U.S. Soccer Launches SheBelieves Online Academy to Inspire Women to Achieve Personal and Professional Aspirations
Online Resource Guides Women Through Lessons of Inspiration and Achievement
CHICAGO (March 6, 2020) – U.S. Soccer today launched the SheBelieves Online Academy, a program designed to assist women in reaching personal and professional goals. SheBelieves is a movement that encourages girls and women of all ages to accomplish their goals and dreams, athletic or otherwise. SheBelieves was originally launched in the run-up to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and has since evolved into a special series of events that bring a powerful message of empowerment and that of believing in yourself into communities across the nation.
With the insights from Generation and Gender Expert, Joan Kuhl, and through lessons of inspiration and achievement from our Women’s National Team and women in our leadership, U.S. Soccer has created an intuitive digital learning tool consisting of information and activities to guide women through various topics centered around confidence and career achievement.
Women often face similar challenges in achieving their personal and professional aspirations. Challenges include how to confront and alter societal norms, how to change negative thought patterns, how to step into roles or situations that are typically led by men, how to boost confidence, and more. While these topics are not exclusive to women and not encountered by all women, they are still all too common among high achieving women and can stand in the way of making progress toward common goals.
SheBelieves Online Academy is one more way U.S. Soccer will help women with these shared challenges by teaching techniques to overcome them.
The SheBelieves Online Academy can be accessed through the SheBelieves portal on ussoccer.com and includes resources such as videos, articles, workbooks, facilitation guides and more that can be utilized individually or as part of a group. Users can learn about specific challenges and professional techniques whether by watching one video or completing all the Academy modules. Module 1: Build Your Confidence, is the first in a series of six modules to be released by U.S. Soccer. The remaining modules will be released on the first Tuesday of every month through August of this year.
“Women of all ages can benefit from these research-based strategies and tools to cultivate confidence and the courage to overcome the barriers to their big dreams,” said Kuhl, who is the Founder of Why Millennials Matter and a champion for girls and women in leadership. “Our hope is to build a community of meaningful trusted relationships where women accelerate each other’s success and impact.”
Ms. Kuhl is the author of several books, an international speaker and a consultant on talent management, career, communication and leadership trends. She launched Kuhl Consulting, a training, research and consulting company that focuses on raising awareness about the value of investing in the early career workforce and advancing women in the workplace. Additionally, she has launched and worked with over a dozen corporate women's networks and young professional, intergenerational employee resource groups. Kuhl is a #SheBelieves Champion for the U.S. Soccer Organization, a contributor to Women@Forbes and has served as a board member for the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute. She is currently on the board of Girls Inc of NYC.