Episode #120

Athlete: Christine Monjer

“Becoming President: Christine Monjer, President of the Los Angeles Sparks”

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Christine Monjer I left the ACEs, I got divorced, and my dad died in the span of seven months. And to come out of that expecting to be the same person is impossible, and so I gave myself the space.

Stef Welcome to the Voice in Sport Podcast's new exclusive series, Becoming President, where we are bringing you more visibility to the challenges and opportunities the top women in sports face while earning their way to the president's office. This new series will showcase the paths of several presidents across the sports industry and how each one is uniquely different. In this episode, we are excited to speak with Christine Monjer, president of the LA Sparks.

Christine Monjer I sort of feel like my life is a testimony. Because so many people see this like linear trajectory and they see this linear path. And I'm like, but it's not. And that's okay.

Stef In this episode, we explore the journey of a woman who began her career in retail, transitioned to marketing manager at Quaker Oats, rose to become the director of marketing at MGM Resorts Internationally, and ultimately landed the role of the president of the LA Sparks. From the start of her career, Christine recognized the importance of loving the work she did. She also emphasizes that there are countless paths into the sports industry. For her, it was the transferable skills she gained from her diverse experiences that uniquely propelled her forward.

Christine Monjer I didn't start in ticket sales. I didn't start in partnerships, but what you see is the through line of I'm a business person. And my industries have been interchangeable, but my experience has been transferable, and I think that's really powerful.

Stef Christine's experience in highly collaborative environments taught her the importance of building strong, positive relationships.

Christine Monjer People are going to people. And it's really important to know how to create and manage and  drive really positive working relationships. 

Stef And whether as students, athletes, or professionals, sometimes taking a break or a step back can feel like a setback, but Christine shows how it can help us grow into better versions of ourselves.

Christine Monjer I couldn't be the leader I am today and I wouldn't be able to do the things I'm doing today and I wouldn't be able to show up for the task at hand if I hadn't given myself that room to feel. 

Stef Before we get started, if you love this podcast, please leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts and Spotify. And don't forget to sign up at voiceinsport.com. If you are a young woman in sport.

Welcome to the Voice in Sport Podcast, Christine. We're so excited to have you here with us today.

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Christine Monjer Thank you so much, Stef. I'm really excited to be here with you today.

Stef Well, the new podcast series, Becoming President, is all about trying to understand the path that women like you took in order to get to the positions that you're in today.

So we're breaking down everyone's career journey into five chapters. So let's begin to understand your first chapter coming out of school, chapter one.

Christine Monjer Okay, chapter one. The setting is Miami, Florida. The year is 2006. I just graduated from the University of Miami with a business degree. And the title is ‘For the Love of Retail.’

I worked at Coach and Louis Vuitton in high school, and it was one of my favorite things that I did outside of dance and cheer. And it taught me customer service. It taught me product. It taught me assortment. So I always knew that I wanted to do something in that space. I didn't quite know what that was.

My dad was an accountant. My mom is a pre-K teacher. I didn't have a lot of experience in corporate America. My family's from South America, so I hadn't really seen a lot of like what that looks like in the U.S. And so, coming out of school, I joined Macy's that had a retail leadership development program. So I joined that as an assistant buyer. I think the exact term was assistant assistant buyer level one, and the department was bridge jewelry. And that's basically the jewelry that bridges the gap between fine and fashion. And at Macy's, I learned, I mean, data, number one. I learned how to read data and sell-throughs and spreadsheets and Excel.

And I learned the dynamic of showing up to a meeting and talking to people and having to have Monday morning recaps and trying to understand just how to deliver the information they wanted at the time frame they needed. I did the Macy's job for a bit. I also worked for United Colors of Benetton, which is really interesting. They're based out of Treviso, Italy. And so I speak Spanish, it's my 1st language. They spoke to me in Italian. I replied in Spanish. So that made for a really interesting dynamic, but there I learned much more about private labels. I learned about different product assortments, at the time Benetton had a hundred stores throughout the country.

I did a ton of travel. So I got to see a lot of the U.S. which was really special. I got to go overseas. I think the key learning in that part of my life was really how important it is for me to love what I'm doing. And in that time chapter, it was, I loved the product and I loved going to the store and watching a woman pick up that pair of shoes or pick up that earring or pick up that thing that we had selected and to see the joy it brought her.

It was small, but it was meaningful to me. And I realized that that was going to be something that I needed to, it needed to be a through line throughout everything I did in my career.

Stef What a great experience. I mean, retail, I mean, we have this in common with each other, with our backgrounds, but it can be a grind, but you have to know the data and you have to know the numbers and it gets you so focused on like your actions and the results that you can get from it. So what an incredible way to start your journey.

Christine Monjer It was interesting. So as I think about chapter two, which is this becoming a brand builder in my Pepsi years, I transitioned from, you know, being in the workforce to getting a full time MBA. So I went back to school after about six years, got an MBA up at Cornell.

It was a big culture shock. I'm a Miami girl living in upstate New York. So there was that component to that era. Honestly, I've never felt more dumb if I'm being transparent, I've never felt more challenged, but it was incredibly rewarding. And it's probably one of the best decisions I've ever made. In that time, I realized my skillset was actually really desirable because I had owned a profit and loss statement, a PNL, and I owned a PNL.

I had a brand point of view. I had a consumer point of view, and suddenly the CPGs were really interested in me, the consumer packages company. So I decided I wanted to go CPG. I thought it would be the most incredible training ground, which it was. I chose to go PepsiCo because I wanted to work on products I cared about and specifically requested their Chicago office, which was North American nutrition at the time, Quaker Oats, Gatorade, and Tropicana, and I was on the Quaker Oats brand.

I mean, that experience was incredible. I was originally placed on the activation team, which I had no idea what that word even meant. They had never placed an MBA hire on that team. So they also didn't know what to do with me. I worked on two Super Bowls. We were the Chicago Fire Jersey partner. So it was my first taste of sports.

At the time. I didn't know how important it was going to be to have that experience, but I was just happy to be there and happy to be learning. I eventually moved on to what's called the base business, which is managing an entire P&L. I was on the hot cereal category, billion dollar P&L. I did short term innovation, long term innovation, product renovation.

My team had media within it, so I saw the ad campaigns. We did commercial spots. It was an incredibly rewarding experience. I truthfully would have stayed longer if I could have. Life was lifing and I got engaged at the time and I was getting married and life was taking me to Las Vegas pretty soon. So I look at the Pepsi years really fondly.

I'm a huge fan of going to big organizations. You know, we talked data in chapter one, boy, data in chapter two was everything. I can tell you if a medium user of oatmeal, bought one more carton, I knew what that was going to do to the bottom line, and it was really powerful and it gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities to understand a business, to assess a business, especially when it's at that scale.

You know, it was like turning the Titanic. We were fighting for one point of market share, and that was an entire year's worth of strategy. So being a part of Fortune 50 in that case was just really rewarding. And I would say the key learning there is know your numbers cold. Know your business. The staff here at the Sparks hear me preach it, but know your numbers cold is a value. We got to know our business. And if we don't know it, how do we expect others to?

Stef And sometimes there's misconceptions around brand people that like, it's not a focus or you don't know numbers, you know, like there's definitely that. So I love that you're so focused on the numbers and there's such an art and science to being in those positions.

Christine Monjer You have to be open, right? Because it's art and science. So there's this gut instinct that you have, right, but then in some cases, you're looking for the data to validate your gut or you're looking for the data to challenge you. It's a hypothesis. It's like, okay, well, I believe this to be true. Is this going to either prove it or deny it?

And I think that rigor of thinking that ability to just to be present with what you're doing and to make sure you're making a really sound decision is something I've carried with me for, you know, the last 10 years.

Stef So to give our listeners just some ideas of what these types of roles are called that you had in this chapter. So you are right out of your MBA school or your MBA and what are the specific job titles? Did you land and were they like what you were expecting once you invested in yourself to go to to get your MBA?

Christine Monjer Yeah. So typically when you're coming out of school, depending on the type of CPG, the role is either a brand manager or a marketing manager and then depending on their hierarchy, it's either an associate or a marketing manager.

So at PepsiCo post-MBA, I was an associate marketing manager. And I was promoted after that. And, you know, it sort of depends on what team you land on, but working in a, what I would call a highly matrixed organization, right, where my role doesn't move forward if R&D isn't moving forward, if innovation isn't moving forward, also really taught me how to work with people.

And people are everything. And whether it's a team on the court, a team working on selling oatmeal, people are going to people. And it's really important to know how to create and manage and drive really positive working relationships. And I feel like PepsiCo really helped me do that. 

You know, I was a 29-year-old kid telling an R&D food scientist who had been doing his or her job for 30 years that we needed to reformulate maple brown sugar, like the confidence that like you have to have and what you're talking about to go tell these individuals who are experts in their craft. And it's a message that you have to relay and you have to kind of massage and you have to make sure everybody's on board. And so that role really taught me that. And it's an invaluable skill, truly.

Stef Well, you were selling oatmeal while I was selling sneakers.

Christine Monjer Love that for us.

Stef We were both in the product zone, but I love that the P the PNL part is really important because to be a CEO, you need to have some experience in PNL.

And as you think about your different moves in your career. Each function can give you a slice of that P&L that you then become a master of. And the more experience that you get, whether that's in brand ownership of your P&L or the full P&L or learning how to actually manage everything, it's an incredibly important skill set to have and a requirement to have as you go for those big roles.

Christine Monjer Absolutely. And I would call it a transferable skill, right? Cause I think sometimes, you know, I, I'm not a traditional, you know, path in sports, I didn't start in ticket sales. I didn't start in partnerships, but what you see is the through line of I'm a business person and my industries have been interchangeable, but my experience has been transferable and I think that's really powerful.

Stef Okay, so we go from oatmeal to Las Vegas. Let's go to the next chapter.

Christine Monjer We're calling that one what happens in Vegas. And so I moved to Vegas. I was getting married. I've since gotten divorced, but I was getting married and my ex-husband is in sports betting. You can only do that at that time in Las Vegas.

I joined MGM resorts. They're not quite sure what they want to do with me, but they know that they want me to be on the sports and entertainment team. And the ask was if we're going to move away from being a gaming company and become an entertainment company, and we're going to make these big investments in resident acts like a Bruno Mars, a Lady Gaga, what would it look like to market those shows?

So I did this big project, figured out what that entertainment team would look like. It took me a few months. I proposed it was the week of my wedding, actually. So talk about timing. I proposed this plan and they asked me to interview to lead the team. So I was promoted. I became the executive director of marketing for MGM resorts.

It was an incredible role, a very important role, I think, because we had every piece of content that went through those MGM doors was my team. So three major verticals, all the touring shows, it was all the resident acts, and then festivals, sporting events, boxing, basketball, PAC-12, Mayweather. I mean, it was anything and everything that went through those doors.

That chapter was really interesting because now I'm operating in a world that's unfamiliar to me, right? It's the casino industry. It's gaming. I'm pivoting into entertainment. There's a lot of entertaining that happens at nights. I'm kind of a homebody. So I'm adjusting. I'm sort of learning. I'm also in a new life phase, right?

And then October 17th of 2017, my life forever changes when MGM Resorts announces that they've purchased the San Antonio Stars, which eventually became the Las Vegas Aces. And it was the joy and the privilege of a lifetime to get to launch and lead that team. I got to work on everything from brand identity, uniform, court, community, I hired the majority of that staff, and I got to know Bill Lambeer really well, who was the president and coach at the time of the Aces. And in that process, he saw me, and he is, to me, a really great example of a champion and an advocate. And Bill pulled me aside and said, you know, you really seem to come alive when you're doing this work. Would you like to do this full-time?

Because, you know, sometimes in your career, you have the quote, privilege of doing two jobs at the same time. Quote for anyone who can't see that. Yeah. Privilege air quotes. So I did that for a bit and I was burnt out and tired and the pictures on the internet are proof of that. I said, yes, I said yes to what became, you know, the, this journey that I'm on today.

It was incredible. I saw so much with that team. I went into the bubble with the Aces. I lived in the bubble for, I think it was like 71, 75 days, something like that. And then, you know, life started to life. And I went through the COVID year. I was separating from my now ex-husband. My dad had some health stuff popping up and it felt like the right time for me to pivot. I didn't know what that pivot was, but I knew I needed something. It's something that I've gotten more comfortable with which will take us right into chapter four, but I've always been an achiever. And I've always been someone who, you know, I needed to have the straight As, and I need to go to the great school, and I needed to get the scholarship, and I needed to do the thing and all this kind of, you know, you have to be so type A.

And as my journey sort of went on, I started to realize that, like, it's not always the case and like life is going to life sometimes and things are going to get gray. And you know, my life got really grey at that time. So I left the Aces, and I knew I just needed a break. I intended to take a break. And so we'll start chapter four, which is embracing the squiggly line.

And my squiggly line actually took me to Gotham FC. I started consulting. And so I went to Gotham FC in the NWSL, I spent some time in New York. And in that window of time, my dad got sick and my dad was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer. I am, you know, raised in the U. S., but my dad was Cuban, mom Venezuelan. I don't have siblings. And family's everything in Latin culture, and family's everything for me. And so, you know, a full-time role was on the table. My dad gets diagnosed with multiple myeloma. It's the fall of 2021 and I'm like, you know what, I'm going to take this sabbatical year. I'm going to spend time in Miami and we're going to make this thing work.

And, my dad died in February of 2022, which was a pretty life-changing moment for me. I left the Aces, I got divorced and my dad died in the span of seven months. And to come out of that, expecting to be the same person is impossible. And so I gave myself the space. I gave myself a year, honestly, a little longer.

If you told Christine 10, 15 years ago that she would have taken a break like that in the middle of like her career, I would have never believed it. I would have said it was, you know, you're killing your career. You're killing your opportunity to be a team president. Like, what are you doing? But it really taught me how important it is to listen to yourself and to do the work, right?

I'm a huge advocate of mental health. I did a lot of therapy. I did a lot of healing. I did a lot of just like the journey, right? And it has made me the most authentic version of me. I can't like preach enough how important it is to get to know yourself and to hear. I have a really dear friend who says if you don't listen to the whispers, you'll be forced to listen to the screams.

And I listened to those whispers and I was able to, to say, you know, I got to take some time here. So I did, I took the time. And then last year I got a phone call to join the LA Sparks as a consultant. And so I said yes to that opportunity. And it reminded me how much I love the W. It reminded me that the passion wasn't gone. It reminded me, honestly, that it was okay to feel joy again, right? After a deep period of grief and mourning, it was okay to be happy and to just enjoy where I was at. And so I did that for the summer. I did it right into the fall, decided to take another little break in the fall. And I got an opportunity.

I met someone really brilliant. That was part of a USL Soccer club in Birmingham, Alabama, a very unlikely place. And I started the year in Birmingham. They needed some help. I liked the people I was working with. I thought I could make an impact. And then in February of 2024, I got the phone call that takes us to chapter five.

Stef That's a lot of change in a pretty short amount of time. And while nobody's Journey is the same. We all do face heartache, personal things. Not always the heartache is related to the job we don't get or the failure we have at work, but potentially things on the side. For you, that was a lot of personal things.

So what advice do you have for others, especially, you know, young women in their career that might come into a space, not, not saying similar as to yours, but a personal situation happens and they're in this space of trying to figure out, well, it's my career and I am ambitious and I don't want to let this go.

And, I have these other things I care about. I know that moment must have been really hard for you, and it sounds like multiple moments. Yeah. So, how now, after you've had some time to reflect, would you advise other young girls out there?

Christine Monjer I'll start by saying I hate change. I'm a Taurus, if that means anything to anyone that's into astrology, we hate change. I'm kind of stubborn, I'm kind of fixed in my way, so I hate change. I think what it taught me truly was the act of being present. It was of no use for me to worry in January of 2022 what was to come a year from now if I made the decision to leave the job and to not take a new job. And it was getting really quiet and getting really still and listening to myself and asking myself, you know, what serves me right now?

I did have the financial flexibility where I was able to take the time off, but it was required. I didn't have it in me. So I think it's being able to understand and recognize within yourself. If you're in a spot where are you showing up at your, at your best? Are you showing up as your best self? Because if you're not, Then you're going to just do a job that you're not proud of.

You know, like I say that a lot here. I'm like, are we doing work? We're proud of because sometimes we overcomplicate things and make it this really big thing and it's all these things. And Oh my God, it's overwhelming. And it's like, just let's do the right thing and do work we're proud of. So I would say that it's, and it sounds kind of cliche, but it's a get to know yourself, you know, what you need best, I needed rest.

I couldn't be the leader I am today and I wouldn't be able to do the things I'm doing today and I wouldn't be able to show up for the task at hand if I hadn't given myself that room to feel your feelings. It's okay to be sad or whatever that, you know, that moment is in time that you're going through. It's okay to feel those feelings. And to the extent that you have safety with your direct supervisor or somebody at work where you're able to disclose, if you're not able to bring your whole self to work and that's something that you need, And maybe it's not the right environment for you and maybe that's the beginning of that self-reflection of maybe I'm just not in a space that serves me or that serves me today.

I've had that a couple of times in my career and in my personal life, but it's hard. I'm not going to sit here and say, it's like amazing. And then you get through it. It's incredible. No, it's in the moment. It sucks. And honestly, when I was in my deep periods of grief, like the most helpful thing that my friends did was when they held that space for me and they were like, this is bad.

So it's like, yes, thank you for acknowledging that. I don't need to be told it gets better. I got it. It will eventually, but today it sucks and let it just suck and hold my hand through it and like, let's go get ice cream.

Stef Well, thank you for sharing that because I think the space and time that you create for yourself, we talk a lot about on our podcast, but with athletes, you know, we talk a lot about mental health with athletes and on our platform. We have over 100 sports psychologists and registered dietitians, right? Because we think about holistically, how do we support people, women athletes, and it really is holistic. And we often forget that when we think about them, our careers outside or off the court, you have to do the same thing. It just becomes a lot harder because there's, you know, there's a lot of pressure, especially when you're a woman in a leadership position and it's hard sometimes to get there.

And so then you feel like, Oh, I can't, if I leave, am I losing my spot that I'm never going to get back? Or that I fought so hard to get. But you're a great example of somebody who left and now you are the president of the LA Sparks.

Christine Monjer What a segue. Chapter 5. ‘Exactly Where You're Supposed to be.’ And I really believe that. I believe it. I have felt it in my body. I have felt it in my emotional state. I have felt it in everything I'm doing. And today I have the privilege of leading this organization from a place of authenticity, from a place of confidence, like I know what I got to do. I've done it before. I'm going to do it again.

And I'm going to do it in a different setting and in a different time because I'm part of the group. That, you know, I'm not an OG-OG but like, you know, it was 2017. So seven years ago now, and we were still fighting for people to recognize what the WNBA was. Right. I would wear my ACEs logo and my hoodie at Whole Foods.

And people would be like, is that the minor league baseball team? And I'd be like, it's actually, no, it's not, not at all. You know, and then I get to come to a franchise that has three championships, history, legacy, story, passion. And so, whereas my previous life, you know, I was brand-building from a place of a blank slate, a white space.

Here, I'm brand building from a place of repositioning a brand, a brand that has been beloved, you know, you could argue has maybe lost some of its luster, has lost some of its way, and now it's like, okay, well, the time is now, the day is now, let's, let's go. And so I feel like, had I not taken the squiggly line, I don't know that I would be here.

And there were really dark days during the squiggly line where I just didn't think it was going to come, but what's for you won't miss you. And when you are feeling at your best, you show up well and you show up for others. And I'm just, I can see the staff outside of my doors and they're, six of them are sitting at these tables, collaborating and working and excited and sharing. And some are wearing Sparks gear and it's just, it's a good spot to be. They can feel my energy and I can share that back to them. So, exactly where you're supposed to be. It does happen and enjoy it while you're there, like just be present.

Stef So when you reflect back on, you are one of the few women who have been in two of these leadership positions in two different teams across the league at two different times. So I'm sure a lot of people will want to know and listen to this answer. What exactly are you doing differently that when you reflect back on those years in Vegas? Obviously, different time, different position, different, I guess, mandate that you had in your position. Is there something that you're really doing differently that you think is important for other women leaders out there to do as they're thinking about running a sports company, running a sports league and a brand?

Christine Monjer The honest answer Stef is like, I'm different. So a lot of the transferable skills are the same. I know how to run a PNL. I did it for a billion dollars. I can do it for a smaller one. Right? So a lot of those skills remain the same, I think, because I'm showing up differently, the results will obviously be different.

The city is different. The time is so very different. I don't know that I have an exact answer to that question in that way, but I think it's more so, we have this beautiful franchise with legacy and history and story. Okay, so preserve the best of, like take that, right? Whereas in Vegas, I didn't have anything. We were making it up. We were, we taught, I remember one of our first games in 2018, and I looked over at one of my colleagues and I was like, it's like a library in here. Like, no one's cheering. Like, what are we doing? And it was because no one knew the traditions. No one knew the chants. No one knew what to do and now, you know, I was watching one of the semifinal games, and I hear the crowd going to shots when they're shooting free throws.

I'm like, we taught them that. And so I think there's a really cool space here in LA where we get to take the best of. And then we also get to reintroduce and there's a whole new group of people that have come into our fan base. I mean, our season ticket numbers were up 25 percent last season. We're fourth in attendance in the league. Like we have so many newcomers coming in. We almost get to co-create this new version of the Sparks together with our fans. So I'm different. Context is different, but the business fundamentals remain the same for me. 

Stef So when you take a look back on these, like, five chapters that you've explained to us today, if you had to think about what was the toughest thing, the biggest challenge that you had along the way, what was that challenge and how can that teach, you know, the other young professional women out there something to think about as they head up the ladder themselves?

Christine Monjer I would say it's It's having confidence in your abilities and knowing you belong. So I went from buying and selling apparel, jewelry, shoes, et cetera, to working in oatmeal, to working in entertainment, to working in sports. And there's a lot of times where you walk into a room and you, you, you don't If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will.

And so I think it's making sure that you remind yourself I belong. When I went to business school, I struggled with imposter syndrome because you look around at everyone and you're like, Oh my God, everyone is so brilliant. Everyone is so smart. What did I even do? Did I do anything? Like what it's happening to me. And I think it's really just reminding yourself, like you've put it, do the work, right? Like put in the work. Be confident in your abilities. Anytime that self talk, that negative voice comes in, it's just, it's reminding yourself, no, I deserve to be here.

And even if someone's going to make some comment that makes you feel less than or like you don't belong, you know, you do and you will be taken seriously and do great work and work you're proud of and show up as your authentic self and people will, people, it will resonate. It will land.

Stef After this incredible journey and the many ups and downs that you've had, both professionally, you know, and personally, would you describe your leadership style as something that you were born with or that you developed over time?

Christine Monjer Developed over time. I think a lot of the characteristics have remained the same, but given my personal life shifts, I have shifted. Like, Bill Ambeer used to tell me that I was hard. And if you know anything about Bill Ambeer, he was on the Detroit Pistons in the 90s and was part of a group called the Bad Boys, and he was rough.

And he's 6'10 I'm 5'3 and for him to call me hard was just like, huh, what does he mean? And so I really listened to what that meant and how he viewed that and how I was showing up. And so now it's funny. The other day I was told I was too soft, so it seems perhaps like pivoted too much, but really I think it's been, as I've gained experience, I've had to manage people who were.

You know, at this point, 15 years my junior, I've had to manage people who are 15 years my senior. And so people with far more experience, people with far less, and I think I've learned over the years how to adapt. And so I can meet them where they are and what they need. And so I think it's very much for me, like an adaptation over time. Yeah, probably exhibited leadership qualities in high school and in cheer and all that stuff. But I think it's really, the experience.

Stef It's so funny that you got called hard by an older man.

Christine Monjer I think you said I was a hard ass. I can't remember. There was a, there was a whole thing.

Stef I remember distinctly being called by an older man at Nike a bulldog.

Christine Monjer And I've been called a pit bull.

Stef You know, and some, and some of it I'm like, is that a compliment or is that a dig? Because I'm a woman and I'm ambitious and I'm, you know, getting stuff done. What is really behind a comment like that? And are you saying those comments to, to your male leaders that are walking in the door?

Christine Monjer I can tell you, I can tell you, Bill. Yes. And he meant it, he really is my advocate and my champion. And he meant it in a way of like, it's actually really profound. He was just like, you're expecting everyone to operate at a hundred percent and at excellence. Cause you'd expect that of yourself. And he was like, leave room for role players, like leave, allow people to be who they are today.

Yes. Drive for excellence, but my goodness, you're going to wear people out if you don't let enough be enough. And so it was actually really thoughtful and really profound. And I, I really cherish the time that I got to spend with him. We were a funny little duo, but he was. He really showed me what it feels like when someone supports you and speaks your name in rooms that you're not in, and I was really lucky to have that.

Stef That's something that's not talked enough about, being a woman in a big company or in a leadership position is your advocates that you have. And we don't always need mentors, you know, at VIS we are all about mentoring. That is our platform. We're mentoring young girls. But, when it comes to women in leadership positions, sometimes what we need is sponsorship and advocacy.

And you can get those from incredible people in your organization, and it doesn't always have to be a woman. It can be men that are advocating for you, and that's something that I learned later in my career, but I wish I would have, you know, sought out sooner.

Christine Monjer Me too. I think that's one of the things I, as I reflect, it's like, when someone asks you if you want to grab coffee, say yes. Right. If someone's like, Hey, should we grab lunch? Even if they're not in your direct vertical or department or business, or you don't understand how it can help you. Not everything has to be so transactional, get to know the person, right. And maybe eventually you rotate onto their team or they need something someday.

And that phone call is what facilitates a product or a project moving forward. And it's really just saying yes and staying open. And, I don't know. It's the human aspect of it, which I feel like we lose a lot in corporate America.

Stef I 100% agree. I think that like at Nike, we used to call them informational interviews and sometimes they did get a little out of hand and it became, you know, your whole day was filled with coffees with other people.

But, you know, so you got to watch the line there, but I do think it's really important. And, you know, ultimately like VIS, we're trying to connect people to mentors, to people who will help them in their journey. That's, you know, bringing in the WNBA here. That's why we're doing this. We're so proud of the WNBA partnership through that partnership.

We're onboarding 50,000 girls to get mentored by the professional players in the WNBA, and that includes the LA Sparks, you know, it's really, really amazing because we know the power of having people in your corner and having somebody that, you know, you can speak to. So I want to give you the opportunity to kind of go back and provide some mentorship, if you will, to yourself in certain moments of your career, thinking about sort of the bigger VIS community of young women out there.

I'm sure you wished you would have had some more advice along the way. And so let's take a little journey down some mentorship advice for different points in your career. I'm ready. So the first, the first one is college. So if you could give yourself, you know, one piece of advice or something that you wished you would have known when you were in college, what would it be?

Christine Monjer I had one that was prepared, but I'm going to call an audible. I would say it's to really figure out what you want to study, like, it's okay if you go down one path and then you realize a semester in that's not at all it. Don't feel like you're committed. Like, don't feel like you've got to stick to that one thing if it's no longer resonating.

When I started at UM, I think it was international finance and marketing. What am I doing? No, that wasn't it. Then I thought accounting because of my dad and then finally I landed on, wait, no, I just like business. And I also really like entrepreneurship, and I'm gonna double major here, and that's okay. And so I would say it's just like, being open to exploring, staying curious, and also recognizing when you know something about yourself, allow yourself to know it, and know it fully, and move in the direction that feels right.

Stef Such good advice. I changed my major three times within the first year and a half, but I was dead set on being a sports medicine doctor. And then I was like, wait a minute, I don't actually enjoy organic chemistry. Like, why am I putting myself through this? What am I doing? But you're gonna love this. 

Then I decided, oh, computer science. I'm going to be a programmer. And you know, cause at this time that was the thing to do and I was good with numbers. So I'm like, I'll do this. I spent the first semester, that semester, which was my second, like a second semester, I think in college, just coding in my room. I was on the soccer team. And then the rest of the time I sat behind my computer making like a snowman wave. And then I took a business class and I'm like, Oh, this all makes sense. Like this is what I'm doing.

Christine Monjer You're like, I've arrived. This is it.

Stef But had I been too stuck on what I thought I wanted to do or what I thought someone else thought I should do I mean I had talked about it for you know, 15 years as a young kid.

That's what I'm gonna be You know when your parents ask you what are you gonna be? Yeah, I was like, I'm gonna be a sports medicine doctor

Christine Monjer Oh funny. I was gonna be a lawyer And if you ask like my friends and even my ex-husband, he'll be like you would have been a really good lawyer I'm like, I know is it too late?

Stef Hey never too late

Christine Monjer No, we're too late.

Stef You know, you could definitely go into some good practice some good skills with all the experiences that you've had. 

Christine Monjer Yes. 

Stef Part two is internship. Think about like first internship, you're heading into your first internship. What piece of advice would you give yourself?

Christine Monjer So I did not intern in undergrad because I worked at my dad's business, but I interned coming out of business school. So a little bit older, but I think the advice applies and that's. Whatever that window of time is, right? Eight weeks, 10 weeks, whatever your internship is. You want to do a great job and you want to do a kick-ass presentation, whatever you're asked to do.

But also remember you're evaluating if this place is somewhere you want to be. It's not just about them evaluating you. And I think that gets lost sometimes. I think we're so busy trying to put on this perfect persona. It is, am I what they want to hire that we forget? Like, wait, do I even want to work there?

And so I think, just remembering that that's a window of time in which you get to see. I always used to ask questions about the lunchtime culture. Like, does everyone eat at their desk? Do people go out to lunch together? Do they order in lunch? Do people eat as a team? And like, that was important to me.

So like, I wanted to witness that because that's your day-to-day. This was back when we were a five-day in the office culture, which was, you know, yesterday, but yeah, I would say just remembering, like, you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you, and now you have eight, ten, twelve weeks to actually see that in action. Like, what a rich experience to make such a really sound decision.

Stef I love that advice. We had, um, also Keia Clark on the episode of Becoming President, and she called it a tryout, you know, and I'm like, yeah, that's, that's good, you know, it's a tryout for both sides. That's a great extension on her on her comment.

Okay, let's fast forward to your first job So whether you don't go to business school or not or you go into your first job full-time job. What's your piece of advice?

Christine Monjer Pay attention. So what I mean by that is just observe the culture, observe how information is shared, observe how decisions are made. Just be observant and be curious.

I remember I was asked at the printer by someone who was a DMM, a divisional merchandise manager, and she said, how are things? And I didn't understand that it was like a two sided question. She wanted to know how I was, but she also was expecting me to drop some information nuggets about my business so I could show her that I had a handle on it.

I missed it. I was like, it was great. I had a great weekend. And I gave her all like the personal anecdotes. And then one of my dear friends later was like, Oh, you missed the mark there. And I was like, Oh, touché. But had I been a little bit more observant, I think I would have seen, okay, a lot of information sharing happens in casual conversations.

A lot of how people get placed into new roles is relationships they've made through those lunches, those coffees, et cetera. And so just staying observant. Understanding like the dynamic of the organization and just paying attention to how people show up and that way you can figure out. Okay. Well, does that resonate with me? Does it not? I want to go this path, not that path. But yeah, be observant.

Stef Okay. First time managing a team. It comes to people at different times in their career. I don't know if you can remember back how many years you were in, you know, the workforce before you started to manage your first team, but what piece of advice would you give the girls on this one?

Christine Monjer Oh, my first big team experience was at MGM resorts. So that was what, eight, seven, eight years ago. And it was a pretty big team and I would say it's, It's know how you want to show up and remember that like everyone is watching and not in a negative way. I mean that in a really positive way. So I'm a very consistent leader.

I'm a very consistent human. I'm very fair. I'm very empathetic. And so knowing that that's how I wanted to show up, I was modeling the behavior that my team was looking at and saying, Oh, wait a second. That's how she's showing up for us. We want to show up that way for her and for others. And so it's just, it's not to put pressure on. There's already enough pressure, right? That society's like, you're the leader of a team, but it's just remembering, like, your actions matter because they're looking to you for inspiration, for advice, for support. And so if you're going to show up in the mornings and be a grumpy cat, like they might be a grumpy cat back to you.

So don't do that. So it's just understanding. What you mean to them. And it's not as serious as we make it, right? It's not as serious. Like you have to be the perfect leader that does all these perfect things. Like just show up as your best self, but just remember like your modeling behavior that you're showing is what you modeled back. At least that's how I view leadership.

Stef Final piece, final mentoring tip is really about your day one of becoming president.

Christine Monjer Stay present. I allowed myself to feel a lot of joy. It was less about like, here's my notepad and here's all the things I want to do. And here we go. And it was more about, okay, I'm here. A lot of them already knew me and we're going to do some really meaningful work together. I can't do it alone. I need you. I'm happy you're here. And let's chat. Let's get to know each other. Let's read, let's relearn like who we are, right? Cause they knew me from the Aces and they knew me as a consultant capacity here.

And so it's really that it's be present, experience the joy. If I've learned anything in these last four really challenging personal years, it's like the ability to hold multiple emotions, right? There can be excitement, there can be some nervousness and there can also just be like straight joy. And so, yeah, on that first day, Better soak it all up. Wear a killer outfit that makes you feel bold and confident and strong. Be prepared, as prepared as you want to be. I, you know, I addressed the staff. I had a couple points I wanted to share. And other than that, you earned it. So celebrate it. Be present.

Stef Wait, so no, just sitting in the office, heels up to being like, Hey,

Christine Monjer No, that wasn't that day. I'll do that other days. Different day.

Stef Amazing. Okay. Kind of reflecting back on your five chapters, you know, was there any moment that wasn't linear? Do you have one that, or was it all like this for you?

Christine Monjer I mean, that year and a half that I didn't work, I mean, that was really trying on my self-esteem, on my psyche, on all of it. So that's what I was going to reference. But something really profound happens when you have to confront the thing you're most scared of. It's really that, like, I sort of feel like my life is a testimony. Because so many people see this like linear trajectory and they see this linear path. And I'm like, but it's not. And that's okay. And if someone could have told it, it's going to make me tear up 21 year old Christine, that that was okay. My God, what a relief that would have been. But like, nobody told her. So like, I want to tell her it's okay. Let it be a squiggly line. You'll be fine.

Stef I love that. That literally is the point of this podcast. Part of the series is about really shining light on the various paths, really, to becoming president. And we know it's not linear. Everyone's path is not the same. And so when you reflect back on your path and the chapters that you described, how would you describe your path to presidency?

Christine Monjer I would use a phrase I think I've used already today, which is ‘meet the moment.’ I think no matter what the job was, what the industry was, uh, whether it was business school, the internship coming out of it, it has just been meeting the moment. So recognizing when it called for, you know, I had to become a data nerd and learn how to do all sorts of data analysis. And then I get to Vegas and now I'm entertaining agents at dinner and I didn't want to do that, but, you know, it was good for me. I learned how a lot of business gets done in the entertainment space and, you know, bringing the Aces to life that, that took a level of discipline that I actually didn't really know I had, to be honest. And so I think it's the ability to meet the moment. It's the ability to see what's in front of you, take a really complex task, break it down and just get after it.

Stef I love that and so I guess as you reflect back, what was the moment where you felt like it wasn't linear for you in terms of your upward trajectory of a career? And then like, what did you take from that moment?

Christine Monjer I would call it less a moment and more a 18 month cycle. It was really the choice to pause my career so I could tend to my personal life. And then meeting, you know, my greatest fear, which was losing one of my parents, specifically my dad. And so I think it was being again, it's like this meeting the moment, right? Being present with what is not longing for what used to be or pining for what's to come, but being present and just allowing yourself to do what needs to get done.

My dad was an accountant. He died right before tax season opened. His clients had been with him on average, 35 years. I had a choice to make. Do I close this business or do I sell it? I decided to sell it. I decided to close it. To pay my respects to his legacy and to honor him by doing that. I had one of my colleagues is actually in the league, and when he hears this, he'll laugh, cause he’ll know he said it, but he was like, what business do you have selling an accounting practice? And I was like, I don't know, but I'm going to figure it out. And so it's in that squiggly line that I was reminded of, okay,  I can do hard things. This is temporary.

Also, right, reminding yourself nothing lasts forever, neither the good nor the bad, right? So just experience them when they're here because know that it won't last. And I think really that moment was when I realized it's not even about being linear or not. It was just like the path paused. And a pause is okay. A pause was required and a pause was necessary. And without that pause, I don't show up the way I show up today. So let that be okay.

Stef Well, you are around a lot of incredible women right now, not just in the front office, but also on the court. So professional athletes are part of your every day. So as they listen to this podcast and think about maybe what their next role is going to be or how they're going to transition from being a professional athlete in the league to potentially in the front office, what would be your piece of advice for them? Like now as their players, but when they start to really think about transitioning.

Christine Monjer I would say start to get really curious about what the inner workings of your organization and franchise are so you could figure out what, what are you actually interested in? Like, you know, some players might be really interested in community efforts and in getting out there and taking the franchise's mission and bringing it to life via, you know, community pillars like health and wellness, education, youth basketball.

Others might be like, you know, I have a knack for partnership, like branded content. Like I think I'd like to be in a partnership department. I don't know that anyone's going to be like itching to be in ticket sales, but should they be interested? They can certainly come call me, but I think it's really discovering what you're interested in, asking for time with people on the staff to learn what the day-to-day looks like and to learn what their work looks like.

And then becoming an expert at that craft. So if maybe your undergraduate degree, if you want to be a marketer, but you don't have the, the educational background, you want It's like, there's so many courses you can take. There's so many classes that are available to you. There's ways to become proficient without necessarily having to have that, that degree. And being proficient in the space that you want to be in. And asking the right questions. And I smiled because when I was in the Aces, Carolyn Swords, who was phenomenal, went to Boston College, is now at Nike. Carolyn was like, I think I want to be in the front office. What would that look like? And so we went to the players association and we figured out how to get an internship done for her.

And she realized that post-career, she wanted to be in the business world and that experience helped her figure it out. And so I would say, you know, That's just a beautiful story of raising your hand and saying, Hey, I think I'm interested. I'm curious. How can we make something happen? And then we made it happen for her. So yeah, be curious, discover what you're interested in and get proficient at it.

Stef I love that such good advice, regardless of where you're at in your career, never stop with that curiosity, because when you're in a big company too, when you're not sure what you want to do next, the best thing to do is go get a little bit of experience doing something or just listening or meeting somebody else from a different industry.

So I love that. And as we conclude, what, at the end of the day, you've dropped so many great nuggets and learnings, for young women in sport. If you have to dial it back to kind of your final piece of advice for young women who want to work in the sports industry, what would that one piece of advice be?

Christine Monjer Be fearless, ask for the coffee, ask for the promotion, speak up in the meeting. If you see that something's going left and it needs to go right, say it. Like, be less afraid of saying the wrong thing or just stay present and be fearless.

Stef Well, we can't wait to see what you do next with the franchise of the LA Sparks. It's going to be an incredible few years for you. You've already had an impact and we're really excited to see what you do next. So thank you for coming on the Voice in Sport Podcast and sharing all your knowledge with us.

Christine Monjer Thank you so much. This was very fun

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Stef Thank you for listening to this week's episode on the Voice in Sport podcast. Our mission at VIS is to bring more visibility to women. And so often we don't take the time to give each other flowers. We wanted to give our guests an opportunity to shout out other inspiring women that deserve more VIS. So let's hear from Christine.

Christine Monjer Two shout outs. one of them you already mentioned, but Keia Clarke, CEO of the New York Liberty. When I entered this league, I didn't know anything. And Keia showed me the way. Keia embraced me with open arms. She taught me she was patient. She was kind. And to this day, we talk pretty often. We are in two major markets, arguably competing, you know, day in and day out. And between us, it's not ever competition. It's really just, we want to lift each other up. So shout out Keia. Love you, girl. Appreciate you. 

And, my second is my boss and now friend, back when I was on Quaker Oats, Marissa Pines. She is head of beyond the core consumables on Gatorade, launched a really cool product innovation last, uh, I think a couple of weeks ago, Marissa showed me that it's possible to be kind, to be yourself, to be authentic. She was so gentle when I was just this intern that was panicked about all these things. And I just, I love how she leads. I love how she shows up and she inspires me. So shout out, Marissa.

Stef This week's episode was produced and edited by VIS creator Elizabeth Martin. Christine encourages us to be fearless. Whether it's speaking up in a meeting, asking for a promotion, or taking a bold step toward what you truly want. She shares the importance of embracing the non linear paths life takes. Encouraging us to let go of the pressure for a perfect, meticulously planned career.

Christine reflects on the value of exploring new directions. Recognizing that it's okay to pivot when something no longer aligns. She also emphasizes the need to give yourself space to feel and heal, especially when facing life's toughest moments, please click and share on this button in the episode and send it to another athlete that you think might enjoy this conversation.

And if you liked our conversation with Christine, please leave us a rating and review on Apple and Spotify. If you're logged into the Voice in Sport platform and community, head over to sessions and filter by topics and sports and mentors, and look for incredible conversations with other amazing leaders like Christine.

And a big thank you to our incredible partnership with the WNBA changemakers. We are so excited to offer free mentoring on the Voice in Sport platform with LA Sparks Player Zia Cooke. Zia provides monthly sessions on the VIS platform. So be sure to check out her up and coming session on “NIL: How to Build your Brand.” You can sign up for any of these sessions. If you're a member of the Voice in Sport community and they're free, thanks to the WNBA changemakers. See you next week on the Voice in Sport podcast.

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