A Chat in the Garden with Monique AJ Smith

A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith: Where Significance Blooms in Athletics and Sports Business. A Chat in the Garden is a nationally recognized, weekly, interview-style podcast where women of color in athletic administration and sports business are spotlighted. Each guest shares her career journey, advice for others and current initiatives. Fall 2024 marked the show's 11th season, with a listener base that has grown to 1.7K members in our private Facebook community: A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Seasons 1- 10 and season 11 (through December 2025) can be found on 200plus.expert .

A Chat in the Garden with Monique AJ Smith is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts A Chat in the Garden with Monique AJ Smith, a business show with 0 episodes published.

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  Episode #3

  Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree, Founder and CEO of WM Leadership & Legacy Coaching, LLC, joins Monique A.J. Smith for A Chat in the Garden

  Aug 19, 20261h 3mS13

  Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree is a transformational leader and innovative strategist whose influence extends across higher education, sports tourism, amateur, and professional sports. With more than 30 years of leadership experience, Dr. Wicker McCree has built a distinguished career as a student-athlete, coach, educator, athletics administrator, and executive leader. In 2008, she made history as the first woman to hold the permanent position of Director of Athletics at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). During her 14-year tenure, she successfully guided NCCU’s transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), leading the development and implementation of the university’s first comprehensive strategic plan for reclassification. Under her leadership, NCCU Athletics experienced unprecedented growth and success. The department increased its operating budget from $2 million to $15 million, increased fundraising by 65% during her final five years, and enhanced academic achievement with student-athletes achieving a cumulative GPA above 3.0 and an APR of 984. Competitive successes included four MEAC Men’s Basketball Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, a MEAC Football Championship and Celebration Bowl appearance, and the 2014 HBCU Men’s Tennis National Championship. She also led major facility enhancements, including football stadium renovations, arena upgrades, and new technology investments. Her leadership experience includes service on the NCAA Division I Council, NCAA Research Committee, NCAA Division II Volleyball Committee, FCS Football Regional Ranking Committee, North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Board, Durham Sports Commission Board, and the Local Organizing Committee for the 2029 World University Games. Today, Dr. Wicker McCree serves as Founder and CEO of WM Leadership & Legacy Coaching, LLC, helping leaders and organizations strengthen strategy, leadership capacity, and organizational effectiveness. She also serves as Senior Associate Director at the Duke Sports Sciences Institute, advancing strategic initiatives, community engagement, and innovative sports performance programming. A highly respected consultant and advisor, she serves as Vice President of The PICTOR Group, President-Elect of WeCOACH, Chief Operating Officer of Advancing Beyond in Sports (ABIS), and as an NCAA Peer Reviewer for institutions transitioning to Division I membership. An accomplished global ambassador for sport and education, Dr. Wicker McCree has represented the United States internationally. As a member of North Carolina’s World University Games Bid Committee, she presented strategic elements of the state’s bid for the 2027 World University Games to the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in Brussels, Belgium. She also volunteered with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and created international experiences for HBCU volleyball student- athletes and coaches through opportunities in Europe, the Caribbean, and Southern Africa. Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com . This is Season 13. Seasons 1 - 12 can be found on 200plus.expert.

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  Episode #2

  Replay: Brandy Gresham, Now Assistant Director of Performance Psychology and Wellness Services at University of Michigan Athletics

  Aug 12, 202659 minS13

  This episode is a replay from Season 10, August 2023. Brandy Gresham was Assistant Director of Athletic Counseling and is now Assistant Director of Performance Psychology and Wellness Services at University of Michigan Athletics. Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com . This is Season 13. Seasons 1 - 12 can be found on 200plus.expert.

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  Episode #1

  Shauniece Steele, Athletic Director at Walnut Hills High School (Cincinnati, OH), joins Monique A.J. Smith for A Chat in the Garden

  Aug 5, 20261 hourS13

  Shauniece Steele serves as the Athletic Director at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, where she leads one of Ohio’s premier high schools. A passionate advocate for education-based athletics, she is committed to creating an environment where student-athletes develop as leaders, competitors, and individuals through meaningful relationships, high expectations, and transformational experiences. A proud Walnut Hills High School graduate (Class of 2010), Shauniece embraced every opportunity as a student, lettering in volleyball, indoor track, and outdoor track while helping capture multiple state and national championships. She was also actively involved in the Marching Blue & Gold, student government, and numerous student organizations. She continued her academic and athletic career at the University of Akron on academic and athletic scholarships, earning Academic Honor Roll recognition and contributing to the 2013 Mid-American Conference Championship Track & Field team. Her leadership extended beyond athletics through Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the National Pan-Hellenic Council, where she served in executive leadership roles that further shaped her commitment to servant leadership and student development. After serving in several roles throughout Cincinnati Public Schools, Shauniece returned to her alma mater with a passion for providing student-athletes the same life-changing opportunities that shaped her own journey. A lifelong learner, she earned a Master of Science in Sport Administration from the University of Cincinnati and holds the RAA, RMAA, CAA, and CMAA professional certifications through the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. An active leader in athletic administration at the regional and state levels, she has been recognized with the SWOADA Middle School Athletic Director of the Year Award, the SWOADA Citation Award, and the OIAAA Bruce D. Brown Award for outstanding leadership and service. Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com . This is Season 13. Seasons 1 - 12 can be found on 200plus.expert.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #52

  Replay: Deandra Duggans, formerly with Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Aces, currently Vice President, Chief Business Officer at NWSL

  Jul 29, 20261h 6mS12

  This episode is a replay from Season 5, November 2018. Deandra Duggans was formerly with the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Aces. She recently accepted a position with the National Women's Soccer League as Vice President, Chief Business Officer. Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com . This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #51

  Vanessa Whitney, Founder of Sports Fan Nation, joins Monique A. J. Smith for A Chat in the Garden

  Jul 23, 202658 minS12

  Known as a gamechanger, and an inceptionist, Vanessa is perhaps one of the best engagement marketers in the arena today. She cut her professional teeth working her way up ladders to serve as Director of Corporate Communications, Events and Marketing for the U.S. arm of the largest watch company in the world, the premier engagement jeweler in the US, and the largest Jewish Community Center on the Eastern Seaboard. Companies charged her with strategic counsel and she defines her sphere as a combination of engagement marketing with public and community relations accounted for. Among her most prestigious accomplishments were product placement partnerships with motion picture studios, prop masters and stylists resulting in tripling the volume of global sales. Producing multi-media stories with high profile titles including the 2004 Athens Olympics Story for the Today Show, Roland Garros Tennis Coverage, and a 30 Minute Segment for Fine Living shot entirely in Switzerland as well as 5 separate luxury brand’s introductions to the U.S. market. Vanessa’s creativity allows for hands on relationship marketing as she connects like-minds for strategic wins counting on a treasure of life experiences to differentiate her from the ordinary. Her ability to create and implement concepts is complete with execution that only comes from a practiced professional. She is well versed in all aspects customer engagement and retention and has been honored with the Industry Events of the Year Award given by Accessories Magazine, 2003. As an entrepreneur she launched VMedia LLC to create and execute “Events with Purpose”. Her first event The North Atlantic Volleyball Showcase (NAVS) was a combine created to take on the mission of providing high school volleyball players with the opportunity to obtain scholarships by exhibiting their skills in front of college coaches - it has facilitated $32.5 million scholarships dollars to date. She launched NYC Liberty Games in partnership with NYC Mayor David Bloomberg an international destination tournament that saw participation from China, Canada and Israel. Currently, she is the founder and driving force behind Sports Fan Nation (SFN), a SaaS enterprise focused on revolutionizing the live event, fan engagement experience. Vanessa's personal and professional experience particularly in the sports industry has given her a keen insight into the needs of both the fan and the organizations. SFN seeks to provide a digital sponsorship platform to monetize personal broadcasting and User Generated Content on behalf of an organization. Vanessa also acts as a community volunteer as the AAU volleyball chairwoman for the NY Metro Region of the US. She is the mother of three children, who all excelled athletically to play collegiate sports, one of whom has won 2 NCAA Championships, was a US National Team athlete and played volleyball professionally all over the world. Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com . This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

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