Mandy Antoniacci

The greatest change can come from a simple game.

Author. Founder. TED Speaker. Global Influencer.

My Story

MEET MANDY ANTONIACCI

Since I was a little girl, I loved sports. All sports. I grew up with older brothers. And although technically I was their little sister, at times I seemed more like a little brother with pigtails.

From the age of four through college I played softball. I always batted fourth. And I always hit for power (with a perfect manicure to boot!).

Now, they say grooving a pitch to a power hitter is simply a pitcher's way of saying “could you please deposit this ball into the parking lot please?” So I did. Needless to say, I didn’t get a lot of pitches to hit. And the ones I did…were often ChangeUps (you know, that pitch designed to fool a hitter into thinking it’s a fastball and making them swing early). So my whole life the term “ChangeUp” just meant “junk.” Something that you just stay away from. I can still hear my dad yelling from the bleachers “don’t swing at that junk!”

But was it? Wasn’t a ChangeUp just a unique way of looking at achieving a goal...in this case fooling a batter? Wasn’t it actually quite brilliant? Wasn’t it inspiring? Wasn’t the whole notion of taking an unexpected approach to a particular situation and succeeding at something, much bigger than a ball at bat? Did the ChangeUp end up changing me?

Well, I’ve long ago stopped trying to analyze pitches and instead focused my efforts on creating, building companies and chronicling stories at the intersection of innovation and social and cultural change. Narratives that transform human behavior. Inspire progress. And make our footprint better for future generations. I channel this transformation in advising and speaking to companies and entrepreneurs on how to do the same- how to ChangeUp their own narrative. I use what I once deemed “junk,” as my philosophy in business and life. And most importantly, to help to incite a “ChangeUp” that exists inside us all.

#WHATSYOURCHANGEUP

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My Column

ChangeUp

Sports, health, and wellness are ever-changing industries. How we participate and what opportunities exist for future generations, reside in a state of constant evolution. While heroic figures, trends, entrepreneurs, and data reinterpret the playing field, it's the embodiment of the human condition that stirs our hearts. My column personifies the protagonists of progress, their enemies of possibility and the powerful narratives that ignite a change inside us all.

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