From Walk-On to WNBA Commissioner: Cathy Engelbert's Game-Changing Journey

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was a two-sport athlete at Lehigh and became Deloitte’s first female CEO. Today, she’s one of the most powerful women in sports.Engelbert joins Bonnie Bernstein on The Athlete Effect™ for a conversation focused on her journey from athlete to WNBA Commissioner, and the defining moments that have forged her path. She reflects on the evolution of her leadership style, a wake-up call that reshaped her approach to work-life balance and transparency, and how discipline, curiosity, and resilience from basketball and lacrosse have influenced her career. For Engelbert, “taking your shot” isn’t just a theme, it’s her life’s throughline.The daughter of an NBA player and one of eight siblings, the South Jersey native was raised in a competitive, sports-driven environment. At Lehigh University, she played basketball under Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw and served as senior captain of both basketball and lacrosse, learning that consistency in ordinary moments separates good from great.After 33 years at Deloitte, where she became the first woman to lead a Big Four professional services firm's US division, she made a historic leap into sports as the WNBA’s first Commissioner. In that role, she led a $75 million capital raise and helped engineer a collective bargaining agreement that delivered historic increases in player salaries and benefits.Connect with Cathy Engelbert: Instagram: @wnbacommish Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cathyengelbertX: @CathyEngelbertLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-engelbert-75400618/The Athlete Effect™ :instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  Bonnie Bernstein:instagram.com/BonnieBernstein      https://www.tiktok.com/discover/bonnie-bernstein https://x.com/BonnieBernstein  https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-bernstein/The Champions Edge: https://www.instagram.com/championsedgetvhttps://www.tiktok.com/@championsedgetvhttps://www.facebook.com/championsedgetv