Her Story
About Lauren
Lauren Bagwell serves as Academy Director for a youth soccer club in Dallas, Texas. She has been coaching young athletes for about 10 years and has held her current position for just over a year. Bagwell earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin and is completing an MBA at SMU Cox. She also holds a U.S. Soccer B License and participates in the She Champions mentorship program through U.S. Soccer. Her background includes research at Baylor, teaching AP psychology and government, and serving as an assistant coach at Marcus High School, where she contributed to an all-female staff that won a state championship in 2023. Bagwell specializes in curriculum and instruction paired with strategy and entrepreneurship, helping players, programs, and organizations set goals and build infrastructure to achieve them. She is passionate about empowering young girls through sport to build confidence, independence, and strength. Bagwell has received recognition including a TEDxSMU talk in 2020, the People's Choice Award for the 3-Minute Thesis at Wisconsin in 2020, second place at Baylor in 2016, and a national championship with her team in Guatemala in 2017. She is a member of the SMU Cox MBA program and has served on past boards including HPUMC church board and CARE Junior Board for CARE Dallas. Outside her professional work, she volunteers by running the Berlin Marathon for the Free to Run organization, which creates running programs for girls in countries with limited access to sports for women.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lauren
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think I'm just curious, and I want to learn as much as possible, and interact... understanding that there's so much to learn... consistently seeking out new perspectives, new ideas... allowed myself to have a lot of different lived experiences across a lot of different cultures
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Recently I've gotten the advice that you're never gonna feel ready, and if you keep waiting to feel ready, it's never gonna happen for you... stepping in and being bold enough to take the initiative... giving ourselves the freedom of, you don't have to have all the answers, you just have to know how to ask the right questions
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think be bold, and find your people... don't wait until you're ready. Just step into the space, and ask questions, and be curious, and never stop learning... be someone that's flexible and adaptable and can problem-solve on the fly... find your people of your support system
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity within the sports space is... value right now on in-real-life experiences... being in a sector that emphasizes growth, community, entertainment, an in-real-life experience, that's gonna be something that just continues to grow... not a dollar amount that you can put on in-person events
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think people... that it all comes down to relationships... people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care... the root of whatever job you're doing... the heart of everything is people... meeting people where they're at, understanding that everybody comes with their own stories... come in and be curious and seek understanding
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