With a background in Psychology and a minor in coaching, I have a keen interest in understanding human behaviour. My main focus over the past few years has been on building safe environments to facilitate better connections. I believe that connection is the antidote to many of today’s present struggles and I believe it's the connections coaches form with their players which becomes crucial to their overall development. I am currently the co-captain at Salisbury International Soccer Club after returning from a short stint in the UK at Rugby Borough Women's Football Club. I have a passion for coaching and a keen interest to learn from anyone and everyone. I am currently shadowing one of the league's best men's national premier league sides in South Australia and have just established an academy for girls. Two of the primary issues I see recurring with female footballers is a lack of technical ability and diminished confidence – these are what I target within the realms of the academy. I’m also in the process of creating a role as head of player development in which my sole responsibility will be the development of individuals – looking at establishing individual development plans (IDPs) and working with these players to improve their technical, tactical, physical, or psychological skills. Outside of football, I write for my blog, and I run presentations and workshops. The presentations often include discussions of my footballing experiences – how I’ve recovered from 3 acls, hitting rock bottom, disappointment of not achieving my goals, culture, leadership, and coach education. In addition to these presentations, I’ve developed two training modules to equip individuals with skills to better support others when they’re struggling. This is based on the training I completed to become a volunteer crisis text line counsellor in the US when I lived there for 6 years. The more dominant technology becomes in society, the more we crave and need human connection and support. These are issues I attempt to address within these modules. Everything I do and talk about is done with the premise that we are all human first. Being human to me just means admitting things that are real, raw, and uncomfortable – things that make us relatable, rather than merely likeable. I’m always looking for opportunities to run workshops or present on whatever topics seem relevant to your organisation. So if any of what I’ve written resonates with you, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me or check out my website www.nicolecalder.com .