Helping women kick goals

If there is one thing performance psychologist Kate Wensley has learned working at the pointy end of elite sport, it’s that `success’ is not what most people imagine.

`I’ve had the privilege to work with some of Australia’s most `successful’ athletes—Olympians and Paralympians who have won gold medals; athletes who have competed at World Cups and won World Championships; and professional sport stars playing at top clubs. What I know is that achievement and accolades do not make people happy or content.’

What brings true joy, she says, is the ability to devote time to things that feel meaningful. Yes, a sense of achievement is important, of course. But so too is possessing the resilience to handle life’s inevitable disappointments and take a long view on life goals.

`No destination, job title, or career goal will ensure your contentment, or happiness. So, instead, focus on making your journey a great one.’

Following her own advice, Kate took a few years to discover her path but now balances a rewarding career in private psychology practice, with prominent roles in elite sport, where she is Lead Psychologist for Australian Athletics and Head of Psychology for Football Australia, leading strategy for all national teams, including senior, junior, youth and para squads.

While she always pictured herself working in sport, and football (the round ball kind) was a passion, it seemed a lofty goal at times. An outstanding athlete at BGGS, Kate held a Queensland Academy of Sport scholarship at school and declared to classmates she would one day coach the Matildas.

`That was a bold claim,’ she laughs, considering the women’s game was still in its infancy when she graduated in 1997. (The now beloved Matildas were only known only as `the female Socceroos’ up until 1995 when SBS ran a competition to rebrand the team.)

However, an even bolder claim would have been to announce she would be their team psychologist. The transformational power of psychological coaching was not widely recognised back in the late 90s. Let alone would there have been a seat at the table for women in sport at this level.

Kate completed a psychology degree, but never forgot that in her first class, the lecturer said there were only two sports psychologists employed full-time in Australia.

`For a long time this one comment put me off working in sport,’ she says. `I’m very lucky to have found my way there, albeit by a circuitous route.’

After completing an undergraduate psychology degree, Kate spent some time travelling, where she discovered a passion for helping young people tackle challenges and unlock their potential. Returning to Australia, she zeroed in on this field, completing a Dip Ed and a Master of Psychology (educational and developmental).

When she graduated, a job offer from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra felt like destiny.

`It was the perfect intersection of my training in psychology, my love of sport, and my passion for supporting young people during transformative periods of their lives.’