🎙 Host: Carolyn Kent 🎙 Guest: Ivi Casagrande – Performance Coach, Former Brazil Women’s National Team and Orlando Pride Coach, FIFA & UEFA Technical Expert

In this episode of Women's Football Hub, Carolyn Kent sits down with Ivi Casagrande, a performance coach with an impressive career spanning multiple continents. From playing football in Brazil to coaching at the highest levels with FIFA, UEFA, and the Football Association of Ireland, Ivi shares her unique journey in sports science, coaching, and leadership.

✅ Ivi's Journey in Football & Coaching

• Growing up playing futsal in Brazil and her early football career
• Moving to the U.S. to play college football and study exercise physiology
• Transitioning from player to coach and her rise in elite performance coaching

✅ Coaching at the Highest Level

• Working with the Brazilian Women’s National Team and Orlando Pride
• Coaching world-class players like Marta and Alex Morgan
• Overcoming imposter syndrome and growing as a professional

✅ Building a High-Performance Culture in Football

• The importance of listening, adapting, and understanding different team environments
• The role of intuition in coaching and player development
• How to foster autonomy in athletes to enhance decision-making on the field

✅ Collaborating with Coaches & Managing Team Dynamics

• Finding common ground with coaches who may not fully buy into sports science
• The importance of negotiation, relationship-building, and understanding the pressures coaches face
• How to create a strong team culture by aligning staff roles and priorities

✅ Mental Health & Work-Life Balance for Athletes

• Strategies to help players disconnect from football and recharge
• The impact of social media and 24/7 football culture on player well-being
• Breathing techniques, mindfulness, and creative recovery methods for athletes

✅ The Future of Women's Football & Brazil Hosting the World Cup

• How hosting the Women's World Cup could impact football development in Brazil
• The importance of investing in grassroots football and legacy programs
• Ivi’s hopes for the future of women's football globally

🌐 Website: CasagrandeCoaching.org 📸 Instagram: @IviCasagrande

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Women's Football Hub Podcast Episode Title: Understanding Menopause in Female Athletes with Dr. Nicky Keay

Episode Summary: In this episode of Women's Football Hub, host Carolyn Kent speaks with Dr. Nicky Keay, a leading expert in female athlete health, honorary clinical lecturer at University College London, and author of Hormones, Health and Human Potential and The Myths of Menopause. They discuss the impact of menopause on female footballers, the physiological and psychological challenges it presents, and strategies for coaches, clubs, and players to manage training and recovery effectively.

Key Topics Discussed:

🔹 What is Menopause? – Understanding the physiological changes when the ovaries retire and hormone production stops.

🔹 Physical & Mental Effects – Common symptoms such as hot flushes, sleep disturbances, mood fluctuations, and anxiety.

🔹 Training Adaptations – How players and coaches can modify training and recovery to accommodate hormonal changes.

🔹 Coach Education – Encouraging male coaches to become comfortable discussing menopause and supporting players effectively.

🔹 Exercise & Menopause – Why strength training is crucial, but not the only form of exercise needed for menopausal athletes.

🔹 Fitting Exercise into a Busy Life – Practical tips for women juggling work, family, and training.

🔹 Psychological Wellbeing – How cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and journaling can help manage symptoms.

🔹 HRT: Myths & Facts – Common misconceptions about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and how it can help manage symptoms.

🔹 Red-S & Menopause – The crossover between low energy availability (LEA), underfueling, and perimenopause in active women.

Resources & Further Reading:

📚 Hormones, Health and Human Potential – Dr. Nicky Keay

📚 The Myths of Menopause – Dr. Nicky Keay

🌍 Visit Dr. Keay’s Website for research, resources, and advisory consultations www.nickykeayfitness.com

Final Message: If you or someone you know is struggling with menopause and its impact on sports and daily life, reach out for support. Follow the latest evidence-based guidance and adapt training and recovery to fit individual needs.

🎧 Subscribe & Tune In Next Time Follow Women's Football Hub for more expert insights into women's football, health, and performance.

Episode Summary: Host Carolyn Kent speaks with Siobhan O’Donovan, physiotherapist and founder of Posture Fitting, about the vital role of breast health and posture in women’s performance. Siobhan, known as "The Boobie Physio," shares practical insights on managing breast weight, finding the right bra, and building internal support through posture and muscle activation.

Key Points: Breast Weight & Posture: How breast weight affects alignment and the importance of resisting gravity.

Support Systems: Combining internal activation (muscle strength) with properly fitted bras for optimal support.

Bra Fitting Tips: Common fitting mistakes, the importance of proper sizing, and differences between daywear and sports bras.

Impact on Sports: Breast-related discomfort as a barrier to participation and the role of education in keeping girls in sport.

Educational Initiatives: Siobhan’s Posture Fitting service and Gals Against Gravity course to raise awareness and provide practical solutions.

Connect with Siobhan O’Donovan:

Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn: @Posture.Fitting Email: Siobhan@PostureFittingPhysio.com

Phone: +353 87 POSTURE

Takeaway: Breast health is essential for performance, confidence, and posture. Proper support allows female athletes to reach their full potential.

Episode Summary: In this episode of Women's Football Hub, Carolyn Kent sits down with Hannah Antony, a senior physiotherapist from Alberta, Canada, and a medical content specialist. Hannah shares her personal journey through ACL injury and reconstruction, providing unique insights from both a patient's and a physiotherapist's perspective.

Topics covered include:

• The mechanism of Hannah's ACL injury and her initial reaction.
• Decision-making around surgical vs. non-surgical management of ACL injuries.
• The challenges and milestones in post-operative rehab.
• Psychological and physical aspects of returning to play after an ACL injury.
• Key insights into injury prevention, including the importance of proper warm-ups.
• How Hannah's experience led her to create an evidence-based eBook on ACL injuries.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of individualized rehab protocols tailored to patient needs.
• Insights into Limb Symmetry Index and its role in return-to-play assessments.
• The need for neurocognitive and sport-specific rehab components.
• How ACL injuries can lead to broader contributions to physiotherapy and athlete education.

Resources Mentioned:

• Hannah's eBook: hanphysio.com
• Follow Hannah on Instagram: @hanphysio
• Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn: Hannah Antony

Have a question about ACL injury prevention or rehab? Reach out to us or visit Hannah's website for more resources.

Episode Title: Unlocking Youth Potential: Athletic Development with Rob Anderson

Episode Summary: In this episode of the Women's Football Hub podcast, Carolyn Kent is joined by Rob Anderson, BSc in Strength and Conditioning and MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology from St Mary's University. Rob was the 2024 UK Strength and Conditioning Association Coach of the Year for Youth Sports and is the founder of Athletic Evolution in Edinburgh.

Together, Carolyn and Rob dive deep into the importance of athletic development in youth sports, touching on key topics such as:

• The critical role of movement quality and athletic development for young athletes.
• How to balance training load and prevent overuse injuries in youth sports.
• Misconceptions around strength training for female athletes.
• The benefits of sampling multiple sports for better athletic performance.

Rob also shares his philosophy on how proper athletic development can minimise the gap between early and late maturers and provides practical tips for parents, coaches, and young athletes to get started.

Where to Find Rob Anderson:

• Instagram: @_theathleteacademy
• LinkedIn: Rob Anderson
• Collaborate Sports Mentorship Program:

Key Quote: "Better is better. More is not better. Focus on quality, not just quantity, in youth athletic development."

Don't Miss: Rob shares practical tips for building movement competence, balancing training loads, and why female athletes have so much to gain from strength training.

Emotional Regulation in Women's Football with Sarah Knapp

In this episode of Women's Football Hub, Dr. Ian Cookson interviews Sarah Knapp from Northampton Town Women's Football Club. They discuss Sarah's unique journey into sport and exercise psychology, and focus on the topic of emotional regulation.

Sarah shares insights from her experience working with a football player, emphasizing the importance of normalising emotions and using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approaches. They cover practical techniques used during non-traditional pitch-side sessions and reflect on the significance of tailoring psychological support to each athlete's needs.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:42 Sarah Knapp's Background in Sport

02:02 Research and Applied Interventions

04:18 Case Study: Emotional Regulation

06:20 Understanding Emotional Regulation

08:12 Approaches and Challenges in Sport Psychology

17:53 Differences in Emotional Regulation: Men's vs. Women's Game

19:39 Gaps in Research and Final Thoughts

23:47 Conclusion and Contact Information

Aimee Ellen O'Keefe is a performance nutritionist with an impressive background in sports nutrition. She has worked with:

• Manchester United Women's Football Team (First full-time nutritionist in WSL in 2021)
• England Rugby Red Roses
• Williams Racing (Performance Nutrition for Academy Drivers and Pit Stop Crew)

• Grew up in Liverpool with a football background
• Played football from a young age, including Everton Center of Excellence
• Transitioned to nutrition after realising the importance of proper fueling

• Identified key nutrition gaps at Manchester United
• Implemented simple changes like adding bagels and fruit options
• Focused on carbohydrate availability and accessibility

• Primary energy source for high-intensity exercise
• Importance of carbohydrate loading 24 hours before match/training
• Addressing stigma around carbohydrate consumption in female sports

• Discussed challenges with nutrition in female sports
• Addressed impacts of social media and body image pressures
• Highlighted unintentional and intentional under-fueling

• Compared nutrition approaches in football and rugby
• Discussed unique nutrition needs for Williams Racing pit stop crew and drivers

• Co-founded with Dr. James Morehen
• Mission to improve performance nutrition for female footballers
• Developed an app and Instagram community for education

• Instagram: @femalefootballnutrition

• Podcast: Women's Football Hub

• Carbohydrate loading strategies
• Performance nutrition for team sports
• Nutrition for high-intensity athletes
• Body image and sports nutrition

The information in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice.

Emma Brockwell is a pelvic health physiotherapist who has worked with top football clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, and Southampton. She is:

• Co-author of the Return to Running Postpartum Guidelines (2019)
• Co-host of the podcast "At Your Cervix"
• Part of the FIFA Female Health Project

• Integrating pelvic health into professional football (00:02:00)
• Importance of education in normalising female health conversations (00:09:14)
• Comprehensive approach to pelvic floor health (00:19:02)
• Musculoskeletal connections to pelvic floor function (00:20:05)
• FIFA Female Health Project overview (00:23:07)

• "Education is the key to supporting male and female coaches"

• Pelvic health is not just about Kegel exercises
• Holistic approach involves:
  • Thorax analysis
  • Hip and joint mobility
  • Breathing techniques
  • Whole-body movement assessment

• POGP Courses
• Educators to follow:
  • Michelle Lyons
  • Taryn Hallam
  • Dr. Sinead Dufour

• Podcast: At Your Cervix
• Professional Focus: Pelvic Health Physiotherapy in Football

• Return to Running Postpartum Guidelines (2019)
• FIFA Female Health Project
• Chelsea FC's Menstrual Health Program