Made for More

Laura Correnti is the founder of Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, the first firm in the world dedicated to bringing commercial investment to women’s sports. She’s also a powerhouse media executive who was the first partner at Giant Spoon before starting Deep Blue. We caught up with her to unpack what it really takes to blaze your own trail—rituals, resilience, and the radical act of betting on yourself.

DANIMÁS:  What did you always just know about yourself?

LAURA CORRENTI:  My will to win—in whatever capacity—was always greater than my fear of failure. 

D:  “Having it all” is old news. We’re here for  being it all.  What makes you a trailblazer—a woman who contains multitudes? 

LC:  Being a trailblazer means having the courage to go first and step into the unknown, trusting that the path will unfold. I’m fueled by the belief that bold moves start with a single decision, which is why “one day or day one” always motivates me. It’s a reminder that the right time is the moment you decide to begin.

D:  This newsletter is for women who are Made for More  —the kind who’ve been called “too much” and made it their superpower. When have you been unapologetically “more”—and how did it serve you?

LC:  Launching Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment in 2023—the first firm in the world solely focused on bringing commercial investment to women’s sports—was a direct response to all the “too much” moments I’d faced throughout my career. At a time when women’s sports were still seen as a “nice to have” by many investors, I chose to bet big on myself and the power of my vision. Time and again, fully committing and tuning out the naysayers has been the difference-maker. 

D:  You played Division I soccer at American University. What did that experience instill in you that still powers you today? 

LC:  There are so many things I’ve learned from sports that I use in my corporate career every day, like getting comfortable with being uncomfortable when joining a new team with new dynamics, embracing change, being open to feedback, and adapting my skills to play the role where the team needed me most. These are lifelong learnings that I think have made me the leader I am today.

D:  In business, what’s your version of a pre-game warmup? What is your go-to post-game recovery?

LC:  I’m a student of the game, so preparation is paramount. I’m always watching film, so to speak—just in the form of daily morning reading. Warming up means going into meetings, pitches, and negotiations fully up-to-speed and well studied on the business topic at-hand and the stakeholders involved, while also bringing added value to the conversation through the most timely or relevant news on the subject matter.

Recovery includes personal processing and team debriefing where we analyze the meeting and understand where the next move is so we can get closer to the goal. Real time feedback is an important part of my post-game ritual to get to the best outcomes and results moving forward.

D:  Athletes know stats are only part of the story. What are your personal KPIs or the metrics you  actually  use to measure success?

LC:  Chemistry: Is there a shared interest, passion, and mindset around a project with clients, partners, and the team I’m working with? If so, projects and opportunities usually result in successful outcomes.

Speed to Market: How quickly are we navigating and capitalizing on the opportunity? Can we move more efficiently and effectively to have a competitor advantage? Being a first mover is a mindset I live by.

Never Been Done: Are we challenging and pushing the idea or opportunity to its max? Have we thought of all the ways in? What questions aren’t we asking and how do we differentiate our approach to ensure we are iterating on or improving the status quo? How do we get our clients and the market to think differently, or consider alternative ways to solve the business challenge?

Measurable Impact: What is the needle, and how have we moved it? Can we demonstrate the business case for the ideas and recommendations we propose? If not, we go again.

Not a KPI, but a key criteria for decision making on where and when I move forward on an idea or project is the remembering phrase: “If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no.”

D: When you hear the phrase “work-life balance," what goes through your mind? 

LC:  For me, it’s not really about finding balance—it’s about figuring out how everything fits together. How can my life and work support each other so I can show up fully and get the most out of both?

That said, I do believe there’s truth to the saying that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life—which is what I’ve experienced in making my passion my profession.

D:  Who’s in your huddle? Who are the ride-or-dies who fuel you? And who would you love to bring into it next?

LC:  Those who believe in and support me and my vision while challenging and inspiring me to evolve and iterate. This includes my family, close childhood friends and former teammates, and the “sharks” I’ve met along the journey who show up day in and day out to check in and encourage growth.

I’m truly grateful for my colleagues at Deep Blue for their resilience and relentless commitment to drive industry change, many of whom are former athletes that bring their competitive mindset to the office every day. I love working with competitors who exhaust all options and find a way to get it done.

D:  Everyone’s talking about investing in women’s sports—but who’s actually doing it? Who deserves their flowers right now? Name names, shine lights. 

LC:  Andrea Brimmer, the chief marketing officer of Ally Financial, walks the talk by making the first of its kind “50/50 Pledge” as a brand marketer, a measurable commitment to spend equal media investment in men’s and women’s sports within a specific timetable. Beyond that, she continues to move the needle through her executive platform—betting on women’s sports in new and differentiated ways, and sharing insights with her industry colleagues to inspire them to join her. Like her brand’s famous tagline, Andrea and the team at Ally “Do It Right.”

I’m inspired by the way Allyson Felix, a track and field legend and cofounder of Saysh and Always Alpha, has taken her experiences as an athlete and turned them into businesses to pay it forward for future generations. Whether creating her own shoe company called Saysh to craft sneakers truly shaped to the unique contours of a woman’s foot to founding the first talent management firm exclusively dedicated to supporting female athletes, she is a pioneer and leader in taking industry pain points and turning them into actionable business models that move the women’s sports ecosystem forward. Legendary!

D:  Where are you headed next? What’s your Más or “More”?  

LC: More building. As an entrepreneur in start-up mode in an industry that is experiencing hockey-stick growth, it’s mission critical to build a sustainable infrastructure to support that growth and ensure longevity.

We are actively exploring ways to continue to diversify the services Deep Blue offers where we can apply our subject matter expertise at the intersection of media, marketing, and advertising in women’s sports.

D:  You’re handed the mic and a stadium full of 10,000 people. What’s the title of your talk—and what truth are you there to drop?

LC:  The athlete mindset doesn’t end when the final whistle blows—it evolves. I’d talk about how the discipline, resilience, and relentless drive we build through sport become powerful tools far beyond the field. For athletes stepping into their next chapter, those same traits are their greatest advantage in business, leadership, and life. “No Days Off” isn’t about burnout—it’s about showing up with purpose, playing the long game, and channeling that inner competitor to keep pushing the edge of what’s possible.

D: Fill in the blank: “Hot take, we all need more  .” 

LC: Spaces built for and by trailblazers—where women who are building, evolving, and expanding can connect, be seen, and be supported. Danimás is a perfect example. It isn’t just a community, it’s a catalyst—a place where ambition meets insight, and women help each other unlock what’s next. Because reaching your full potential shouldn’t be a solo journey.