The Athlete Effect™ with Bonnie Bernstein

NCAA sports aren’t the only path to executive leadership, just ask former Sun Bum CEO Cynthia Herrera.Cynthia spent more than 20 years in executive sales and marketing roles at global consumer goods giant SC Johnson (think Windex, Pledge, Raid, and Method), including a six-year stint leading Sun Bum.In this conversation with Bonnie Bernstein, she shares how her club volleyball experience at Western Michigan helped shape the leadership style that propelled her into the C-suite centered on communication, quick, clear decision-making, and building trust through inclusion.With more than 2 million college club athletes in the U.S. each year, about four times the number of NCAA athletes, Cynthia’s story highlights an often-overlooked path beyond high school sports, where athletes can continue developing real-world skills that translate directly into career success.But this episode goes beyond milestones. Cynthia opens up about vulnerability, imposter syndrome, and setting boundaries, and shares stories highlighting why the strongest teams are built on trust, honesty, and real human connection.If you’re a student-athlete, or a parent of one, contemplating life after high school sports, this episode is for you. Especially if the NCAA route isn’t in the cards.Follow Cynthia Herrera on...Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiamherrera/Instagram: @cmh929The Athlete Effect™:instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  Bonnie Bernstein:twitter.com/BonnieBernsteininstagram.com/BonnieBernsteinhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-bernstein/

Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes joins the podcast to discuss life after sports, overcoming identity crisis and a perfectionist mindset, and thriving as an entrepreneur, team owner, and mother of four. A three-time Olympian, Dawes was a member of the 1996 Magnificent Seven squad that secured Team USA's first Olympic gold in women's gymnastics. Today, she's the founder of the Dominique Dawes Gymnastics Academy, a sought-after speaker, and a minority owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and the NWSL's Washington Spirit. Dominique shares lessons on resilience, turning personal pain into purpose, leadership, and balancing ambition with realistic expectations.In this vulnerable conversation with Bonnie Bernstein, Dominique speaks candidly about healing from the home and gym environments of her youth she describes as "toxic," and the a-ha moment, in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal, that compelled her to build gymnastics facilities focused more on raising healthy, well-rounded kids than just elite competitors. Dominique also opens up about the challenges of being a female founder -- her fame and Olympic medals, notwithstanding -- and the critical roles grit and work ethic mastered in the gym have played in positioning Dominique to bring on private equity investors for her Academy. Above all, Dominique has found a way to prioritize her four children, and husband, Jeff, while still building her sports empire. For anyone struggling to achieve work-life balance... this one will hit hard. Connect with Dominique Dawes on Social below. Dominique Dawes Gymnastic Academies: https://www.dominiquedawesgymnasticsacademy.com/Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominique-dawes/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dominiquedawesofficial/, https://www.instagram.com/dominiquedawesacademy/, Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dominiquedawesThe Athlete Effect™ :instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  

Female Quotient CEO Shelley Zalis proudly wears the title "Chief Troublemaker." An award-winning tech entrepreneur, the first female CEO of a Top 25 market research firm, and a fearless champion for workplace equality, she didn't just shatter the glass ceiling, she made her own rules.Shelley shares with Bonnie Bernstein how teamwork learned through tennis has informed her "Power of the Pack" leadership mantra, recounting the peaks and valleys of her career: from a crushing performance review in her early 20's, to the day she sold her groundbreaking online research company OTX to industry giant Ipsos. Today, as the founder of The Female Quotient, Shelley oversees a global media and events company that mobilizes businesswomen, virtually and in-person, across more than 100 countries.Shelley showcases how women in business can successfully balance candor and fierceness with empathy and a commitment to mentor and pay it forward.Because backing the pack is the only way forward.Connect with Shelley Zalis on social: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shelleyzalis/LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/shelleyzalisTiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=Shelley%20Zalis&t=1781593282434X / Twitter - @ShelleyZalis x.com/ShelleyZalisFacebook - facebook.com/shelleyzalisYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Shelley+ZaliasConnect with The Female Quotient Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/femalequotientLinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/femalequotientTiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=Female%20Quotient&t=1781593328199YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheFemaleQuotientThe Athlete Effect™ :instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  Bonnie Bernstein:twitter.com/BonnieBernsteininstagram.com/BonnieBernstein       https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-bernstein/

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

Jessica Mendoza is the first woman to call a World Series for a national network. Now she's paving the way for women in sports broadcasting.A two-time softball Olympian, Stanford All-American, groundbreaking ESPN MLB analyst, and one of the most influential Latina women in sports, Jessica joins Bonnie Bernstein to explore how the laser focus and poise under pressure honed as an athlete has kept her calm and on-point during her biggest TV moments. She reflects on the family values and mentors who shaped her journey, the responsibility she feels to create more room at the table for girls in sports and women in sports media, and her foray into product development to help softball players channel their "superpowers." For Mendoza, leadership and living with purpose entail leveraging her platform to make a difference, in the US and around the world.With softball returning to the Olympic stage at LA28, Jessica Mendoza's story has never felt more timely or more necessary.Connect with Jessica Mendoza:Instagram: @jessmendoza2TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessmendozaespnX: https://x.com/jessmendozaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicamendozaespnLuccini Gloves, Jessica Mendoza Signature Series: LINK TO GLOVES and USE PROMO CODE ATHLETE10 for 10% off your purchaseThere's No Base Like Home: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/theres-no-base-like-home/The Athlete Effect™ :instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  Bonnie Bernstein:twitter.com/BonnieBernsteininstagram.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

Dr. Seun Adigun, 2x Olympian, CEO and biomechanist, shares how her competitive sports mindset fuels her success in medicine, business, and leadership.A first-generation Nigerian-American, Dr. Adigun earned a full track scholarship to the University of Houston and represented Nigeria in the 100m hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She later made history as the founder and pilot of Nigeria’s first Olympic bobsled team, becoming the first African athlete to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.Today, as a sports medicine physician and CEO of Extra Wellness Center, she works with elite athletes across the NFL, MLB, NCAA, and Olympic programs.In this conversation with Emmy Award-winning sports journalist Bonnie Bernstein, Dr. Adigun reveals how multiple heart surgeries and personal loss shaped her path to the Olympics and how elite-level resilience continues to drive her work in medicine, business, and philanthropy.Show Notes: Dr. Seun Adigun: https://extrawellnesscenter.com/meet-dr-seun%2C-d-chttps://www.instagram.com/seun_msamazing/https://www.linkedin.com/in/drseun/https://www.facebook.com/drseunmsamazing/https://x.com/Seun_MsAmazingThe Special Olympics: Dr. Seun Adigun serves as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, using sport to promote inclusion, empowerment, and opportunity for athletes with intellectual disabilities around the world.https://www.specialolympics.org/get-involved/volunteer?source=ISgrant&subsource=Volunteer-Brand&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=836680271&gbraid=0AAAAAD_Fx63oUJEElpUeVuiMLdkS-4SP_&gclid=CjwKCAjw5s_QBhAdEiwADD_gBmEKzFr8qOQCd-YVfIK2t9UkcCtb7BN2fk71qNES4CMhsYyp_qNihxoCfYwQAvD_BwEhttps://www.specialolympics.org/about/ambassadors/seun-adigunThe Athlete Effect™ :instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  Bonnie Bernstein:twitter.com/BonnieBernsteininstagram.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

One of only 33 Black female neurosurgeons in the U.S., Dr. Theresa Williamson joins Bonnie Bernstein to reveal how her Yale soccer experience shaped her path to the operating room.Williamson currently serves as the Director of Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Surgery at Brown University Health. She explains how sports shaped her ability to perform under pressure, communicate effectively, make critical decisions, and harness the resilience required to thrive as a brain and spine surgeon.Williamson and Bernstein discuss research illustrating how athletes often outperform their peers in medical training, surgical precision, leadership, grit, and mental toughness throughout medical school and residency.Dr. Williamson also opens up about the challenges of facing down skeptics early in her career, and becoming a fierce patient advocate after witnessing her family's struggles with the healthcare system.This conversation explores high performance, women in STEM, sports psychology, leadership, resilience, patient trust, and the powerful connection between athletics and excellence in medicine.Show Notes:   This episode is dedicated to Karenna Groff: 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year, gifted student, all conference, MIT soccer player, aspiring neurosurgeon studying at NYU. Gone too soon. Research Karenna shared with Bonnie discussed in this episode:  https://journals.lww.com/jbjsjournal/fulltext/2009/11000/factors_associated_with_successful_performance_in.34.aspxAdditional Research: From Athlete to Surgeon Examining Sports and Grit Among General Surgery Residents https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1931720424003313Dr. Theresa Williamson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-williamson-2a416710/https://www.instagram.com/docterwilli/The Athlete Effect™ :instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  Bonnie Bernstein:twitter.com/BonnieBernsteininstagram.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

Ginger Zee, ABC News Chief Meteorologist, Good Morning America co-host, and New York Times bestselling author joins veteran sports journalist and host Bonnie Bernstein on The Athlete Effect™ to explore how her experience as a multisport athlete shaped her career in meteorology and broadcast journalism.She reflects on how sports built confidence, discipline, and mental toughness, and the parallel journey of earning credibility in both competitive cheerleading and science-based weather reporting.Ginger also opens up about her mental health journey, and how embracing vulnerability has become a strength. Running, which once supported her athletic training, is now a core part of her mental wellness routine.Show Notes:  Ginger Zee, The Athlete Effect™ , Bonnie Bernstein, The Champions Edge on ABChttps://www.ginger-zee.com/bookshttps://www.instagram.com/explore/search/keyword/?q=%23gingerzeehttps://www.danharris.com/instagram.com/the_athlete_effect tiktok.com/@theathleteeffect www.youtube.com/@TheAthleteEffect  Bonnie Bernstein handles:twitter.com/BonnieBernsteininstagram.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

Once an athlete, always an athlete. Did you know that 94% of female C-suite executives played sports? The Athlete Effect™ leadership and career development podcast explores the powerful connection between sports participation and professional achievement, delivering actionable insights for anyone striving to be a high performer, long after the final whistle. Emmy-winning sports journalist and former D1 gymnast Bonnie Bernstein takes you inside the minds of athletes-turned-senior executives, entrepreneurs and newsmakers, from Fortune 500 heavyweights and thriving female founders to powerbrokers in law, medicine, entertainment, media, tech, and beyond.Each week, guests share real-world stories of how they’ve harnessed life skills honed through sports like teamwork, resilience, discipline and confidence to thrive in their careers. The show offers perspective for athletes and working professionals, as well as parents and coaches of female athletes.Guests include:Cathy Engelbert: WNBA CommissionerDominique Dawes (Olympian): Entrepreneur/investorGinger Zee: ABC News chief meteorologistJessica Mendoza (Olympian): ESPN baseball analystKit Hoover: Entertainment host, Access HollywoodKristyn Cook: State Farm CMOMolly Battin: Home Depot CMODr. Theresa Williamson: Groundbreaking neurosurgeonVernice “Fly Girl” Armour: U.S. military's first Black female combat pilotThe Athlete Effect™ is the companion podcast to The Champion’s Edge on ABC, where Bonnie Bernstein serves as creator, host, and executive producer.Download and follow The Athlete Effect™ for more.