The Female Leadership Excellence (FLEX) Preconference
Please join us at Truett Seminary for a one-day preconference preceding the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity on July 31, 2025. The purpose of the FLEX Preconference is to provide a community for female leaders in sports to give and receive resources and encouragement.
Main sessions will feature keynote speakers on the topics of holistic self-leadership and leading in a male-dominated context. We will also engage in a panel discussion on common challenges women face while leading in sports. Additionally, there will be opportunities for small group discussion, personal application, and networking with other women leading in similar contexts.
There is no option to submit presentations to the preconference; therefore, we strongly encourage people to submit their work to the main conference. See the Call for Presentations here. Please note that proposals are due on January 31, 2025.
Registration for the main GCSC gathering and the FLEX Preconference will open in February 2025. Registration for the preconference will be free for women who register for the main conference gathering.
Light breakfast and a full lunch are provided during the FLEX Preconference. The event will close before the main GCSC welcome dinner on July 31, 2025.
Preconference Itinerary: 9:00 am Welcome
10:00-10:45 am Keynote Session #1 Self-Leadership – Aundi Kolber
10:45-11:15 am Facilitated Small Group Discussion
11:30 am -12:30 pm Panel on Navigating Leadership Challenges
12:30-2:00 pm Catered Lunch
2:00-2:45 pm Keynote Session #2 Leading Others (speaker TBA)
2:45-3:15 pm Facilitated Small Group Discussion
3:30-4:00 pm What Now? Facilitated Wrap-Up Session
4:00-4:15 pm Closing Remarks
Invited Speakers
Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor, an author, and a former college athlete. She is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology, and her books include the critically-acclaimed Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode—and into a Life of Connection and Joy (2020) and Strong like Water: Finding the Freedom, Safety, and Compassion to Move through Hard Things—and Experience True Flourishing (2023).
FLEX Organizing Committee: Elizabeth Bounds, Roxanne Koop, Juliana Smith, Linsey Smith, Tracy Trothen, Cindy White
For specific questions, please email: elizabeth_bounds@baylor.edu