When she was 7 years old, Corrie Loeffler fell in love with the Scripps National Spelling Bee when her brother competed in a regional competition. Today, she is the executive director of the annual event. But first, she had her own run attempting to become the national champion.

On episode 139, Corrie shares how her shot at winning it all went south and how she ultimately learned the Bee is not about winning in the first place. Even after her competition days were over, Corrie volunteered and eventually was offered a job. She also talks about the evolution of the Bee to become more inclusive in recent years and how the organization weathered the pandemic.

Show Notes:- Learn more about Scripps National Spelling Bee: https://spellingbee.com/- Read about Zaila Avant-garde, the 2021 spelling bee champion: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/us/spelling-bee-zaila-avant-garde.html