For Morgan Mullin, leadership is not about being the loudest person in the room.
It's about making sure everyone else feels like they belong there too.
The longtime Garden Valley Collegiate physical education teacher, coach, volunteer and mother is one of the women being recognized through Her Voice, a feature series presented by SECAN and Menzies Procare that celebrates women who demonstrate leadership, innovation and heart throughout the Pembina Valley.
Nominated by colleague Ang Titchkosky, Mullin was praised for her decades of service to students and athletes, as well as her volunteer contributions to minor hockey and baseball in Morden.
"Morgan continues to donate her time, passion, and energy to the betterment of her community and she should be recognized," Titchkosky wrote.
For anyone who has crossed paths with Mullin, whether in a classroom, hockey rink, ball diamond or community event, energy is often the first word that comes to mind.
"I tend to bring an energy," Mullin said. "I let fun guide me and when fun guides me people are like, 'Oh, that looks like a good time. I'm going to come too.'"
"If you're having a good time, you're going to work harder," she said.
A lifetime in sport
Athletics has shaped nearly every chapter of Mullin's life.
Growing up in Ontario, she picked up a hockey stick at four years old and quickly gravitated toward sports. Hockey eventually earned her a scholarship in the United States before life brought her to Manitoba more than 20 years ago.
Since then, she has become a familiar face throughout the region.
Mullin has spent two decades teaching at Garden Valley Collegiate, where she will also step into the role of athletic director this fall. She has coached countless athletes over the years and is preparing to take over as head coach of the GVC hockey team.
Away from school, she has served for more than five years on both the Morden Minor Hockey and Morden Minor Ball executives. She also played key roles in organizing major hockey events hosted in the region, including the 2017 Esso Cup and the 2019 National Women's Under-18 Championship.
Still, despite a résumé packed with accomplishments, Mullin remains focused on what happens between the wins and losses.
"If you're having a good time, you're going to work harder," she said. "If I hate coming to the rink every day, I'm not going to work as hard."
For Mullin, success starts with creating environments where people want to be.
Teaching beyond the scoreboard
While many know her as a coach, Mullin says her greatest passion has always been working with young people.
After initially pursuing athletic therapy in university, she realized what she really wanted was to become a physical education teacher.
"The rest has been awesome," she said. "I love going to work every day."
Her classroom philosophy is simple: relationships come first.
"If you care about others and you show that you care about others, they're going to show it right back."
"I really like to care about the kids," she said. "I love those relationships with my students and my players."
That mindset extends well beyond elite athletes.
Mullin says modern physical education is less about identifying the best competitors and more about helping every student discover a lifelong connection to movement.
"We're looking for movement for a lifetime," she explained. "We're looking to have kids be active for life and find enjoyment in moving."
Whether students arrive with athletic confidence or anxiety about gym class, Mullin wants them to feel welcome.
"We make it a situation where kids actually want to come to school or come to phys ed class."
That welcoming approach has become one of her trademarks.
She attends students' games, supports their extracurricular activities and makes a point of connecting with them outside the classroom.
"I really like to care about the kids," she said. "I love those relationships with my students and my players."
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Finding her voice
Mullin admits she has never struggled to speak up.
Raised by parents who encouraged independence, she learned early that being heard sometimes meant refusing to stay quiet.
"My parents raised me to be fiercely, wildly independent," she said.
Growing up as the only girl playing alongside boys in many sports, she learned to establish her place.
"I always had to kind of make my place," she said. "I don't think it works to be quiet in that way."
"People tell me that I intimidate them or scare them," she said. "I carry myself with confidence and I think for some people that is a little intimidating."
That confidence continues to define her today.
When asked whether she has experienced moments where her voice was not taken seriously as a woman, Mullin laughed and acknowledged that she rarely allows herself to be overlooked.
"If people won't listen, I will make sure that they do," she said.
She says confidence can sometimes be misunderstood.
"People tell me that I intimidate them or scare them," she said. "I carry myself with confidence and I think for some people that is a little intimidating."
Yet behind the bold exterior is someone deeply committed to helping others succeed.
"The close people to me would say that I'm soft and squishy inside."
Leading by example
As the mother of two sons, Mullin believes teaching respect begins at home.
"They know that women are to be respected," she said. "They know that women are equals."
She also hopes her students, particularly young women, see someone who demonstrates that confidence and kindness can coexist.
Her message to young people is straightforward: everyone belongs.
"Everybody has a place and everybody belongs."
Being visible matters, she said.
"Just being that role model for girls, somebody to look up to that is a strong female presence in the community and at the school."
Her message to young people is straightforward: everyone belongs.
"Everybody has a place and everybody belongs."
Sometimes, she said, finding your voice requires stepping forward before you're invited.
"Sometimes you have to force your way in and sometimes you have to just say, 'Hi, I'm here. Get used to it.'"
Let fun lead the way
Asked what a perfect world looks like, Mullin did not hesitate.
"Fun."
It's a simple answer, but one that reflects the philosophy she has carried through classrooms, arenas and community organizations for decades.
"If I'm not going to enjoy it, I'm just not going to do it," she said.
Whether she's coaching a first-time hockey player, singing to students in class, organizing a community event or cheering from the stands, Mullin believes joy creates opportunity.
For her, leadership is not measured by titles or accolades.
It's measured by the people who feel seen, welcomed and empowered because someone took the time to believe in them.
And if they happen to have some fun along the way, all the better.
Mon, Aug 24, 9:30 AM
Full-time, Labour
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