About Me
Sporting Career
I am a former New Zealand Hockey Player, retiring from the game in May 2020. I played 176 games for the Black Sticks over nine years. I came 4th at the 2016 Olympic Games and won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 with the Black Sticks.
My journey has been tough. Injuries, setbacks, grief and loss have been pivotal moments in my life. I don’t sugar coat it, and I always share the reality of what it takes to be ‘successful’. My hope is that I give others permission to share their struggle.
Mindset And Well-Being Coach
I am a Mindset and Well-Being coach to thousands of young sportswomen. I have condensed a decade of my experience in high performance into simple, actionable steps. I want girls to take control of their anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout because I didn’t get taught anything like this at school, and I wish I did.
All About Balance exists because too many high achieving young women are struggling. They’re getting overlooked by the counsellors, teachers and coaches because on paper, they’re the A+ student and athlete so they must be doing well.
In reality, they’re silently dealing with a large range of unspoken issues that if left unaddressed, will eventually reveal themselves in big ways.
With All About Balance, I have tried and tested many approaches to helping these young women with coping and performance tools and techniques, based on my own experience.
2013
There I was sobbing in my car after training, parked up at the petrol station with a bag of ice for my injuries. I was exhausted, stressed, grieving, overwhelmed – and to top it off, I was hiding it all because I didn’t want to be seen as ‘weak’ or ‘ungrateful’.
All I wanted was to be pain free, to get my confidence back, and to be able to share my struggles with someone who had been there.
The world was telling me to just keep pushing and grinding, ‘never give up’, ‘just do it’, ‘pain is temporary’, ‘never give up’ because that’s what it takes to make it to the top. But inside, I knew that I couldn’t keep going like this. Something had to change, or I had to quit.
I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know where to turn. Google was overwhelming, and I wasn’t quite ready to talk to the sports psychologist. Even though I had an incredible support system of family and friends, I felt like no one could relate to what I was going through. It seemed like everyone in my team was crushing it and not struggling at all.
Then I discovered the world of podcasts. I heard people sharing their struggles, and offering their own experience. One podcast mentioned mindfulness and compared it to a gym, but for the brain. Now this, I understood! So I started putting in the reps and committed to 365 days of mindfulness. I squeezed it in between my part time job and 6 trainings a week. I also started reading books and listening to athletes, CEOs and world class performers on how they were looking after themselves in order to succeed.
Throughout that year, I was still lost at times, overwhelmed, and questioned why I was putting my precious free time into something that I couldn’t see instant results.
Eventually, I started performing better on the field, made selections and even the starting line up. I also started to feel more confident, less overwhelmed and more fulfilled in my life. My family noticed the biggest shift, saying it was like two different people.
Over the next 7 years of my Black Sticks career, I went on to play 176 games for NZ, compete at the Olympics and win Gold at the Commonwealth Games, and create my own business. I began to share the tools I learned in a non-fluffy, simple way that sportswomen can relate to. Now, I’ve visited over 190 schools, and I’ve built trainings and programmes that are helping hundreds of sportswomen find balance in their lives, along with a safe and supportive online community. We learn, share, laugh and cry, and every single one of them knows that they are not alone.
If you’re a sportswomen who could use a place to connect and find a better way to perform at your best, book a call with me now to get started.
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