Mentor Moves
Why real leaders lift others – the power of mentorship in high-performance cultures
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No one reaches the top alone—and neither did Ann Wauters. Throughout her journey in elite sports, she was guided by mentors who offered perspective, honest feedback, and support at key moments. These relationships shaped not just her performance, but also who she became as a leader.
In this keynote, Ann explores the true value of mentorship—not as a one-way transfer of knowledge, but as a powerful, two-way connection that drives personal and professional growth. Drawing from real stories in high-performance environments, she highlights the difference between coaching and mentoring, and why psychological safety, trust, and empathy are essential for both.
Mentorship is not about having all the answers. It’s about showing up, listening, and sharing experience in a way that helps others grow—and learning from them in return. When done well, it fuels engagement, builds stronger teams, and keeps valuable knowledge flowing across generations and sectors.
Ann invites leaders to see mentorship as more than a nice-to-have. It’s a strategic, human investment—one that strengthens culture, boosts retention, and creates ripple effects far beyond the one-to-one relationship. Because in the end, real impact happens when we pass the assist forward.
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Ann Wauters rose from an introverted, athletic girl to a global icon in professional basketball, captaining the Belgian Cats, winning at the highest levels, and redefining leadership in sport and business.
Next to that, she is Four-time EuroLeague champion, winner of the EuroCup, multiple domestic league titles, and WNBA champion in 2016 and Five-time European Player of the Year, Olympic athlete with a bronze medal at EuroBasket and leading the Cats at Tokyo 2021.
She brings 25 years of teamwork at the highest level—from leading elite basketball teams to coaching in the WNBA—and transforms her deep experience into instructive, inspiring keynotes that elevate teams and organizations to new heights.
Ann brings raw authenticity, elite sports wisdom, and proven frameworks to every stage. Whether you want to empower leadership, boost resilience, or uplift team culture, she equips audiences with strategies they can apply the minute they leave the room.
Ann’s high-impact talks center on:
Leadership Evolution: Traces her journey from introvert to internationally recognised captain, spotlighting courage, vulnerability, feedback, and emotional agility.
The Reimagined TEAM Framework: Trust, Energy, Accountability & Mindset—unlocking cohesive, high-performing teams, rooted in her Cats successes.
The Game of Life: Translatable tactics from elite sport to entrepreneurship—cultivating resilience through routines, belief, flexibility, and mental toughness.
Mentorship: she extends her influence through mentorship and training
She wrote The Game of Life and is co-author of Mentor Moves. Together with other athletes, she aims to spark a movement that breaks through isolation, loneliness, doubt, and uncertainty—by offering guidance, wisdom from life, storytelling, and deep expertise, as a counter-movement to the growing individualism and egoism in society. With Assits, she spreads universal mentorship principles to share her experience to others.
From Court to Boardroom: Elevate Your Team with Trust, Energy, Accountability & Mindset.
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