Michelle Akers sat down with Andrea Brimmer, she had prepared a list of questions and had a map to guide the conversation. And that took a detour when Brimmer mentioned her family. Here’s how it went.
Michelle asked where her determination came from, and Brimmer didn't talk about her career. She talked about her mother, a card-carrying member of the National Organization for Women who chose to stay home to raise her children while insisting her daughter become financially independent.
“She just made me into this firecracker,” Brimmer said.
“Love it!” Akers responded.
For many women in leadership — and Brimmer and Akers among them — we still connect by sharing our relationships; kid photos, how we met our partners and what our parents taught us.
That lesson took on new meaning when Brimmer became a single mother for 13 years. Rather than shielding her two sons from the realities of work, she invited them into it. They knew why she sometimes missed events. They understood the responsibility of supporting a family. They watched her give presentations, navigate boardrooms, and build one of the most influential careers in sports marketing. While many colleagues brought spouses to work events, Brimmer brought her two boys.
Michelle Akers immediately recognized the experience. A single mom herself, she laughed before offering the line that may resonate with many of our readers: “High five, single moms!”
The exchange captured something that statistics and sponsorship announcements never can. Behind many of the women shaping sports today are families built through persistence, improvisation, sacrifice, and an unwavering belief that the next generation is always watching.
As Brimmer tells her sons whenever life gets difficult: "You've got to do hard things."
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