Dr. Allison Barber: The President Behind Caitlin Clark's Draft and the Fever's Rise — and Her Boldest Mission Yet, Building Marvella

Aug 29, 2025

55:35

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What does it take to transform a team, ignite a movement, and build a future that didn’t exist before?

In this episode, Linnea Jungnelius sits down with Dr. Allison Barber – trailblazing leader, ex-president of the Indiana Fever, and now the force behind Marvella Academy, the first-of-its-kind youth sports and leadership campus built entirely for girls.

From reimagining a professional sports franchise to shaping the next generation of leaders, Allison shares lessons from the locker room, the boardroom, the Pentagon, and beyond. Her stories reveal how vision, conviction, and the courage to show up, again and again, can create lasting impact in business, sports, and life.

What You’ll Learn:

How to reimagine and rebuild a brand from the ground up
The framework used to turn fans into loyal, lifelong advocates
How to prepare your team for a transformational "lightning strike" moment and sustain it
Why the best leaders show up in the community, not just the corner office
How investing in girls' sports creates a talent pipeline for future CEOs and leaders

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

00:11 Guest Introduction: Dr. Allison Barber

01:16 Transforming the Indiana Fever: Rebuilding & Strategy

01:39 Building a Championship Culture: The Three C’s

02:17 Leadership Lessons: Vision, Strategy, and Patience

04:34 The Caitlin Clark Moment: Preparing for Transformation

08:54 Building Belief: Fans, Culture, and the “Movable Middle”

14:17 Shaping a Winning Culture: Optimism & Fundamentals

16:55 What Matters Most in Leadership: Integrity

24:13 9/11: Leading Through Crisis

28:24 The Mission Behind Marvella Academy