Worklife with Adam Grant ReThinking: Breaking leadership barriers with hockey coach Jessica Campbell
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Mar 17, 2026 
Jessica Campbell, Seattle Kraken coach and the first woman assistant behind an NHL bench, shares how being the only girl on boys teams shaped her drive. She talks about turning difference into a coaching path, her leadership formula of listen, lift, and love, giving tough feedback without shame, building trust, and handling the pressure of being first.
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The Birthday Prediction That Unlocked NHL Ambition
- Brent Seabrook told Jessica Campbell on her 27th birthday that she would coach in the NHL, crystallizing a possibility she had barely allowed herself to imagine.
- His belief mattered because NHL players were already seeking out her original drills, methods, and sessions.
Build Your Own House Instead Of Begging At Doors
- Jessica Campbell handled rejection by stopping her chase for resistant gatekeepers and building her own coaching business instead.
- Her mantra was that no player was too big or small for her coaching, which kept the work central and the hate peripheral.
Listen Lift And Love As A Coaching System
- Jessica Campbell's leadership framework is listen, lift, and love: know the human, raise standards, and create safety for challenge.
- Her version of love includes tough accountability, celebrating progress, and making players feel seen enough to go through walls.