Coaching The Whole Athlete
Build the team culture that keeps girls in the game.
August 15, 2026
9:00am – 3:00pm | 4130 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, California, 94609
Girls stay in sports when the rewards outweigh the challenges – when they feel connected to their coach, supported by their team, and valued as whole people.
Coaching the Whole Athlete is a one-day, in-person Girls Leadership training for coaches, athletic directors, youth development staff, and sports educators working with middle and high school girls and all youth. Participants learn practical tools to build inclusive team cultures, strengthen communication, support athlete well-being, and create the conditions that help girls stay engaged in sports.
Why This Training Matters
When coaches don’t intentionally create strong, inclusive team cultures, girls leave sports.
Athlete retention is not only about skill, competition, or performance. It is also about belonging, trust, communication, confidence, and well-being. Coaches can’t build successful teams when athletes feel disconnected, unseen, or unsupported.
Coaching the Whole Athlete helps coaches move beyond a performance-only approach and develop the awareness, skills, and practices needed to support athletes’ social, emotional, mental, and physical development. Because when athletes feel connected to their coach, their teammates, and themselves, they are more likely to stay engaged, take healthy risks, and grow as leaders on and off the field.
What You’ll Learn
This interactive training gives coaches and sports educators the opportunity to experience Girls Leadership activities in real time, reflect on the barriers that push girls out of sports, and practice strategies that build more cohesive and inclusive teams.
Participants will explore how identity, belonging, communication, emotional regulation, and team culture shape an athlete’s experience. Through reflection, role play, discussion, and hands-on practice, coaches will leave with 25+ activities they can use right away to create supportive environments where athletes feel seen, heard, and ready to contribute.
By the end of the training, participants will be able to:
- Recognize systemic barriers that girls, especially marginalized girls and girls of color, face in sports
- Design a holistic coaching approach that supports athletes’ social, emotional, and mental development alongside physical performance
- Practice activities that create brave, inclusive team environments rooted in belonging, trust, and connection
- Strengthen communication across diverse racial, cultural, and gender identities
- Use mindfulness, emotional regulation, and reflective practices to help athletes manage pressure and build focus
- Apply growth mindset practices to support resilience in themselves and their athletes
- Identify opportunities for youth advocacy and athlete-led action
Training Highlights
Participants will engage in signature Girls Leadership activities and tools, including:
Team Collaboration Communication Tool
Practice strategies that help athletes communicate clearly, listen actively, and work through team dynamics with more trust and connection.
Take Charge
Explore how athletes can build confidence, take healthy risks, and strengthen their ability to advocate for themselves and their team.
Comfort Zones and Stress Responses
Learn how stress, pressure, and discomfort show up in athletes and how coaches can respond in ways that support communication, regulation, and growth.
A Whole-Athlete Approach to Coaching
Girls Leadership believes athletes are more than their performance.
They are young people navigating identity, pressure, relationships, confidence, stress, and belonging. For girls, sports can be a powerful space to challenge restrictive gender norms and take up space physically, emotionally, and vocally but only when that space is intentionally built to support them.
Coaching the Whole Athlete helps coaches create team cultures where athletes feel seen, know how to show up for one another, and want to stay engaged in the game.
Girls Leadership designs training by listening to girls.
Our approach is grounded in social-emotional learning, healing-centered practices, experiential learning, and the lived experiences of girls and youth. This training goes beyond gender alone to examine the many factors that marginalize girls and push them out of sports, including race, class, language, culture, and other aspects of identity.
Participants don’t just learn about inclusive team culture. They practice building it together.
Ready to Build a Team Culture Where Girls Belong?
When athletes feel supported, connected, and valued, they are more likely to stay in the game – and grow far beyond it.
Join Girls Leadership for Coaching the Whole Athlete and learn practical tools to build inclusive team cultures that support every athlete’s confidence, well-being, leadership, and long-term engagement in sports.
Register for Coaching the Whole Athlete today! Bring this training to your team!
Cost:
$300 – Sliding scale. Price includes food and beverages, and lessons and resources from the Girls Leadership SEL curriculum.
Have Questions?
If you’re not sure whether this training is right for you, or if you need additional information before registering, please email us at info@girlsleadership.org and we will get back to you.
