Meet Erica Mulholland: Five Questions with Youth Inc.'s Girls' Soccer Ambassador

Erica Mulholland is a three-time college All-American, Hall of Fame inductee at Johns Hopkins and former semi-professional soccer player in the U.S. and Brazil. In addition, she is a performance coach and the Youth.Inc girls' soccer ambassador.

We asked her five questions about her best memories, coaches and perspectives that have guided her journey in sports and life.

1. What is your favorite youth sports memory?

My favorite youth sports memory is spending time with my teammates. I was lucky enough to travel to places like Spain and Portugal to play soccer. I also loved pasta parties, bus rides to away games and getting pumped up in the locker room before games.

2. Who has been the most influential person or coach in your life?

My soccer and skills coach in high school, Laurie Schwoy, was my most influential coach. She taught me to be creative with the ball and always challenged me in training. Schwoy also believed in my ability to play at a high level and set high expectations for me to do work on my own.

3. What is one lesson you've learned through your sport that has shaped your life?

One lesson I’ve learned through soccer is to lean into the process. Sports and life will always have ups and downs, but those moments build character, resilience, teamwork and leadership. As a performance coach, I embrace the challenges that I face in work – and I’ve learned to love them. I fall in love with what I do every day because I approach in the same way I did as a soccer player: by embracing the process.

4. What advice would you give to your 10-year-old self?

I would tell my 10-year-old self that mistakes aren’t a death sentence and it is important to move past them. I used to beat myself up over every error in a game – turning over the ball to scoring an own goal, missing a penalty kick. Looking back, I realize none of it was that serious. In fact, nobody remembers them. I would’ve told myself to acknowledge my mistake, learn from it, and move forward without letting it ruin my week.

5. What is a motto or belief that you live by?

Service over self. We live in a culture that constantly pushes “self care.” And while self care, health and nutrition are absolutely important, I think it is making people more self-focused — at  the expense of serving others. I truly believe when we make service our mission, life becomes more rich, meaningful, and connected. Even on bad days, you can still show up and serve. At its core, youth sports is a service industry – not about the self at all.

More from Erica Mulholland:

Erica spoke with former professional soccer player Yael Averbuch about the life skills and empowerment gained from the sport, the importance of self-belief and discipline, and how these lessons have influenced her role as a general manager and her ability to overcome personal challenges. Watch their conversation here.

See more on Erica's time at John Hopkins here.

Check out Erica's performance training website here.

Erica shares her work and life on her social media channels:

You can also listen to her podcast on YouTube: the Strong Female Athlete.

For more from Erica, follow her on Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube.