Bad-Ass Female Coaches
I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by some incredible powerlifting
coaches, particularly of the female variety.
But when I thought about it, I realised women were in the minority.
There is only a handful of female coaches turning up at comps with clients on
the platform. The powerlifting community is a beautiful community, we support
each other and have each other’s backs, so I feel incredibly lucky to have a
small group of female coaches who I admire and am lucky enough to call colleagues.
I watch these ladies closely and learn from them and there is one common theme
that I see amongst us all.
There is NOTHING we won’t do for our clients.
For this post I want to focus on four bad-ass female coaches in
particular, coaches who are consistent with their own training and the message
they share. These women 100% walk the talk, they take care of themselves, they
preach health and wellness and they are strong AF. Physically and mentally.
What more could you want from a coach?
Before I dive into it, I want to also give a shout out to all the
other women, like these four, who are also doing awesome things for the
powerlifting scene in Brisbane, not to mention the coaching scene in Brisbane
in general.
Alicia Fistonich – Valhalla Strength,
Brisbane
Alicia is a woman I have admired from afar for some time. A mother,
an athlete, a coach; she’s not afraid to be all three at once and doesn’t give
a flying fuck what people think. I remember watching Alicia at a comp happily
breast feeding her little man whilst getting a client ready to step out on the
platform. She then carried her little guy for what seemed like hours throughout
the day of the comp while he slept peacefully in her arms and unaware of what
was going on around him. I was completely in awe.
CC: Tell me about your
passion for powerlifting and coaching.
AF: I
initially got into powerlifting because it taught me to change my perspective
of myself. I was training to be strong and fit, not just physically but
mentally, [and] being able to dig deep and do those reps that were tough or
hitting numbers that you never in a million years could comprehend being able to
hit.
Now I love it still for all these reasons and
so many more. If you don’t put in the work, you sure as shit aren’t going to
get the results you want. It teaches you how to listen to your body and how to
work harder as well. It teaches you to be disciplined and to trust the process
and the people. Feeling strong is a powerful feeling when embraced correctly. When
you feel strong you present a strength to others as well and the mindfulness
you learn in this sport can be applied to anywhere.
CC: What
about comp day? How do you feel when you’re leading a client through the
pressure of competition?
AF : I
get so excited for my clients! I absolutely bloody love to show people what
they can do when they have all but written themselves off. I hardly ever tell
anyone their third attempts, so it is so fricken exciting to surprise people
haha.
But mostly excitement, elation, happiness and
then extreme tiredness. Coaching clients into comp has taught me the importance
of trusting the process whatever it may be. To be able to go into a situation,
switch off to everything else and just focus on doing something we do a hundred
times a month is an important skill.
A big thing for me is to not apply
limitations to yourself. Don’t limit yourself to attempts and numbers; aim
higher, take what is in front of you on the day and then run with that. Ultimately,
coaching is a team effort not a dictatorship, and it is important to listen to
your athlete.
CC: What’s next on the
agenda for you?
AF: Finish
Uni! Ha, but no, seriously, I’ll be halfway through my Exercise and Sports
Science degree at the end of this year and then onto my Masters of Exercise
Physiology, so this is a big goal for me. [It’s also] time for me to get some
more competing under my belt now the boys are a little older. To me it is
important that they also see what you can achieve if you are consistent,
patient and work hard.
CC: You
are one hell of a mother, coach, athlete and colleague Alicia. Keep rocking it
out.
I couldn’t write a blog about inspiring kick-ass female coaches
without mentioning the incredible women in my team at Ritual HQ. Libbie,
Kirsten and Braeden are all amazing coaches with a diverse background and keen
interest in helping their clients with not just their training, but also their mindset.
Braeden Small – Ritual HQ,
Brisbane
At just 22, Braeden is a coach to be reckoned with. I consider
Braeden to be one of our most senior coaches. She has coached both male and
female clients into several comps and has several more comps under her own belt,
and is fast becoming one of Brisbane’s most sought after coaches. With almost a
full book of clients, I can’t wait to see what this bad-ass female coach
achieves over the next few years and I have the privilege of being in the front
row to see it.
CC: Tell
me about how you got into powerlifting and your experience as a powerlifting
coach.
BS: I
originally started out in powerlifting because of you and Tyler driving my
desire to get back into some sort of competition environment. I could see the
benefit of the sport of powerlifting and wanted to learn more about it. I love
the focus and structure I get from powerlifting and the knowledge I gain, which
I can pass onto my clients in their coaching sessions.
CC: Competition
days are a big deal for athletes. Is it a big day for you too?
BS: I
feel like a proud mum! I love the connection I share with my client on the day
and the excitement and sense of achievement between the two of us, it really is
the best feeling. Being a coach for competitive athletes has really taught me
to manage my emotions. No matter how stressed or nervous I am feeling, I have
to manage my state and remain calm because it’s not about me, it’s about them!
CC: So,
what’s next for Braeden?
BS: You
will see me back on the platform in September, alongside my dad and brother! For
now, my focus is to continue to get stronger, maintain consistency and enjoy
the build up.
Lily Riley – TTC Strength and Powerlifting,
Brisbane
Another woman who regularly rocks my world and is worthy of a
mention is Lily. Lily goes from squatting 200kg to being scared of a bird who
wanders into her gym to rocking a bikini with a cocktail in her hand in Bali.
Balance is key, as is a fun approach to life. If we take life too seriously in
this game, then we lose. Straight up.
Lily regularly inspires me with her commitment to herself, her
clients and her life, but more so with her balanced approach. Working out of
TTC, a big name and predominantly male-dominant powerlifting gym, Lily rocks it
there on a daily basis and works with both men and women to help them become
way stronger than they ever imagined possible.
Lily recently helped me in my final days leading into comp. I had
some massive inflammation due to an injury which threw my bodyweight out. Lily
checked in with me each day, supported me, offered suggestions and generally
took on the emotion that I was experiencing. Whilst she couldn’t physically do
anything to help me, knowing that another strong-ass female powerlifter
understood what I was going through and offering moral support made all the
difference. It’s the small things, and the extra care that we show, that make
us women unique, as coaches.
Keep rocking it out Lily.
Alesha Pimm – Building
Elite, Brisbane
My final girl crush is Alesha. Alesha has competed in a couple of
federations and has also taken clients into prep. I love watching Alesha with
her clients; what you see is what you get, she doesn’t pretend to be anyone
that she isn’t, and I absolutely love that about her. She’s all about getting
women strong both physically and emotionally.
It’s clear that she has a deep connection with her clients and is
genuinely interested in their success. Alesha, keep rocking it out, I bloody
love you and I love watching what you do for the women of this world.
CC: Alesha, what got you
into powerlifting?
AP: I
got into powerlifting roughly three years ago, primarily because of the coach
and gym I was training with. Coincidentally, it was the same network that
sparked my interest in strength training, altogether, so I owe a lot of credit
for who I am today to my very first coach and that gym.
The intention behind my first competition was
purely to experience the environment I’d watched from the sideline. On the day,
I felt how it brought the community together, the cool attitude of the women I
competed with and the fun I had, which is what kept me going back!
CC: Why do you love it?
AP: I
love the essence of it. To constantly strive to better yourself – and not
necessarily the old idea of you vs you,
but just purely to be better in how you perform, in how you handle training, in
how you self-regulate. There are so many ways to improve in our lives and just
simply looking at it as the opportunity to get stronger misses so many elements
of who we can be.
CC: What emotions do you
feel on the day of a client's comp?
AP: It’s
a concoction of, “Holy shit, am I ready for this?” and, “The girls are going to
do so well!”
I think that’s a pretty common coach thing –
nerves and excitement. But the nerves are generally about how I’m going to fall
on my face or misload a bar, or accidentally give the wrong next attempt to the
table for my lifter haha. I have full faith in my clients and the work we have
put in as a team. The greatest feeling I get on the day though, is watching my
girls be badass athletes and blow their own expectations out of the water. My
favourite moment is that complete elation on a client’s face when they turn to
me after a PB!
CC: What
has coaching a client in a comp taught you about yourself as a woman?
AP: Coaching
at my first powerlifting competition was a whole new world of emotions, as is
any new experience, but the feeling has evolved over time. The key thing I’ve
learnt is that women have an intuitive power of stillness and quiet, and that
power harnessed at the right time can displace any force.
For myself it was learning the importance of
self-regulation. The ability to breathe away nerves and cultivate a nuturing
environment, especially in the buzz of comp day, has been a key to bringing my
clients to PBs and always leaves us having had an awesome day.
It’s also something that has hugely benefited
my clients in their training and competitions. They have their own individual
rituals to regulate and reset and that makes us as a team more comfortable and
confident, leaving us free to apply effort where needed and enjoy the day.
CC: And what's next for
you?
AP: What’s
next for me? There’s plans to compete again later in 2018, as well as return to
university (god knows why) for my Masters of Physiotherapy in 2019, a long term
goal of mine. For 2018, though, my focus is on leading Building Elite so our
team can compete strong and proud later this year, across all of our diverse
sports. We’re looking at a huge year, it’s really exciting!
This list is by no means exhaustive. These four women are simply
bad-ass coaches who I have connected with over the years or who I have shared experiences, knowledge or a connection with. They are incredible, so
follow them online or hit them up in person if you’re keen to learn more.
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