Finding Rugby

Trying new things has been the most important part of my MBA so far

Business school is an assault on the senses.

I’m only in class twelve hours a week, but that covers four different subjects—accounting, finance, strategy, and microeconomics.

At every other hour of the day, I have three different places that I could be—besides my house. There are club meetings, pub crawls, meals with new friends, speakers on campus, office hours, career talks and recruiting events. I’ve said yes to a lot of things, but I’ve found myself saying no a lot more.

However, I’ve made a point of saying yes to a few things that I’ve never tried before—and a few that I would probably never do in my life if I wasn’t getting an MBA and therefore finding novel ways to fill my time.

I joined the women’s rugby team.

Anyone who grew up with me knows that I was not drawn to ball sports. I was active—I danced, was on the swim team, and conducted my high school’s marching band—but traditional team sports were my sister’s area of expertise, not mine.

So when I told my father that I joined the London Business School women’s rugby team, he said, “What did you do that for?” (I immediately clarified that it is touch rugby so I am unlikely to get hurt, except when we scrimmage with the boys’ team.)

I did it because I heard it was one of the most supportive, close-knit groups of women on campus—and that’s exactly what I’ve found so far.

I did it because we practice twice a week on a pitch in Regent’s Park, surrounded by trees that are quickly turning brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow as fall arrives in London.

I did it because running around with my new friends, screaming “TOUCH!!”, and throwing the world’s most oddly shaped ball is the best way I can think of spending an hour in between classes.

And I did it because I realized that learning a new sport is rewiring my brain in a way that I haven’t experienced since I was a teenager—and finding a new “rugby” every so often might be the secret to staying playful, staying young, and staying hopeful.

It feels like a metaphor for the entire life change I made in moving to London earlier this year. I was very settled after years in DC, and it was hard to break out of that comfortable, familiar environment. But I grew up moving every two years internationally, and I knew my brain had been wired for change since I was a little girl.

2025 has been about reconnecting with my inner child, even as I entered a new decade of life. And pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying new things has been a key part of that journey.

Rugby isn’t the only new thing I’ve tried since moving to London.

I played squash for the first time last month. I’ve visited new places in the UK, from Cambridge to Seven Sisters. This week, I calculated the discount rate a manufacturing company should use to value its cash flows over the next few years.

And I’ve gotten a chance to do things I used to love, but hadn’t found the time to do in years. I’ve sung karaoke—twice. I’ve been salsa dancing in front of Kings Cross Station. I’ve seen three musicals in the West End. And I have badminton, tennis, and indoor rock climbing on my list to do this fall.

I believe that the opportunity to try new things is one of the most under-appreciated benefits of an MBA. No matter what you’re interested in, someone else in your class will be too, and they’ll probably do it with you and organize a whole meet-up around it.

My classes are already stretching me in new ways since I haven’t learned a majority of the material before (more on academics in a later post). But just as important has been the ability to stretch myself outside the classroom—to keep rewiring my brain, keep challenging my preconceived notions about myself, and keep finding a new “rugby” every so often.

Maybe I am a ball sport person after all.

Our Regents Park pitch with fall colors starting to arrive. I’m sure it will be even more beautiful in a week or two.

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