For Debbie Mora, coaching is another way to serve.
A U.S. Army veteran, military spouse, cybersecurity leader, and basketball coach, Mora has spent more than two decades leading teams and helping others grow. Today, she brings those experiences to the basketball court, coaching athletes from fourth grade through high school with Nashville Youth Basketball Association – Team Tae and Pro Skills Basketball Nashville.
Sports have been part of Mora’s life for as long as she can remember. She grew up competing in basketball, tennis, volleyball, and cross-country before continuing to play sports while serving in the Army. But despite her lifelong connection to athletics, she never expected coaching to become such an important part of her own journey.
That changed during a trip to the gym with her daughter.
While Mora was helping her daughter work on her basketball skills, she caught the attention of Dontae’ Jones, a collegiate Hall of Fame basketball player and former NBA first-round draft pick who has spent more than 15 years coaching and mentoring young athletes in Nashville. Jones asked Mora about her background and whether she had ever considered coaching girls’ basketball.
One conversation opened an unexpected door.
Five years later, Mora has served as a head coach, assistant coach, and player development coach. More importantly, she has discovered an opportunity to combine two things that have shaped much of her life: athletics and servant leadership.
For Mora, coaching isn’t about exercising authority over athletes. It’s about using that position to serve them.
The discipline, accountability, teamwork, and resilience she developed in the Army remain important parts of her coaching philosophy, but so do patience, empathy, trust, and understanding the individual behind the athlete. Wins and losses eventually fade. The relationships built and the people influenced can last much longer.
Through Soldiers To Sidelines, Mora has found another community centered around that same belief in service. She has continued developing as a coach, expanding her network, and building relationships with fellow veterans, service members, mentors, and coaches who share her desire to positively impact others through sports.
Her vision for the future is just as ambitious. Beyond continuing to grow within coaching and athletic leadership, Mora dreams of one day building a free sports complex in Nashville—a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can access athletics, physical fitness, mentorship, and community regardless of their circumstances.
In this month’s Soldier Coach of the Month Q&A, Coach Mora shares how her Army experience shaped her approach to leadership, why understanding an athlete’s “why” has made her a better coach, what Soldiers To Sidelines has added to her journey, and the legacy she hopes to leave through a lifetime of serving others.
Q&A with Coach Debbie Mora
STS: How long have you been coaching?
Coach Mora:
I have been coaching basketball for five years. However, I have held leadership positions, leading teams in the military and in cybersecurity, for 22 years.
STS: Tell your story about how and why you got into coaching. How has coaching impacted you as a person?
Coach Mora:
Sports have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing basketball, tennis, volleyball, and cross-country competitively and never said no to any pickup sport. That passion continued into adulthood when I joined the U.S. Army and played co-ed basketball.
Athletics have always given me a sense of belonging, discipline, and purpose. Over time, I also developed a strong passion for servant leadership—the belief that leadership is about serving, supporting, and helping others grow. Coaching eventually became the perfect way for me to combine my love of athletics with my passion for servant leadership.
My journey into coaching began unexpectedly. One day, I was at the gym helping my daughter, who had decided to play basketball. While I was working with her, a coach approached me and started asking about my background and whether I had ever considered coaching girls’ basketball.
That coach was Dontae’ Jones, a Hall of Fame collegiate basketball player and first-round NBA draft pick who has spent more than 15 years coaching and mentoring young athletes in the Nashville community. That simple conversation opened a door I never expected and ultimately changed the direction of my life.
I began coaching basketball and quickly fell in love with it. What started as an opportunity to teach the game grew into something much bigger. I realized that coaching allowed me to practice servant leadership every day.
To me, being a coach is not about having authority over athletes; it is about using your position to serve them and help them reach their potential. I want to help youth and young adults develop confidence, discipline, leadership, teamwork, and resilience while knowing they have someone who genuinely cares about their success.
Coaching has also changed me as a person. My experiences as an athlete and Soldier taught me discipline, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance, but coaching taught me how to use those qualities in the service of others.
It has made me more patient, understanding, and intentional about how I lead. I have learned that every athlete is different. Sometimes they need instruction and accountability; other times, they need encouragement, mentorship, or simply someone willing to listen and believe in them.
The greatest reward for me is not the wins or what happens on the scoreboard. It is watching a young athlete grow in confidence and character and knowing that I had the opportunity to contribute to that journey.
My love for athletics brought me into coaching, but my passion for servant leadership is what continues to give coaching meaning and purpose. I want the athletes I coach to leave my guidance not only as better players but also as stronger people and future leaders who understand the importance of serving and positively impacting others, whether on or off the court.
STS: How has your military experience influenced you as a coach?
Coach Mora:
My military experience has influenced me as a coach by teaching me that service goes beyond serving my country; it also means serving the people around me.
The military taught me discipline, teamwork, accountability, resilience, and the importance of building meaningful relationships. I bring these values into coaching by earning my athletes’ trust, supporting their growth, and being someone they can always depend on.
STS: How has Soldiers To Sidelines impacted your life?
Coach Mora:
Soldiers To Sidelines has impacted my life by giving me a sense of belonging and connecting me with another family that shares my passion for service, athletics, and coaching.
Being surrounded by fellow service members and veterans who have similar experiences has given me a community I can relate to and learn from. The organization has also helped me build a strong network, creating opportunities to connect with coaches, mentors, and professionals who continue to support my growth.
Most importantly, Soldiers To Sidelines has helped turn my passion for coaching and servant leadership into a reality by giving me the knowledge, relationships, and opportunities to positively impact others through sports.
STS: Describe a coaching interaction with a player or group of players that has a special place in your heart.
Coach Mora:
The coaching moments that hold the most special place in my heart are when an athlete or parent reaches out to share the impact I have had on their life.
Hearing that I made a difference reminds me of the deeper purpose behind coaching. For me, it has never been about wins, statistics, or accomplishments, but about the relationships built and the lives impacted along the way.
Watching athletes, I have coached grow into stronger, more confident, and better versions of themselves both on and off the court is one of the greatest rewards I could ask for. Those moments continue to inspire me and fuel my passion for coaching.
STS: What are your aspirations in coaching?
Coach Mora:
My aspiration is to continue growing within athletics, whether through coaching, recruiting, or athletic leadership. Vanderbilt University has been a meaningful part of my life for more than 20 years as my hometown team, so I would love the opportunity to work within its athletic community someday soon.
My ultimate goal is to guide young adults as they create their own paths, both in sports and in life. I want to help athletes become not only better competitors, but better people by developing their leadership, confidence, discipline, and character. Most importantly, I want to help prepare them for success that extends far beyond their athletic careers.
My ultimate dream, if I am ever fortunate enough to have the resources, is to build a sports complex in Nashville that is completely free and accessible to everyone.
I want to create a safe and welcoming space where people of all ages and backgrounds can improve their physical fitness, strengthen their mental well-being, and feel a sense of community. More than just a place to play sports, I envision it as a place where people can grow, build confidence, form meaningful relationships, and have access to opportunities they may not otherwise have.
STS: What was the most difficult challenge you have experienced in coaching, and what have you learned from that experience?
Coach Mora:
One of the most difficult challenges I have experienced in coaching is learning to understand each athlete’s “why” and building a relationship that goes beyond the sport.
Every athlete is motivated by something different, and I have learned that one coaching style does not work for everyone. Taking the time to listen, build trust, and understand their goals and challenges has made me a better coach.
This experience taught me that coaching is about more than developing athletic skills; it is about knowing the person behind the athlete. When athletes know you genuinely care about them, stronger relationships are built, and meaningful growth can happen.
STS: Is there anything else you can share with us about your coaching story?
Coach Mora:
At the end of the day, when my time comes, I want to be remembered not for wins, titles, or recognition, but for the impact I made and the love I had for the game, the athletes, and the youth I had the privilege to serve.
Coaching gives me an opportunity to leave something meaningful behind by investing in others, building relationships, and helping young people believe in themselves.
If the athletes I have coached remember me as someone who genuinely cared, believed in them, and helped them become better people, then I will know that my journey as a coach was successful.
Continuing to Serve Through Coaching
From leading Soldiers to developing young basketball players, Debbie Mora’s journey demonstrates how the lessons learned through military service can continue creating an impact long after the uniform comes off.
Her coaching career may only be five years old, but the leadership behind it has been built over decades. Today, that experience is being invested in young athletes who will carry those lessons into whatever comes next in their own lives.
For Coach Mora, that is what success looks like.
Soldiers To Sidelines is proud to recognize Debbie Mora as our August 2026 Soldier Coach of the Month.