Meet Michelle
Question and Answer
1. What inspired you to open your own softball facility and share your passion with the community?
Michelle: When I realized that there was a need for a mentor and success story for girls in our area, I knew the right thing to do was to open my own facility and keep the instruction up for youth athletes in my hometown. There is a big need for softball leaders in our area as baseball and male athletes normally dominate the business space as well as the social media space. I am happy to be able to provide these high-level services to young girls who need someone to look up to.
2. How has your personal experience as a dedicated softball player shaped your approach as a facility owner and instructor?
Michelle: I tied my wagon to the hitch of softball so long ago and have never looked back! I’ve been so fortunate to travel all over the world with this game. Australia, Texas, West Coast, up and down the east coast. I have been invited all over the world to play this game, and it has provided a very unique perspective that I try to give back to my clients. Being a women-owned business to cater to a woman/female base of clientele has been such a good experience after all. I am so lucky and fortunate to be one of the few sports facility owners who is female, and to have organically grown the business over 15 years has just been icing on the cake.
3. Can you share some memorable moments or achievements from your own softball journey that have influenced your coaching style and commitment to the sport?
Michelle: There have been many instances in my own career that I reflect upon while teaching my clients and creating programs, wishing that they had existed when I was coming up. Females in the sporting world possess tremendous strength and power to perform on a stage that so many others have set for us. Being a part of the journey to not only play but also train others, and participate in a sport that has surpassed college baseball in viewership, has been an incredible blessing. Growing the sport day by day, empowering young female athletes to compete, and giving back to my community are endeavors that bring me immense gratitude. My personal career has provided me with the tools to empathize with parents and students, ensuring that I offer training options to anyone who wishes to participate in the wonderful sport of softball. Playing on a highly competitive team at IUP and reaching the final stage of the World Series in 2011 are moments I draw upon while coaching. Ended up All-PSAC 1st Team that year, too. I had the honor of being inducted into the Coatesville Hall of Fame in 2019, a testament to the years of hard work during my playing career and my dedication to training and entrepreneurship. These experiences serve as guiding factors in what we provide to our MJB families.
4. What sets your facility apart from others in terms of the quality of instruction and the overall experience you provide to young athletes?
Michelle: Our clients have been so integral in providing confidence to us at MJB to further our vision and goals for coaching. Feedback and testimonials have given back to us what we try to instill in our clients: confidence! When you start out and grow organically to provide what you believe is genuine training and guidance to anyone who comes through the door, and they shout your name to their leagues, organizations, and peers… It is a true blessing to be able to grow through the advancement of our clients. They are our biggest marketing campaign. We are happy to serve through this sport and provide genuine guidance and mentorship in our training. Choosing MJB means choosing a team of like-minded counselors who all have your best interests in mind while giving you technical training and instruction. We pride ourselves on exactly that principle.
5. How do you approach mentoring and being a role model for the girls who come to your facility, and what impact do you hope to make on their lives?
Michelle: This is about the best finale question that I could imagine. It is impossible for me, with over 15,000 hours of in-session training, to tell you the importance of being a trusted mentor to these young girls. There can be a shortage of positive powerful female athletes to look up to, especially locally, that when I am able to stand up and be that for my clients, I don’t take the stand and the responsibility lightly. I work and train to be the best that I can be for my clients and my community to look up to me as a trusted source of information and guidance. I have had many clients make it all the way through my training and go on to achieve their goals and much more than they ever thought they could become. I am overjoyed every day to see girls exit my programs and go on to lead healthy, fit, competitive lives that are a direct translation of things we have worked on at MJB
