From the NFL to Esports, Johanna Faries Is Trailblazing a League of Her Own

Focus. Resilience. Training. Collaboration. As an athlete who picked up these skills while playing sports throughout most of her life, Johanna Faries is more than familiar with what it takes to provide a strong performance on and off the field. Before joining the leadership team at Activision Blizzard Esports as the VP and Head of Leagues, the Harvard grad worked her way up the ranks at the National Football League at its League Office Headquarters for 12 years. Aside from working closely across multiple touchpoints that impacted business development and revenue, Johanna spearheaded powerful community initiatives such as MyCauseMyCleats, an ongoing campaign that provides a platform for NFL players to share what fuels them beyond the field. Discover more about Johanna and her empowering career beliefs, who is her constant source of refuge and camaraderie, and what fuels her to lead a life full of meaning, gratitude, and adventure. How did you get to where you are today? When I entered the sports business world via the NFL, I gained broad-ranging exposure to so many aspects of what makes great leagues run–from sponsorship and media sales, to deal-making, licensing and partnership management, to considering the various goals that different stakeholders may have in defining success. That training ground enabled me to bring those experiences into the world of esports but with uniquely new dynamics, including the global nature of our games and communities, and the ability to innovate both in real-world and virtual spaces at the same time. Tell us about what you are doing now. I oversee league operations, product development, and general management of Call of Duty and Overwatch League esports globally. In this role, I led the formation of the new, global city-based Call of Duty League, which just started its second season and includes 12 professional teams in across 4 countries featuring the best Call of Duty players in the world. Women often attribute much of their success to the support from the people they surround themselves with. How do you foster strong professional relationships as you grow in your career? Any success I’ve had along my professional journey can be directly attributed to the mentors, coaches, and support systems I’ve had along the way. These mutually supportive relationships represent a diverse range of experts, peers, established and emerging talent, and industry collaborators. Equally as important has been a strong personal network: my amazing husband, caregivers and teachers who have helped us as parents of two young boys, and family and friends who are a constant source of refuge and camaraderie. How do you view work-life integration, especially now, and what advice can you share with others who may be struggling with it? Remind yourself that your business card is not a full reflection of who you are or what your full impact in life can be. While delivering successful outcomes for your business is a key element to professional success, if it becomes all-consuming, one often sees diminishing returns overtime. Your business card is not a full reflection of who you are. Make sure to find–and protect–the space you need to explore and engage different interests and pursuits. Doing so will likely strengthen your work output overall and the relationships you develop throughout your career along the way. What’s one way you’ve invested in yourself that’s had the most impact over the course of your career? What about within the past year? Prioritizing family time and time for solitude (to read a book, take a yoga class, write a song) have been important investments that keep me energized and more creative in my work life. In an age of ‘always on’ and now work from home culture, it’s been critically important to maintain boundaries for self-care, self-reflection, and self-expression. Can you recall a situation where you've dealt with typecasting in the workplace? And what advice do you have for other women on how to overcome typecasting at work? I’ve witnessed situations where marginalization will occur in revenue-generating or business development-related roles, where men are typically groomed for those types of opportunities more often than women. The dearth of women serving as team presidents across professional sports is a good example of that dynamic at play. Having spent much of my career managing, launching, and negotiating major lines of business, I often try to mentor other women on the trappings of gender bias when being considered for certain types of roles, and to make sure to amplify how impactful great women leaders can be in these types of areas specifically. What’s one tip you can share or something you’ve learned on how to handle salary negotiations or raises? It can be helpful to put salary goals into two broader contexts: 1) what else you value beyond compensation and 2) what else your company values in terms of its dominance in the marketplace. While salary is a critically important factor–especially as we seek to close existing wage gaps for women and women of color in particular–so are other factors like your work-life balance, company culture overall, training and development opportunities, and more. Who has helped you in your journey and how did they help shape your career? I have too many mentors to count. And as an introvert, it helps to know that developing deep, trusting relationships of this nature does not require constant communication or a ton of ‘small talk’. Kindness is more powerful than most forces. Additionally, some of my most impactful mentors share little in common with me personally, but they still have had a hugely significant role in my career success. I would advise any aspiring professional to cultivate several mutually supportive mentorship connections that can be activated under a range of circumstances. What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? It’s one of my favorite quotes, by Abraham Joshua Heschel, and hangs up on a big poster in my office: “When I was young, I admired those who were clever. Now that I am old, I admire those who are kind.” Kindness is more powerful than most forces. What does success mean for you? Success to me is living a life full of meaning, gratitude, and adventure, leaving a positive impact on communities big and small, and supporting my family and friends as best I can. Basically, I’m trying to make the ancestors proud!