It Started in the Parking Lot: Why I’m Showing Up for Sports Moms Like You

Sideline Stories | Column 1

We were running late. Again.

One kid was missing a shoe. Another was mad about who got the last fruit snack. I tossed water bottles in the backseat and whispered a prayer I was too tired to finish. We pulled into the gym parking lot … and I sat there for a second, hands still on the wheel, heart racing for no real reason.

Just a regular Saturday. Just another game.

But I was maxed out.

And in that moment, I realized:

I love this life…

But I don’t want to lose myself in it.

Sports mom life is beautiful … and it’s a lot.

It’s early mornings, late nights, back-to-back tournaments, and “how are we eating dinner tonight?” It’s watching your child grow in confidence one day, and crumble after a hard game the next. It’s doing your best to raise a good human … not just a good athlete … while trying to hold your own emotions in check.

It’s sacred.

It’s messy.

And honestly? It’s overlooked.

And that’s when the first principle of what would become The Regulated Leadership Framework™ was born.

Not in a conference room.

Not in a coaching clinic.

In a parking lot.

Part 1: Pause Before Performance

Before I correct.
Before I coach.
Before I ask, “What happened out there?”

I pause.

Because here’s what I’ve learned:

If I walk into that car still carrying my own frustration, anxiety, or expectations…

I’m not leading.

I’m reacting.

And reaction feels like pressure.

Presence feels like leadership.

The parking lot became my classroom.

It taught me that the most powerful thing I can model for my children isn’t perfection.

It’s regulation.

Taking one breath before I speak.
Letting my nervous system settle.
Choosing tone over tension.

That pause changes everything.

It protects their identity.
It softens correction.
It builds trust instead of fear.

And over time, it becomes their inner voice.

I didn’t create The Sideline Sisterhood because I had it all figured out.

I created it because I needed it.

I didn’t need more pressure.
I needed perspective.

I didn’t need perfection.
I needed presence.

I needed someone to say,

“You’re allowed to take a breath before you lead.”

So if you’ve ever sat in your car after a game…
If you’ve ever replayed every mistake in your head…
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough…

This space is for you.

We are not just raising athletes.

We are shaping nervous systems.
Building identity.
Modeling leadership.

One car ride at a time.

And it starts with a pause.

My pause wasn’t just about calming myself down.

It was shaping them.

The way I regulate becomes the way they respond.
The way I speak becomes the voice they carry into pressure.

Leadership doesn’t start in the huddle.

It starts in the front seat.

I didn’t know it then but that moment was the beginning of something I now call regulated leadership.

And it starts with one decision:

Pause before performance.

Presence over pressure, always.

— Destiny

Founder, The Sideline Sisterhood™