Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa “Tree” Beeckman.
Hi Theresa “Tree”, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Bridgeport, Michigan. While there I played everything sport I could, including football. I got a softball scholarship and played for four years at Saginaw Valley State University. My coaching career started while I was in college giving me a unique view of team building and team culture development.
I coached volleyball from the high school to the Division 1 level for 21 years with stops at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central, Delta College, Ferris State University, and Central Michigan University. In 2015 I left on court coaching and started building a consulting business. I also joined the Western Michigan Volleyball Staff in a non-coaching role in 2016 with a focus on team and player development and performance.
Even before my departure from CMU I had this underlying feeling that I wanted to impact more than the 16-18 women on my team. Also, I was feeling this overwhelming sense of disconnect from my coaching peers and from student-athletes en masse. So I sort of set out to see where this thing would take me all the while telling myself that I would just get a job if I needed to. 10 years later and I have more opportunities to make impact than I can accept.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
HA! No. It’s a struggle daily. I’m still trying to figure out how to scale, how to get things off my plate that are time wasters for me, how to set up systems that allow me to work more efficiently, how to not burn myself out, etc… The amount of making it up as I go is HEAVY. AND figuring out the best ways to make things sustainable is beyond comprehension. Having said all that, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tree Roots Culture Consulting LLC?
My why is truly to inspire and connect people (especially on teams) so that together we can all leave the world just a little bit better. In addition to that, I’m trying to be the resource for coaches and student-athletes that I wished I would have had while making myself progressively unnecessary. The world is a lonelier place than it used to be, and technology has evolved faster than we have been able to civilize it so there are barriers to connection that prevent important relationships from being made for our young people. So I get to live inside the vin diagram of coach & leadership development, team culture, and generational understanding and connection. When I can help a coach feel more prepared and less alone in their very real struggles and when I can help teams access language to make intangible things tangible, it helps them connect in ways that help them win deeper. In a nutshell, that’s what Tree Roots Consulting does. Every time a coach says I wouldn’t still be coaching had I not run into your stuff, that’s a HUGE win. When a player stays in the game rather than quit because of a horrible experience = HUGE win. The goal is to impact coaches/teachers and students/student-athletes. I’m proud of every positive impact made along the way.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
So many people don’t believe me after they see me speak, but I truly am a massive introvert and home body. I do a lot of speaking events and I love to get to them, but my energy is not derived from other people. The drive to make a positive impact drives me to be the best public speaker I can be, but I don’t love to grab dinner before or after an event – I’d rather take a book to a restaurant and read and think and dine alone to recharge. Everyone who meets me, even those who know me fairly well, have such a hard time accepting this as truth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.winningdeep.com
- Instagram: treerootsculture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreeRootsCoaching
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/treebeeckmanwinningdeep/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Tbeeckman13
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TreeRoots1313
