Tridents Unite began on what I thought was a whim. But looking back, I can clearly see how I had been guided to create something more than just fan gear.

All my life I've been energized by innovative, regenerative business practices — businesses that stand for something beyond the bottom line.

Even approaching this as a whim, I knew I wanted to build a strong foundation. As a coach myself, I've witnessed firsthand the impact positive encouragement has on people. When I coached a middle school girls' volleyball team, I developed a simple protocol rooted in neuroscience and somatic learning — before those words had fully crossed over into mainstream coaching. If a player made an error, she'd say "My bad — I'll get the next one." If a teammate erred, you'd say "Shake it off. You'll get the next one." It worked. Not just psychologically, but neurologically — it interrupted the error spiral and primed the brain for correction.

By the time my girls faced the undefeated team in the bracket, they were ready. I watched them make some of the greatest plays of their last three seasons combined. They were jumping up and down, cheering, ecstatic — so proud of themselves and each other. The undefeated team looked on with dismay. My girls didn't even notice. They were too busy jumping for joy.

And guess what? They lost.

But it didn't matter. Because they supported each other, owned their mistakes, and gave everything they had. That experience shaped everything I believe about encouragement, growth, and what it means to play together.

I am constantly inspired by those using sports to serve humanity. Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas are just one example. And when the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LIX, coach Mike McDonald said it simply: "We believed in each other. We loved each other. And now we're world champions."

That's it. That's everything.

My compass is always set to craft products and movements that inspire people through Unity, Balance, Gratitude, and Joy.

If you're curious about the science of encouragement, start with the UC Berkeley study* that NBA teams and found that teams who had more high fives, fist bumps, chest bumps (gestures of encouragement) not only played more cooperatively, but the number of those touches predicted both individual and team performance. Encouragement is not soft. It's a strategy.

So the next time you raise a trident in the stands, know this — you're not just cheering. You're participating in something the science backs: when we encourage each other, we all perform well and have a better expereince. That's the game inside the game. And that's what Tridents Unite is all about. 

*UC Berkeley study on physical touches of encouragement and NBA team performance, led by researcher Michael Kraus, Yale School of Management. 

https://www.si.com/more-sports/2016/01/24/brain-sports-podcast-high-fives-team-chemistry