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b'Thank you for being part of the conversation. This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 596 With Shannon Eastin Author Of Lady Ref Making Calls In A Man\\u2019s World "You will never know how many times I said when asked about the lady ref, \'She is the best official on the field.\'" -The late, legendary Red Cashion, NFL referee for 25 seasons and two Super Bowls From a young age, Shannon Eastin was strong, fiercely competitive, and driven by the belief that she not only could but should be the best at whatever she set her mind to-including achieving her dream job: referee for the National Football League (NFL). In LADY REF: Making Calls in a Man\'s World, Shannon Eastin takes readers along on her journey to becoming the first woman to work as an NFL official-after taking on a lot of training, putting in a lot of hard, hard work, learning when to speak up and when to step back, and keeping the faith that God had a plan for her. Throughout, she offers practical lessons and plenty of inspiration for anyone determined to follow their passion and reach their goals without compromising. "I worked hard, I worked at getting better. And when one door wouldn\'t open, I kept looking for another way through," Eastin says of her quest to break into NFL. A door finally opened in 2012, thanks to a strike. Elated and grateful to be hired as a temporary replacement referee, she kept studying the game, following the rules, and working even harder to prove herself. "To get to this point," Eastin reflects, "I\'ve had to take time to help others understand what I know, to see what I can do, and to trust me-and women like me-to do this work." Before all of the accomplishments that were to be bestowed on Shannon Eastin, there came a powerful drive and a feeling she was born with something extra. You could say LADY REF began the day Shannon Eastin was born.'