Strength Training

Children’s books by basketball alumna spread the word that there’s much to gain from playing sports

ASHLEIGH HOLLMAN

ABNEY ’07 knows from personal experience how sports can strengthen you mentally and physically.

Seriously injured during her sophomore year on Longwood’s women’s basketball team, she came back to play a healthy senior year despite initially being strongly discouraged from returning to the court.

“While sidelined, I stayed in shape and built my mental mindset to be able to push through the fear of ‘what if?’” she said. “For me, a potential setback became fuel to pause, rebuild and pivot roles, and then resiliency and passion pushed me forward. This is just one of many examples of how sports throws real-world scenarios at you that can build your character for years to come.”

And that’s exactly the message she thought it was important for children to hear. “Through sports, children and young adults experience critical opportunities to pursue success in the classroom and the work ethic to be at your physical best to compete,” said Abney, who is a program manager for Amazon and the mother of a young son and daughter. “Sports can build self-confidence, discipline, teamwork, friendships and so much more.

“I remember sitting down one night early in the pandemic and deciding I had a message and wanted to put it on paper. I considered starting a blog, then quickly realized that was not the route for me.”

The direction she took instead was writing and publishing children’s books. The first book, Girls Can!, came to her “effortlessly,” she said, and was published by her company, Empower Books, in September 2022. And more books are in the pipeline.

“The goal of Empower Books is to inspire children to maximize their inner ability and potential,” said Abney, who majored in business with a concentration in marketing at Longwood.

Riley H. Ross III ’93 is a trial lawyer with nearly 20 years of trial and litigation experience and a partner at Mincey Fitzpatrick Ross LLC, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In May, he began a three-year term as one of 12 zone governors on the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Board of Governors, representing Philadelphia

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“Girls Can! focuses on girls’ finding their inner strength and tapping into their athletic talents, if they choose to do so. But it’s not just for girls. There is a strong following of parents of boys who have also enjoyed the book with the goal of their sons’ supporting, recognizing and encouraging the girls in their lives—which I think is incredible.”

—Sabrina Brown

Girls Can! by Ashleigh Hollman Abney ’07 is the first offering from Empower Books, founded by Abney to inspire children to maximize their abilities and potential.