All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization.
Empower your peers and yourselves with leadership lessons informed by women. You matter. Your ideas matter. Be seen, be heard, and be valued.
Over the years, the blog has celebrated women who made a difference. I asked ChatGPT Plus to extract lessons from the blog.
Ten women, ten enduring lessons
1. Malala Yousafzai — Find your voice.
Malala survived an assassination attempt because she advocated education for girls. She refused to surrender that cause.
Lesson: Courage is not the absence of fear. It's the willingness to speak and act despite fear.
Volleyball application: Speak up when something is wrong. Encourage the overlooked teammate. Your voice has value even without a captain's title.
Blog: Developing Your Code, the Struggle for Virtue
2. Arlene Blum — Create your own opportunities.
In 1978 Blum led the first American and all-women's expedition to climb Annapurna (one of 14 Nepalese mountains over 8000m). She challenged assumptions about women's ability to lead extreme mountaineering expeditions.
Lesson: When opportunity is denied, sometimes you have to build your own path.
Volleyball application: Don't wait for permission to become excellent. Prepare, develop competence, and take initiative.
Blog: Patriots Team Building: The 4 Hs
3. Eleanor Roosevelt — Develop moral courage.
Roosevelt transformed the role of First Lady and helped champion the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her influence came from conviction, persistence, and service, not merely position.
Lesson: Popularity and character are different things. Doing what is right may cost approval.
Volleyball application: Defend a teammate, reject gossip, and uphold standards when doing so isn't convenient.
Blog: Advice
4. Frances Perkins — Turn compassion into action.
The first woman in a U.S. presidential cabinet, Perkins helped shape Social Security and major American labor protections.
Lesson: Caring is important. Accomplishing something that improves others' lives is more important.
Volleyball application: Great teammates don't merely express concern. They help, teach, encourage, and make the team better.
Blog: Patriots Team Building: The 4 Hs
5. Billie Jean King — Let performance challenge prejudice.
King's victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes became a cultural landmark. Her advocacy for women's sports expanded opportunities for generations.
Lesson: Don't allow others to limit you.
Volleyball application: Preparation, competence, and competitive character are stronger evidence than reputation or stereotypes.
Blog: Hunted or Hunter? Adopt the Underdog Mindset
6. Dawn Staley — Excellence earns respect.
Staley's journey from Olympic basketball champion to championship coach demonstrates a commitment to preparation, accountability, and developing others.
Lesson: Respect isn't something we demand. It's something we earn through conduct and competence.
Volleyball application: Model excellence in school, practice, and competition. Let your daily standards make the argument. MVB student-athletes lead at home, in the classroom, and on the court.
Blog: Developing Your Code
7. Tara VanDerveer — Think in decades, not days.
Born in Melrose, VanDerveer became one of college basketball's most successful coaches, building Stanford into a program of sustained excellence.
Lesson: Achievement is an accumulation of preparation, adaptation, relationships, and standards.
Volleyball application: A single good match doesn't define you. Neither does a poor one. Build enduring habits.
Blog: Female Role Models
8. Madeleine Blais — Talent needs trust.
In In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle, Blais chronicles an Amherst girls' basketball team whose success required its gifted players to overcome personal rivalry.
Lesson: A collection of exceptional individuals isn't necessarily an exceptional team.
Volleyball application: Ambition is valuable. Ego becomes destructive when personal recognition matters more than shared success.
Blog: Rivals
9. Anne Lamott — Give yourself permission to be imperfect.
Lamott's celebrated advice about rough first drafts challenges the expectation that worthwhile work emerges fully formed.
Lesson: Imperfection is often the beginning of growth, not evidence of failure.
Volleyball application: Make mistakes while learning. Correct them without turning an unsuccessful play into a judgment about your worth.
Blog: A Baker's Dozen Lessons About Writing and Studying Volleyball
10. Maya Angelou — Your past need not determine your future.
Angelou endured childhood trauma and a prolonged period of silence before becoming an influential American writer, educator, and public voice.
Lesson: Adversity may shape your story without defining its ending.
Volleyball application: A setback is an event, not an identity. Resilience means moving forward without denying difficulty.
Blog: Adversity Is Your Companion, October 18, 2026
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