(gentle music)

- When she was five years old,

Kelli Masters got her first chalk talk.

Her dad sat her down and explained

how the Xs and Os

represented players on thefield and their movements,

from that moment on Kelliwas hooked on football,

still she never imagined

that one day she'd makehistory in the NFL Draft.

[Announcer] Kelli Masters wasalready a successful attorney

when she chose a secondcareer dominated by men

and was not warmly welcomed.

Kelli is a sports agent

who's represented moreprofessional athletes

than any woman in the industry,mostly NFL and MLB hopefuls.

Seeing her career as a calling,

Kelli is passionate abouthelping her clients find theirs

far beyond the Gridiron.

She shares her advice withus all in her new book,

"High Impact Life."

- Please welcome to the700 Club Kelli Masters,

Kelli great to have you with us.

- Thank you so good to be with you.

- Why were you so fascinated with football

at such an early age?

- Well, growing up in Oklahoma,football, it really is king.

I just assumed everybodyin Oklahoma loved football

or grew up kind of their schedules

revolving around the football season.

And so from a very early age,

those are my earliest memories,attending football games.

My father did a radio play-by-play

and so I would listen to him,

and I wanted to know everything about it

and I loved the pageantry of it.

And as I got older, evenappreciated the athletic ability

and the discipline thatwas involved in football.

So it was always a part of me.

- You are a successful lawyer

when you began to thinkabout sports agency work,

what sparked your interest?

- Oh my goodness, itwas a winding journey,

I actually gave my heartto Jesus in law school.

And as I was finishing law school,

decided at first I thoughtI was gonna be a missionary,

and then I decided to learnhow to help missionaries

and ministries by learningnon-profit organization law.

And so in the middle of,

I think about five yearsinto my law practice,

I had a chance to work with aformer professional athlete,

helping him and his familywith their foundation.

And that just opened my eyes

to the world of, what ifI combined all my passions

and everything that I held dear?

And really started helpingprofessional athletes

maximize their opportunities

and make their mark on the world

and pursue their callingon and off the field?

So that's where it all started.

- That sounds so logical,

but this was such amale dominated industry,

you endured a lot of prospecttrying to break into it.

What kept you going?

You were persistent.

- Quite honestly, just knowing

that I was right where God wanted me

was the only thing that keptme going and I'm so blessed.

We have amazing opportunitiesin this country.

I faced adversity, but everybody does,

when they step out in faith

to pursue what God has called them to do,

you're gonna run into someroadblocks along the way

and some adversity.

And I was told very early on in my career

by one of the most prominentand successful agents

in the business that women didn't belong

and that I would never be successful

and I would never be respected.

And that just to me,

that was just a challengeto do it even better.

So I'm really thankful,

thankful for the opportunitiesand for the players

that have believed inme through the years.

It's been a really special journey.

- You almost wonderedyourself in the beginning,

whether you could break through that wall,

tell us how a fellowship ofChristian athletes banquet

actually led you to makehistory in the NFL Draft.

- Again, another long storythat is just I look back

and I just am so amazed by God's grace.

I almost didn't go,

I had had been invitedto it at NFCA banquet

and almost didn't go decidedto go at the last minute.

And at the table next to me wasa player named Gerald McCoy.

He was just in high school at the time

and he was receivingsome honor that night,

he was sitting there with his family

and something told me Ihad just become an agent.

Something told me to go talk to him

and fear almost kept me glued to my feet.

I was almost talking myself out of course,

what will I say?

And he's so young, he'sa great player now,

but how do I know he'sgonna make it in the NFL?

And they're gonna lookat me like I'm crazy

because I don't really knowwhat I'm doing yet as an agent,

but I got up off my chair and I went over

and I handed my businesscard to his father

and introduced myself.

And almost five years later,

his father called me and hehad kept that business card

all those years and wantedto give me the first meeting.

And that ended up being myfirst player that I represented

to be drafted in the NFL,

and he was drafted number three overall.

- Yeah worth getting up offyour chair for (laughing)

- Yes absolutely.

- Your faith is part of what you do.

Why does the part of yourjob that nobody asks about,

give you the most joy?

- You know, people would always ask me

what I did as I was traveling,

and when I would say I was a sports agent,

they would say, oh, that's a dream job.

And I immediately, I think,oh gosh, if you only knew,

the whole journey, butto me it's a dream job

because I get to impact lives.

And I may not get toimpact millions of lives,

but I get to impact the lives of people

who are being put in positions

with platforms and with resources

and with the ability to go out

and to make a differenceand to leave a legacy

and to affect changeand advance the kingdom.

And so if I'm doing my job

to help these young athletesrealize their full potential,

not just as football players,

but as people who can trulymake an impact on this world,

then there's nothingbetter, that is a dream job

to really get to influenceinfluential people.

- Your book is chockfull of the personal ways

you have an opportunity to do that.

Your book is called "High Impact Life."

What message do you wantreaders to take away overall?

- You know, it's the same messagethat I give to my players.

We are all born with gifts andtalents and even resources.

And it is our job to look to God and say,

God what is your purpose for my life?

Why did you put me on this earth?

And how can I fulfill that?

And when we focus on the impact

that God wants us to make with our lives,

regardless of what ourjob or our surroundings

or circumstances look like,there's nothing more important,

there's nothing more fulfilling,rewarding to us personally.

And there's nothing morecritical, that we can do

than to make the mark

that God intended for usto make on this earth.

And so that's every reader,

no matter what your vocationor your calling is in life,

you are called to make an impact

and it's important that you do so.

- Well, Kelli your book, Iwanna mention to our viewers

is "High Impact Life"

it's available wherever books are sold.

Great story of how God hasused Kelli in the industry

that she's in,

but also an encouraging storyfor anybody going anywhere.

Thanks so much, Kelli, appreciate you

being with us.- Thank you so much,

I appreciate you.