Finding Balance & Being Exceptional: Kochanski Joins Leadership U Speaker Series

On Tuesday, February 13th, Leadership U welcomed Alexis Kochanski, four-time Gophers letterwinner and UnitedHealthcare Director of Strategy, for the first Speaker Series event of the Spring semester. Alexis is also a member of the Leadership U Advisory Group where she helps provide insights on the strategic vision of programming to best support and prepare Gopher student-athletes for their careers. She shared lessons from her time as a student-athlete, her transition from collegiate sports, and her current journey balancing her roles as a professional, mom, and mentor with the audience of Gopher Athletics student-athletes, coaches, and staff.

After completing her Bachelor's in Political Science at the University of Minnesota, Alexis immediately put her degree to work in Washington DC. However, she shared that these years away from home and gymnastics were met with a lot of confusion and hardship. As she navigated her transition, she found herself recognizing the importance of staying authentic and open while accepting short-term discomfort as a means of self-discovery, reflection, and personal and professional growth. In her case, she was able to build valuable takeaways for her next steps, be intentional about the choices ahead, and discover her "why." To continue her journey, she returned to Minnesota to advance her education and was subsequently appointed to the Minnesota Governor's cabinet in various roles before landing her current position at UnitedHealthcare. Along the way, she discovered and began to foster her passion for service.

Now, her innate sense of service has led her back to the University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics. She continues to give back to the Athletics Department by mentoring Gymnastics student-athletes and serving as a member of the Leadership U Advisory Group. In both spaces, she has prioritized building meaningful relationships and advocating for the holistic development of student-athletes.

Throughout her Speaker Series event, Alexis spoke to the power of meaningful relationships and holistic development as a means of easing the transition from sport, controlling performance, and supporting mental health. After reflecting on her journey, both in and out of sport, she encouraged the audience, student-athletes in particular, to commit to themselves to find the ability to be exceptional and build an identity beyond their athletic abilities or workplace title. By asking the student-athletes in the room, "Can you passionately describe who you are without talking about your sport?" Alexis illustrated the importance of putting in the work early to "discover and achieve who you want to be." She continued to encourage the staff and coaches in the audience to foster a space where this development was possible by sharing that "it's important that we are thoughtful about who they are after sports too and ensure that we are keeping them accountable to developing those elements of themselves."

With such a genuine passion for service, while excelling in her professional career and raising three young children, Alexis discussed how she balances it all by staying engaged and present in each space. However, coming from a world of sport where she was irrefutably exceptional, Alexis discussed how her expectations have since shifted. She shared with the audience that she has needed to find ways to be kinder to herself, adjust her definitions of exceptional in each space, and truly focus on being intentional and open in her pursuit of excellence in every facet of her life. Doing so has allowed her to find purpose and meaning in her work and develop herself into the authentic and present leader she aspires to be.

Leadership U was honored to feature Alexis Kochanski. We look forward to hosting our next Speaker Series event on Wednesday, March 13th, where we will welcome UMN Football Alum and WSB President & CEO Bret Weiss.

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Finding Balance & Being Exceptional: Kochanski Joins Leadership U Speaker Series

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