By Bri Brands 

Growing up, Jaecee Hall (BA23, MA 24) was always frustrated by the lack of a crowd at her high school soccer games, despite the boys' team consistently having a full house. 

When Hall joined the rowing team at the University of Iowa, those same frustrations grew stronger.  

“I was in this place where I showed up so much and did so much, as both a student and an athlete, but didn’t get much recognition. It was always so frustrating to me,” said Hall. 

During her third year at Iowa, Hall channeled her energy into developing Unbreakable Female Athlete, a line of clothing designed to empower female athletes. Hall then juggled being a full-time student, athlete, and part-time business owner.

But being a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences helped her have the confidence to take risks, lead with purpose, and build something of her own. 

“The variety of classes helped me see things from different perspectives and taught me how to adapt to new challenges,” said Hall, who graduated in 2023 with a bachelor’s in psychology, a minor in sport and recreation management, and in 2024 with a master’s in sport and recreation management. “These are skills that are essential when starting and running a business.” 

Frustration leads to motivation  

One night in March 2022, Hall was sitting at her kitchen table with her roommates and rowing team members. She came up with a list of words that epitomized her feelings. 

“Unbreakable stood out because of how I identified with it,” she said. “Everyone could identify with the word unbreakable, and it can mean something to them, but at the end of the day, it unites us.” 

That same night, Hall came up with a shirt design and posted a TikTok about her idea. The idea took off with her entire team asking Hall for a shirt. From there, Unbreakable Female Athlete was born. 

Despite developing the idea into an entire business, Hall had no prior experience in apparel, fashion, or the business world, but her frustrations were motivation enough to keep her going. 

“We’re so far behind in the world of promoting women’s sports, and we’re trying to play catch-up,” she said. “It came from a place of frustration, but it also came from a place of ‘How do I unite all of us that feel this way?'”  

Part of Hall’s mission is to reduce and remove barriers by donating part of the Unbreakable Female Athlete proceeds to grassroots organizations that support young female athletes. Whether it's helping them afford high quality sports bras or giving them access to proper nutrition, Hall wants every woman to feel unbreakable. 

The key to success in the face of negativity 

Although Hall had a lot of support from people in her life as she launched Unbreakable Female Athlete, she endured a mental battle when others started telling her there was no way she was going to be successful.  

Instead of letting the negativity influence her, Hall let the comments fuel her passion even more.  

“Everything that’s in this business is my own money or money I’ve made through the business that I just continue to reinvest,” she said. “I’m betting on myself, and if people don’t want to bet on me, that’s fine, but I’m the biggest believer in myself.”  

Over the past three-and-a-half years, Hall has managed to expand her business to 12 countries and travels the world talking about her business, selling apparel, and giving speeches.  

“For the people who said it would never be successful, I’ve turned it into a big family of female athletes all over the world,” Hall said.  

Most recently, Hall was featured on NBC Sports after fourth-year student AJ Reisetter, who is studying journalism and mass communications and minoring in sports and recreation management, reached out to her and offered to make a video of the story behind Unbreakable Female Athlete. 

Reisetter followed Hall around for a month, living every aspect of her life alongside her, even joining her at work and the gym. 

Although Hall has already seen success, she hopes to one day be as big as Nike. To get there, she is looking to collaborate with as many female athletes as possible, bring on an artist to help expand product designs, get her clothing in stores, and continue educating the world about women’s sports.  

“Everyone wants to be as big as Nike, but I totally think Unbreakable Female Athlete can get there,” she said. “We are at this breaking point where you either get out of the way if you don’t believe in women’s sports or you move forward with us.”  

When Hall speaks with current and former college female athletes, she encourages them to use their platform to create a legacy by doing something else they love. 

Hall tells women there are always going to be people telling them they’re never going to achieve their goals, but who you surround yourself with is the most important key to success.  

“Surround yourself with people who truly uplift you, empower you, and want to see you successful,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been so successful—because I surround myself with people that have that same mentality.”