Think the toughest person you know is a brawler, a soldier, or an athlete?

Let me tell you about my mom—5'8", white lady, from Albert Lea, Minnesota—and tougher than them all. In my 46 years, I've seen her take on the world, unapologetically, and authentically Sandee Battier. She taught me so much about standing up for myself, for those who can't defend themselves, and always doing the right thing.

Mom's are the strongest people on the planet, and I was dealt an extra strong one.

Don't Back Down to Anyone

My mom wasn’t afraid of confrontation.

I’ll never forget playing in the Pontiac Summer Pro-Am against an established NBA player when I was in high school. He started talking trash to me, trying to rattle me. Before I could say anything, my mom—seated on the sideline—cut through the noise:

"Shut up!"

Loud. Direct. No hesitation.

The player turned, started walking toward her, and she stood up, squared her shoulders, and—without flinching—repeated herself.

"I said, shut up."

I stepped in and calmed things down before it escalated, but when I turned to my mom, she just looked at me and shrugged.

"Don’t take shit from anyone in this world."

And she meant it.

Defender of the Weak

Sandee Battier always had the back of those who could not defend themselves.

She had a soft spot for outcasts—the kid sitting alone at lunch, the neighbor who had nothing, the stray cat that showed up on our porch. If you were overlooked by the world, my mom saw you.

"Shane," she told me, "if you see someone being wronged, you step in. Always."

She Knew What She Knew and What She Didn't

My mom didn't graduate from a fancy university, but she had a PhD in street smarts.

She sacrificed everything to give us a shot at our potential. And she was smart enough to know what she could do—and what she couldn’t. It was an amazing lesson in knowing what you know.

"I can’t get you there," she told me, "but I can put you around people who can."

That lesson—knowing what you know and knowing what you don’t—was one of the greatest gifts she ever gave me.

The Best Mom for Me

She was fire, I was ice. She charged into battles, I calculated my moves. But when it came down to it, we both knew how to stand our ground.

She never cared about being liked—only about doing what was right. And in the end, that made all the difference.

The world might not have been ready for Sandee Battier. But I was damn lucky I was.

Think You’ve Met a Tough Person? Let Me Tell You About My Mom

A tribute to my mom, the fiercest, toughest, and most unapologetically strong person I’ve ever known.

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