Ignite Our Heartbeat: IMG Academy’s CPO on Hybrid Culture, Burnout, and Purpose-Driven HR

Summary

When half your workforce is on a Florida campus and half is fully remote, how do you sustain one culture, prevent burnout, and support growth in a world of constant change?

Lisa Strasman, Chief People Operations Officer at IMG Academy and former President of NCSA (acquired by IMG Academy), shares how the world’s leading sports education brand aligns people, performance, and purpose.

She outlines IMG Academy’s unique mix—boarding school and elite training in Bradenton, year-round camps, and IMG Academy+ for mental performance, nutrition, and college recruiting guidance—and explains how “athlete DNA” fuels a high-performing team.

Lisa unpacks the realities of hybrid culture, why careers must be treated as dynamic, and how their engagement surveys directly shape priorities. She also details their 2026 people-first goal—Ignite Our Heartbeat—designed to elevate the employee experience so staff can better serve student-athletes and families.

Expect practical guidance on closing the communication loop, reducing burnout (especially for remote employees), and connecting daily work to a mission that matters.

Timestamps

[00:45] – IMG Academy overview: campus, camps, and IMG Academy+ (mental performance, nutrition, recruiting)

[02:48] – CPO scope: 2,200 employees split between Bradenton campus and fully remote

[03:56] – Hybrid culture in practice: pace of change, bridging onsite and virtual teams

[05:26] – Nonlinear careers: growth without rigid ladders and HR’s role in transparency

[07:12] – Engagement survey insights: burnout, work-life balance, development, and communication

[08:45] – From insights to action: 2026 goals and “Ignite Our Heartbeat”

[10:51] – Role evolution: from President/COO to CPO and integrating acquired cultures

[13:04] – Athlete DNA at work: hiring for coachability, resilience, and teamwork

[15:02] – Closing advice: connect everyday work to a mission that matters

Takeaways

- Anchor culture to a clear mission and consistently spotlight real impact stories.

- Listen with regular engagement surveys—and close the loop by tying programs to what employees said.

- Build hybrid rituals that serve both onsite and remote teams; make communication inclusive and repeat key messages.

- Treat careers as dynamic; offer development that builds confidence without rigid paths.

- Tackle burnout proactively—especially for remote staff—through workload norms, energy checks, and manager enablement.

- Align people priorities with business outcomes; make people-first goals (like “Ignite Our Heartbeat”) visible, measurable, and owned across the org.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Lisa Meyers Strasman, Chief People Operations Officer at IMG Academy

HR Voices

Lisa Meyers Strasman, Chief People Operations Officer at IMG Academy