Erica Baldaray

When asked what I attribute my success to, I always come back to the people who have shaped me. I am a product of my upbringing, my mentors, my colleagues, and the support system that continues to challenge and encourage me. Their belief in me pushes me to grow, and their example reminds me of the standard I want to meet every day.

The student-athletes and staff I serve are a constant source of motivation. They inspire me to keep getting better and to lead with intention, to show up fully, and to continue evolving in my role. My family, especially my husband, has also played a significant role in that journey, providing unwavering support and encouragement.

My background as an athlete instilled in me a strong sense of discipline and intrinsic motivation that continues to guide me today. I often reflect on John Wooden’s definition of success as “peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” That perspective resonates deeply with me. If I can look back on each day and know I gave my best, whatever that looks like in that moment, then I consider that day a success.

I also believe success is measured by impact and by leaving the work and the spaces I’m part of better than I found them. I stand on the shoulders of the women who came before me in athletics, whose leadership and perseverance created opportunities I’ve been fortunate to pursue. Because of that, I feel a deep responsibility to do the same for the next generation and to lead in a way that opens doors, provides clarity, and creates lasting opportunity for those who follow.

The best career advice I’ve received is that growth happens when you intentionally place yourself in spaces that stretch you. That idea has really stayed with me and it challenged how I think about opportunity and readiness. Too often, we focus on what we don’t know (yet) and let it hold us back. It’s easy to look at an opportunity and fixate on the one qualification we may not yet have, instead of recognizing everything we do bring to the table. That’s why I’ve always been grounded in something Billie Jean King said: “Don’t let anyone define you—you define yourself.” To me, that means not allowing doubt, whether it’s external or internal, to limit what we believe we’re capable of pursuing. That mindset has shaped my own career path. At one point, I found myself at a crossroads between continuing in coaching and moving into administration. I chose to lean into something new. I approached my supervisor, identified a gap in our department, and took it on. At the time, I had no experience in that area. But I learned. I asked questions, sought out people who had the expertise, and figured it out along the way. That experience reinforced for me that you don’t have to have all the answers to take the next step; you just need the willingness to step into the challenge and grow into it. For me, that’s what career growth is all about: having the courage to raise your hand before you feel ready, trusting that you’ll build the skills along the way, and defining your own path every step of the way.

Be authentically you and know that you are enough. You don’t have to change who you are to fit into a space. Who you are is exactly what got you there.

I’d also tell them not to hesitate to say yes to opportunities, even when they don’t feel fully ready. I can think of times in my own career where I didn’t raise my hand because I questioned if I was ready, and looking back, I was. You’re always going to rise to the occasion. You’re always going to figure it out. So put yourself in those situations that allow you to grow and stretch, because that’s where the real development happens.

And then I’d encourage them to build their network early. I didn’t do that as well as I could have at the beginning because I was so focused on proving I could do everything on my own. But you’re not meant to do this alone. You need people in your corner. You need mentors who really know you, who know your life beyond work, and are invested in you as a person. You need advocates who support you professionally. And you need sponsors, those people who are going to say your name in rooms you haven’t even stepped into yet. If you find someone who can be all three, hold onto them tight!

At the end of the day, trust yourself. Say yes. Build your circle. And walk into every space knowing that you belong there.