343: Breaking Barriers at the NFL with Authentic Leadership

What does it take to lead in a world where the odds are stacked against you? Jennifer Langton’s remarkable journey from being the only girl on an all-boys lacrosse team to becoming the NFL’s first Vice President of Player Health and Safety is filled with lessons on courage, authenticity, and strategic visibility.

Her early sports experiences taught her the value of letting your work speak for itself and knowing when to step forward—or step back—to build trust and credibility. Those lessons became the foundation for her “Connect, Trust, Grow” leadership model, which she’s applied at the highest levels of professional sports and business.

Jennifer shares stories of resilience, innovation, and determination, from overcoming personal loss and career-ending injuries to pioneering concussion prevention initiatives that transformed the NFL’s approach to player safety. You’ll hear how she’s led groundbreaking projects, navigated male-dominated environments with confidence, and inspired teams to embrace change—even when resistance was high. Her insights will challenge you to rethink how you lead, influence, and create lasting impact.

Jenny is an award-winning strategic executive who’s known for her ability to drive innovation and positive change. She was an executive with the NFL for 15 years, where she spearheaded initiatives that revolutionized sports safety, including the development of an AI platform to predict injuries, impacting not only football but all sports and several other industries. She’s now focused on delivering keynote speeches and providing advisory services to companies.

You’ll discover:

• Why authenticity can build trust quickly
• How “strategic visibility” can accelerate your influence
• Jennifer’s three-part model for leadership
• Ways to overcome resistance and inspire innovation in any setting
• How to turn adversity into a catalyst for growth and success

Watch the episode:

Connect with Jennifer

Jennifer’s Website

Jennifer Langton, Inc.

Related Podcast Episodes

318: The Power of Speaking Up: Turning Fear into Strength

327: Unleashing Your Authentic Superpowers

How can you take a fresh look at your work so you and your team continue to innovate and adapt to change? Katharine Halpin founded her firm The Halpin Companies 25 years ago to fill a void she saw in her CPA career. Katharine has helped leadership and management teams increase their effectiveness in engaging each other and their colleagues, her clients tend to grow 2-3x because of the innovation that gets ignited from the new work environment. She’s the author of Alignment for Success, and we discuss key ideas from this book. Come prepared to take notes from all the nuggets Katharine shares!

You’ll discover:

• The areas in work and life that need to be aligned in order to achieve lasting success
• Suggestions for being productive in a remote work environment
• How to create a safe environment that encourages people to come up with innovative ideas
• Three self-care actions you can take in order to work at your best
• How to create Strategic Think Time to ensure you’re focused on the right actions

Watch the episode:

Connect with Katharine

Katharine’s Website

Halpin Company

Katharine’s ebook

Alignment for Success