Greatness and Grace: Motherhood, Leadership, and the NBA Finals

Jenny Boucek has spent her career navigating uncharted waters—often without a map, but never without conviction.

Today, she’s a respected assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers, rewriting the story of what’s possible—not just for women in basketball and those competing at the highest level, but for anyone juggling leadership, parenthood, and purpose. Her journey hasn’t been conventional. It’s been courageous.

Renowned sportswriter and ESPN NBA Insider Ramona Shelburne recently wrote an in-depth feature on Coach Boucek’s extraordinary basketball journey to the Pacers organization. The piece highlights her pivotal role in the team’s playoff run, her creative play-calling, and her dual path as a single mom and high-caliber coach—trusted by head coach Rick Carlisle to lead defensive strategy while balancing parenthood and making history in the NBA.

Most of us, at some point, are thrown into the deep end. No guarantees. No perfect roadmap. Just trust. That’s exactly what happened to Jenny Boucek.

"Rick said to me, 'I need this to be your role this year,'" Boucek told ESPN. "And I don't want to let him down. I don'twant to let the team down. But sometimes I feel like he's throwing me in the deep end and saying, 'You're either going to sink or swim. But I believe in you.'"

Rick Carlisle's belief wasn’t just professional—it was personal. He saw in Boucek the rare qualities every great coach and leader possesses: humility, connection, resilience, and a relentless desire to grow.

“She’s on a path to possibly be the first female head coach in the NBA,” Carlisle said. “Not just because of her knowledge, but her ability to build relationships, her ability to listen, and her humility.”

While building her coaching career, Boucek made a life-changing decision to become a mother. At the time, she didn’t know how—or if—the two roles could coexist.

"Are we going to be able to do this and be a great mom or not? A lot of women, unfortunately, have to make that choice when they're looking up the career path. 'If I start to feel like I want to have a family, can I keep going? Or do I need to forfeit or just stay in a certain role along the way?'"

That was the internal and external narrative Boucek was battling with. But she didn’t just find a way to do both—she refused to accept that she had to choose.

Boucek isn’t just leading in Pacers huddles and film rooms—she’s leading her 6-year-old daughter Rylie too, whom she brings on the road with her. Between team meetings and game prep, she’s also planning playdates and activities.

Coach Boucek's journey isn’t just inspirational—it’s comforting and enlightening. Her story offers all of us a different kind of playbook—one not measured only in wins and losses, but in belief and boldness.

Here are some questions for us to reflect on today and in the days ahead:

• Where in your life are you being asked to swim—and who believes in you?

• Are you modeling the curiosity and humility you want to see in your team?

• How might choosing both/and—instead of either/or—unlock a deeper version of yourself, allowing you to evolve and blossom?

Coach Boucek may one day become the first female head coach in NBA history. But right now, she’s playing a pivotal role in helping the Pacers chase a title in the NBA Finals. And her legacy? It’s already far greater.

She’s the essence of being more than a coach. We are all more than our titles. Coach Boucek is modeling a new kind of leadership and high performance—one that honors the full human behind the title.

Because the truth is: Every day, we’re all swimming in something uncertain.

But if we can show up with belief, courage, and a willingness to keep learning, leaning in and daring greatly, we’ll discover we don’t have to choose between greatness and grace.

We can lead and live with both.

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