about
each moment of the day, a girl is bullied. whether it happens at school, at home, online, on a team or in the workplace, a female is bullied. the root of bullying has been studied for decades and often points to early mental health challenges. we went inside schools and teams to further explore the root of this problem that plagues our society.
play your game began in 2004 as a hand written acronym on the palm of my 9-year old daughter maclaine’s hand in sharpie™ marker. “PYG” was written thousands of times, when she lacked the confidence to go to school, feared girls on the volleyball court or simply wanted to hide from being bullied. it has evolved into a platform made by girls to help heal the world.
play your game was founded on the key principles of empowerment, confidence and empathy, values that we believe are necessary to teach at a young age. through the creation of a community focusing on these values, we believe the world has a chance to become a better, kinder place.
Courtnee
the players.
courtnee
Grit, grace and gratitude. After 50 years of life “experience” leading marketing teams for the world’s most respected companies (Apple, Disney, Intel and the Raiders (NFL), while raising two extraordinary humans, breaking and building relationships, hustling to find happiness, seeking meaning in far away lands, seeking a voice and finding joy and purpose, I choose to live by these three values.
I am a Chief Marketing Officer by experience, an empath and leader by heart. Before I had a corner office, I started it all by understanding the dynamic of six-year olds. With a Masters Degree in Education and a classroom of first-graders, I observed first hand the emotional warfare of bullying. Later, with two girls of my own, that battle become personal. Play Your Game™ (PYG) was born in 2004 by a desperate mother who needed to arm her little girl with superpowers each day to go to school.
PYG is a rallying cry, a hand to always hold and a quiet whisper in your ear. It’s about leaning into your fear while knowing that you are never alone, reminding yourself that you are brave and extraordinary, even when the world tries to tell you otherwise. PYG quiets both the inner voice and the external noise that shouts, “You aren’t good enough," and rebuilds the confidence and curiosity that makes you beautifully human.
maclaine
A creative by nature. An athlete by grit. A cook by trial and error. A student by saying yes to more. A philanthropist by giving until it hurts. A friend by authenticity. A human by experience. Maclaine’s career in sports did not stop after she retired from her volleyball career as she currently oversees the Branded Content Team at the NBA. She most recently launched her own company, Soul Supper, a human connection brand that brings people together to heal and grow the soul within a community.
PYG is fire. It is the flower that blooms from concrete after being walked on. It is the beauty of who you are and who you are becoming. It is soft yet powerful as it provides a sense of belonging while shouting “I will not quit".”
camden
Camden is a current student at University of Washington and, despite having retired from playing volleyball throughout her youth, she still is involved in the sport by coaching a club volleyball team in the Seattle area. Camden is also a member of various clubs including Doctors Without Borders and The Daily, which is the UW school newspaper. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, creative writing, moving her body and hanging out with her friends and family.
PYG is strength. It is power, love, acceptance, gratitude and grit. It is not giving up. It is empathy and knowing we are all human. It is loving yourself for who you are and remembering where you came from.
check out courtnee’s ted talk
TED, the influential video service that invites expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity. Courtnee was invited to speak at Santa Clara University where she discussed how to “Play Your Game.”
