Empowering The Iowa Girl

Unlocking Peak Performance Through Culture and Character

What Is Empowering The Iowa Girl?

Empowering the Iowa Girl is a strength-based character and culture development program grounded in 25 years of applied research by Dr. Matthew L. Davidson, Dr. Vladimir T. Khmelkov, and the Excellence with Integrity Institute team. In partnership with The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University, this initiative equips coaches and student-athletes with the tools to develop the cultural and character strengths needed to thrive in today’s environment.

Tools and Lesson Plans

Why Culture & Character Matter

Just as strength and conditioning have become essential for physical performance, culture and character are now recognized as critical components of athletic success.

Culture is your team’s values in action.

Character drives how those values show up under pressure.

Together, they form the foundation for resilient, high-performing teams.

When culture and character are ignored or underdeveloped, even the most talented teams may struggle with breakdowns—physical, mental, emotional, and moral.

The Journey:From Base to Summit

Every competitive season is a journey—a climb from basecamp to summit.

Basecamp: Pre-season preparation
Summit: Post-season peak performance
The Path: Challenging terrain filled with highs and lows

Coaches serve as expedition leaders, helping athletes summit safely by building the internal strengths necessary to endure adversity and achieve success.

Coaching to theSummit Safely

Optimal performance coaching means mastering the balance of:

Demandingness – Pushing athletes toward 
competitive excellence.

Responsiveness – Adjusting strategies based on team feedback and changing conditions.

This dynamic balance fosters psychological safety, leadership, resilience, accountability, and self-awareness—all essential for long-term success.

Tools for Coaches: Culture & Character Workouts

The program provides a flexible set of team -based “workouts” that are:

Topic-Based: Leadership, teamwork, accountability, communication, work ethic, and resilience.

Versatile: Usable on the court, in the locker room, classroom, film session—or even the team bus.

Modular: Easily split into short segments to fit any schedule.

These activities help coaches shape team culture consistently and intentionally throughout the season.

What Coaches Gain

  • A framework for shaping team culture and character

  • Activities that reinforce core values and team goals

  • Tools to improve communication, resilience, and cohesion

  • Strategies to navigate competitive stress while preventing burnout and breakdowns

Empowering the Iowa Girl Means...

  • Building teams that thrive under pressure

  • Developing the whole athlete

  • Elevating performance through integrity

  • Climbing together—and summiting safely

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

Developed by Experts.

Built for Iowa.

Backed by extensive research and proven in collegiate and pre-collegiate athletics, the Empowering the Iowa Girl program is not just about growth for the future—it’s about winning today with integrity.