Role Model: Kate Richardson-Walsh

Setting an example and being a role model with former England and GB hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh. Kate captained Britain to a historic gold medal in hockey at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She is the most capped player in her country’s history, and Kate and Helen Richardson Walsh are the first married gay couple to win Olympic gold medals in the same team. They are now expecting their first baby, due before the end of the year. The theme of this conversation between Simon Mundie and Kate is: setting a positive example and being a role model. Kate captained England and Britain for 13 years, having been chosen for the role by her teammates when she was just 23 years old. Kate believes one of the reasons her peers chose was because she consciously set out to be a good example and a role model to her teammates. The attitude stemmed in part from having been dropped early in her career, which forced Kate to make a choice and fully dedicate herself to her sport. Reacting to that one setback as a teenager was the catalyst for all the success that followed. In this episode Kate talks about actively seeking out other people to learn from, and the importance of having a vision and sharing that with your team around you, and having them fully buy into it. She illustrates the importance of having tough conversations as well as the power of having a selfless attitude, and explains why it’s worth finding out how you react to pressure. We also talk about being part of a high profile same-sex couple, and why women’s hockey is so much more open and accepting than many other more high profile sports.