A starting block for girls to become women of confidence
about our work with The Natasha Hastings Foundation
When it comes to women’s empowerment in the athletic space, it’s safe to say Natasha Hastings truly is “Unlike Any”. The Olympic Gold Medalist, best known as the 400M Diva, blends together fitness, fashion and self-love in an inspiring way that should be recognized and rewarded. But instead of being rewarded for her efforts, she's more interested in awarding scholarships through her new foundation, appropriately named The Natasha Hastings Foundation. The foundation which launched in early 2018 is geared towards girls ages 12 -18, and aims to provide them with the tools to rise above their circumstances and love themselves during challenging adolescent years.
Natasha and Michelle were connected through a mutual friend in the sports world. After an initial conversation, it was clear that there was a disconnect between the story and passion heard from Natasha and the brand mission that was listed on The Natasha Hastings Foundation’s website. The initial brand mission of the organization was “to empower, inspire and uplift youth through sport in America and beyond”. Which left some questions about who the organization is for and what exactly it does. But if you ever hear Natasha Hastings talk about her vision and why she started this foundation, the answer is clear as she expresses sentiments like, “Why do we wait until girls become women to teach them how to love themselves?” And you’d be inspired to hear her share personal trials and speak about using her platform to talk to girls specifically about being a female in sport, addressing topics no one else is, such as “being on your period during a championship race”. She confidently makes it easy and comfortable for girls to have conversations that their parents or coaches might not be able to relate to.
It was quickly determined that the mission could be refined and accompanied by a vision statement and brand values. These assets, which clearly share the reason the foundation exists and its beliefs, allow Natasha to better tell her story and immediately connect with board members, volunteers and donors who are excited by it and aligned. The finished product is a new focused mission that gives a subtle nod to Natasha’s sport while at the same time being inclusive to any sport, and life outside of sport. A vision that shares Natasha's plan to leave a legacy for generations to come and values inspired by personal mantras of Natasha and also goals for the foundation, that provide unique motivation to guide the organization, its stakeholders and participants as they grow.
the work
Mission: Be a starting block for girls to become women of confidence in sport and life.
Vision: Generations of girls brought up with the confidence to accomplish their deepest desires, who become self-loving women, reaching their full potential and inspiring others.
Values:
Celebrate Small Victories
Admire Yourself
Rise Above
Empower One Another
Set a New Pace
What They Mean to The Natasha Hastings Foundation:
Celebrate Small Victories – We recognize all victories even if others don’t see them.
Admire Yourself – We love who we are and don’t change our standards for anyone.
Rise Above- We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to overcome their circumstance.
Empower One Another- We encourage everyone to reach their potential and be their best self.
Set a New Pace- We will create a new standard for the roles of women mentors in sports.
““Before working with Michelle, our brand messaging was very vague and needed some identifiable focus. Michelle listened closely to our mission and goals, and helped with writing and structuring our messaging in such a way that remained true to our vision but made it very recognizable for our target audience. She helped create a mission and values that capture the true essence of the foundation, that were not only specific and focused, but ones that the Natasha Hastings Foundation can continue to grow and expand into over the years!””
Learn more about The Natasha Hastings Foundation