Unwrapped: From Idea to Impact — Reflecting on My Journey with adidas Community Lab

From seed to story: how one idea became a movement—and what it taught me about growth, gratitude, and showing up.

One year ago, this was just an idea.

This week, I’m closing out one of the most transformational seasons of my life—as a creative, a founder, and a builder of something that I believe is truly meaningful.

For the past eight months, I’ve been a part of the adidas Community Lab, a program dedicated to empowering emerging entrepreneurs who are driving social impact through sport. When I officially launched The Gifted Collective in fall 2024, I knew I had something special—but I didn’t fully grasp how quickly that seed would bloom.

Since joining the cohort, I’ve:

• Written and tested a full curriculum for athlete media training and branding

• Launched a self-paced course, Fair Play, to help young athletes own their stories

• Started offering 1:1 consulting with athletes and their families

• Made countless connections with creatives, leaders, and dreamers who believe in equity and expression

• Traveled to adidas North American headquarters three times

• Attended the NCAA Women’s Final Four

• And most importantly, grown tremendously as an entrepreneur, woman of faith, and community builder

Every moment has been a blessing, and this past week was the culmination.

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🎓 Graduation, the Pitch, and Oldest Daughter Energy

To close out the Community Lab experience, we gathered at adidas North American HQ in Portland—and it was everything. We designed our own sneakers in the adidas Maker Lab. We had a restorative meditation session led by Alli Simon from Black Being LA. We were honored at a beautiful So Ambitious Dinner at El Gaucho Portland, hosted by Pharrell’s Black Ambition. And then we ended it with a pitch competition, judged by adidas senior leaders—including North American President John Miller.

in and around portland with adidas

Let me be real with you: With an additional top prize of $25K on the line, I stressed over that pitch.

But I’m always going to show up. (It’s oldest daughter energy.) I researched, I stretched myself, I delivered. I hit my points, I answered questions with clarity, and I walked off that stage feeling proud.

I wasn’t selected as one of the final winners—and while I was proud of my peers (shoutout to Jamal from Kickback, Javana and Vidal from La Familia Project, and Karina from Drafted!), I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel that sting. I’m an athlete. I want to win.

But once I took a breath, I had a moment of real perspective:

I launched my company less than a year ago. And this week, I was pitching a collaboration to one of the biggest brands in the world. I received a $75K grant, and now an additional $10K grant to use toward PR as a result of the competition. I’ve gained access, relationships, and receipts.

I’ve learned that the only way you grow is by showing up — and I did that.

The biggest takeaway? As a founder, your mindset is your most valuable asset. You can feel disappointed and still be proud. You can want more and be deeply grateful. You just have to keep going.

This was God-designed. It started as a seed, and now? It’s a whole flower.

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🚀 What’s Next

This is just the beginning.

I’m focused on licensing our on-demand Fair Play course to schools, club sports teams, and organizations that want to invest in the next generation of athletes. I’m fielding opportunities to co-brand Fair Play with organizations that want to prepare their athletes for opportunities in media. I’ve officially launched 1:1 coaching and consulting for young athletes and their families—helping them tell their stories and monetize their brands ethically, confidently, and with long-term vision.

Everything I’ve built so far has been grounded in purpose, and now, it’s time to scale with intention.

To Sammy, Vivi, and the adidas Community Lab team, Michelle, JP & Mariana at Impact Hub, Industry Education, Black Ambition — and every creative, coach, and co-dreamer I’ve met along the way: thank you.

Let’s keep building. Let’s keep blooming.

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Quick Notes:

I recently had the opportunity to discuss my WNBA fandom with PopSugar and talk about the price of being a fan. Spoiler: It’s expensive. Read that here.

Earlier this year, I spoke with my bestie,

Erin Ashley

about The Gifted Collective's journey for her newsletter, Notes from Erin. You can watch our chat here.

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With gratitude,
Andrea