“It’s ok right now for you to not know what your life is going to look like 10 years from now … it’s ok not to have it all figured out. For the first 31 years of my life, I had no idea.”
Kelli Masters, an attorney and certified NFL sports agent, spent the day at Heidelberg sharing her story of personal challenges and industry success as the Patricia Adams Lecture Series fall keynote speaker.
In her address, titled “Finding Purpose: Overcoming Fear to Live Authentically,” Masters shared her early struggles with perfection. She was always a driven person, striving to be a leader and to always excel, but that drive to be perfect slowly turned into an obsession with everyone liking her. Her identity became controlled by the opinions of others. She felt empty and terrified of failure.
“The more I achieved the less I felt a sense of accomplishment,” she said. “My breakthrough moment came when I realized who I was as a person didn’t need the approval of others.”
From that moment, she dedicated herself to pursuing a life of significant impact.
Realize you have a purpose
With a newfound purpose, Masters finished her law degree and specialized in non-profit organizational law. Instead of striving toward what others expected her to do, she focused on being true to herself and looked for a way to help others. When an NFL player called her to help set up a foundation, she had an ah-ha moment – an alignment of sports with non-profits.
“Never in a million years would I have mapped out this journey for myself. And if I hadn’t been focused on my purpose, I would have missed the opportunities in front of me,” she said.
Overcome fear by taking action
Over the course of her career, Masters has faced obstacles from self-doubt to sexism. In situations of fear, the tendency is to stop, but Masters pushed through.
“You need to be brave enough to be real and authentic,” she said. “It’s ok to not have everything figured out, but you have to keep going.”
She wanted to work with athletes for the right reasons, be a great steward for their careers. Her approach was holistic: recruit and sign great athletes but those who are also great human beings. By making a commitment to them, her success grew.
“My athletes are my family. I love then and I serve them,” she said. “Taking action can make you fearless.”
Believe that you are enough
Masters was told by others that she wouldn't make it – that she didn't have what it takes.
“What they were saying to me was that I wasn't a man,” she said. “But I realized I didn't have to have what other people had to be successful. I could be successful my own way.”
And she was. She founded and serves as president of KMM Sports, a full-service sports management company based in Oklahoma City. She continues to practice law, while also representing athletes in football, baseball and Olympic sports.
In 2010, Masters became the first woman to represent a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, and she continues to fight for opportunities for women in a very male-dominated industry. Bleacher Report recognized her in 2014 as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Sports worldwide.
By sharing her story of drive, passion, and purpose, Masters inspired the entire campus community to live with purpose, distinctly.