Oprah Winfrey says: “Everyone has to learn to think differently, bigger, to open to possibilities.”

The Washington Mystics players certainly embody that belief. As one of the WNBA’s most popular basketball teams, “This is a group of elite athletes who desire to be the best,” says Trudi Lacey, who took over last year as head coach and general manager of the team. “They have given a lot to get to this level and are a tribute to what is possible when you work hard and never give up on your dreams.”

We recently had the privilege of watching Lacey in action, when the Mystics played the Connecticut Sun on June 16. Although the DC team lost 79 to 71, the crowd had a ball grinning for the SmileCam, shaking it for the DanceCam, and cheering on the impressive professional basketball players.

But it’s not all fun and games for these athletes. To make a living playing professional basketball, many of the professional athletes play year-round on teams abroad before starting their WBNA season each June. “That nonstop action really takes a toll on their bodies,” Lacey told us a week earlier in an interview in her office in the Verizon Center. See more of our discussion below, and also click on our Tips for Entrepreneurs to find leadership lessons from three of the Washington Mystics, and the team’s COO Greg Bibb, who is also the Executive VP of Business Operations for the Wizards.

Also in this issue: We also welcome four new columnists to Be Inkandescent Magazine:

• Conflict Resolution columnist Lisa McLeod shows us ways to overcome “The Doorbell Dynamic.”
• Executive Coach Laura Berger identifies “the troll” that is keeping you back from accomplishing your big dreams.
• Government Relations specialist Pamela Ray identifies the key to the future of successful lobbying (go local).
• In her debut article, “Diary of a Mad Soccer Player,” we learn about the realities of women’s sports from professional soccer player Joanna Lohman, who will be our Sports columnist.

Here’s to a great big, beautiful summer! — Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, Be Inkandescent Magazine / www.inkandescentpr.com