We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Blaine Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Blaine, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
This is great question, I believe this has to do alot with my diverse upbringing. As a kid playing baseball living near the West University area I made alot of friends who weren’t the race as me. I saw how they’re lifestyle was similar mine in some ways and the differences in foods, languages, expectations, religious beliefs, and so on. Now taking that understanding it allows me to be me in my own skin as a black man be able to communicate and have meaningful connections and conversations with people who don’t look like me. Alot of times we forget that we’re all people dealing with people regardless of race.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Protégé Athletics is a youth baseball and softball training facility focused on developing young athletes to their fullest potential. We started back in 2015 and have grown to over 200 youth athletes in our program. Our approach is to provide technical and detailed training through analysis and proper programming based on each individual athletes specific needs. Our unique ability to correctly assess and make corrections while building a genuine relationship with our athletes is how our kids see so much on field success
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My ability to communicate and build relationships, my background in coaching/playing baseball, and a never ending desire to continue to learn and grow .
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
When it comes to collaboration we’re looking for people who believe in hard work, discipline, creativity, consistency, diversity, and are passionate about advancing our youth to be future leaders in society.
If that sounds like you please contact me directly via Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.protegebaseball.com
- Instagram: The_baseball_performance_coach
- Facebook: Blaine Johnson
- Twitter: aseball.com
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
