Golf is a game of precision, but it’s also a game of resilience. Mistakes are inevitable but it’s how you respond that sets you apart. One poor shot can lead to a bogey. But unchecked, that bogey can snowball into four more. The mistake itself matters far less than what you do next.

This week, I went viral for the first time. What should have been a celebration of growth and visibility quickly turned into a crash course in the darker side of online exposure.

The comments poured in, not with thoughtful feedback or real engagement, but with a flood of misogyny, gaslighting, and personal attacks. And not surprisingly, they only came from men.

An athlete doesn’t crumble under pressure because they don’t want it enough. They fall apart because their nervous system isn’t prepared to handle that moment. Fight, flight, or freeze isn’t a mindset flaw. It’s a survival response. And until we start addressing it that way, we’re going to keep misreading the signs.

Coaching is more than teaching a sport. It’s stepping into a young person’s life at a time when they are growing, discovering who they are, and learning how to face the world. To be a coach is to have a front-row seat to one of the most important journeys a person can take: growing up.

When I started the Girls Academy, I wanted to truly understand what girls needed in a program designed for them. This question led me down an eye-opening path… one that revealed why so many girls were leaving sports at an alarming rate.

Progress happens when people have the courage to speak up and challenge the status quo. It cannot rest solely on the shoulders of marginalized groups to push for change. If we want to reshape the narrative around girls and women in sports, it requires more than just their voices—it demands that men in the room stand up, call out inequities, and be active allies in the fight for fairness. Real change happens when everyone takes responsibility.

Creating opportunities for girls isn’t about exclusion—it’s about inclusion. It’s about giving them a space where they can develop their skills, build confidence, and thrive in the game—without having to justify their presence.

A few years ago, while traveling with the UBC Women’s Golf Team, we had a conversation in the van about how each player got into golf. Every single girl had learned from a male coach. That moment stuck with me long after the trip.