Leah Clayton: Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics Director of Marketing – Work In Sports Podcast - a podcast by Brian Clapp - Work in Sports

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast…I’ve been spending a lot of time lately considering the plights of different types of people during this global pandemic. Obviously this is tragic, people are losing their jobs, and many are losing their lives. I thank, from the bottom of my heart, all of those people on the front lines of this pandemic, from the healthcare workers to the grocery clerks, who risk their own health to help others -- admirable traits, and I wish you nothing but health. But I’ve also been thinking about those of us locked down and isolated at our homes. I live in an area with some land, we have about 4 acres, I have my kids home with me, my wife -- I’m surrounded by my people. We have computers, TV, internet, food, phones, a ping pong table, stable jobs (for now) a huge garden. We have nothing to complain about. Others aren’t so lucky. This for them is far more challenging. They live in small apartments, they don’t have access to the internet, they are all alone. This to them can be torture. Empathy, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and understanding their plight, is really important right now. I got my first job in Atlanta at 21, had never been there before, didn’t know anyone, and had a crappy apartment. Like, really crappy. I couldn’t imagine being locked in place at that time. I would have gone nuts.Even later in my 20’s moved in with my future wife, just the two of us in another crappy apartment in Seattle -- Fremont to be specific. All these super cool things just outside our door within walking distance, but instead we could have been trapped inside. I’m not sure we’d be married now if that happened. I look at my situation now and say, not so bad. But I can also realize that so many of you are in a situation that makes this hard and uncomfortable and your motivating thoughts of “I’m going to learn new things and catch up on good books” may have drifted off by week 6 of this situation.I’ve also been thinking about personality differences and how they can influence how someone is handling this situation. An extrovert is likely really having a hard time right now, trying to have game night on zoom, or facetime with friends… the quiet moments are likely crushing their spirit. Introverts, on the other hand, largely get their energy from inside themselves and selected interactions with people are likely handling this with grace. Some people may not have even realized who they were until these moments. You might not have realized just how much of an extrovert you were until it was taken away! If you are feeling right now this deep desire to be around other people...maybe you are more extroverted -- for you this is hell. But if you are Ok with this scenario, and surprised at how well you are handling this unexpected change, maybe you are more introverted than you realized prior. This is good, this is a positive for everyone because the more you understand yourself and how you tick, the more you can set yourself up for success. Today’s guest is a self-identified extrovert, she loves large passionate, screaming groups of sports fans… and that love serves her well in her role as Director of Marketing for Lenoir Rhyne Athletics. Just a few years removed from her undergrad, Leah Clayton has carved out quite a path for herself and she’s here to tell us all about it… and get some of that extrovert energy out!Here’s Leah Clayton!Questions for Lenoir-Rhyne Director of Marketing Leah Clayton1: Before we get into sports marketing in athletics, and your life and role at Lenoir-Rhyne – let's go back to your beginning a bit -- why college sports and why marketing? How did you discover this career fit for yourself?

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