Amanda Arrowsmith

I would attribute a lot of my success to things that I learned in college. I really took everything that I did learn in college and through all my different internships and experiences. I learned a lot about sports as an industry, and with social and digital media, things like copyright and other concepts I learned in classes that were hands-on. I come back to it all the time. But honestly, I self-taught myself a lot of the skills that I use now on a daily basis. I'm very much a self-starter - I've carved my own path, gotten the exposure where I needed to, and I've advocated for myself, especially as a woman in a male-dominated sports industry.

The best career advice I received was from my professors in college who always told us that even if we had one path in mind, it was worth visiting other paths and just seeing if we liked it or not. That advice really shaped how I approached my career. I did internships in coaching and in the golf industry, even though I knew I wanted to work in hockey and social media. But I would say my biggest piece of advice that I've learned is to advocate for yourself, especially as women and especially in the sports industry which is very male-dominated. Know your worth and push for what you want.

I would definitely say to see things through and try to get as much experience as you can while you're in college or in high school. You never know - there are some teams or high school organizations that might not have social media, so being a self-starter and being able to launch a business on social media is really big. Start early, get experience in school. It's also really important to put yourself out there, to contact employers even if you don't hear back, and just really stand up for yourself. The sports industry is highly competitive right now, so pitching yourself to people is super important.

The sports industry specifically is definitely very highly competitive right now. I've hired on two assistants below me within the past two years, and they're still both with me, so there are opportunities out there. But I think pitching yourself to people is super important in this industry. It's really important to put yourself out there, to contact employers even if you don't hear back, and just really stand up for yourself. As a woman in this male-dominated field, you have to advocate for yourself and know your worth.

Boundaries is definitely a big one for me, and that goes with both personal and professional. Working the crazy hours that I do, it's important to unplug and spend time on myself with the people that I love around me. I'm also very drawn to honesty and loyalty, and this goes between both personal and professional - with my assistants, for example, and then with family around me. I always like to be told how it is. I don't like to dance around things. I also value integrity - being straightforward and authentic in everything I do.