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Cassidy Lichtman
Director of Volleyball at Athletes Unlimited; Founder at P/ATH
Cassidy Lichtman is a prominent figure in the volleyball world, currently serving as the Director of Volleyball at Athletes Unlimited. Here are some key points about her:
Professional Background
- She is a former professional volleyball player who competed at the international level, including being a member of the USA Volleyball National Team.26
- Lichtman played professionally for five years in various countries such as Poland, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, France, and China.6
Educational and Collegiate Achievements
- She is a graduate of Stanford University, class of 2011, where she was a two-time First-Team AVCA All-America selection and led the Cardinal to four straight Pac-10 Conference titles.15
Leadership Roles
- In addition to her role at Athletes Unlimited, Lichtman was elected to the USA Volleyball Board of Directors in 2019.1
- She is also the founder of P/ATH, a sports-related initiative.23
Awards and Recognition
- Cassidy Lichtman was the first active athlete to be named to a leadership role at Athletes Unlimited and won the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Civic Leadership Award.4
Public Engagement
- She has given a TEDxBoston talk titled "The Power in My Voice," highlighting her experiences and perspectives.7
Overall, Cassidy Lichtman is a highly accomplished volleyball player, leader, and advocate who continues to contribute significantly to the sport.
Highlights
The Athletes Unlimited Innovation Summit gets better every year!
There's a lot of optimism around women's sports right now but I think even more importantly there are so many baller women who are making things happen.
We got to hear from a bunch of them (and a few of our favorite men) at this year's summit. If you couldn't attend, keep an eye on the Athletes Unlimited page where we're sharing some highlights. Thank you to everyone who made it out and a special thanks to our stacked lineup of speakers!
Sheryl Swoopes, Sarah Spain, Kim Ng, Allie Kleva, Elizabeth Lindsey, Keri Lockett, Sandra L. Richards, Sarah Francis, Laxmi Poruri, Rachel Fleitell, Ami Galani, David Friedman, Lillian Xu, Amanda Anderson, Caroline Fitzgerald, Diane Gotua, Danette Leighton, Courtney Jeffries, Kimberly Veale, Mark Litos, Hilary Meyer, Amber Falcone McKenzie, Haylie McCleney, Alisha Childress, Savanna Collins, Jon Patricof
And so much gratitude to Morgan Stanley and Earlystone for partnering on this event!
25 years ago this week I took my first step.
Or my second first step, I suppose. I had woken up one day in December to a sharp pain in one of my legs and couldn’t walk. After over 6 months of crutches, hospital visits, inconclusive tests and failed treatments the doctors had pretty much concluded that I wouldn’t walk again.
I had just turned 10 years old.
I didn’t believe them. I decided that I was going to walk on the last day of fourth grade. And in my infinite wisdom as a child, I decided that less than a week before, did not consult my physical therapist and had absolutely no plan.
To this day it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
There were two possible outcomes:
- They were wrong and I’d walk and then have to face all the pain that came with that.
- They were right.
As long as I didn’t try I could live in the in-between. I could believe in a world where I walked. But if I tried, we’d have the answer. And I was terrified of what that answer could be.
You’re never really ready for something like that. Sometimes there is nothing you can do, no button you can push to make it okay. Sometimes you just have to try. You just have to look out into the void and be scared and unsure and then step out into it anyway. And then you trust that whatever you find out there, you’ll deal with it next.
What I discovered when I stepped out into that void was that our limits are far beyond where we think they are. I left my crutches at home on that last day of school. Then I went back to physical therapy and re-learned how to walk properly. I got back into sports, started playing volleyball, got a scholarship, won championships, put on a USA jersey and lived out my dreams.
It never got easy. It’s been over 25 years of constant pain, and it’s not over. Just the other day I had trouble walking. Sometimes the water from the shower hurts, or the sheets on my bed, or my own pant leg. I worry about long lines and stairs.
It never got easy, but it has always been worth it. Through the pain there has always been joy. I have lived an impossible life, and all of it— my education, my career, my community, my life-long friends, my memories– comes down to one choice. I owe everything I am to a scared 10 year old looking out into the void and deciding to try.
Sometimes it really does start with one step.
