Getting To Know Sierra Romero | The Change Up With Sierra Romero Ep1

[I’m Sierra Romero and this is my brand new show, The Change Up with Sierra Romero. Hi, I’m Sierra Romero and I am your host of the brand new podcast on Hail Media, The Change Up, hosted by me, Sierra Romero. I am so excited for this first episode. And I felt like it was only right that for the first one, everybody, my audience, gets to know me a little bit more. So most of my life I’ve been the softball player. Now it’s time that you get to know me on a deeper level. I’ve had so many different life experiences that have shaped me into who I am today. And I want to share all of those with you.

And my hope is that on this podcast, you are always able to at least walk away with one thing that you can take away from something that I spoke about or an interview and somehow apply that to your life. or I hope that it’s something that it makes you kind of think a little bit differently about something. Not trying to change the way you think about certain things, but I just want to open everybody’s mind up to different possibilities and different situations and different outcomes and just different ways to look at life or situations in general. So, with this podcast, I hope you guys know I have a lot to say.

So, buckle up because this is going to be fun. So to start the podcast off, I think it’s only right that we start with my story. I want you guys to know a little bit more about me. So I want to share a little bit more. I want you guys to know the person behind the screen just so you can feel a little bit more connected to different things I bring up as this podcast continues to go, hopefully for a long time. So let’s go ahead and start. First up, growing up. I’m from Murrieta, California. Born and raised in California. Um, once I graduated from Michigan, I’ve basically lived in Florida my whole life after that.

Um, I did live in Oregon for one year when I coached at the University of Oregon, which was Coach Lombardi’s first year as head coach there. But growing up, I was the oldest of four. I have a sister who is 29, Sydney. She plays or she played at Oklahoma and then she also plays pro currently and she’s the coach at the University of Oregon and she’s also on team USA and trying out for the 2028 Olympics. So there’s one sister. Then there’s my brother Mikey. Mikey is 22 years old and he is in the Red Sox organization. He is in Worcester uh with the WooSox.

And then my youngest sister Sophia, she is 21 and she plays softball at Boise State. So to say that my siblings are athletic is a understatement. I don’t know if it was in the jeans. I don’t know what we ate. We ate a lot of uh Mexican food. A lot of Yeah, just a lot of Mexican food to be honest. So maybe that’s the secret sauce. That’s what it is. But growing up, the household was very competitive. It was fun. We were very much like outdoor kids. Like we just wanted to be outside all the time, hanging out with our friends, playing games.

So for me growing up, I was just that typical outdoorsy kid who always wanted to be doing something. Anything that involved being athletic or playing outside, you could count me in. Um, so for me, that was a huge part of growing up was growing up with siblings that also played sports. So we honestly just hung out all the time. Um, I was really blessed with how close our family is and growing up was just fun in the Romero household. It was competitive, but it was fun. And we had certain standards and expectations as kids.

And I applaud my parents for doing such a great job in raising us and having standards and treating people the right way. And one of my favorite quotes is always do the right thing even when no one is watching. And that’s something that my mom said to me when I was younger and it stuck with me for a really long time. And I’m I’m 32 now and that’s still my favorite quote and a quote that I like to share with the younger generation. So after travel ball, after that high school, I went to Michigan. And when I got to the University of Michigan, people were shocked.

People couldn’t believe that that’s what I chose, which is crazy cuz if you’ve been to Michigan, then you know, like it’s amazing. But for me, it was hard to go away from home. But I also wasn’t scared. I I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to do something new, experience a new place, and Michigan felt like home. So, for me, it was a no-brainer to go to the University of Michigan. And honestly, best decision of my life. I wish I could do it again, especially with NIL. That’d be nice. After playing at Michigan, I went on to play pro.

And the first pro team that I was drafted to was the USSSA Pride, which was out of Viera, Florida. So I played for them for like six years and then uh after that I did have a knee injury during that time. So I I had a ACL injury that turned into a couple other things. So I had to have like three procedures to fix it. We can talk about that another time. And then I went on to play pro for Athletes Unlimited. So I played with Athletes Unlimited when it was the point system. And then I did also get to experience 2 years in the new AUSL league. And for those two years, I was on the Volts.

And so I just retired this past season in 2026. So this podcast is coming at a really good time just with me having a lot of stories and wanting to share them with you guys. Um, so after playing pro now, I think the the biggest thing for me is I have been reflecting on what softball has meant to me. And softball has and will always be a sport that I am extremely grateful for. It got me to so many different places. I got to experience so many different things. It brought out the business side of me. Um, it’s where I learned business. It’s where I created relationships.

It’s where I learned how to keep good relationships, especially in the business world. And just making sure that I always did the right thing. Because for me, it was about setting up the future softball player. Not only doing the right thing because I wanted to represent myself, my family, and the type of person that my parents raised me to be, but I also wanted to make sure that I left a good mark on whatever company that I was with because I wanted them to continue to invest in women and specifically softball players.

So, I hope and pray that I did a good job in that and that softball players continue to get certain deals um and that my sponsors continue to invest in other softball players because they see that with the right partnership and the right athlete that it’s a mutually beneficial thing. So, that was always my goal and something that was just always important to me as a softball player. And I really think that Hutch also played a big role in that. She always held me to a high standard when I was at Michigan and always wanted me to be a voice for women.

She knew that I was not afraid to use my voice and speak up in moments where other people would be silent. And so I always told myself that I needed to make sure that I used my voice and used it to the best of my ability while also listening and hearing people out and seeing any and all sides and being an open book, not being so, you know, I don’t know, just narrow-minded. I guess I like to think that I’m a pretty open-minded person and um I love having conversations, especially conversations that could make me think differently about a certain situation.

I love that aspect of conversations and talking and thinking. So for me though, I think another thing about my story that’s going to be interesting to honestly unpack here with you guys is my identity after softball. , 1 secondYou hear about a lot of people talking about athletes having that like identity crisis and I don’t think I’m feeling that just yet, but I can totally tell that I to I’m going to feel that at some point. Um, maybe I won’t. That would be great. But I hear that that part is a real thing.

So, I’m excited to be on the podcast joined with you and talking about what my identity looks like outside of softball, outside of playing a sport, outside of having to be good at something athletically and practicing a sport all the time and working out to play a sport all the time. Um, I think that my mindset on my approach and preparation will stay the same with a lot of things that I do after softball, but I am really curious to see how I get out, I guess, that competitive side to me and find different ways to fulfill that side since softball has always been a huge part of my life.

So, that was a quick summary on a little bit about my background coming up from when I was younger to where I’m at now. We’ll dive deeper into those stories specifically. I’ll save those for like certain episodes, but I just want you guys to get to know a little bit about me first. Now, we’ll dive into the next half. So, funny enough, the name of this podcast really came from the fact that The Change Up was always my favorite pitch to hit. That might sound crazy, but it was. I loved hitting a change up, and people knew that I did love to hit a change up, too. I was pretty good at it.

But also, the fact that I retired, right? I retired. So now this is The Change Up in my life and so that’s basically where the name came from. So it’s only right that we go into that now. So let’s talk about what changed for me. How did I come to the resolution of retirement and being done? Because physically I totally could be playing a few more years, a little bit longer. It just felt for me like the right time to go. Um, and I have been feeling this way honestly for the past couple years.

And if I’m going to be really honest and very vulnerable with you guys, um, softball hasn’t quite felt the same for me since my dad passed um, in 2024. And so for me, you know, don’t get me wrong, I still loved it and I still love softball and I just still love the sport in general, but it just hasn’t hasn’t hit the same for me. Um, I feel like I’ve gotten more joy out of the development side and seeing other people succeed and helping other people succeed than I have with my own success. Um, I just feel like I’ve done everything I needed to do as an athlete.

Um, and some people will look at certain things and be like, “Oh, well, you didn’t win this or you didn’t go and do that.” I don’t define my success based off of my accomplishments, the places that I’ve been. I define my success on the lives that I’ve impacted. For me, it’s always been about helping other people be better. How can I impact other people? And I really learned how to do that at my time at Michigan. And so that’s what really changed for me was, I guess, the direction that my love for the game was going. I just was no longer feeling the love for the game um as an athlete.

I was feeling it more as a mentor and coach and helping athletes on the development side. And I have gotten to experience so many amazing things through softball that it really is a passion of mine to try and help as many softball players experience the most amazing things that softball has to offer.

So, it doesn’t matter if you’re a travel ball player and you’re using my app. like that’s what the 32 Approach app is there for to help those young athletes or if it’s my teammates that I had the past couple years just trying to instill confidence and belief um and hoping that they know that they can accomplish and do anything. Um especially because it’s really easy to get caught up when something isn’t going your way. You start to look within like what am I doing wrong? I did this wrong. Whatever.

I I I really want to be that voice of confidence for women athletes because it’s so easy to look internally and honestly just not be super nice to yourself. So that’s been just a big passion of mine. Um and so that’s what changed for me which is why I decided to retire. Don’t get me wrong, the age gap is also crazy, but I do love the rookies that I got to meet, but yeah, that age gap was definitely feeling like the age gap for sure. And I just think, you know, pro softball’s moving in a different direction. And not saying that’s good, bad, or indifferent.

Um, I just think that I’ve done what I needed to do as a pro. I think it’s time for me to make an impact on the pro side, not as an athlete. So, we’ll see if anything comes of that, but I I think my impact as an athlete has been made. Um, and it’s time for me to move on to what’s next and another way that I could possibly make an impact. Let’s see what I didn’t expect. Um, that was one thing I wanted to talk about. One of the things I guess I didn’t expect was to feel so ready. And I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. I think it could be a mix of both, but I hope it’s more so good.

I’ve been thinking about it and analyzing it a lot lately. Um, but I just I felt like it was almost a relief to be done. And I don’t want that to be taken as like a bad thing. I just think I have dedicated so much of my life to this sport, to other people and to myself and like it’s draining. It’s a lot. I I’ve done a lot and I’m very blessed. Like I don’t want to take that away. It’s just it’s been a lot. And I guess I just never realized how much it took out of me. And I think the older I got, I realized like, wow, this is this is a lot to be this strict on yourself. Um to be this consistent.

And I applaud all athletes that are able to do that and be consistent and be disciplined. And I pride myself on the fact that my approach was really good. Um, not only in college but pro, but my discipline was always there. Saying no when I could have said yes. Um, just doing what I knew needed to be done to be able to be the athlete and person that I wanted to be. And I think that for me, I just didn’t expect to feel so free. And so that’s like a very interesting feeling that I’m exploring because now I don’t have to do certain things. I do them because I want to.

Whereas before if I didn’t want to train like there’s just a switch in you um that I’m sure a lot of you are aware of and also have where it’s like I have to do this if I want to be this person. If I want to be great, if I want to compete with the best, like I have to do this. So, it’s a you flip a switch of like I I know I need to do this, so I’m going to do it. So, it doesn’t matter how you feel. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life. You make time for it because it’s important and it matters in your end goal.

And I’m happy that I have that quality cuz I’m going to be able to use that in other aspects of my life. But it has been really freeing to not feel that pressure because I think that honest I mean pressure is a privilege don’t get me wrong but to let go of some of that pressure and to allow myself to feel just kind of normal I guess has been really nice. So that part has been something that has been really weird to feel but also I don’t know freeing you know. So, that’s something I did not expect, but I’ve been excited for it. And honestly, the excitement also comes from the uncertainty, too.

Like, I I have my app, and I’m a very like, oh, I need to have things lined up before I do X, Y, and Z. And I didn’t have a specific job lined up when I decide to retire. I am lucky that my app, the 32 Approach, does well, but that’s not the only thing I’m going to do. I want to have something else that that I do and I’m looking for that. And I think that’s where that excitement comes from of uncertainty. And it’s scary. But I do think that my ability to not be so scared of failing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a little scary. I’m just not so scared to fail that I’m not going to do something.

But that’s where that excitement comes from and that uncertainty of like what’s next? I don’t know. But I guess I’ll figure it out and I’ll say yes to as much as I can. and then that way I can cross off things that I just know aren’t for me. So, I’m excited to experience that part and see what that’s about. But I think something that’s like really important to take away from this part of the change is that uncomfortable feeling. You know, the that uncomfortable feeling can be scary when it comes to change, but it’s so necessary. and I’m I’m older and I’ve had different opportunities to experience different things.

So, you know, I can’t say that this has always been something easy for me to do, but I just hope that you viewers get the encouragement to try something new or to not be so afraid of change um because it’s scary, because of the uncertainty, because that change might be necessary. could be you reflecting what your workout program looks like and you’re not getting the results you want on the field. Well, guess what? Something might need to change. It’s like school. Like, think about when you were in school and you were studying. Okay, I studied, but I still didn’t get the grade I want.

Well, maybe it’s the way you’re studying. Maybe it’s not really soaking in for you. So, sometimes you just have to re-evaluate certain things that you’re doing. And if it’s not serving you or feeding you and helping you in any way, you might have to find a different way to go about it. And it can be scary, but I think that it’s fun because the next thing, the next best thing that’s meant to come into your life could come right after that change. But you have to be willing to take that step and go for it. So, that’s another thing that I’m excited for is to see what this change brings.

Um, and I look forward to exploring that with you guys cuz I plan on taking that with me and sharing it with you and making sure that you guys are there every step of the way. So, let’s talk about why this podcast exists. Um, other than the fact that my friends over at Hail Media got this going. Um, it just felt right when when I was approached by Doug and Chris. I think the biggest thing was well, first Hutch brought it to my attention cuz she spoke with Doug and Chris and then we got connected and then it got all it got going. But it just felt like perfect timing.

I was retiring at the time when we’re having this conversation about the podcast. Not honestly, nobody really knew I was retiring. I didn’t want people to know until it was time for it to happen. And it just felt like the perfect storm. I’m about to be done. I have a lot to share and I want to continue to impact people. And I hope that things that I’ve experienced and things that I’ve learned can help other athletes, um, other people with work, with softball, with life, with whatever, , 1 secondbecause I just think that so much of what I experience can translate in so many different ways.

And so, again, it was just great timing. And I don’t want this to just be a softball podcast. I have learned too much, been through too much to limit myself to just softball. And I love that you guys know me as the softball player, but that’s not all this is going to be about. We’re going to talk about life. We’re going to talk about ways to improve ourselves and ways to be not only a better person, but a better teammate, a better athlete. I just want to make sure that the people who like what I’m about are also people who help this world be better because I do think that we live in a world that could be better.

And I hope to be an impact in that. I hope to help be encouraging in that. By no means am I perfect, but I definitely think I’m very good at reflecting and owning and taking ownership and making changes um when necessary. So, I just hope to also help all of you. I really hope that you also continue to follow me on social media because I do plan on doing some podcasts where I’m going to let you guys kind of take the wheel on it and decide and dictate what I’m going to talk about. And so those are going to be a lot of fun. And again, I just hope to help impact you in some way in your life.

And I hope that you can always take at least one thing from every podcast and implement it into your everyday life or help implement it into a hard situation, whether it’s softball, work, relationships, whatever it might be. I just want to be helpful at the end of the day. So, think of it this way. I want to talk about your change up. Yes, we’re going to talk about mine, but I want to make sure that this podcast feels like a we thing. So, I want to talk about your change up.

I want to talk about your change in career with injury, with retirement, with relationships, with business failures, with comebacks, and with unexpected opportunities. And I’m sure I’m missing so many other things. But so much is constantly evolving and changing in our lives. And softball is a great way and a great outlet to attach so many different meanings to different things in our life. And I think that sports are such a great outlet for us to learn so many different things, not only as women, but as people.

And so that’s where this podcast has its importance and why it exists because I think that so much translates. And I’m excited to go through all of that with you and share different experiences. I really hope that this becomes a podcast that you look forward to listening to every time we have a new drop. But everyone has a change up. Sometimes you see it coming and sometimes it completely catches you off guard. This is where we’re going to talk about it and this is where we’re going to figure out what happens next. I’m excited to have you guys here again. I’m your host Sierra Romero and this is The Change Up.

I look forward to seeing you next time. If you like this kind of content, please like, share, follow, and subscribe.]