Two Sides of the Armband: Madison Fisher on Leading for Tracy Leone

In this episode of More Than an Armband, host Anja Koehler sits down with Madison Fisher, a former midfielder and two-year captain at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.  Madison shares her soccer journey growing up in Pomfret, Connecticut in a family of athletes and coaches, and how a multi-sport high school experience shaped her as a competitor. She reflects on what drew her to Colby — a place where she felt she could make a real difference — and how leadership became just as important to her as performance on the field. Madison opens up about stepping into her captain role after being voted in by her teammates, navigating imposter syndrome, and the pod leader structure at Colby that gave every player — regardless of year or position — a chance to lead. She discusses how her natural communication style as a midfielder, combined with genuine care for her teammates, helped her earn trust early in her career. The conversation digs into some of the harder parts of leadership: having difficult conversations, walking the line between teammate confidant and coach communicator, and leading through adversity after tearing her ACL during her junior year. Madison reflects on how that injury forced her to redefine what showing up as a leader looked like. She also speaks warmly about her relationship with head coach Tracy Leone (a previous guest on the pod), describing how honest, consistent communication and shared vision created a foundation where Madison could lead with confidence and instinct rather than waiting to be told what to do. Madison's core message: real leadership doesn't live in a title or an armband. It lives in the daily check-ins, the intentional listening, the willingness to have hard conversations, and the authenticity you bring whether or not anyone is watching. Those are the skills she's carried into her graduate studies in social work, trauma, and neuroscience - and into life beyond the game.