EP 48 | Lead Your Team to Victory With Authenticity with Kirk Walker
Written by Tracy Spears on September 3, 2024
True leadership requires more than knowledge and expertise. Being vulnerable and authentic can have a huge impact on the connections you build with your team and enable your entire organization to play bigger!
Among his achievements as an athlete and coach, Kirk Walker has helped UCLA to seven NCAA Championships and 18 Women’s College World Series appearances, earning the title of the “winningest” coach in UCLA history. In this episode of Shift Out Loud, Kirk and I discuss how he learned to play bigger while living authentically and how this challenging shift transformed his leadership. Tune in as we explore his incredible career and his work to promote inclusivity in sports.
Ready to play bigger? Listen now to discover:
- How Kirk navigated coming out in the world of sport and how it sparked his shift into advocacy
- How he embraced the challenge of returning to UCLA in an assistant coaching role
- How he partnered with Nike to raise the profile of LGBTQ+ athletes — and why trans issues need more attention!
Guest bio: Kirk Walker just finished his 23rd season on the UCLA coaching staff where he is the Associate Head Coach. He was honored as part of the NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2021. He is the Bruins’ third base coach and also plays at a highly competitive level. He is a visible and vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in sports.
Timestamps:
01:47 Intro
04:34 Meet Kirk Walker
08:46 Meeting Kirk
10:58 Umpiring
13:04 Shift to coaching & Oregon State
18:44 Coming out & Outsports
22:50 Strengthening leadership
25:31 Shift to UCLA
29:21 Guiding the transition & leaving the team
34:05 Embracing the challenge
39:35 Shift to advocacy
44:45 Sports Equality Foundation
49:06 Political climate
52:38 Get involved
54:28 Oklahoma Sooners
56:45 Mantra & next shifts
Links:
Kirk Walker. uclabruins.com/sports/softball/roster/coaches/kirk-walker/3957
Instagram: @kirkwalker23
Outsports outsports.com
Sports Equality Foundation sportsequalityfoundation.org
I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica Guzmán
penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691561/i-never-thought-of-it-that-way-by-monica-guzman
