Welcome to “Making a Difference!” Step into the inspiring world of business owners who are making a tangible difference in their communities. Join us as we spotlight passionate entrepreneurs who go beyond profit, dedicating their time, resources, and innovative ideas to create positive social impact. Today, our host, Greg Chapman, spoke with Mo Smith.
Mo Smith
Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Flagler College
Website Address: https://flaglerathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball
Short company description:
Flagler College
What is a tip for success that you would provide someone in your same industry?
Love what you do, but fall in love with more of the why you do it, and the why should be about impacting others
What volunteer experience has impacted you the most?
Serving in my church particularly helps serve the youth/young adults
What’s one cause you’re passionate about?
Investing in our younger generation
How do you encourage your team to make a difference?
Always have a larger purpose in mind- It’s bigger than basketball, it’s about serving others
Transcript:
Greg:
Hello. Welcome to Making a Difference. I’m your host, Greg Chapman. Today I have with me an exciting guest. His name is Mo Smith.
Mo is the head women’s basketball coach at Flagler University down to Saint Augustine. And he’s been coaching for a long time. So, Mo, thanks for being with us.
Mo:
Hey. Thank you Greg. I’m excited to be a part of the show today, so thank you for having me.
Greg:
No problem. So I shared a little bit about you being at Flagler. So tell us a little bit more about your basketball. Not the full version, but how did you end up at Flagler?
Mo:
So, you know, my previous stop was at Georgia College, State University, Division two school in Milledgeville, Georgia. Georgia. You know, we have some ties. There’s a couple of us.
Greg:
That’s right, that’s right. That’s right.
Mo:
And so, I was a basketball player there, you know, student athlete there. I was a graduate assistant coach on a men’s side. I was an assistant coach on the women’s side for four years. And I was a head coach for nine years there. So that stint when I was an assistant coach.
Mr. Judd Damon, our current athletic director, at Flagler, was our ad at Georgia College. And so Judd and I, we developed a great relationship just from the one year he was there. And and it was a real, you know, friendship, a Christian bond that we had. Brotherhood. You know, outside of him being my boss.
But he left to go to Flagler, and, you know, long story short. About ten years later, you know, I get a call, you know, from Judd. Hey, come interview for the Flagler job, and and I interviewed and all the boxes. Check. And the rest is history. And my wife and my two daughters moved down to Saint Augustine. And it was it’s been been been a very good experience.
Greg:
Yes. Not to mention there’s a difference between Milledgeville, Georgia. Yes. And Saint Augustine, Florida.
Mo:
Oh, yes. Yes.
Greg:
So, yeah. So part of our show is just as you know, in the title Making a Difference. With FCA and our ministry to coaches, we always want to encourage coaches to know why they do what they do. And so what would you tell our viewers, our listeners.
Why do you coach the way that you coach?
Mo:
I would love to first like FCA. I’m a huge fan, you know, and I love FCA and have always been a part of FCA in some shape or form. But you know, my why of course is beyond and bigger than basketball. Greg. You know, and if I were to kind of put it in the shortest and simplest form is, you know, I, I love investing in young people, helping young people find their unique path in life.
And, just giving them the tools to help navigate and be successful. Not only on the court, but off the court and help them grow. And in every aspect of their life, you know, from a spiritual aspect, emotional aspect, you know, about whatever resources they might need, might be lacking in I love being that link.
Yeah. To help them, you know, so that that brings me fulfillment. Just just helping invest in young people, so they can just be the best possible version of themselves. Because when it’s all said and done, you know, you know, I look at myself as a teacher as well outside of a coach. And so, you know, if I’m able to do that, help equip them just to be the best, best possible version.
And that’s a great thing for me.
Greg:
Yeah. That’s great. So, knowing how you coach and how you just articulated your why, is there a coach in your life who has kind of impacted you to coach that way?
Mo:
Yeah, yeah. You know, I’ve been so blessed to have, you know, every coach on every level have, have poured into me. They’ve poured in me so much that, that, that I’m kind of a culmination of all those coaches. That has been a blessing to me, impact in my life.
But, you know, one in particular, I would say the most meaningful impact that I’ve had was probably my high school coach. Coach Wilkins.
Yeah. I moved from Atlanta, Georgia to America’s Georgia when I was in high school. So talking about meals to be able to Saint Augustine now we are talking about from Atlanta to Americus, right. Big difference. Yes. Right.
I was a sophomore in high school. You know, my mother was a single mother and, you know, not knowing at the time, you know, that teenage boy was actually screaming for, like, fatherly guidance, right? Fatherly help. You know, somebody who can come in and, you know, probably affirm me more than I probably realized at the time.
And Coach Wilkins was that, you know, he found me in AP class, you know, playing basketball. I thought I was an okay basketball player. Moved down there. He found me in AP class, and he just took me under his wing.
And he’s and he’s still a mentor to me to this day. And, you know, he probably saw in me what I didn’t see himself. Yeah. And and you know, and to be honest, that’s why I probably coach now because of him.
Greg:
That’s awesome. So kind of time the two together. Again something we’re real big on. And FCA is the phrase the coach said, you know, you have kids, I have kids, and, the kids in my house, I can tell them to, blue in the face to do something right.
But as soon as the coach says, you need to be more helpful around the house, right? Our coach said you need to do whatever it is. Knowing the influence that Coach Wilkins has had on your life and your why to help mold and point people, using your position as a coach to mold people.
What do you think? How do you think your words carry weight in the lives of those God has entrusted you to coach?
Mo:
Yes. I’m a big believer in, you know, in the power of words. You know, and as a coach, I look back at my life. You know, it took me a while to realize that the most influential people in my life were coaches.
And it was more so what they said imparted into me verbally. And so I take that, you know, I take that and I, and I try to make that, you know, a part of me as far as making sure my words, you know, bring fulfillment. It brings, you know, it brings life, you know, to the players that are coaches, you know, we’re not perfect all the time with words, you know, so.
But, but but, but I try to be mindful of what I say, how I say, and the impact those words have. So, the coach said it is powerful.
Greg:
Yeah. Yeah. I wish coaches would understand more and realize how heavy and weighty their words are. And like you said, they can build up so fast.
But man, they can. We can. I have you probably have to, we can tear it out so quickly. Yes. And once you do that, it’s so hard to rebuild them. Back to where? Rebuild your athletes. Back to where they were emotionally.
And so that’s just crazy. So. But, man, I sure appreciate you being on the show with us and sharing some, some insight into your life, and, thank you.
Why do you do things the way you do? And, for those of you out there, thank you for continuing to come back and listen to some of our stories of coaches who are making a difference, and the communities in which they serve. Thanks for joining us.
The Daily News Network, Buzz Tv News, and DAILYBIZBRIEF highlight business professionals, nonprofits, veterans and community leaders on over 40 TV Segments including The Horse’s Mouth, Legacy of Leaders TV, Veterans Buzz TV, Finding Your Frequency, and Buzzworthy Businesses.
Teal, The Agency, powered by Client Focused Media, offers marketing agencies a full-service white-label solution to scale their services without the cost or complexity of building large in-house teams. Tailored for small and medium-sized agencies, Teal specializes in relationship-driven lead generation, advanced CRM workflows for personalized client engagement, and end-to-end project fulfillment. With powerful integrations like HighLevel, Stripe, and Zapier, Teal simplifies your operations while optimizing efficiency—saving you valuable time and resources. While other tools on the market like Vendasta, RocketDriver, and DashClicks, may require contracts, Teal provides flexible, no-contract pricing, giving you the freedom to grow on your terms. Ready to elevate your agency’s impact and efficiency? Explore how Teal can help you deliver exceptional results and better serve your clients. Apply on BeTeal.com today to start your journey toward becoming a marketing powerhouse by understanding digital marketing strategies for agencies, SEO best practices for marketing agencies and scaling a marketing agency.
