There’s a reason so many clichés about business come from the sports field; the parallels are endless and powerful. At Zayo, employees like Tory Bauman, Marla Schilling, Allie Castor, and Kimberly Storin exemplify how a background in athletics can foster endurance, promote resilience, and create leaders who excel in the corporate arena.
From the Fairway to the Boardroom
VP of Finance Tory Bauman learned to play golf from her immigrant father — a man who served as a major influence on her work ethic. Her experience as a one-handicap golfer (meaning: she can handle the most difficult hole on the course) allowed her to handle difficult scenarios and remain resilient when things didn’t go as planned.
Golf is a long game, requiring mental staying power. To do well in a game of golf entails patience, focus, and the ability to stay present in the moment — all essential components to advancement in any aspect of life or business. Tory’s rise in the corporate world and her attainment of a high-level position at Zayo were built on the kind of mental endurance she cultivated on the golf course.
Translating Soccer Leadership to Marketing Success
Similarly, being the captain of the Ithaca Women’s Soccer Team gave Marla Schilling, Zayo’s Senior Manager of Brand & Content Strategy, the leadership skills necessary to navigate the complexities of Zayo’s rebranding efforts. Just as she once rallied with her teammates in college, Marla now collaborates with her marketing team – celebrating their wins, navigating setbacks, and offering empathy and encouragement without letting them lose sight of their goals. Marla’s ability to pivot and inspire her team in the face of the unfamiliar reflects the strategic acumen and understanding of team dynamics she developed on the field.
Calling the Plays for a $500 Million Business
While never a football quarterback herself, Allie Castor, who transitioned from working with the Denver Broncos, Nuggets, and the Avalanche to overseeing product management at Zayo, embodies the role of a QB in business. She’s responsible for how every product is positioned, sold, how it performs and is consumed, seeing the whole lifecycle of the products she owns. Just as athletes must anticipate their opponents’ moves and trends in sports, Allie deftly predicts industry trends and her customers’ needs. Her career in professional sports equipped her with the foresight and strategic vision required to effectively manage Zayo’s Wavelengths products — a $500 million business. Allie knows her playbook and is looking toward the future, championing the advent of AI for her team.
The Balance and Grace of a C-Suite Position
Any movement practice can inform a leader’s style. Chief Marketing Officer Kim Storin cites her lifetime of athletic aspirations as leading to her mindful and balanced approach to leadership. As a younger person, she never fixated on one activity. Instead, she dabbled in dance, skiing, rowing, basketball, and tennis (just to name a few).
Always moving, Kim recognizes the ability of physical activity to transform energy and provide a sense of body and mind wholeness. Now dubbed the “transformation architect,” Kim uses the principles learned from being a long-distance runner and Pilates instructor to maintain balance and grace in a demanding C-Suite position. No doubt that running all the literal marathons over the years has given her the stamina to see Zayo through some of its biggest transitions.
By applying skills and mindsets cultivated through sports – including leadership, strategic thinking, mental toughness, and balanced approaches – these employees contribute significantly to Zayo’s success across finance, marketing, product management, and executive leadership.