March is Women’s History Month, and the Dallas Mavs join other professional sports teams around the NBA to celebrate women’s achievements and contributions in the modern day and throughout history. The symposium was an extension of the Mavs’ month-long programming designed to celebrate and honor local girls, teens and women.
Earlier in the week, the franchise hosted a GEM Celebration of Girls event.
The 2023 Mavs Women’s Symposium brought together both men and women to discuss the importance of self-care, raising future leaders, finding your purpose, discovering your passion, and leading with values.
[Related: to view photos of the event, click here]
Prominent sports and business leaders spoke at the symposium, including three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman (and proud girl dad), and Cynt Marshall, the CEO of the Dallas Mavs and a 2023 NAACP Image Award nominee.
Amazon best-selling author, visionary and executive coach Marsha Clark was the keynote speaker.
A panel of other entrepreneurs and valued members of the community rotated throughout the afternoon and spoke on a variety of topics that aligned with the diamond theme.
“Champion is really big for me,” said Dallas Mavs Chief People Officer, Tarsha LaCour, as she opened the symposium. Her inspiring message set the tone for the day.
“A champion is defined as a person who has defeated or passed all rivals in competition,” LaCour told the audience. “This person is not only one who has survived the pressures of life, but they thrived despite those negative experiences. A champion also fights for a cause or on behalf of someone else. We champion or advocate for one another by speaking up for one another. Diamonds are indestructible. Only a diamond can scratch another diamond. This is a reminder to all of us as women and sisters that we don’t want to do that to one another. We want to advocate, champion and support one another.”
One person who knows a ton about championships and diamonds — make that three of them encrusted on three giant Super Bowl rings — is Aikman.
It’s been a remarkable year for the former quarterback and proud father.
After 20 years at Fox Sports, the Pro Football Hall of Famer jumped to ESPN, and the 56-year-old also became an entrepreneur, launching his “EIGHT” beer named after his Dallas Cowboys jersey number. Aikman’s EIGHT Elite Light Lager became the fastest-selling independent beer in Texas, and the company is expanding outside of the state this year. Aikman worked as a beer distributor while in college, so he said everything on the business side of his life is coming full circle.
However, nothing makes him light up more than talking about his daughters.
Aikman spoke on the first panel with three other fathers, and their session focused on character and the importance of instilling self-worth in their daughters. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback has two daughters, Jordan, and Alexa.
His oldest (Jordan) is in her third year of college and studying abroad in Florence, while his youngest (Ally) is a sophomore at SMU.
While the girls were growing up, Aikman said he read many books and learned through studying that women get their self-confidence early in life from their fathers. He set out to make sure his girls always knew they were loved, and he committed to building their self-esteem.
“I’m thrilled to be a girl dad,” Aikman said. “When my [then] wife was pregnant with Jordan, I was probably like many dads and envisioned a son and doing things with him like baseball and football and doing things like that. I had Jordan, who was amazing, and then eleven months later, Ally was born. I was hopeful that, at one point, I would have a son. Then I had two girls, and I never felt a need to have more. And now, I’m 56 years old and done having kids, but if I were to have another, I’d tell you that, without reservation, I’d want another girl. It’s really been the most amazing thing. I raised my girls as a single father, and hopefully, I did a good job in that regard. They do have a lot of self-confidence. But I love being a girl dad.”
Before lunch, Clark hit the stage with a compelling message that inspired many attendees. She is the author of Embracing Your Power: A Woman’s Path to Authentic Leadership and Meaningful Relationships.
Clark was a corporate officer in a Fortune 50 company and has spent over twenty years supporting women worldwide through coaching and leadership development programs.
“Your character represents our ethical, moral and social attitudes,” Clark said, “and your beliefs. In some ways, it represents your identity — the way you see yourself from an internal and external viewpoint. You might think of it as your brand.”
Later Clark said she wanted to offer a twist on the word “champion.”
“My wish is for you to be a champion for yourself,” she said. “There is considerable research that says it is hard to be there for someone else when we are feeling depleted or diminished when we have put everyone else’s benefit and convenience before our own. In my 52 years of working and 70 years of living, I believe with all my heart that it helps tremendously to take care of ourselves so that we have the capacity to support and champion others.”
Another moment that stood out during the Mavs Symposium was the story of Tracy German, who spoke during the clarity panel. She owns Cake Bar in Trinity Groves, and her business was born from a feeling. She remembered the looks and smiles on the faces of people when her mother used to deliver special treats to people. From those memories, Cake Bar was eventually born.
“My mother was the best scratch baker I’d ever seen,” German said. “She didn’t follow a recipe. Somehow she always made it her own.”
German’s messaging was important because she taught about really focusing on one great talent or skill and developing a business from there. She also reminded others how life isn’t always wrapped in a perfect bow.
In 2005 German was laid off from work and started baking cakes out of her home and selling slices in beauty shops and factories around Arlington. Then she discovered that Trinity Grove was opening an incubator program, and it took her one year to get the deal. Soon her business started booming. Then the pandemic hit. German got the genius idea to install a cake vending machine outside because people didn’t want to have contact with others.
“It just went crazy,” she said. “The line was down the sidewalk.”
Soon people started calling from around the country, looking to create a franchise from her business. Cake Bar became highly successful, and she now has a location in Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
German gave great words of wisdom to the audience.
“People ask me if I make pies, but I make cakes,” she said as the audience cheered. “The other advice I’d give is to have a support network because I had to learn this myself. You cannot do everything yourself. People want to help you.”
Every attendee at the 2023 Mavs Symposium received three books along with diamond-themed notebooks and other goodies. BuDhaGirl also gave two free bracelets to the people in attendance, and the attendees left with a sense of unity, purpose, and hope.
“At the end of the day, each of us as human beings want to be seen, heard and valued,” Clark said. “That is true compassion. I see you. I hear you. I value you.”
The Dallas Mavs will host month-long programming to celebrate Women’s History Month.
Other initiatives are included below:
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