We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Hansen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Heather, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
Wow! Where do I begin? My parents have always played a significant role in my life and are my biggest cheerleaders. They taught me to go after whatever makes me happy. I remember growing up witnessing my parents having to sacrifice in order to be able to provide opportunities for me that they never had. They’ve influenced my basic values; one being generosity; not only monetary, but time and love. This has poured over into my business model, as I strive to lead from a place of generosity.
My parents have consistently provided encouragement; from my smallest, wildest and craziest ideas, to the biggest risk and career decision of leaving a safe and stable career as an elementary teacher to investing in my dream of running my own business and figuring out the “HOW” along the way. Through the obstacles and challenges they have been my comfort, my rock, my home base.
I know I can lean on them for guidance and value their opinions and support. So many blessings have occurred in my life due to my parents, and I am enormously grateful and appreciative for these two people who have given so much of themselves.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am the Owner and Head Coach for Playball Kiddos. I have my Liberal Studies degree from Cal State San Marcos University. I have always had a passion for working with children, and became apart of the Playball team in 2007 while I was working on my teaching credential. When the opportunity came up to become an owner and make Playball apart of my everyday life, I jumped right on chance to create a lifetime of opportunities! Playball is a rewarding and valuable program and I am lucky to be apart of it. I love the absolute creativity and enthusiasm that children possess. I learn just as much from the children each day as they learn from me and the program. I live for the moments when you just see the light bulb click on for the child and they understand the task at hand and comprehend their accomplishment! I appreciate the opportunities to working with children and helping aid in their overall development.
Playball offers a variety of sport and movement programs for boys and girls. All of the programs are taught in a fun-filled, energetic and positive environment. Children from all over the world have enjoyed the positive impact that Playball has had on their lives. In fact, I’ve had a parent move here from Australia that experienced Playball as a child and then got the opportunity for her son to have the same experience. Playball consists of 6 stages – each offering the relevant age group a program focusing on its specific development level for ages 2-8. We are not just another ball program. We use the medium of sports to improve motor development, increase concentration, build muscle tone, improve hand-eye and foot-eye coordination, improve balance along with countless life skills such as persistence and team work. Playball motivates children to participate in sports and sparks an interest in physical activity. We are partners in education and believe that success leads to confidence and more success! All skills are built according to the physical foundation laid in the first years. MOVEMENT IS THE KEY!
I have been involved in sports ever since my early childhood years, and believe it’s important for children to stay active. The quality of the Playball program is nothing like I have ever seen which is why I feel in love with it and have a strong desire to make a positive impact on your child’s life through the curriculum of this program. I am very passionate about what we are doing for children, and the rewards are endless. It takes a village to raise children and I truly believe my coaches and I help influence our student’s future every day.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I got to really stretch and pivot when the pandemic hit, as I’m sure many can relate. I went from in-person, hands on coaching to figuring how to make it happen from behind a computer screen. It certainly wasn’t easy, and I could’ve waited until I was able to get back in the schools face to face with my students, up until this point its all I knew. However; I knew there was a need for us in the homes. As parents and children were both working and going to school from home together with no outlet. It was a matter of how can I support and give back to my community. It took trying different methods and seeing what worked and didn’t work till we found our flow. My team and I got create lessons on videos for families to have bonding time with their children while keeping physically active during a time when we couldn’t go out. We also held live zoom classes with our students, and got creative with how to utilize everyday home items for use as sports equipment; such as a paper plate substituting a tennis racket or a broom as a hockey stick. This brought us closer together during a time when many felt alone and isolated. They got to see inside my home, meet my pets, and I got share theirs.
This pivot in my business was emotional, and certainly tested us all! Thankfully one of the qualities I instill in my team is that we are going to fail sometimes, make mistakes and it will all be okay. I teach my team that life is too short to dwell on what we have done incorrectly, but to focus out on how we can create a solution together to achieve our common goal of influencing, coaching and raising great children.
For me, as a business owner, it is all about trying new things, moving forward, and staying relevant. I would be nowhere without the willingness to reinvent and pivot, along with the resilience of my team.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
A priority for me is showing employees how much they are appreciated. When I acknowledge the strengths and contributions of my team, I notice more engagement, productivity, and creativity. I know my business cannot function at the level it runs on without a team.
Secondly don’t forget to have fun. There are times to be serious and there are times when it just makes sense to relax, laugh, and connect with your team. Look for ways to get to know your teams on a more personal level. When you bring more of your authentic self, you become more relatable and approachable. And when you let your teams know that you’re a human being, not just a leader/boss, you communicate that you see them as more than just employees.
Finally help your team develop personally and professionally. Setting your employees up for success in their role starts with giving them all the tools and resources they need to do their job well. This includes professional training. You can practice this from an employee’s first day and beyond by creating a knowledge base of critical information and best practices for new hires as you grow your team. For remote employees, they may not get the same opportunities to ask one-off questions at your desk, so creating a thorough training plan is especially important for getting them ramped up. But remember, your employees don’t just exist in a professional capacity to serve your organization. For them to evolve both personally and professionally, employee development must be holistic. Help people lead more fulfilling lives by encouraging them to develop better soft skills, such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and communication. This will also prepare them for future leadership roles.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.playballkidsusa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_hansen09/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.hansen.399
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-hansen-3998a2105/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/playball-san-diego?osq=playball
- Other: email; playballkiddos1@gmail.com
Image Credits
Victoria Pearce (Yellow and Blue Shirts) Ashley DuChene (White and Red Shirts)