'A conversation with Catherine Baker' - Sports Parenting - The realities of the role

Parents in Sport Podcast

In this episode author and sports parent Catherine Baker joins Gordon MacLelland to discuss being a sports parent and the complexities of the role based on her experiences of parenting three sporting children, one of whom is currently involved in professional rugby.

During the conversation they discuss amongst other things:

• The realities of being a sports parent
• Learning on the job and navigating the role of a sports parent
• Thinking about our communication, our language and the messages we give our children
• Reinforcing hard work and effort
• Working alongside our own children's goals and motivations
• The importance of connection
• The challenge of navigating our children being injured or not being selected
• Passing the baton to our teenage children and giving them a greater agency over the experience
• Picking the moments to have important conversations with our teenagers
• The lessons we can apply from Catherine's book 'Staying the Distance'

Author, coach, and Keynote Speaker Catherine is relentless on the benefits of sport and movement. Catherine is a parent of three boys, all of whom have played sport at a high level. Through her business Sport and Beyond she has had the privilege of working with many elite athletes, elite coaches, and senior leaders across sport and business, with a focus on mindset and leadership.

She is also a non-executive Director on various Boards, including the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. Catherine's debut book, Staying the Distance: The Lessons From Sport That Business Leaders Have Been Missing, published by Bloomsbury Business, came out on 20th March 2023.