The WiSEAN Podcast: Women’s Sport & Exercise Research

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These are the Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network (WiSEAN) podcasts. The overall purpose of WiSEAN is to grow, strengthen and promote research on women in sport and exercise, with the ultimate goal of optimizing women’s athletic success and their participation. We, therefore, invite academics, researchers and practitioners from sport and exercise to join us for our podcast, so they can share their thoughts, activities, research and advice. linktr.ee/wisean

  1. Sep 14

    Dr Trish Jackman: Flow Research Women in Sport and Beyond

    Dr Trish Jackman is Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Lincoln. She is also the current Chair of the Psychology Division in the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES). Trish is an active researcher, with some of her current projects focusing on healthy ageing and loneliness. Alongside her academic role, Trish is also a registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and works with athletes, coaches, parents and support staff across a range of sports. Trish has a deep interest in women in sport research and practice. She is a member of the míde research consortium on the island of Ireland and led a scoping review of research about women in sport in Ireland, identifying key trends in the existing evidence base and offering recommendations for future research.      In this episode, Britta Sorensen speaks with Dr Trish Jackman, Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Lincoln and Chair of the Psychology Division at CASES.  Trish traces her path from playing camogie in rural Waterford to an academic career built, more or less by chance, on a single undergraduate essay about optimal experience. That essay led her to the concept of flow, which became her master's dissertation, then her PhD at Lincoln, and eventually a body of work spanning two decades. She explains how her thinking on flow has changed over that time: away from a purely cognitive account of a single optimal state, toward something more embodied, more individual, and open to the idea that athletes can perform at their best even when the experience itself feels difficult.  The conversation ranges widely across her work. She describes building the Ageing and Physical Activity Network in Lincolnshire, a county whose rural geography and older-than-average population make physical activity a challenge worth taking seriously, and makes the case that enabling movement in later life is everyone's business rather than something confined to health and sport professionals. She discusses her research on the mental health of doctoral researchers, prompted partly by her own experience, and a large systematic review on loneliness in sport that found isolation can be produced by the culture and structure of a sporting environment rather than simply by being alone in it.  The second half turns to Ireland, where Trish is part of the MIDE Research consortium working to map and advance research on women and girls in sport across the island. She talks about the gap between what is published and what reaches coaches and communities, the cultural and linguistic context that shapes the work, and where she hopes it will be in five or ten years. The episode ends on running, which she took up after retiring from camogie and, on the reasoning that she was never going to be fast, began with an ultramarathon.    Links: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/researchatlincoln/meetourexperts/trishjackman/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/trish-jackman-67456659/

    Dr Trish Jackman: Flow Research Women in Sport and Beyond

  2. Jun 30

    Dr Anke Samulowitz: Gender Norms, Pain and Bias in Healthcare and Sport

    Dr Anke Samulowitz is a physiotherapist and psychologist. She works as a quality improvement facilitator at the Centre for Equity in Health Care in Gothenburg, Sweden, combined with research at the University of Gothenburg. She defended her thesis on “Pain, gender norms and psychosocial resources” in 2023. Her research focuses on pain and gendernorms, stereotypical ideas about men and women; how they are and expected to behave. Gender norms can lead to gender biases, medically unmotivated differences made between men and women, hampering equity in health care. To combine research and quality improvement in health care is one of her central goals.   Themes: Anke's background combining physiotherapy, psychology and health equity researchThe shift from a biomedical to a biopsychosocial understanding of painHow gender norms shape the way pain is expressed, reported and assessedWomen portrayed as emotional and exaggerating pain; men as stoic and pain-tolerantMedia coverage of athlete injuries — heroism attributed to men, fragility to womenGender norms linking masculinity with sport/training and femininity with everyday exerciseWomen expected to self-manage pain; men expected to seek and receive treatmentGendered leisure patterns — women as "downsizers" in sport after family responsibilitiesGender bias in pain and assessment questionnaires (including eating disorder screening in athletes)Social support and chronic pain — emotional support more critical for men, practical support more critical for womenFuture research directions: contextual mechanisms of gender bias, social support in sport, and questionnaire validity

    Dr Anke Samulowitz: Gender Norms, Pain and Bias in Healthcare and Sport

  3. Jun 1

    Dr Simone Fullagar and Dr Adele Pavlidis

    Themes: How both researchers came to feminist sport sociology and began collaboratingWomen's recovery from depression — the link between movement, embodied experience and mental healthPara-sportswomen's experiences of gendered ableism, body shaming and being unheard by coachesMedicinal cannabis in sport and questioning the "spirit of sport"The Brisbane 2032 Olympics legacy project — engaging people currently outside sportBarriers to sport participation: belonging, body image, cost, identity and feeling unwelcomeCreative research methods — poetry and songwriting workshops with marginalised communitiesHockey program for Yazidi refugees in Toowoomba as a model for sport and trauma recoveryGender-based violence in sport — prevalence, under-reporting and institutional responsibilityAddressing the gender gap in disability sport (intersectionality of disability and gender)Queer fans and the Women's World Cup — invisible communities in legacy planningStrength and conditioning coaches' understanding of gender and its gapsRecommendations: intersectional approaches, diversifying leadership, questioning sport's normsand who they serve Dr Simone Fullagar (she/they) is Professor and Chair of the Sport and Gender Equity research hub at Griffith University, Australia. She has published feminist, interdisciplinary sociological research using (post)qualitative approaches across sport, leisure and mental health fields. Simone collaborates with colleagues on a number of ARC projects that address gender equity and diverse forms of embodied movement. Her most recently book is Pavlidis, A., Fullagar, S., & O'Brien, W. (2025). Feminist futures for sport: Tracing the affective dynamics of gender equity in sport organizations, Palgrave. Simone lives on the unceded lands of the Yugambeh and Kombumerri peoples of the Gold Coast. Dr Adele Pavlidis is an Associate Professor in Sociology with the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, and previously a DECRA Fellow (2018 to 2021). She is author of three books, Sport, Gender and Power: The Rise of Roller Derby (2016, Routledge, with Simone Fullagar), Feminism and a Vital Politics of Depression and Recovery (Palgrave, with Simone Fullagar and Wendy O'Brien) and Feminist Futures in Sport: Exploring the Affective Dynamics of Change in Australian Rules Football and Roller Derby (2025, Palgrave, with Simone Fullagar and Wendy O'Brien). She has published widely on a range of sociocultural issues in sport and leisure, with a focus on gender and power relations. Theoretically her work traverses contemporary scholarship on affect, power and organizations, and she is deeply interested in social, cultural and personal transformation and the entanglements between people, organizations, and wellbeing. She is currently Director of the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Treasurer of the Australian Women's and Gender Studies Association, and Co-Chair of the Sportand Gender Equity (SAGE) research hub at Griffith University.

    Dr Simone Fullagar and Dr Adele Pavlidis

  4. Jun 1

    Dr Simone Fullager & Dr Adele Pavlidis: Feminist Research, Inclusion and the Future of Women's Sport

    Themes: How both researchers came to feminist sport sociology and began collaboratingWomen's recovery from depression — the link between movement, embodied experience and mental healthPara-sportswomen's experiences of gendered ableism, body shaming and being unheard by coachesMedicinal cannabis in sport and questioning the "spirit of sport"The Brisbane 2032 Olympics legacy project — engaging people currently outside sportBarriers to sport participation: belonging, body image, cost, identity and feeling unwelcomeCreative research methods — poetry and songwriting workshops with marginalised communitiesHockey program for Yazidi refugees in Toowoomba as a model for sport and trauma recoveryGender-based violence in sport — prevalence, under-reporting and institutional responsibilityAddressing the gender gap in disability sport (intersectionality of disability and gender)Queer fans and the Women's World Cup — invisible communities in legacy planningStrength and conditioning coaches' understanding of gender and its gapsRecommendations: intersectional approaches, diversifying leadership, questioning sport's normsand who they serve Dr Simone Fullagar (she/they) is Professor and Chair of the Sport and Gender Equity research hub at Griffith University, Australia. She has published feminist, interdisciplinary sociological research using (post)qualitative approaches across sport, leisure and mental health fields. Simone collaborates with colleagues on a number of ARC projects that address gender equity and diverse forms of embodied movement. Her most recently book is Pavlidis, A., Fullagar, S., & O'Brien, W. (2025). Feminist futures for sport: Tracing the affective dynamics of gender equity in sport organizations, Palgrave. Simone lives on the unceded lands of the Yugambeh and Kombumerri peoples of the Gold Coast. Dr Adele Pavlidis is an Associate Professor in Sociology with the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, and previously a DECRA Fellow (2018 to 2021). She is author of three books, Sport, Gender and Power: The Rise of Roller Derby (2016, Routledge, with Simone Fullagar), Feminism and a Vital Politics of Depression and Recovery (Palgrave, with Simone Fullagar and Wendy O'Brien) and Feminist Futures in Sport: Exploring the Affective Dynamics of Change in Australian Rules Football and Roller Derby (2025, Palgrave, with Simone Fullagar and Wendy O'Brien). She has published widely on a range of sociocultural issues in sport and leisure, with a focus on gender and power relations. Theoretically her work traverses contemporary scholarship on affect, power and organizations, and she is deeply interested in social, cultural and personal transformation and the entanglements between people, organizations, and wellbeing. She is currently Director of the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Treasurer of the Australian Women's and Gender Studies Association, and Co-Chair of the Sportand Gender Equity (SAGE) research hub at Griffith University.

    Dr Simone Fullager & Dr Adele Pavlidis: Feminist Research, Inclusion and the Future of Women's Sport

  5. May 22

    Prof Holly Thorpe: Researching Women's Bodies, Sport and the Fight for Inclusion

    Holly Thorpe (she/her) is a Professor in the Sociology of Sport and Gender at the University of Waikato (New Zealand). She has published over 140 articles and chapters, and five books and nine co-edited books, including the Palgrave Handbook of Menstruation Studies in Sport (2026), Feminist New Materialisms, Sport and Fitness (2020), and Women in Action Sport Cultures (2016). She is co-editor of the Palgrave New Femininities in Digital, Physical and Sporting Cultures series (with Kim Toffoletti, Aarti Ratna and Jessica Francombe-Webb). Driven to do research that has real world impact and concerned for issues of equity and inclusion, Holly works with an array of national and international sports organisations to build more inclusive sporting cultures.   New Handbook of Menstruation in Sport coming out soon,  The Palgrave Handbook of Menstruation Studies in Sport | Springer Nature Link   Themes discussed in the podcast: Holly's background in action sports and how it shaped her academic pathFemale athlete health, menstruation, and REDS (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)The biopsychosocial approach to understanding women in sportInterdisciplinary collaboration — working across sociology, physiology, endocrinologyThe new Palgrave Handbook of Menstruation Studies in Sport (2026)Cultural and ethnic diversity in female athlete health researchWorking with sports organisations (High Performance Sport NZ, Sport NZ, IOC, Snow Sports NZ)Action sports, the Olympics, and expanding opportunities for women and girlsThe IOC's controversial return to mandatory sex testingThe slow pace of change and strategies for sustaining feminist sports research

    Prof Holly Thorpe: Researching Women's Bodies, Sport and the Fight for Inclusion

  6. May 13

    Dr Nicole M. LaVoi: Advancing Girls and Women in Sport through Research and Impact (audio)

    Audio: Dr Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer of social and behavioural sciences in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota and the Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Through action-orientated, collaborative research, she translates data and answers critical questions that can make a difference in the lives of girls and women. As a leading scholar on gender, leadership and women coaches, Dr LaVoi has published 100+ book chapters, research reports and peer-reviewed articles in top-rated journals. Her Outstanding Academic Title award-winning book ⁠⁠Women in Sports Coaching⁠⁠, the annual ⁠⁠Women in College Coaching Report Card™⁠⁠ and Emmy-nominated documentary ⁠⁠GAME ON: Women Can Coach⁠⁠ help inform countless stakeholders who change the system for women sport coaches. She is the founder of ⁠⁠Coaching HER®,⁠⁠ and co-creator of ⁠⁠BodyConfident Sport⁠⁠, free tools to upskill coaches to more effectively coach girls. As a public scholar, she hosts a podcast (Tucker Center Talks), consults with a variety ofstakeholder groups, works with industry partners, speaks around the world, fields media requests, provides thought leadership and serves on mission-driven advisory boards. She is a two-time NCAA Academic All-American and three-timeHall of Fame inductee. LaVoi is an award-winning athlete, coach, scholar and distinguished teacher, who won a regional Emmy for ⁠⁠Best Sport Documentary⁠⁠, and was named a 2023 USTA Champion of Equality her longstanding work in gender and sport. LaVoi played collegiate tennis at Gustavus Adolphus College winning a NCAA-III National Team Championship where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees. Prior to her career in higher education, she was a USPTA Teaching Pro and head tennis coach at Wellesley College. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, biking, hiking, golf, painting and soaking up the sun. Topics Tucker Center work: Description of the key messages, goals, activities. How people outside of the University can become involved. Competition with other research centres. Main activities within the center, e.g., coaching HER, Women in College Coaching Report Card. Whichmost proud of/which has had the greatest impactResearch: Research items and high citations – explanations. How the book, Women in Sports Coaching came about.Future directions, especially anything to change/left unturned, excited about.Insight into the content of the Spotlight Speaker session at the WiSEAN conference 2026.

    Dr Nicole M. LaVoi: Advancing Girls and Women in Sport through Research and Impact (audio)

  7. May 12

    Dr Nicole M. LaVoi: Advancing Girls and Women in Sport through Research and Impact

    Dr Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer of social and behavioural sciences in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota and the Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Through action-orientated, collaborative research, she translates data and answers critical questions that can make a difference in the lives of girls and women. As a leading scholar on gender, leadership and women coaches, Dr LaVoi has published 100+ book chapters, research reports and peer-reviewed articles in top-rated journals. Her Outstanding Academic Title award-winning book ⁠Women in Sports Coaching⁠, the annual ⁠Women in College Coaching Report Card™⁠ and Emmy-nominated documentary ⁠GAME ON: Women Can Coach⁠ help inform countless stakeholders who change the system for women sport coaches. She is the founder of ⁠Coaching HER®,⁠ and co-creator of ⁠BodyConfident Sport⁠, free tools to upskill coaches to more effectively coach girls. As a public scholar, she hosts a podcast (Tucker Center Talks), consults with a variety ofstakeholder groups, works with industry partners, speaks around the world, fields media requests, provides thought leadership and serves on mission-driven advisory boards. She is a two-time NCAA Academic All-American and three-timeHall of Fame inductee. LaVoi is an award-winning athlete, coach, scholar and distinguished teacher, who won a regional Emmy for ⁠Best Sport Documentary⁠, and was named a 2023 USTA Champion of Equality her longstanding work in gender and sport. LaVoi played collegiate tennis at Gustavus Adolphus College winning a NCAA-III National Team Championship where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees. Prior to her career in higher education, she was a USPTA Teaching Pro and head tennis coach at Wellesley College. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, biking, hiking, golf, painting and soaking up the sun. Topics Tucker Center work: Description of the key messages, goals, activities. How people outside of the University can become involved. Competition with other research centres. Main activities within the center, e.g., coaching HER, Women in College Coaching Report Card. Whichmost proud of/which has had the greatest impactResearch: Research items and high citations – explanations. How the book, Women in Sports Coaching came about.Future directions, especially anything to change/left unturned, excited about.Insight into the content of the Spotlight Speaker session at the WiSEAN conference 2026.

    Dr Nicole M. LaVoi: Advancing Girls and Women in Sport through Research and Impact

  8. May 5

    ⁠Verity Postlethwaite⁠⁠: Social impact and legacy in women's sport

    Verity Postlethwaite⁠ is a Lecturer in Strategic Event Management at Loughborough University and Co‑Chair of the ⁠WiSEAN 2026 Conference⁠ Organising Committee. ⁠Her work⁠ focuses on the social and community impacts of sport and major events. Verity currently plays a leading role in two major research projects as Loughborough University is a ⁠Spirit of 2012 Legacy Learning⁠ Partner and a ⁠UK Sport Social Impact Partner⁠, both of these projects are helping to strengthen how major events deliver positive, long‑term outcomes for people and places across the United Kingdom.   We covered these topics  WiSEAN 2026 Conference Host and Organiser – anything you’re looking forward to, in particular? What can delegates expect?Own area of research and UG/PG study. Why sportfrom politics?PhD on 2012 Olympic: Legacy/change for women?Other sporting events and social change. Specific examples women? Good practice in academia/as an early career researcher?Future research plans

    ⁠Verity Postlethwaite⁠⁠: Social impact and legacy in women's sport
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These are the Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network (WiSEAN) podcasts. The overall purpose of WiSEAN is to grow, strengthen and promote research on women in sport and exercise, with the ultimate goal of optimizing women’s athletic success and their participation. We, therefore, invite academics, researchers and practitioners from sport and exercise to join us for our podcast, so they can share their thoughts, activities, research and advice. linktr.ee/wisean

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