124 | Why Girls Quit Sports and What They Lose When They Walk Away with Nicole Johnston

Hi Parents!

Sports can give teen girls so much more than physical fitness. They can become a training ground for taking risks, navigating failure, communicating with others, developing leadership skills, and learning how to keep going when things don't turn out as planned.

And yet, adolescence is also a time when many girls begin walking away from sports.

So, what's happening?

Nicole Johnston (linkedin.com/in/nicolemjohnston) brings an interesting perspective to this conversation. After spending more than 30 years in global sales and marketing leadership at companies including Procter & Gamble, Hershey, and Kimberly-Clark, she now works with career and executive-track women as a leadership coach, TEDx speaker, and founder of innatePOWER LLC (innate-power.com). She's also the best-selling author of Taboo Topics: Things Women Should Talk About, But Don't (amazon.ca/TABOO-TOPICS-Things-Women-Should-ebo…).

In this episode, we're exploring why girls quit sports and the factors that can make staying involved increasingly difficult during adolescence. We talk about puberty, periods, changing body image, perfectionism, fear of failure, and some of the conversations girls may not feel comfortable initiating themselves.

We also look at what girls stand to gain when they're encouraged to stay in the game. Nicole shares how experiences like trying out, not making the team, losing, communicating with teammates, and getting back up after disappointment can develop skills that reach far beyond the playing field.

And for parents, we get practical about what support can look like. How do you respond when your daughter doesn't make the team? How do you encourage her to take risks without putting more pressure on her? And how can we make sure things like periods, body changes, or fear of failure don't become reasons girls feel they no longer belong in sports?

If you're raising a teen girl - whether she's been an athlete for years, is considering trying a sport for the first time, or is thinking about walking away from one - this conversation offers a different way to think about what participating can give her long after the game is over.

NEW: My 6-week parent program, The Parent’s Anxiety Toolkit™ (consciouscoach.biz/parent-program-1), is now open! If you’re raising an anxious teen and feeling overwhelmed, unsure what to say, or exhausted by the constant worry, this program will help you feel more calm, confident, and equipped with practical tools that actually work.

Big hugs,

Monica Crnogorac

Next Steps

Book a Free Discovery Call (calendly.com/monicacrnogorac/letschat)

Visit My Website for More Information on My 8-Week Program for Teens (consciouscoach.biz)

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