How can WABN help global women athletes tap their confidence in sport to play an important role in business?

How can WABN help global women athletes tap their confidence in sport to play an important role in business?

Photographic portrait of Janelle Sasaki

02 May 2025

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WABN emerged from EY’s research linking women, sports, and leadership, showing that women athletes excel as business leaders.

Executive summary

Confidence may not automatically transfer to a second career in business and needs to be honed through relevant experience.
WABN fosters confidence by providing women athletes with new opportunities in the world of business such as mentorship and networking.

Having confidence in oneself and one’s abilities is vital for the achievement of professional and personal goals. It is an asset built on time; each occasion where you decided to try something new—and then persevered, failed, overcame setbacks, and then succeeded—becomes a building block for a solid foundation of confidence.

It is this assurance that provides people with greater motivation and resilience, less fear and anxiety, the ability to engage with others for support and empathy, and a deeper understanding of their authentic selves.

A study by Trine University, Indiana found that confidence “can make or break an athlete’s performance,” but years of training and development as a sportsperson can ensure they remain sure in their abilities in the face of any challenge.

So, doesn’t this confidence simply stay with them as they transition into a second career in business? As a former competitive gymnast, I know firsthand that sport can provide the necessary skillset — flexibility, determination, focus, and a growth mindset — but confidence also needs to be honed through direct experience in relevant fields.

This article will explore how EY’s Women Athletes Business Network (WABN) helps athletes develop confidence in the commercial world so they can bring the attributes they gained from sport to top business or entrepreneurial roles.

Former Professional Tennis Player, Misaki Doi and WABN

former grand slam tennis player Misaki Doi, participating in WABN Japan

Misaki Doi, former professional tennis player

For former grand slam tennis player Misaki Doi, participating in WABN Japan broadened her horizons, providing insight into leadership and how her strengths could be applied to new roles.

“I started playing tennis at age six, turned pro at seventeen, and have been a player for most of my life. Until retirement, I had devoted all my energy to tennis,” she says. “Pitching my ideas and project plan at WABN helped me gain confidence in myself for the business world,” including an international broadcasting at Wimbledon.

Since retiring from tennis in October 2023, Doi has been drawing on her experiences at WABN as an ambassador for tennis tournaments, to promote the game more widely. She also supports disaster-affected areas, including by empowering children to uplift their feelings by providing the opportunities to enjoy sport and making programs based on available facilities and equipment.

“WABN has reaffirmed my value,” she says, adding that “enrich my life” is her motto. “I have learned to focus on my strengths, which enables me to have confidence in myself, even in difficult situations.”

Global Network of EY and WABN

As EY is an international network with a global ecosystem of members, clients, and communities to build a better working world, Doi is also a member of EY Japan WABN Academy, a component of the Global WABN network.

WABN Global was born out of research on the correlation of women, sports, and leadership that shows women athletes make great business leaders. It was part of EY’s sponsorship of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics, as explained by founder Beth Brooke and EY’s commitment to our purpose — Building a better working world established in 2013 and a core element of EY’s global goal to create value and shape the future for EY people, clients, and society, as noted in our annual report EY Value Realized 2024.

Paralympic Gold Medallist, Samantha Bosco and WABN

Paralympic Gold Medalist Samantha Bosco

Paralympic Gold Medalist Samantha Bosco

WABN Global participant and Paralympic cyclist Samantha Bosco, who won Gold at Paris 2024 Paralympics, also found participating in WABN has changed her outlook.

WABN presented her with “opportunities to grow outside of sport” at a time when she was “excited and a little nervous to explore what that might look like,” she says.

Despite having plans to compete until at least Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics, she has been utilizing her bachelor’s degree in communications and master’s degree in accounting to support her husband’s business since 2018 and aspires to be a business owner and community builder.

“I joined WABN to push the limit of my own comfort zone,” she says. “WABN gives hope, as [athletes transitioning into the business world] have uncertainty and doubts. It’s terrifying to start out later in life. But WABN showed me it’s never too late to take the chance to start something new.”

Having overcome significant adversity in her athletic career, including a brain injury that left her unable to compete at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Bosco has a deep understanding of the correlation between confidence and performance.

Asked how she feels as an athlete when her confidence is high, she says: “I feel unstoppable, like I can take on anything and still give my best.

“Confidence is an ever-evolving thing because I have never been more confident in myself as I am this year, or even today. The more I lean into being intuitive, trusting my decisions, and being willing to be wrong, the more I have solidified my confidence. The process is about continuing to learn and trying to continue to be better than you were before.”

While on the WABN program, Bosco took part in a diverse range of activities designed to challenge athletes in new ways and had access to a host of resources for getting started in business. She received mentorship by a business leader working in a field that interests her, gained information and insights to help her realize her next career moves, and expanded her network.

“WABN helped me realize the power of being a ‘sponge’ – soaking up as much knowledge as possible from the people who know,” she says.

As she continues to train for competitions by tapping into years of learnings, she is mindful to build on her WABN experience step by step, thereby boosting her confidence in making a new career when the time comes.

Summary

WABN helps athletes develop confidence in the commercial world by challenging them in new ways, so they can bring the attributes they gained from sport to leadership and entrepreneurial roles including to develop their own business plans.

WABN

EY Japan WABN Academy Talent Pool

EY Japan Women Athletes Business Network Academy (WABN Academy) guides women athletes’ challenges in the business field, including entrepreneurship, and career transitions after retiring from competition. If you are interested in participating in the next program, please register.

*This form is not for applying to the program. The date for the next session is yet to be determined, but we will inform you once the next public recruitment begins.

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Janelle Sasaki

About this article

Photographic portrait of Janelle Sasaki

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