Sports can change lives; they teach resilience, grow leadership skills, build lasting friendships, and challenge us in all the right ways. It is these gifts and power that drive the work at Common Goal every day. Common Goal uses soccer to bring people together and drive society-wide change across the globe. This is something their new CEO Mary Connor believes to her core. She calls the sport her the "best friend" that's been through many chapters with her -- starting as a kid, playing professionally, and now in the non-profit world. When her playing career was done, Mary stayed connected to the sport and founded "Soccer Without Borders," (SWB) a program offering underserved youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success. Not long ago she transitioned to Common Goal, where SWB is just one of the hundreds of non-profits Mary gets to work with. Today we dive in to:

• Mary's role with Common Goal and what drew her to the organization
• How soccer became her "best friend" and stayed with her through various chapters of life
• How a trip to Nicaragua shifted Mary's perspective on the sport & intention in programming
• Why we need to break glass ceilings and raise the floor simultaneously (thanks Becky Sauerbrunn!!)
• How sport can help fight for gender equity
• Lessons from soccer that have helped Mary in leadership positions
• The ways soccer can tear down walls and reveal a willingness to see commonalities across cultures
• The importance of World Football Giving Day (May 26)
• How purpose-centered investment and giving can make a huge impact

Learn more about Common Goal's mission: common-goal.org

Follow along on social: @commongoalorg

Get involved with World Football Giving Day: worldfootballgivingday.org

Follow along with Hannah on social: @_hannah.donnelly

To watch the episodes: NBC Sports Boston YouTube

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