What Roller Derby Taught Me About Leadership
Oct 24, 2025Leadership lessons come from unexpected places—even a roller derby track.
Dr. Michelle Loyet, interim Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at Webster University, once skated under the name “Fender Bender” in a women’s roller derby league. While it might sound like a far cry from higher education leadership, the parallels are striking.
On the track, Michelle learned that success wasn’t about individual strength alone—it was about teamwork, resilience, and playing your role well. Every skater had a position and responsibility, and the team only won when each member supported the others.
Those same principles apply in leadership:
- Persistence matters. You can’t quit after the first obstacle—you learn to push through resistance.
- Teamwork is essential. Every role is important, and success depends on collaboration.
- Strengths can be reframed. What Michelle once saw as a weakness—her size and strength—became her advantage as a steady and powerful skater. The same is true in leadership: what feels like a liability can become your greatest strength when used well.
For Michelle, roller derby offered more than competition. It provided a lived metaphor for leadership: sometimes you’re the one pushing others forward, sometimes you’re absorbing the hits, and sometimes you’re creating space for your teammate to score.
The lesson? Leadership requires toughness, adaptability, and a willingness to put the team’s success above your own.
Listen to the full conversation with Dr. Michelle Loyet on the Engaged by Design Podcast, where she shares how roller derby, anthropology, and Agile practices shaped her approach to leadership.
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