Kate Wensley (1997)
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.
Her moving Valedictory Speech in 2025 touched on profound personal and professional highs and lows, drawing a spontaneous standing ovation. It sent our Year 12s into the world a valuable sense of perspective and purpose.
`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 alongside prominent roles in elite sport, where she is Psychology Lead for Australian Athletics and Team Psychologist for the Australian Women's Cricket Team. She has also served as Head of Psychology for Football Australia.
An outstanding athlete at BGGS, Kate held a Queensland Academy of Sport football 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.
However, an even bolder claim would have been to announce she would be the Matilda's team psychologist, a position she achieved in 2017.
But back in the 1990s when Kate completed her psychology degree, the transformational power of psychological coaching for athletes was not widely recognised. In one of her first classes, the lecturer told eager young students there were only two sports psychologists who were 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 her 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.’
I have benefited greatly from the power of women supporting women
For the next six years, Kate travelled with athletes to international competitions and each year her role expanded. In 2015, she was appointed Head Psychologist to lead the Australian Paralympic Team through to Rio in 2016. Then in 2017, the door opened to a dream job, when Kate was asked to join the Matildas, not as coach—as she had predicted in high school—but as team psychologist, working and travelling with the squad for the next four years.
These proved to be breakthrough years for the Matildas. In the 2017/18 season they defeated the USA for the first time; took out the AIS Public Choice Team of the Year award and reached their highest-ever FIFA ranking of fourth.
At the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, they didn’t progress past the Round of 16, but made a memorable impact, fighting back from 2-nil down to beat Brazil 3-2, inflicting the powerhouse nation’s first defeat in the World Cup group stage for 24 years.
Throughout her time working with Football Australia, Kate has continued to work in private practice, a role that brings her immense joy and grounding.
`This work continues to be the most rewarding aspect of my career, reminding me daily why I entered this field. Much of my private practice is dedicated to supporting young women finding their direction and purpose. I love combining my psychology training with high-performance insights to help other women realise their dreams.’
Looking back on her years at Girls Grammar, Kate says her professional knowledge now gives her a greater appreciation of the launchpad she was offered.
`As a performance psychologist, I now know that environments with high expectations combined with high levels of support provide the best foundations for people being able to learn, grow, and thrive. BGGS gave me both.’
But by far the biggest gift Girls Grammar gave her, was enduring friendships.
`I feel incredibly fortunate that the bonds I formed at school have endured and I have benefited greatly from the power of women supporting women.’
Kate’s advice to others is not to be discouraged, even when the odds seem stacked against you. Her four tips to find happiness and success are:
- Do what you love: `I love football and my dream was to work in this industry.'
- Make connections and make yourself useful: `Still to this day I carry bags, fill ice baths and do myriad other jobs when I’m working with a team.’
- Be brave: `Reach out to people whose careers you admire and get their advice. Good relationships are often the gateway to opportunities.’
- Say yes: `For my first five years at AIS I intentionally said `yes’ to everything.’ Accepting a speaking opportunity, she would normally have turned down, led to her big break working for the Matildas in 2017. `That single `yes’ opened the door to everything I had been working toward.’