Meet Alli Hunt | Softball Facility Owner, Private Instructor, & Mental Edge Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alli Hunt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alli, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
What has brought us the most success is exactly what we value most: our personal relationships with our players. All of our instructors are former college softball players, so we can relate to the success and the struggles they face every day. Being a student-athlete is an identity. It’s in your soul. We have been in their shoes and have also been where they are trying to go, so there is an unspoken connection that comes with that experience. Many of our players we work one-on-one with from the time they are in elementary or middle school through their college careers. We learn their personalities, what motivates them, what builds them, what brings them happiness and success. Our own knowledge and experience is only relevant if we can build their trust. We do so by showing them that we truly care about their growth as not just an athlete, but as a person as well.

What should our readers know about your business?
Honestly, I didn’t graduate college with the idea that I would be coaching or owning a business. I was actually pursuing psychology, but needed a source of income in the meantime. Softball is what I knew and loved and there weren’t many former college players giving lessons in the area so it was an easy fit. The softball world is small, so word spread about lessons. I then had the opportunity to go live abroad for several months over the next couple of years. I left on my first trip and understood my players would probably be moving on to another instructor. Instead, I came home to all of my players waiting for me. It was then that I realized I had found my niche. I graduated with my Master’s and was at a crossroads… Do I pursue a career in psych or do I keep doing this softball thing that is going really well, that I’m good at, that I enjoy? Obviously, I chose the latter. Several years after being at another facility, learning and growing, it was time to get my own. So 7 years ago I opened iTrain Softball Academy. We are one of the only facilities in DFW that is female owned and operated and has all female instructors. It’s a space made by girls, for girls. (We will rent out our extra cage space to baseball, but do not offer baseball instruction.) So this business is pretty exclusively supported by DFW softball families.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We are foodies, so we’d probably take them to the food trucks in downtown Denton, then walk around the Square and check out FreePlay arcade or Movement rock climbing. We also love jet skiing and swimming in Lake Lewisville. We’d follow that by eating at one of our favorite spots close to home like Dehli6, Asian Star Pho, Teaholic, or Ramen Mura. We are animal lovers so the Ft. Worth Zoo is always a favorite. Then we’d go check out the laid back vibe of downtown Ft. Worth, go the the stockyards and the Water Gardens. And every visitor of Texas loves some good BBQ so we’d hit up one of our favorites- Roy Hutchins or Marty Bs. My husband played football at SMU so they are bound to end up at an SMU football or basketball game if either is in season. Neither of us grew up in DFW but we’ve enjoyed all of the options for families, couples, singles of all different interests.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to send a huge shoutout to our instructors- who have been with us anywhere from 2-10 years! This would not be possible without them. We are truly a team who loves bouncing ideas off of each other and genuinely enjoys each other’s company. We not only share a love for the game but also share common goals for our players and each other’s players. They are passionate, open-minded, hardworking, fun, motivating mentors. And I couldn’t ask for a better group of strong women to lead the next generation of strong women.

Website: www.itrainsoftball.com

Instagram: itrainsoftballacademy

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/iTrainSoftballAcademy