organize a protest, you're, you're taking it, so you're a leader.

• 9:12Speaker 04

  I am. It's just, it's, it's my default. It's what I go to. It's if I see a problem, I need to fix it. I can't just sit there and watch it not be fixed. Or, and then the more you do that, as I'm sure you know, then they tag you to do more, and then you keep doing more, and, so, yeah.

• 9:25Ed Mylett?

  This is the question I didn't know I was gonna ask you, but I'm just listening to you, so I have to ask you this. You ever, do you think in your life, get into politics?

• 9:31Speaker 04

  No.

• 9:32Ed Mylett?

  Never?

• 9:32Speaker 04

  No.

• 9:33Ed Mylett?

  Wouldn't be something you do. So you, cause you're cause oriented, you're a leader, you're an unbelievable communicator, you got a total background now. It's something you don't think you would ever do.

• 9:40Speaker 04

  No, you know, I love, um, I like the, I like the power, not the fame. And the power allows you to make the impact. And I think we, we separate so much with, like, nonprofits, politics, and business.

• 9:54Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 9:55Speaker 04

  And we don't have to do that anymore, right?

• 9:58Ed Mylett?

  So true.

• 9:59Speaker 04

  You can make a ridiculous impact without having to be in politics. Your business can make a ridiculous social impact without having to be a 501(c)(3). I really, I, the way I've led the Sparks is as more of a social entrepreneurship. We can't compete, I can't compete against the Lakers, I can't compete against the Clippers. So I'm like, well, I need to stop trying to go after sports marketing dollars. Let's talk about diversity and inclusion. Let's talk about employee retention, right? And experiences for employees. Let's talk about women's empowerment. Let me be your partner in the community, because we have such a great presence in the community. We're doing financial literacy programs for hundreds of kids alone with our partner, Equitrust.

• 10:37Ed Mylett?

  Oh, really?

• 10:37Speaker 04

  Yeah, and it has nothing to do with basketball.

• 10:39Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 10:40Speaker 04

  Right?

• 10:40Ed Mylett?

  That's brilliant.

• 10:41Speaker 04

  But we're partners in the community, because we have been there for so long, and especially in this... Time of the woman that everybody's talking about, which is fantastic that women are finding their voices. But a lot of entities are like, well, how do we, how do we do it? We've been doing it for 22, 23 years now, right? So now we can give you a more authentic and organic way to engage women and that's meaningful. And it's not just about basketball on the court.

• 11:06Ed Mylett?

  How come you don't think, maybe they have and I don't know it, but that is, that has seemed to me to be a little bit. Sports are usually copycat.

• 11:12Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 11:12Ed Mylett?

  Right? So, you know, the Warriors, for example, go small ball. Now everybody tried to go small ball, right?

• 11:17Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 11:17Ed Mylett?

  The big leagues, if you got, you know, guys that can throw 100 miles an hour in the bullpen, everyone's gonna have a few of those people. Am I wrong that the spark, and I don't mean this critically of the league at all, but why aren't, why isn't every team expanding their brand like that in the league?

• 11:30Speaker 04

  They're trying. They are. I think, you know, we have, we don't quite have the budget, so people don't quite know of the work that's being done. But more and more at the team level, it's community first. And it's, it's, we're finally, the league, and I think it's a little routed in traditionalism, right? Because, you know, sports is hardcore tradition.

• 11:50Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 11:50Speaker 04

  And there are your basketball traditionalists. It's like, it's be about the basketball. It's only about the basketball. Because these are ridiculously talented athletes, right? And I think you can do both. I think you can win championships.

• 12:02Ed Mylett?

  Look at this ring. Everybody watching the YouTube are flipping kidding me.

• 12:06Speaker 04

  Hello. I don't know.

• 12:07Ed Mylett?

  You guys, I wore that ring earlier. This league is legit. I like, I told you, sometimes the championship rings in women's sports, they go with the little, like, that is like, we want a damn championship, right? Like, there's no doubt what that is. That's why I love that.

• 12:20Speaker 04

  And I very deliberately put it on a certain finger.

• 12:23Ed Mylett?

  Do you remember that, like, if you're on an airplane, you like, scratch the back of your head, you're like, yeah.

• 12:27Speaker 04

  But like, all the haters out there, I'm like, have you seen my ring? I'm sorry. It's a little irreverent.

• 12:33Ed Mylett?

  Winning is awesome.

• 12:34Speaker 04

  Winning. I'm waiting for the second one, so I can put it on this finger. So, anyway, I dig this.

• 12:39Ed Mylett?

  That thing is so heavy. You do need one on the other side, just to throw off your balance.

• 12:43Speaker 04

  It's amazing.

• 12:44Ed Mylett?

  My wife wasn't impressed with you walking in those heels down there, still.

• 12:46Speaker 04

  Yeah, the heels, the ring, it's, it's a lot. But it's, you know, and I'm so proud of the ring. I got to help design it. But I wanted it big because it becomes a conversation piece.

• 12:55Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 12:56Speaker 04

  And then I get people to, and like, it's funny, in the airport yesterday, I was coming back from a UC region meeting and the TSA, she was like, is that a Super Bowl ring? I was like, well, kind of. Kind of, it's my super boring, but it gets me to be able to start talking about the league.

• 13:10Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 13:11Speaker 04

  But to your point, the teams are beginning to do it, the league is finally, I think, in a point comfortable with saying, we're okay with being a cause. It doesn't take away from the basketball. We can do both.

• 13:22Ed Mylett?

  Wow, that's awesome.

• 13:23Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 13:23Ed Mylett?

  So you end up, I want to go back and then we're good, because we're getting into the league and your team here in a second too. But you fascinate me, so you end up getting, you had some pretty good jobs before this too. So you went NBC, Disney.

• 13:34Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 13:34Ed Mylett?

  You worked in Irvin and Magic's company as well.

• 13:37Speaker 04

  I did, yeah.

• 13:37Ed Mylett?

  And so how do you end up, I doubt you saw yourself as a sports executive, right? So how, take us through the journey, how do you end up becoming the president of, you know, and arguably, you know, one of the biggest franchises in sports, but also in your league, I think, in my opinion, maybe it's because I live here, the most well-known and successful one in your sport too, so how do you end up there?

• 13:58Speaker 04

  You know, it's, business is business, right? And so whether it's the business of entertainment, whether it's the business of joint ventures and strategic alliances, as I worked in Irvin's offices, doing those types of things, or the business of sports, I'm running a business. And so you look at each one, you analyze what the need is, where, you know, and how you, how you operate it most effectively, where the demand is, how do you create the demand, and you work to grow the business. So, you know, there's always been this thread of advocacy in all that I do, and that's what aligned me so well with working for Irvin. So when I was at Disney and NBC Universal, my role was to increase spend with diverse business owners, whether they were women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses, veteran-owned

• 14:39Speaker 04

  businesses, LGBT-owned businesses, because if we look at the pie of money that these corporations are spending, there's only 10% pretty much, that's the goal, for all of those categories of businesses. So the running joke is like, okay, so you basically, you're a straight white man who's able-bodied and never served in the military, and you're getting 90% of the money, right? And so there's lots, and it's not just a pie, there's tons of opportunity for everybody. But most importantly, you're missing out on innovation. Right, if the same person is coming up with the same idea because they came up from the same place that you and I did, we're not gonna, you know, I'm gonna have a different opportunity, I'm gonna have a different lens, and so we're gonna get there faster, we're

• 15:23Speaker 04

  gonna get there better, we're gonna have a different product. And you're leaving money on the table, so that's, yeah, it's the right thing to do, but we're talking dollars, right? It's dollars.

• 15:32Ed Mylett?

  I like how you said that, a different lens, I've never heard someone say it to me that way. Let's talk about those couple things. So you end up, you're, how has being, let's start with a woman first.

• 15:43Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 15:44Ed Mylett?

  Being a woman, how has, what are the unique things, all the ladies that are listening today, and the men listening to it, who interact with women, because we do every single day.

• 15:53Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 15:54Ed Mylett?

  Right, so how has being a woman, are there issues that I don't know about as I'm a male, I'm a white male too, I'm a straight white male. So, is that something, do you carry that with you, are you cognizant of it? Like, how's that, how's that operating in your mind?

• 16:09Speaker 04

  You know, I think each woman is gonna be different, and each leader is different. I, I do, I do carry it with me, because I know, it's funny, I joke, I speak fluent chick and half fluent dude, so I can translate pretty well. But, you know, I think that, one, because I may be the first in something, I am so aware of that, because I don't wanna be the last. And it's bigger than me. Now, there are some women that just say, no, I'm just doing my job, I'm here, and that's, that's great too. But for me, as a woman, and specifically as a woman of color, I know that the scrutiny is even more, they're just waiting, unfortunately, the reality is they are waiting, and I don't, I don't get, I don't get the mulligan, right?

• 16:51Speaker 04

  I don't get the mulligan, or the woman behind me doesn't get that mulligan, because that will be taken into account. So, I think that, that is something that I, I take with me, but there are, there are strengths on both sides, you know? I think we as women are a bit more detail oriented, right? We wanna dot every I, we wanna cross every T. We have An EQ that can be a little more softer to your point. Although I've had to learn to like tone down my intensity. Cause it was funny when you're like, you're not intimidating. I'm like, wow, well, there's some people that might disagree, but.

• 17:25Ed Mylett?

  But why doesn't women need to do something? Let's stay on that. Like this is where it's going to get cool.

• 17:29Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 17:29Ed Mylett?

  Cause I want to ask you stuff that people are afraid to ask. Like, why should a woman have to dial it down or dial it up? Or, but that is something a woman thinks about in business. Like you walk in and you're like, hey, because I'm a woman or because I'm also a minority woman.

• 17:42Speaker 04

  Oh, yeah. Every room, know your effect on a room. Now, that, that can be used in any business scenario. It's just a matter of what is that effect and why is it there? And, and why should they have to? No, we shouldn't have to think about that. The reality is that we do. And until we get to the point where we don't, then I can just think of it as just a business person.

• 18:00Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 18:00Speaker 04

  Until then, I do have to think of it as a businesswoman, as an African American businesswoman, as sometimes the youngest in the room, although that's starting not to happen anymore. I'm like, I'll be 44 in December, so that's okay. I like, I like it. I like the age.

• 18:13Ed Mylett?

  I'm being really honest with you. I'm not, because I do all my research in the interviews.

• 18:17Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 18:17Ed Mylett?

  I'm not exaggerating when I tell you something. I thought you were about 15 years younger than that.

• 18:21Speaker 04

  I'll take it.

• 18:21Ed Mylett?

  No, I'm not kidding. Your presence is that of somebody probably beyond that age, obviously. But I honestly, that's what I thought.

• 18:27Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 18:27Ed Mylett?

  I think you're around 29 or 30. Wow.

• 18:29Speaker 04

  I'll tell you later.

• 18:30Ed Mylett?

  No, it's a fact. I did. That's what I thought.

• 18:32Speaker 04

  Um, but no, and, and so you have to know your effect on a room. So when I am in a room where it's all men, um, then there is a different version of Christine that I'm going to bring to the table. Um, when I'm in a, a room of all women, I'm going, I want, especially with the women, we have to make sure I, I feel the need to make them feel as confident as I feel, as, um, as, as brilliant as I feel, as beautiful as I feel that day. And maybe I don't feel beautiful that day, but I want them to feel beautiful.

• 19:00Ed Mylett?

  How do you do that? Which one way of doing that?

• 19:01Speaker 04

  It's, it's just, it's being present with them.

• 19:04Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, you're excellent at that, by the way.

• 19:06Speaker 04

  Well, I mean, it's, and you learn, right? And I'm, I'm learning about you and understanding you and who are you and what you're starting from. And then I'm going to get another, another learning that I may not have gotten. And just when people feel like someone cares, then.

• 19:22Ed Mylett?

  I agree with you.

• 19:22Speaker 04

  You know, so.

• 19:24Ed Mylett?

  So there's different versions.

• 19:25Speaker 04

  There's different versions. If there's couples, you want to make sure, like, I want to make sure that I am paying my respects to your wife as I walk in this house.

• 19:33Ed Mylett?

  You did.

• 19:33Speaker 04

  And this is, you know, this is her home and she is the woman that's, you know, making you the man and you're the man that makes you the woman. So how, how does that dynamic work? So, and I think everybody has different versions of themselves.

• 19:44Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 19:44Speaker 04

  You know, depending on who they are, but it's still me.

• 19:47Ed Mylett?

  It's still you. How do you do the, so here's some hard stuff. Because I, I hear these things often. I have a lot, I have, in my company, I think we're probably 50% women or more. And I would guess, I'm guessing we're more than 50% minority in my company. I, I, I think. I don't know of the exact stats, but.

• 20:04Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 20:04Ed Mylett?

  How do you have that balance between, you said earlier, like, they're waiting for me to slip. So how do you have a balance between, sort of in the back of your mind, it's probably not some strategy they have, let's catch her doing something. It's a bias or a lack of understanding or an unconscious thing that people have. I want you to talk to people that are in the minority community here for a second.

• 20:26Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 20:26Ed Mylett?

  I'm wondering how you navigate the balance, and this is something no one ever asks people. Knowing that that's probably a truth that you're going to deal with.

• 20:33Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 20:34Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, this is a hard question, but, but yet, not being so obsessed or focused on it that perhaps you

• 20:43Ed Mylett?

  begin to create some potential scenarios

• 20:46Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 20:46Ed Mylett?

  that may not have existed if you weren't in that. That's a really difficult thing, I would imagine.

• 20:50Speaker 04

  It is, it is, because you, you, I think really what it is, is bring your best work to the table. Bring your A game.

• 20:58Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 20:59Speaker 04

  Right? If you're bringing your A game and then we know as just overachievers that want to max out on everything, then you're going to over-prepare.

• 21:06Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 21:07Speaker 04

  Regardless of your background, you're going to over-prepare. You're going to over-research, you're going to, Irvin used to be like, you, okay, you're prepared. You got it. Like, he used to joke about how much, because I always want to, I, I may not always be the smartest person in the room, but no one's going to outwork me.

• 21:22Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 21:22Speaker 04

  Right? So if I'm doing that and I'm bringing my best, my best game to the table, then I can just be confident and I know I let it all, all out on the table and. And I can be aware and know that I can't do a half-assed job.

• 21:38Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 21:38Speaker 04

  Right? So if you're just aware that you cannot do a half-assed job, you can't coast. But then again, you then you quickly become the person who doesn't want to anyway.

• 21:47Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 21:47Speaker 04

  Right?

• 21:48Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 21:48Speaker 04

  And and then that just breeds winners regardless.

• 21:51Ed Mylett?

  Really good. That's really, really good because some of the business people I coach, obviously, are minority business people. And I tell them about those opportunities that come along. I know I know for sure this, you're gonna have fewer.

• 22:02Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:03Ed Mylett?

  So you better take advantage of the ones that come your way. Any other dynamics you would say, if you're giving advice to somebody right now who's in the business community, who's a, like, let's just go all the way.

• 22:11Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:11Ed Mylett?

  I was watching an interview yesterday with Serena Williams.

• 22:13Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:14Ed Mylett?

  And she recently had that issue at the US Open that you saw where she was upset with the official.

• 22:19Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:20Ed Mylett?

  I thought the official overreached in how he penalized her. Some people thought that her behavior was totally inappropriate. The first time I heard Serena talk about it, I was interested because she said, I don't get the same leeway, if you will, as a man would being a woman.

• 22:35Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:35Ed Mylett?

  That's the first thing she said. She said that several times. The interview I saw yesterday, she took it a step further. And she said, I don't get the same leeway as a woman, and I really don't get the same leeway as an African-American woman in that regard, too.

• 22:49Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:49Ed Mylett?

  If you were speaking to the women that are listening to this, that are Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Latino-Americans, whatever it might be, what would you, what would advice would you give them for navigating that landscape?

• 22:59Speaker 04

  You know, I think it's a matter of one-building allies. You have to build allies, both in your communities and in these intersectionalities that we have, right? I mean, we're talking gender, we're talking ethnic background, we could be talking sexuality, we could be talking socioeconomic level, right? But wherever that is, so build those allies there so you have a safe space.

• 23:19Ed Mylett?

  Great.

• 23:20Speaker 04

  To help figure out these problems and people that understand them. There is going to be things that we can help navigate, because I've been there, and kind of help you through and translate, right? Because if I'm gonna be the only chick in the room of all these dudes. And I'm the one at the cigar club all the time, like I can, I can translate. I'm like, okay, ladies, this is what's happened. This is what they meant. Let me translate. And then they're like, oh, okay, got it. And same thing with the dudes. I'm like, this is what she said. And this is why she said it. And this is because she was feeling this. You know what I mean? So one, build those allies within your community, but within also externally as well, outside of your communities. And also externally from the company too.

• 24:02Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 24:02Speaker 04

  You want to have just as many allies inside as you do outside. You know, you want to make sure that people outside understand your work. We as women tend not to brag about what we do.

• 24:14Ed Mylett?

  That's true.

• 24:14Speaker 04

  We don't. We're not going to be like, oh, look what I did, look what I did.

• 24:17Ed Mylett?

  It's true.

• 24:17Speaker 04

  Right? We, we expect if I put in the work that you're going to recognize it.

• 24:20Ed Mylett?

  Are you cognizant of being great at relating? I know the different versions of you, but I've already observed you. So you're great at, you're great at interacting. People that we both know have told me this. And then you're great at interacting with men. You're great at interacting with women. You're good. So are, is that something you're very conscious of is almost, I guess, knowing who you're with? When you communicate, it's really everything to me is sales. And to some extent, you're selling yourself. You're selling them on taking a particular action. You're selling the franchise.

• 24:45Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 24:46Ed Mylett?

  So are you cognizant of that version, but also just meeting them where they are? I guess is the way I'd say it.

• 24:51Speaker 04

  I think it's the meeting them where they are. And because I, it's funny, one of my, my dear friends and mentors was like, I was telling him, I don't like sales. But I've been in business development roles like most of my career, right? And I hate sales. And he's like, what are you talking about? You, you're selling all the time, to your point. And so when I've, when I can be authentic and when I can speak passionately about something.

• 25:13Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 25:13Speaker 04

  And then meet someone where they are and understand who they are and what their goal is. Then I can relate. Then I got, okay, now I got it. Okay. But like if I don't know you, I don't do my research on you. I'm not passionate about what we're talking about. It's, and I, and I don't think it's going to be a win-win for either of us. If I've researched and I'm like, you know, this isn't even a good deal for you. Let's not. Then, then I cannot do that.

• 25:35Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 25:36Speaker 04

  So, so yeah, I am, I, that is one of, it's, see uncomfortable? That's one of my strengths.

• 25:40Ed Mylett?

  It is. And you got uncomfortable saying it was one of your strengths. You did it earlier too.

• 25:43Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 25:43Ed Mylett?

  The other thing you do is, and I know this, this isn't a Magic Johnson thing, but you both seem to do it a lot. You smile a lot. No, no, I'm serious.

• 25:50Speaker 04

  How could you not smile? Look at this gorgeous view on a Friday afternoon with great people.

• 25:55Ed Mylett?

  Is that because you're here? Or is that something you do a lot? I'm serious. Is that something you do?

• 25:59Speaker 04

  I do a lot.

• 25:59Ed Mylett?

  Okay. And I think that that's, that may seem like a really small thing.

• 26:03Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 26:03Ed Mylett?

  But for people, listen to this. Like, I have some deficiencies too. They're different than, obviously, what you would deal with. My deficiencies are, I have a look about me that's really intense. I've got this really deep voice.

• 26:16Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 26:16Ed Mylett?

  I would consider myself to be an acquired taste, unless you know me, right? Like, oh, he actually is a decent person.

• 26:22Speaker 04

  And you know, and your build is so like waif-like, and I mean, so neat.

• 26:26Ed Mylett?

  Right.

• 26:26Speaker 04

  That's not intimidating at all.

• 26:28Ed Mylett?

  Right. And but so one of the things that some of my mentors told me earlier that I forget often, this may seem like a really basic thing.

• 26:34Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 26:34Ed Mylett?

  But like, dude, smile.

• 26:36Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 26:36Ed Mylett?

  Like, smile. Like, tell your face you're excited to be here.

• 26:39Speaker 04

  Right.

• 26:39Ed Mylett?

  And that's just, that's like a really small thing. It's what I, right when I met you, I'm like, hi. I'm like, why am I smiling so much? Because she's smiling so much.

• 26:46Speaker 04

  It just changes everything.

• 26:47Ed Mylett?

  I'm dead serious.

• 26:48Speaker 04

  It does. You know, it's funny, like, I, there was, there used to be times, and of course, you know, in your boss, when you're with bosses, you, there's sometimes you don't see eye to eye. And Erwin would have been in a bad mood. And I was like, you know what? And most people, because he can, when he's, when, you know, when we're intense and we're bosses and we have to make big decisions, and, you know, you're not happy about it.

• 27:06Ed Mylett?

  Sure.

• 27:07Speaker 04

  And a lot of other, you know, peers and colleagues would go in and they're like, oh, he's in a bad mood.

• 27:11Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 27:12Speaker 04

  I, every time, I go in, same way. Hey, Erwin.

• 27:16Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 27:16Speaker 04

  Hey, sir. How, no, no, bring it in. Okay. Yeah. I know, we gotta talk about this. And then everybody just like.

• 27:23Ed Mylett?

  Changes.

• 27:24Speaker 04

  He just, I mean, why not?

• 27:25Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, yeah. By the way, for the video, for people, you're all seeing this, like, she lights the room up. What have you learned from working with Magic Johnson?

• 27:32Speaker 04

  Oh, never stop learning.

• 27:34Ed Mylett?

  Hmm.

• 27:35Speaker 04

  Never stop pushing.

• 27:36Ed Mylett?

  What's a skill he has that most people would not know about, behind the scenes? Something.

• 27:41Speaker 04

  Oh, behind the scenes.

• 27:42Ed Mylett?

  Good question, huh?

• 27:43Speaker 04

  Just, yeah. I mean, because, because he's, he shares a lot about, about his process. But the, um, discipline, like, he works out every morning still to this day, four or five o'clock in the morning.

• 27:54Ed Mylett?

  Hmm.

• 27:55Speaker 04

  Um, just the discipline with which he researches everything that he's doing and, and, and, um, gets his key people to provide that information. He dives deep, you know, in the beginning and just really make sure that he understands that deal, um, and just. Is just really intense in his preparation and his studying of it.

• 28:15Ed Mylett?

  Is he?

• 28:16Speaker 04

  Yeah, he is, he is.

• 28:17Ed Mylett?

  Are you, uh, he's a mentor then?

• 28:19Speaker 04

  He is, for sure.

• 28:20Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 28:20Speaker 04

  Yeah, kind of still a boss too.

• 28:22Ed Mylett?

  Still boss.

• 28:23Speaker 04

  Still a boss. One of the bosses.

• 28:24Ed Mylett?

  I mean, it's obviously, you know, those of you, Magic's speaking to my company in a few weeks. And one of the reasons I asked him to come in was because, I don't care if, if you add math, just the math.

• 28:34Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 28:35Ed Mylett?

  He's one of the most successful men in the country.

• 28:36Speaker 04

  He is.

• 28:36Ed Mylett?

  And so you getting mentored, have been up close to one of the most successful men in the country.

• 28:40Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 28:40Ed Mylett?

  And the thing is that I love about him is he's relentless. In other words, you can't buy his will to win. You couldn't buy him with championships. You couldn't buy his will to win when he got sick. You couldn't buy his will to win with a bunch of money. You can't buy his will to win with accolades.

• 28:52Speaker 04

  No.

• 28:52Ed Mylett?

  The Dodgers, the Sparks, the Lakers. It's like, he just keeps going. He's relentless. And I, I admire that. So let's talk about the job for a minute.

• 28:59Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah.

• 28:59Ed Mylett?

  Because this is a big job and, um, your partner, I guess I call her your partner, the CEO of the team is also an African-American woman, correct?

• 29:07Speaker 04

  The GM, yes.

• 29:07Ed Mylett?

  The GM, correct? And so she handles more of the player stuff?

• 29:10Speaker 04

  She's everything on the court. She's EVP and, and GM. And then I'm everything off the court, all business operations.

• 29:15Ed Mylett?

  And her name is?

• 29:16Speaker 04

  Penny Toller.

• 29:17Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 29:17Speaker 04

  And not only is she a basketball genius as it relates to putting a team together, she was the first woman to ever score a basket when the league started as a spark.

• 29:25Ed Mylett?

  Get out.

• 29:25Speaker 04

  So talk about legacy.

• 29:26Ed Mylett?

  Get out, really?

• 29:27Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah, she's phenomenal.

• 29:28Ed Mylett?

  So, that's awesome. So the two of you are sort of the duo on both sides of the, the operation here.

• 29:33Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 29:34Ed Mylett?

  And so your job is to grow the brand to some extent, correct? So let's talk about some of the things you did because this applies to all other businesses. We talked a little bit on it as well, but one of the things you focused on is women's empowerment too. So that's actually on the other side of your ring, on the inside of that thing, is the logo.

• 29:49Speaker 04

  Yeah, it's our We Are Women logo.

• 29:51Ed Mylett?

  That is so cool. And so tell us about that a little bit.

• 29:54Speaker 04

  Yeah, so, um, it's a funny story. So go back to Irvin's Will to Win and, and, um, and the people he hires. So the gentleman whom I also report to here, our columnists are an board of governors. I, um, first season, I was an executive on loan. And so I was just kind of helping out. And then, um, then I guess I thought I did, I guess I did okay job again.

• 30:13Ed Mylett?

  There you go again.

• 30:14Speaker 04

  Congratulations, you got the job. Now go break an attendance record. I was like, whoa. I just got the job. Like, are you kidding me? Like, we barely have an office. We were working the first season out of Irvin's conference room.

• 30:25Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 30:25Speaker 04

  The entire organization. But anyway, so we knew it had to be bigger than basketball. And so a woman on my team at the time, she and I just kept putting our heads together. And right around that time, there was some instances of domestic violence in sports. That was when a lot of it started to happen. And so we were like, okay, let's really just kind of just bring it around women's empowerment in general. And but not just around sports. You know, there was some fantastic things that women are doing in the greater L.A. area that we can highlight along the way. But really, it came down to economic empowerment and the power of a woman's dollar, right? And the power of products and services and a league geared and powered by women.

• 31:07Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 31:08Speaker 04

  Right?

• 31:08Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 31:08Speaker 04

  So how do I fill Staples Center, not just because I'm giving out tickets for free? No, I want people to pay the dollar, the 10 whole dollars that it takes to get a nosebleed seat.

• 31:18Ed Mylett?

  Did everybody hear that, by the way? It's such a great value, this league, all the seats are.

• 31:22Speaker 04

  They are. Like, we're really, like, you can take a family of four in the hundreds, in the lower bowl, and still eat.

• 31:30Ed Mylett?

  And see some amazing flipping athletes, everybody. Like, amazing, ridiculous athletes.

• 31:36Speaker 04

  Every, every guy is like, dang, these girls can ball.

• 31:38Ed Mylett?

  Well, here's the thing for me, not to interrupt you, but I can say, I actually think the brand of basketball is more interesting. Because it's not just like ISO ball. And I don't think they're critical of the NBA. I love the NBA.

• 31:48Speaker 04

  Yeah, it's exciting.

• 31:49Ed Mylett?

  These ladies share the basketball.

• 31:50Speaker 04

  They do.

• 31:51Ed Mylett?

  They can shoot, they can score, their handles are unbelievable.

• 31:54Speaker 04

  The defense is like, it's fundamental basketball.

• 31:58Ed Mylett?

  That's right.

• 31:58Speaker 04

  At its best.

• 31:59Ed Mylett?

  That's exactly right.

• 32:00Speaker 04

  Team ball.

• 32:00Ed Mylett?

  That's exactly, that's, it's such a great brand of basket. In fact, if you have a young person who wants to learn to play basketball, I would argue watching the WNBA fundamentally would be the better league for them to be studying.

• 32:12Speaker 04

  Totally agree. So many of our coaches bring their teams for that reason, boys and girls.

• 32:17Ed Mylett?

  Do they?

• 32:17Speaker 04

  Yeah. So, so back to We Are Women. So we created the We Are Women campaign. We launch it every year and the goal is to sell at Staples Center. But it's also to highlight the great work that women are doing in the community. One woman, she, in fact, English was her second language, but she served the seniors in her community and would go and provide meals for them in Maywood. And so she was nominated. So we got to go and tell the story of the work that she's doing. So there were all of these different pieces that women are doing in the community that are just lifting all of us up. And so we get to tell their stories and celebrate, celebrate them on court. And then we do a Woman of the Year. And then last year, we did a Man of the Year. Because it's important. We gotta, it's not just about empowering women. It's also about enlightening men as to what women can do too.

• 33:02Ed Mylett?

  Empowering women, enlightening men. Hopefully, that's what we're doing today.

• 33:05Speaker 04

  Yeah, exactly.

• 33:06Ed Mylett?

  Hopefully, what we're doing today. And so, you know, you're, by the way, what you've really done is you've just expanded what the brand is. And everybody listens that has any business, I don't care if you're a trainer in a gym, you own a dry cleaners. These same business principles apply to you too. How can you get more involved in the community? How can you expand the brand? How can you begin to affect people in ways that seem not directed to profit, but inevitably do drive profit?

• 33:27Speaker 04

  It is my go-to-market strategy. I am gaining market share, period. So the time and money and resources spent on converting a hardcore NBA fan versus the time and money to create new Sparks fans. I don't have to create a basketball fan, but I can create a Sparks fan. So a woman who may not, or even a man who may not necessarily be a fan of basketball, can come and enjoy themselves and have fantastic experience. And now they're a Sparks fan, right? That mom, like me, is if I have to watch Pokemon one more time, I'm gonna lose my mind. But me and my son can have a great time at the game, right? Socially conscious millennials who wanna, want a deeper reason

• 34:08Speaker 04

  for the money they're spending while they're looking really, really cool courtside, right? Those are the folks I'm focused on. So we've increased market share. We're leading the league in ticket sales. We're leading the league in attendance.

• 34:19Ed Mylett?

  Congratulations. That's brilliant. And it's like, one of the things I wanted to have you on here was this point right here. I think that compared to the other teams I know in the league, and I know we're not doing that, you can't speak to this. You've expanded what the brand is and what it means to people. And that's not easy to do when something is new. Even though the league's been around a while, it's not like the Lakers brand that's been around forever. So what's the hardest part of your job?

• 34:44Speaker 04

  There's lots. I think when you still run into those that you have to sell on what women can do and what they should be doing and like right now, there's a big debate about lowering the rims so women can dunk better or whatever.

• 35:01Ed Mylett?

  Oh, is there?

• 35:02Speaker 04

  Yeah, and it's really the fan who doesn't really understand our game, right? We talked about it being more elegant, it's a different style of basketball and it's phenomenal. We don't have to lower the rim to appease you. We're not trying to be the female NBA. That's not who we are, who we want to be. We have our own sport, we have our own game. It's globally recognized. You'll be okay.

• 35:27Ed Mylett?

  What's the best part of your job?

• 35:29Speaker 04

  The impact. The young girl who now knows that she could either be a professional athlete on the biggest stage in the biggest city, she could run a team, hell, she could own a team if she wanted to. And because I didn't have that, I didn't know that, right? So as you talk about going back to your childhood and then how those pieces, like just that one conversation I may have with that one young lady who said, wow, I didn't know that this was a job or that women could do that or whatever. And then the other part is being able to see these women live out their dreams, these beautiful humans that they are, these complex global athletes, they are MVPs, they are

• 36:14Speaker 04

  champions, they are Olympians, they are all of this, and they're still having to fight to live their dream here domestically. And they're at the top of their game. And so when we won this championship, it was the first time that anyone on the team had won but for Penny, she was the only one. She has two previously, so now she has three. And to be able to see the players and the exuberance and just that, I still get goosebumps.

• 36:42Ed Mylett?

  You can see it on your face.

• 36:43Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 36:44Ed Mylett?

  The stories of these ladies is remarkable. I feel like the league itself and your team particularly, if it was a stock, it's a buy. I just feel like there's this major growth that can come to the league, that can come to people, as they become more aware of, and I think part of it is the stories of the ladies as well. And I wanted you here today for something that you just said too. There's somebody watching this, there's a young woman somewhere, who is seeing someone who looks like her.

• 37:12Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 37:12Ed Mylett?

  Who's achieving. One of the great things about social media, and what could be one of the great things in society today, if we could finally find a way to come together as a society, is to begin to show the diversity of all the people that are winning, that all the people are successful. I pray for a day that when my granddaughter's coming up, that she, it's a foregone conclusion in people's minds if that's the case. And so, you're very humble about it, but you are, you're pioneering a path that's really of this generation, one of the first people doing it, right? Hopefully someday that'll be different. But one of the other paths that you navigate, I want to ask you about, this has been so good, by the way, because I've gotten so many good things. But one of the other things that you do is you're balancing being a single mother.

• 37:52Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 37:52Ed Mylett?

  And an executive, and being busy. What is your, how do you do that? And what is a, is there a typical day? And like, like given I, so people go, well, I want to be the president of a big organization, or I want to run something. Do you?

• 38:04Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 38:04Ed Mylett?

  Because this is what the schedule will look like. This is what you'll be doing every single, so give someone a flavor. Because the glamour is, I'm the president. The glamour is, I have this reign.

• 38:12Speaker 04

  Right.

• 38:12Ed Mylett?

  I have this influence. I get to work with magic. I have this incredible prestige and title. All this influence, all that. And then there's like the stuff.

• 38:20Speaker 04

  The grind, right?

• 38:20Ed Mylett?

  Right. So what's that look like? What's the grind look like?

• 38:22Speaker 04

  You know, and it's funny because you, you have to, I think, highly competitive people and those whom have achieved some success aren't in love with the glamour. They're in love with the grind, right? And I think it's like, you know, I love crunching out, like creating that new partnership deck that I, where I'm going to come. And I'm like, okay, this is why we need to partner together. Because I'm going to create this and a custom thing for that. And we're going to activate this, and we're going to end that part. So I am literally the one putting together, coming up, there's, I have a fantastic team as well. But we create these opportunities for holistic partnership that touch every aspect of our department. So whether, you know, your name is in lights and Staples Center for your company, whether your employees are coming with, as ticket holders, whether we're activating in the community, whether we're doing something on social,

• 39:07Speaker 04

  whether we have a player representing your organization. But all of those ideas have to come, so we have to come in and create those and you've got to create the deck to be able to, you know, sell that. Then you've got to go to the meeting and sell it and then, and then I've got to, you know, come and do fantastic interviews so I can spread the word and then, you know, and then there's the audits and the payroll and the, so, you know, I am the president, but operating officer means I have literally been doing budgets and payroll and we've finished an audit, going to start another one and all of that kind of stuff. So it's, it is a grind and it, but again, I love it.

• 39:42Ed Mylett?

  You do?

• 39:43Speaker 04

  I do, I love it.

• 39:43Ed Mylett?

  So are you, are you a wake up early person? Are you a, are you a routine person?

• 39:49Speaker 04

  I'm a stay up really late person.

• 39:51Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 39:51Speaker 04

  And then I get up somewhat early.

• 39:53Ed Mylett?

  You do. How much sleep do you get?

• 39:55Speaker 04

  Probably about four hours.

• 39:56Ed Mylett?

  Wha- what?

• 39:57Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 39:58Ed Mylett?

  Okay. So you just said it like it's normal.

• 39:59Speaker 04

  That's not, that's not.

• 40:00Ed Mylett?

  Well, for you and I it is.

• 40:02Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 40:02Ed Mylett?

  But I wrote this in my book as a matter of fact.

• 40:04Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 40:04Ed Mylett?

  And I have this theory that it's, we probably both should get more sleep.

• 40:07Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 40:07Ed Mylett?

  But I do have this theory that it is the quality of the sleep you get beyond just the time.

• 40:11Speaker 04

  I agree.

• 40:11Ed Mylett?

  But there's a line, but did you just hear what she did? You just, it's so, mega achievers, it'd be like, it's like, they take for granted how kind of psycho they are sometimes.

• 40:20Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 40:20Ed Mylett?

  So like, I, and then you go like, how much you sleep? Four hours? What, what?

• 40:23Speaker 04

  It's not, everybody is?

• 40:25Ed Mylett?

  No, not everybody does that, right?

• 40:26Speaker 04

  No, I'm joking, no, I know. I do hibernate though. Like, I'll go two or three days every now and then.

• 40:30Ed Mylett?

  Me too.

• 40:30Speaker 04

  And I'm like, nope, I'm not getting out of bed.

• 40:31Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 40:32Speaker 04

  I'm not, you know, I might brush my teeth if you're lucky.

• 40:34Ed Mylett?

  (laughing)

• 40:36Speaker 04

  I might, you know? So I, I know when I gotta shut it down. I know when I gotta shut it down.

• 40:41Ed Mylett?

  Okay, so, but, but let's just be real here. You don't get where you are by hoping and dreaming these things. You can hope and dream them, but you've just flat out busted your tail. And let's just be real, everybody, okay? That's the schedule you're heard about. Plus, she's a mother.

• 40:56Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 40:56Ed Mylett?

  Right? And listen to me on this. If you are in one of these categories we're describing, you're going to have to even do more of this than everybody else.

• 41:04Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 41:05Ed Mylett?

  It's another level, right? So accept it. It's just, it's a fact. You need to hear this message. All of the things you've achieved, this is where it gets really good for me because it's like, well, what really separates you? Okay. It's obviously you're brilliant, you're an unbelievable communicator. For someone who doesn't like sales, you said the word. Word sell four times in that last sentence. I'll go back and play, but I think it was four plus percent.

• 41:24Speaker 04

  It's gonna be like a drinking game.

• 41:25Ed Mylett?

  Right, that's selling. So, so you definitely are selling. The interview is selling too.

• 41:29Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 41:29Ed Mylett?

  But it's like, the schedule's freaky though, right?

• 41:31Speaker 04

  It's freaky. It's intense. And I think it's a matter too, and to your point about me being a mom, I had to rethink how I'm a mom. When I first started this, I was ashamed that I had to bring him with me from time to time. And I serve on a number of boards as well. I was a president of the UCLA Alumni Association, so I represent all 500,000 Bruins that ever graduated from UCLA. I just finished that term, but while I'm still on that board, I'm now a regent designate for the UC Regents. So the UC Regents is the governing board of all 10 of the UC campuses. And then I'll be a voting regent next year. I do charity work. So, but I bring him with me.

• 42:12Speaker 04

  And now he's learning presence. He's learning authority. He's learning, he belongs, right? I'm still, I am still convincing myself, and we're being real, that I belong. There's still times in my mind where I have imposter syndrome and all that other kind of stuff. And, you know, and you gotta remember, no, you, you belong, girl. You, you, you earned this. Like, you got this.

• 42:36Ed Mylett?

  I'm glad you said that.

• 42:37Speaker 04

  But it's real. And because society tells you otherwise a lot of times. And people are quick to point out the failures. And I, I've recently adapted to that and said, you know what? I may have failed a task, but that does not make me a failure.

• 42:52Ed Mylett?

  Oh, God.

• 42:52Speaker 04

  It does not. That's a task, and maybe I didn't meet that goal, and you better believe I'm gonna meet it next time. Doesn't make me a failure. I'm still pretty awesome.

• 43:00Ed Mylett?

  Oh, that was so good.

• 43:01Speaker 04

  You have to believe that.

• 43:03Ed Mylett?

  That was so good. Oh.

• 43:04Speaker 04

  You have to.

• 43:05Ed Mylett?

  Because, because you just said something, no one's used that phrase on my show before either too, but I, I suffer from it sometimes. So, you mean, you said imposter syndrome?

• 43:12Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 43:12Ed Mylett?

  There's this part of, I think, a lot of us, as we're doing well or we're winning, especially those of you that are starting to achieve.

• 43:17Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 43:17Ed Mylett?

  You actually think it's a fluke.

• 43:19Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 43:19Ed Mylett?

  Or they don't really know who you really are.

• 43:21Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 43:21Ed Mylett?

  And the fact is, I just gave this talk to where I went to college. I went to University of Pacific, I played baseball there. And I said, I wish I could've gone back there and someone would've told me, hey, you're really good.

• 43:29Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 43:29Ed Mylett?

  You're special. You're awesome. I just, because I didn't know it. I, to this day, I'm 47, life's gone pretty good. I still, once in a while, get that imposter syndrome. I'll be driving to a speech, and for some reason, that one, I'm like, why do they wanna hear things?

• 43:44Speaker 04

  I swear to God. Wait, that happened on the way here today. I was like, hey, that's not really, can he really want me? I don't know. Someone talked him into it. I don't know.

• 43:54Ed Mylett?

  I'm 100% sure. So, by the way, not only she, she's not only not an imposter, not only does she belong, but she's achieving. She's part of the 2018 Ebony Power list. So you're on that list with Steph Curry and Venus Williams. And so like, this, this is so awesome, right? Like, tell them what category you're in too. This is pretty cool.

• 44:13Speaker 04

  It's crazy. It's the MVP category and they're mostly athletes. And I was like, what? This is insane. Like typically I'm in the women category because I'm in a women's business. And okay, fine. That's cool. I'm just, if that helps me get the word out, then that's fantastic. And really I'm just, I'm beyond, you see I'm stuttering, right? I'm a very good presenter until I'm talking about me.

• 44:35Ed Mylett?

  It's true.

• 44:35Speaker 04

  I, I am so humbled at this and it really is a testament to the Sparks organization, our ownership group, to their commitment to making sure that we have a platform. And now it's being nationally recognized on a number of different, you know, in different ways. And so.

• 44:54Ed Mylett?

  It's a testament to you. So you keep, you do this, what you said earlier, you said all women do. But you, you deflect, you deflect achievement, you deflect the compliment, you deflect your unbelievable impact you're making. And so it is a, it is a reflection on them. It's a reflection on you. They named you, right? And so it's, it's unreal that you've done it. And speaking of that, we only have a few more minutes left. I'm like, I'm enjoying this so much.

• 45:18Speaker 04

  We're here all day.

• 45:20Ed Mylett?

  I wish we were because there's, there is so much that you do unconsciously well that I'd like to bring out of you. So I'm going to make you do this for a second.

• 45:28Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 45:29Ed Mylett?

  So let's take, right now, is there a player on the Sparks? I think I know who you would say. And I know you don't have a favorite player.

• 45:35Speaker 04

  Sure.

• 45:35Ed Mylett?

  But who, who is sort of the go-to scorer on the team right now?

• 45:39Speaker 04

  Um, you know, we have a few and because they're, again, it's, it's a team, right? It's, it's team ball, right? So you have Candace Parker, who's a very versatile player. You have Naka Gumake, who's like, she's like a female James Worthy, right? She's a slicer, but with ridiculous efficiency, right? You have Chelsea Gray that can create a shot out of. Like when you think there's no play left, Chelsea Gray creates that shot. And then you have Lena Beard, who's Defensive Player of the Year. So, so it's, you can't pick a player.

• 46:06Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 46:07Speaker 04

  Because we play team ball on purpose. So we have to move that ball around. It just depends on the play and the, you know.

• 46:13Ed Mylett?

  So let's take those four particular players.

• 46:15Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 46:16Ed Mylett?

  And I want to, we're going to put six people in a room.

• 46:18Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 46:19Ed Mylett?

  Magic Johnson.

• 46:20Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 46:20Ed Mylett?

  You.

• 46:21Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 46:21Ed Mylett?

  And the, and the four players.

• 46:23Speaker 04

  And the fourth.

• 46:23Ed Mylett?

  Okay. What do you have in common? So you're all mega achievers. What are some of the common traits amongst these people?

• 46:29Speaker 04

  Um, drive, competitiveness. Everybody wants, and not against each other, just, okay, what, true story. We'll rewind a little championship. So me, Penny, Irvin, we're on the floor, won the championship. It was insane. Um, Minnesota Lynx had been dominant for quite some time. We dethroned them, everybody's going crazy to see Minnesota. And we won, we're on the floor. We hadn't even got the trophy yet. Irvin's like, look at me and Penny, you ready to do it again next year?

• 47:00Ed Mylett?

  Right away.

• 47:00Speaker 04

  Right away, immediately. And I was like, dang, can I get some champagne in my hair first? Like, no, okay? And then we paused and we were like, yeah, let's do it, let's do it. And we got to the finals, but we didn't win. Um, game five, we have a series of five. And so, um, and so it's that competitiveness, that drive, that, okay, how can I beat myself? Okay, what can I learn today? What's the new thing I can do today? And no one will outwork me. All of us are work, are workhorses.

• 47:30Ed Mylett?

  I love that.

• 47:31Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 47:31Ed Mylett?

  That is, by the way, if I were asked that question, that would be my answer. My answer would be some freakish drive.

• 47:38Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 47:39Ed Mylett?

  And, which I put competitiveness all the way there. And then you just outwork everybody.

• 47:43Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 47:43Ed Mylett?

  And that is the common line of the guests on my show that have maxed out. It's the common guests, the people that have mentored me. I always say, I think in businesses, you definitely, I mean, obviously, the ideas you've created. Even to span the brand of the team, they're brilliant. So you've used your head to do that. But what has separated you is your heart. And you win, at the end of the day, you have to, you have to have the right strategies in business, but you win with your heart and not your head ultimately. It's just outworking everybody. It's your drive, it's your ambition. I think you're amazing. So, let's talk about the, let's talk about the team just for a second in the league, just so everybody, I want people to go see the team.

• 48:13Speaker 04

  Yes, yes.

• 48:14Ed Mylett?

  And so, and by the way, so there's a lot of other listeners that are in Southern California. And if you're not, you're in other parts of the country, go see, go find out where your local team is and go see these incredible athletes play. And if you're around the world, just become engaged in this product because I think like all brands, this could become a global brand. I'm just gonna tell you right now. So, so, why should somebody, it's inexpensive,

• 48:37Speaker 04

  Yep.

• 48:38Ed Mylett?

  and the athletes are incredible.

• 48:39Speaker 04

  Right.

• 48:39Ed Mylett?

  Give me one more reason why somebody should come see a WNBA game, particularly maybe the Sparks.

• 48:44Speaker 04

  The Sparks are unique. It's a party. We're, it's a different sporting environment. We have a DJ. We bring, and it's LA, right? So, so we bring in entertainment on timeouts. We have magic moments. We have people performing. So you have ridiculously amazing basketball, right? It's affordable. It's family friendly, but it's still fun. And literally, people have the greatest time when they come.

• 49:07Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, you really believe this.

• 49:08Speaker 04

  I do.

• 49:09Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, you really do. And what I love about it is, as just a sports fan is, I'll just tell you it's straightforward. And not everybody listening to this is a sports fan. I just think the quality of the sport's unbelievable. I just really do.

• 49:19Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 49:19Ed Mylett?

  Okay, so I go all the way back.

• 49:21Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 49:22Ed Mylett?

  You were nine when your mom and dad split?

• 49:24Speaker 04

  Seven.

• 49:25Ed Mylett?

  Seven, okay. So you're seven years old. And so, I go back to that little girl. I just think it's fascinating, just for a second, just to have some perspective, because you're in the middle of doing what you do.

• 49:34Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 49:35Ed Mylett?

  If you went back to that, that little girl at that time, there had to be some sense of turmoil going on in your life. All of a sudden, your daddy's not in the house and your mom's now got these four girls she's raising. And I'm just picturing this beautiful girl gonna going through her life and just thinking, man, if I could go back there and tell her,

• 49:55Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 49:55Ed Mylett?

  Do you know how amazing her life's gonna be?

• 49:57Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah.

• 49:58Ed Mylett?

  And there's a lot of people listening to this, so I'm proud of you, by the way.

• 50:01Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 50:02Ed Mylett?

  I'm really happy for you too.

• 50:04Speaker 04

  That means a lot.

• 50:04Ed Mylett?

  And, um, but there's millions of people listening to this.

• 50:08Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 50:09Ed Mylett?

  Who, they're at a point in their life, they're like, look, another thing in my world's been perfect either. I don't come from a perfect family. I don't either, by the way. I don't come from a perfect family. Everything in my life right now isn't perfect.

• 50:20Speaker 04

  Right.

• 50:20Ed Mylett?

  You know, I've made some mistakes. I've had a relationship that didn't work out. My business didn't work out. Maybe I didn't get my degree. Maybe I got my degree and I thought that was gonna change everything and I don't have my dream job.

• 50:30Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah.

• 50:30Ed Mylett?

  And so, I'm, I get a chance to sit down with Christine Simmons for a cup of coffee for just a couple minutes. And I get to ask her, what would your advice be to me to transform my life, to change my life? What would be the things you would tell that person if they could ask you?

• 50:44Speaker 04

  Um, be relentless about reinventing yourself. And know that you have the power already. No one has to give it to you. Um, I think women, we suffer from that a bit more, um, because we've been put in our place for so long. And, um, and so, giving someone an opportunity is phenomenal and we're grateful for every opportunity that you give us. And then watch us work, which is actually what the tagline's for, for the NWOBA. But, um, but it's true, watch us work. Watch what I'll do. You give me that opportunity, watch what I'll do. So, and adversity makes you better. When I have a candidate who comes

• 51:24Speaker 04

  in and I am, I'm looking to bring someone on, I need a creative solutioner, right? I need someone who's gonna figure it out. I need someone who's got thick skin, right? So as you achieve, and for those of you, again, back to the glamour versus the grind. It's not easy and it's you, your circle gets way smaller, right? And there's more scrutiny and there's more challenges and there's all of these things that you, but yet you have to end scene. Hey, no, I didn't have a horrible day yesterday, you know what I mean? And, and so those are the things that, but it makes you better.

• 52:02Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 52:03Speaker 04

  And, and in turn that it's energy. Like we feel, I feel like, you know, it's, it's energy. And you have to, and it's hard when you're constantly being kicked and kicked. How do you turn that energy? It's almost like, it's almost like Black Panther when his suit, his suit kept hitting like they'd get bullets, it hit his bullet and then that kinetic energy would build up and it would just wow, right? So now I'm at the point where I'm like, oh, tell me no. Well, careful what you do when you tell me no, cause now I'm gonna come back with a force. Because, and, and you have your moment, don't get me wrong. You have your moments where you're disappointed or you're like, why? Why did this happen again or why did this not happen again? Get that, have your safe space.

• 52:44Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 52:45Speaker 04

  Now let's move on, let's go. How are we gonna, how are we gonna change it? You can't, you have to move forward.

• 52:50Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 52:50Speaker 04

  Constant forward movement relentless, I use that word relentless. All my emails, it says a relentless drive for excellence.

• 53:00Ed Mylett?

  Does it really?

• 53:01Speaker 04

  Yes, relentless and people are gonna call you crazy.

• 53:03Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 53:04Speaker 04

  People aren't gonna agree, they're not gonna understand. They're gonna think that you're a rating B or, you know, in too intense.

• 53:10Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 53:11Speaker 04

  And so you figure out the nuances of it, but stay relentless, keep reinventing yourself and change the energy.

• 53:17Ed Mylett?

  Oh my gosh, that's good. Cause I do think like, I just think energy is influence and I think it's infectious too. And that's the thing about you, like immediately, I'm talking about like within two seconds, your energy is, it's a, it's beautiful, it's attractive, right? It's, it's a, it's connecting.

• 53:36Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 53:37Ed Mylett?

  And so, and it is difficult to bring that energy when the world is kicking you, but you're absolutely right, you've got to turn that energy around, you've got to get up, you've got to be relentless.

• 53:45Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 53:45Ed Mylett?

  I love what you talked about reinventing yourself too. That version of you right now is producing the results you're getting. You've got to reinvent and get better.

• 53:53Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 53:53Ed Mylett?

  I think you are incredible.

• 53:55Speaker 04

  Oh, feeling so mutual, so intense we are.

• 53:58Ed Mylett?

  I'm serious.

• 53:59Speaker 04

  No, really, like you have been such a joy, like this is amazing.

• 54:03Ed Mylett?

  Thank you. So today was wonderful. It's so good, I already kinda know they're gonna be like, would you bring her back and do just like these? Business questions.

• 54:11Speaker 04

  I'd love it.

• 54:12Ed Mylett?

  But I'm so impressed and thank you for being you. Thank you for breaking down some of these barriers. Thank you for doing this today because I promise you, I know the impact this conversation's had on so many people and I can't wait to hear about it. How do people find you though? Like we want to help you grow your social media and grow the Sparks too. So how can they best find you?

• 54:31Speaker 04

  So Sparks is LA underscore Sparks on all platforms. Unapologetically underscore Christine is on Instagram. CN Simmons on Twitter.

• 54:40Ed Mylett?

  Okay, so we need to go, you need to be connected with this woman because I feel like you, I think you probably feel like I do. I want to watch even what the future holds for you too.

• 54:48Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 54:49Ed Mylett?

  And it was really an honor to do this with you today. So thank you so much.

• 54:52Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 54:52Ed Mylett?

  Enjoying it so much. Hey everybody, we did it again. I brought you out somebody who's maxing out their life and her information today is really going to help so many of you max out your life as well. I hope you enjoyed the program. Spread the word. We're the number one growing program in the world. More people need to know about this. You're following me on Instagram at Ed Mylett. Every day I do the two minute drill. So when I make a post, every day on my main feed, first two minutes, everybody makes a comment, you're in a drawing. You get coaching calls with my guests, me, gear, books, all kinds of stuff you get from doing that. And if you miss the first two minutes, just comment. Every day we pick a winner at the end of the week who commented every day. So please do that. God bless you and max out.

• 55:32Speaker 03

  This is the Ed Mylett Show.