Elliot Steeves-

For this year’s International Women’s Day, Gustavus Adolphus College will host Cindra Kamphoff, a renowned mental performance coach, for a talk from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8th in the Wallenberg Auditorium.

Kamphoff’s talk will center around her focus on passion and purpose when going after your goals.

“The definition of grit is just that: passion, perseverance, and purpose through the achievement of long-term goals,” Kamphoff said.

Kamphoff will talk about ten practices to help people be their best more often. She believes that these are some of the first steps toward building grit in one’s everyday life.

Gustavus Health Professions specialist Heidi Selzer-Bahr emphasized that this talk is meant for anyone to pick up on.“This is truly for anyone,” Selzer-Bahr said. “Kamphoff can really help you get a direction on your own life, and what it is that you are meant to do. She can help you develop your own life’s purpose.”

Selzer-Bahr also expressed very high enthusiasm for the talk itself. “It can help you if you are stuck, or if you are just figuring out what the next step is,” Selzer-Bahr said. “This will inspire you to go beyond what you are capable of and give you more direction. Every time that I have heard Kamphoff speak, I have gotten something new from it.”

Kamphoff is a very high-profile figure, having worked with the likes of Adam Thielen and partnered with the Minnesota Vikings, the US Track and Field team, and numerous athletic teams at Gustavus, such as Men’s Tennis. She is also a professor at the University of Minnesota-Mankato, and her students work with athletic teams at that university as well.

Gustavus was able to secure her for this venture through her connection to Selzer-Bahr, “[Selzher-Bahr] has heard me speak before, and is familiar with my book Beyond Grit,” Kamphoff said. “She had conversations with Katherine Tunheim, the head of Gustavus Women in Leadership, about bringing me here a few months ago. We thought that it would be perfect for International Women’s Day.”

“She is someone that I have known for a while, and I have seen her previous work,” Selzer-Bahr said. “Every time that I have heard her speak, it has been very impactful and empowering, and I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to bring her.”

Women can often experience more self-doubt and a lack of confidence. This is one topic that Kamphoff covers in her talk. “I want women to learn how they can move for themselves more,” Kamphoff said. “They will be able to learn about and apply simple practices in their life to make it even better.”

Kamphoff hopes, though, in addition to what the talk means for International Women’s Day, that any student who attends will gain a lot of value. “Students can expect to be inspired, and can also look forward to learning practical strategies that they can use to be their best more often,” Kamohoff said. “I will share stories and tools, and it will be fun, engaging, and motivational.”

The talk is sponsored by Gustavus Women in Leadership, led by Vice President in Mission, Strategy, and Innovation Katherine Tunheim. Tunheim has been the leader of GWIL since its inception. “I was a business management professor, and I felt that our female students needed to get connected to successful female Gustavus alumni so that they could mentor them,” Tunheim said. “And that’s exactly what we do.”

GWIL makes a stunning $50,000 per year to host events for students via many alumni donations. It was in part due to this revenue that they were able to land Kamphoff for their International Women’s Day venture.

International Women’s Day has been gaining steady ground around the globe – particularly in the United States, which previously did not celebrate it as much as other countries.

“It’s been gaining prominence in the United States, but it’s been slow,” Tunheim said. “Gustavus hasn’t brought a speaker to formally commence International Women’s Day before, this is the first time we’re doing so.”

Selzer-Bahr reiterated the broad array of students that could find inspiration in Kamphoff’s talk, even as International Women’s Day receives renewed focus.

“Whether your passion is your sport, or your academics, or your fine arts, or your career path, I truly believe that you will find inspiration from her talk,” Selzer-Bahr said.