Working it Out with Kelly Newton (S3E5)

Listen to this fantastic conversation with Kelly who is the co-founder and CEO of NIXI Body Underwear. 

I loved this episode as it perfectly shows what this podcast is about. You can clearly see how Kelly's personal experiences with physical activity has gone on to influence her work - and the vital role she is playing to removing barriers for women and girls. 

Transcript

Alex: 0:37

Welcome to another episode of the Working it Out podcast. I'm here today with an amazing guest. We've got Kelly Newton on from Nixy Body. Welcome to the podcast, Kelly.

Kelly: 0:46

Thank you so much, Alex. Thank you for having me.

Alex: 0:49

So what we do, we jumped straight into the the first question is around our Working it Out locker. So this locker has had some crazy items in the past, and it's to do with your relationship with physical activity, a physical thing, when throughout your life, an item which you would like to induct into our locker. What would it be, please?

Kelly: 1:06

Do you know what, I'm gonna say my leak proof nickers.

Alex: 1:08

Yeah.

Kelly: 1:09

Just literally because throughout my youth, throughout, all of my years basically since I started having periods at 14, 15, I've really suffered with periods and bladder leaks. And although it didn't really affect my game. It did to a degree because I've got like core memories of trying to play netball, wearing horrendous, like huge pads. And I know that if I'd have had what I've got now, it would've made such a difference to my confidence and my game. Yeah. Sorry. I'm gonna go straight in with a shout out for my knickers. My leakproof knickers.

Alex: 1:40

No, no worries at all. The whole idea is something that just is means, so something so personal to you. We'll phase into what the business is. And so I think we'll start with netball. So was that your sport growing up?

Kelly: 1:52

So I actually started playing football first. So I've got a beautiful black and white photo of me age nine years old in 1980 with my team. So I grew up on a huge sprawling council state in Kidbrooke and poverty stricken whatever. But there was a, one of the dads, one of the, my friend's dads run his son's football team, and the metropolitan police used to organize this big competition every summer for inner London teams and it was for both boys and girls, which I think was quite unusual. And they used, yeah, we used to go and play these tournaments against other girls teams and he set this team up for us. So that was my first foray into playing sports and absolutely loved it. So we, I've actually got a video of me playing and they used to call me Chopper Street'cause I literally just would go in and wipe the girls out. That was my tactics.'cause obviously we didn't really train, we just turned up. With our trainers on whatever and our kit and just ran out on a pitch. Absolutely loved it. My next game after that was when I started secondary school. So we didn't do a lot of primary school. The boys had their playground and the girls weren't allowed in their playground. They played football. We had skipping ropes. We had a ball in a pair of tights that we used to bash off of a wall around us, those kind of games that the girls would play. But then I went to an all girls comp in, again, in Southeast London and. My PE teachers were amazing. We did, I was in the netball team. I was in the hockey team. was in the football team. I played I was in the basketball team. I was in the volleyball team. I did gymnastics, I did dance. I threw the javelin. I was in cross country. And then that's where my love of sports came from was playing in all of these teams at school. We were really lucky in the early eighties to be able to do all of that, especially in a girls school. I then carried on playing netball when I left school. I. So my aunt played for a team and I joined, I was I was center in my after school, after, when I left my work team, after when I left school and was working the team that I joined, the local team that I joined then I also played hockey as well, so I was between hockey and netball at that stage. Yeah, and then played netball probably for about 30 years for different, for various teams. Stopped when I had the kids and then went back when the kids were a little bit older and I had a little bit of support looking after the kids. And then my last team sport I played was hockey, and I probably gave up hockey about or three years ago, and that was purely because. My body wouldn't move as quickly as I wanted it to, and it was getting very frustrating. So I now I run really slowly, which I'm not ashamed to say because at least I'm getting out and I'm doing it. And I also play the occasional game of golf. So I played a lot of golf, I think the year before last, very sporadically in the last year or so because of the business, obviously. So yeah, give me a sport and I'll give it a go.

Alex: 4:38

I am gonna try my best not to talk golf at you for ages. So I'm not just gonna say I'm a now lover of the sport. Being ultra competitive in lots of team sports, I've now found that it's the most infuriating sport. And I think that's why I also love it, because you can, when you hit that one shot, you feel like I'm a professional, and then you just, the other 99 are rubbish. And then it's that one shot that keeps coming back.

Kelly: 5:00

Honest to God, honestly, if I do 18 holes, it takes me to the 17th hole to warm up. I'm not good at it. I can. When I'm on the driving range, I'm brilliant. I can strike that ball. I'm absolutely brilliant. Get me on the golf course and I fall apart. It's so frustrating Husband's wonderful. I go and my husband, he's, and all he ever shouts at head down and it's oh no, I know what, there's so many things to remember, but yeah, there's such a joy from striking that ball and it's just, actually hits the fairway. It's lovely. Really lovely.

Alex: 5:27

I've written down so much that I'm gonna try go for in order. So we've spoken around what sports you played, but what you first said with your item as well is that, going through your period around the, did you say 14? Sorry. Was it around that age? How was that in terms of your relationship with physical activity? What was that like? I know you spoke around the different pads that you were wearing, but in just in general, what was that experience like for you?

Kelly: 5:49

Yeah, it wasn't fun at all. Like I said, I've got a core memory of playing netball. I was center at school and I used to, in the olden days, in the early eighties, it was like these ginormous pads that my mum used to get. We used to, she used buy a couple of packs and we'd all take them from her wardrobe. They were ginormous. And I do remember thinking this is gonna fall out. I'm jumping about, this is gonna fall out. Not able to give a hundred percent to the game when I'm center on, like I'm core player in the team. I remember that, but I had really debilitating periods, so I ended up being diagnosed in my late thirties with endometriosis. I had very heavy, very painful periods. But I do know that it never, ever stopped me from playing. Although it was uncomfortable. It was, there was a fear of leaking. There was a fear of it falling out. It never ever stopped me from playing. And again, another core memory of seeing a girl had written a note, obviously written it herself, but signed it by her mum saying that she couldn't participate in PE lessons because of her period. And then thinking why is that stopping you from playing sports? At the time I didn't realize that, we've got, I think there's so much information there about periods and the different cycle of your period and doing different sports. And when you feel strong, when you feel weak there's so much advice around that now, we didn't know about that then, and I just played every single day, every day at lunchtime and every day after school and at the weekends. So I know that my period never, ever stopped me from playing. And I also know that I had very heavy, painful, debilitating periods. So I think I'm. don't know, maybe a bit of a anomaly. Maybe, I'm not like everybody else. I'm very determined. But I knew it made me feel good and I knew that it brought like a calmness to me whenever I played sport. So it was a really massively important part of my life growing up.

Alex: 7:37

So we started to lean into what the question is for the second one is already, which is fantastic podcast flow around the emotions linked to physical activity. With that. If I was to say, what one emotion comes to mind, what would that one word be for you?

Kelly: 7:52

There's so many words that I can use to, to describe how sport makes me feel, but I've had a really good think about this and it's contentment. Me such contentment. It it gives me clarity, it gives me a calmness, it gives me a confidence, and I think all of that together is contentment. Yeah, I just I can honestly say I never had a bad game. I never had, it might have at the time felt like a, maybe a bad run or a frustrating game, but you come away feeling so exhilarated and with that afterwards there's a contentment. I'm so content with my body, how my body is able to move and to do all of these things. Yeah, I think that's my word, contentment.

Alex: 8:34

No, that's fantastic. And I think there's been a few guests on who have been in a similar scenario of previously I was doing ultra competitive, highly motivated team sports competitive activities and transitioning more into what the body is now capable and able to do so does or not able to do. I'll definitely filling that now of waiting for a knee op which is just very frustrating, but the, the part which was quite interesting around you saying like running and golf, they're very different to the types of activities that you were doing before. So how are you finding contentment in them at the moment?

Kelly: 9:10

I think with the running it really, it was difficult for me to find contentment with that to start off with, and it's only a very new thing with the running because I find it frustrating. I get very frustrated. I have played so many sports. I, when I was. Younger I could run and run. On hockey you're, you've got spurts of running and then you've got the concentrating on the game. I. I'm just the slowest runner ever, honestly. But, and it used to really bother me'cause I'm very competitive. I To go into every single game. I want to win this game. I'm not going out half-heartedly like I need to win this game. And that obviously got more difficult as I got older and my body wouldn't move the way it was and I'd move in the. In hockey, I moved down in the teams and we were losing every single week. But I found contentment from playing with the women. My, my, my fellow teammates. I love the whole camaraderie of the team and the, the, just seeing everybody was like the best thing ever. So I found the contentment from that with the running. How slow I am. I wanna beat my park run every time I do it, and I'm not doing that. I'm getting slower and I've got to the stage. You, I'm on Instagram, say all these people, they're slow runners and they've just, they've found contentment in that because I think, what, at least I'm getting out. I want to, I'll do a 5K. Then I, I feel like I've got to do a 10 K and then I've done the 10 K and I was thinking I need to do a half marathon and then I'll need to do a marathon. Actually, I don't. I don't, all I need to do is get out and move my body and that's absolutely fine. So I was beating myself up for such a long time thinking this is so hard. I'm not getting any better. I'm not improving. But actually, do I need to, as long as I'm moving my body, that makes me feel really good. I'll, I struggle sometimes to get out and do a run. When I get out and do it. I hate it. I'm not gonna lie. I really find it difficult. I get back literally within 10 minutes, I think, oh my God, I wanna go and do that again. I absolutely loved it. There's a, and like with golf, again very frustrating game. I literally I will cry sometimes going round, but afterwards I'm like, actually, do you know what, I was rubbish today, but I had a really nice walk and I had a really lovely chat with my friends or my husband. Actually maybe my putting was a little bit better than usual, not my driving. That was rubbish maybe, but. I've been out and I've done it. I've moved my body, I've been in fresh air. I feel really good about myself, so I'm I'm switching it around now from that whole competing side and being competitive with myself to a calmness and a clarity, and I'm getting, I'm reaping the benefits from that.

Alex: 11:47

That's amazing. I think what we'll do now is go into your inspirational dinner party, which is the next question that we've brought back, and I'm really excited to hear who yours are. So there's. Yourself and three other people, who are you going to be inviting to do with your relationship with physical activity, who have inspired you over the years?

Kelly: 12:06

You know what, I mean this is really sad, but it would be my PE teachers to start. Obviously, like I said, I went to an all girls. Secondary school, comprehensive school and in the early eighties and our PE we had three women PE teachers. I'm gonna pick one of them. I can remember two of their names. I'm gonna pick Ms. White in. Although she was really scary at the time. She we just had so many sports that we could choose from every single day, and she was so inspiring to me the way that she ran that department. She did so much for us girls and I would absolutely love to see her again and bring her to dinner and say to her, you actually, I feel like she did change my life. With the amount of opportunities I had through sport. So she would be one of them. Then my second one would be my mom, because although my mom didn't play sports, she loved sports and she watched all sports. We always had, my mom like, absolutely loves the Olympics so much. She loves it. She, it was always on. If there was. Any football. My mom watched the football. My dad was a, like a big boxing fan, but my mom, she loved the athletics, she loved the football. We always had what was it, sports the sports program that used to be on, we used to watch the wrestling, any sports that was on, we used to watch it. But my mom was like my biggest fan out of me and my two young, my, I've got two younger sisters. I was the only one really who played sports. She would come to every single game and I was mortified at the time. My mum was the only one who was ever there. And she would support me even. She even comes, she even came to my games when I was like in my forties. She would come along to my hockey on a Saturday and watch my game. She really encouraged me to play sports and even now she's it's, she appreciates how good it is to move your body. But she's never played sports. She was a runner when she was at school, but she did nothing and I don't really think that they had the opportunities then. So yeah, my mom. I'm a big fan of my mom for supporting me and encouraging me to play all of my sports. And then the last one is probably gonna be, this is so cheesy Denise Lewis, because

Alex: 14:07

That's not cheesy at all!

Kelly: 14:09

She is, I do know her. I've met her a couple of times and she's just incredible. She's such an incredible person. Obviously watched her in the Olympics and yeah, we loved Denise. She was just like. She's such an icon, but she was also, she was my couch to 5K coach, so she actually got me through the couch to 5K. I tried it at least three times with other people as my coach, Denise is the only one who could get me to actually complete it and to continue running. And she's funny and she's gorgeous, and she's obviously a Dame now as well. She's a doctor. So I have the utmost respect for what she's done, not only in her professional career as a sportswoman, but being able to work after that and, presenting and she's just written a book. Yeah, I have I'd love to have her at dinner because I think she's super fun, but just super impressive as well.

Alex: 15:02

And it is really interesting. What I'm picking up there, just as a side note, is it sounds like you had a lot of intrinsic motivation growing up, and we sort, we've spoken about obviously the transition into running and obviously a lot more extrinsic factors had to come into play to motivate you to find that activity, which is important, which is ke keeping you going. And it's interesting that it's Denise Lewis. How's your mom been these days in terms of supporting you?

Kelly: 15:30

Yeah. No, especially in the business. She's my mom. Bless her. She's 70. I wanna say 74, maybe 75. And she still models for me in her knickers. A mother's love. She's on the website. Yeah. Yeah. She's mortified. Absolutely mortified. But that's a mother's love for you. She did this just for me. So she has always supported me and my sister. She's incredible. I honestly. I wouldn't be the person that I am today without my mum. My mum is super inspiring in every way. She's just, everything that she's done over the years has really been for all of us kids, and I appreciate my mom so much.

Alex: 16:08

That seems like it'd be a very sporty table of course. And it's some amazing women. It seems yeah. You have had some really good women role models in your life.

Kelly: 16:17

Definitely. And yeah, I think it's so important. I tried to, so me and my husband we fostered for 19 years and our last placements were four girls all the same age. The teenage years were pretty horrific, but because I played hockey, my husband was always sporty up until a degree he's. He was always injured, so he had to give up football, but he'd played hockey as a kid. Our two boys played hockey. One of them actually went on to play England under 16 and under 18. They were very good standard, both the boys. So because I was playing, I'd got my four foster daughters into playing as well. So having those role models for them, I knew. Even though my mum didn't play, she always encouraged me to play. She would take me to the sports,'cause obviously I couldn't drive at that age. So she would take me to all of my hockey games on a Saturday. My netball games on a, on the other sun on the other Saturdays. So I did the same with my girls'cause I know how important sport is, and I know that how easy it is for girls especially to give up. So I needed to make sure that I took them, they came to training with me. I took them to games on a Sunday. My husband also, he was, super encouraging. And he also took the girls if I couldn't manage it. So yeah, we did. I think having a parent that plays sport or is super interested in sport really does help your younger generation, your children to come through and do the same as well.

Alex: 17:36

So on that note, we are going to start transitioning into the second half, which is about tackling an activity. So the what we do first, because now we know Kelly, and that's why I structure this way because I want the listeners to first understand you as an individual, not just the CEO of a really awesome organization. It's, so now what we do is we have a section where if you could introduce yourself as the CEO, what your organization does, and then we're gonna dive into what you are passionate about in the field of tackling inactivity.

Kelly: 18:07

Okay, so I'm the co-founder of Nixi Body and we make really discreet leakproof underwear for girls and women for bladder leaks, very light bladder leaks and periods. So I obviously started the company about six years ago, because like I said, I had really bad heavy periods throughout my childhood. I had endometriosis, diagnosed with endometriosis when I was in my late thirties, and I ended up having a hysterectomy when I was 42. So I went from having really heavy periods to my first physical symptom of the menopause was bladder leaks. So like I said, I was playing hockey at the time of a fantastic group of women and all of us were in the same position. We would go to the toilet before the game, go to the toilet during like half time and then straight to the toilet afterwards.'cause we're all worried about either bladder leaks or periods. So I, as I said, had four teenage foster daughters in the house. They all had periods and every week I was thrown away a bag of used disposable pads and tampons and I was like, oh my God, this is terrible. This is just our household. What are the stats for us across the uk? What, what are we throwing away? And it turned out it's about 200,000 tons of waste every year just from disposable period products. So I looked online to see what I could use instead of disposables. And there were, at the time, there were some period knickers. I thought, I'll give those a go. When I was playing them, they were super bulky. They looked like I was wearing a nappy. I was really conscious and actually probably felt more conscious than when I was wearing pads. So I thought there's gotta be a better way to do this. So I designed a pair of knickers that are completely VPL free, so you can't see them underneath like the tightest of Jim leggings and they are really absorbent. So we've got different levels of absorbency, different styles of knickers. I trolled them out with my girls at netball, they all love them. And I was like, do you know what? I think I can make a business out of this. So yeah, this is what happened six years ago. And it was purely because of, my love of sport. I was obviously worried about the environment. I know generally I think women of my age aren't that worried about it. I think it's usually that the younger Gen Z girls who are more worried about, what they're wearing for their hormonal health, for their, it's not good for their hormonal health, their vaginal health. There's plastics, there's chemicals in these products. And they're starting to look at other products now. There's not been a lot of innovation within the period care industry. We've literally been using towels and tampons for the past, however many. Years, I think about a hundred years. Menstrual cups came in about 20 years ago, which were great, but I actually needed them for bladder leaks. And I, obviously, it's, no, I can't be wearing a menstrual cup for that. Yeah we want, we were designed to keep women moving through all life stages, through menstruation, through motherhood and menopause, and hopefully we are giving women the confidence to carry on because we know periods and bladder leaks are a huge barrier to girls participating in sport. And I think the stat is, I think it's over 60% of girls when they hit puberty, when they start their periods, give up on sports. And if we can just remove that barrier, help to remove that barrier, then you know, we, will make me feel really good. That's our job done.

Alex: 21:19

So thank you first for that. And it's really, it's an amazing story and it always think very closely with the work I'm doing in the day job and under This Girl Can and what we're trying to do in our next phase, which is so closely aligned, it's amazing. If you were going to then tackle in activity,

Kelly: 21:36

Yeah.

Alex: 21:38

what would, how, where would you start? What is your preference?

Kelly: 21:42

I would start in nursery. I think, we were really lucky when I look at what all the sports that I did when I was at secondary school, and this is like I keep saying it's back in the eighties, we had so many opportunities and I look at, so when my girls were at school, they didn't have the opportunities that we had. So if they wanted to do a class after school at primary school, we'd have to pay and not every parent can afford to pay for their kids to do sports after school. We were in a great position. So I think it needs to go back to nursery. We need to be get, getting kids moving and playing like little sports already, but investments, we need investments in school so parents don't have to pay for their kids to be playing these sports after school. And I know it's difficult, but I just feel if you get kids in school, you're getting kids who are moving their bodies. So maybe we can do something about the obesity problem that we have in this country. It's confidence. So when children play sports. It's giving them, you, you're working within a team. You, it works in your confidence. So you are making decisions, You're feeling confident about those decisions. You are communicating with other kids, adults. You are being able to take instructions. All of these things are so important for children. I think growing up. Discipline, you learn discipline when you play sports. For me it's like a no brainer. Start investing from the very beginning and get these kids interested in any kind of movement. It doesn't, they didn't need to be paying in team sports, I think, is it only, there's a really small percentage of people that play in team sports and it's such a shame because that's when you build your communities. I've got so many friends still from 30, 35 years ago that I played netball with. They're still my friends to this day. And these are women who are 20 years older than me. They're still my friends. Let's get that going. We need investment in these sports. And like we said, it's not just team sports, it's any kind of movement. So if we can get the kids to just do a little bit of, I don't know. Yoga in the morning, I hate yoga, but I still, I'd give it a go'cause I wanna move my body. Kids need really good role models, so I think it's, if we can, if we start'em from young and then they turn into parents and they're playing sports and then their kids see them playing sports, it's a really great knock on effect I think. There's so many different things. There's the periods. That's a huge barrier to participation. Let's make it easier for girls to play sports when they're on their periods. Let's give them those, those packs where they can't turn around and say, no, I can't play because I'm on my period. I haven't got anything to wear. You have, you've got kit there that you could, you've got towels or tampons or you've got your period knickers so you can carry on playing with all of those and educate them around the fact that actually it's really good to work out on your period. You're gonna feel so much better when you've worked out on your period. There's obviously problems with Kit as well. Let's make sure that all kids feel comfortable in the kit that they're wearing. Let's not discriminate against kids and say, you can't play'cause you've got leggings on. Who cares if you've got leggings on? You haven't got the right kit. Just get out there and play. I don't care what you're play, like what you're playing in, I just want you to play and move your body.

Alex: 24:48

Yeah.

Kelly: 24:48

It needs to come from the government. It needs to start from like very early days and invest in sports. Because kids are just too quick to give up. If they haven't got the, we haven't got these things, these infrastructures in place, they're just not gonna do it. They're not, kids aren't motivated to go, most kids aren't motivated to go out and join a team, outside of school. We need to be encouraging them. We need to be giving them really good role models. And that's parents at school, teachers, nursery teachers neighbors, aunties, uncles, anyone that plays a sport should be getting their family along their neighbors, whoever along and encouraging them to, to play. It just breaks my heart that some kids don't get to do that. And if that's down to, because their parents can't afford it, that's just not good enough. It's

Alex: 25:35

Yeah.

Kelly: 25:36

enough.

Alex: 25:37

I completely agree. I think the first part around investment into schools and nurseries. I've got a nephew who's who's just turning two next month and he's super fortunate that my brother and his partner have been able to put him through so many different activities during the school time. They're during nursery time, but they still have to pay the additional fee for them.

Kelly: 25:58

Yeah.

Alex: 25:59

So they feel like they, they are obliged to otherwise that they, their child's gonna miss out on what another child can. So they're trying to work really hard to be able to afford what was it, gymnastics on a Wednesday and baby yoga on a Tuesday. And then it goes into French on a Thursday as well. My, my brother and his partner are fortunate enough to be able to afford to do those things. Otherwise, the option is these kids are taken outta the class and the other ones are just there to just play and multi playing has its benefits. Of course

Kelly: 26:30

yeah,

Alex: 26:30

Those other ones are sold as these are going to develop the child more and they're, they, and to have your child develop further, that comes at a cost,

Kelly: 26:38

yeah, definitely.

Alex: 26:39

right at all.

Kelly: 26:41

Like we had four foster daughters and they, so they would all do netball after school at primary school. I would take them to hockey twice a week. I'm paying for all four of those to do all of that. I'm getting their kit for them, I'm getting their equipment for them, as well as having two boys who are playing at a very high level and having to pay for all that as well. So even when Finn got into the England team, you still have to pay for him to be in that. You have to pay for the kit.

Alex: 27:05

Oh really?

Kelly: 27:07

Travel. It was in, in their day, in his day, like 10 years ago. Yeah. So that doesn't, that's not cheap. And you want'em to do it. What an amazing opportunity. How can you turn around and say, no, I can't afford it. I'm sure if I'd turned around and said, I can't afford it, someone would've said, let's try and help you. But you know that there's so much expense that you incur from doing this. We should be supporting families to do, because the long-term benefits outweigh any costs. In the long run it's gonna, obviously over time it's got to save money. These kids aren't obese so we're not having to worry, diabetes, things like that. This, and then they're sitting around, they're not doing anything, they're not getting jobs and there's just such a bad knock on effect from not being able to move your body. I think that motivation sport is such a huge motivator for things in life. It makes you really wanna go out and achieve things. It's definitely made me want to achieve things I always wanna do the best that I can, and I think that comes from playing sports. There's so many benefits to it. We need to start it from such a young age. It's criminal.

Alex: 28:06

Yeah, investment from government. This is one which we spoken about on other podcasts as well. You have department for education we're talking about, and also DCMS and this, we spoke about many times that they're so fragmented and where should the investment come from? Sport England investment is not as much as others, like in health or education. So there's only so far that can go and it's been some amazing examples of organisations, if we use the example of periods. Periods at the moment, organisations going into schools. And educating, but it seems to be companies coming in rather than that education coming for through, through the education system.

Kelly: 28:45

Yeah. We provide education as well, so you know it, it shouldn't, it, we're happy to do it. We love to do it. We love to share about our knowledge of periods and, whatnot. But actually, yeah, you are right. What, why is it not coming from the government? Why is it left to these companies to be providing this information? Yeah. It's a strange one. It is a strange one.

Alex: 29:06

I guess the role of a lot of sports development organisations and maybe partly organisations like yourselves as well is I didn't wanna have to do this, but I've, I have to solve this problem. It seems like there should be some more structural things in place for me not to exist. I, I shouldn't be talking about tackling inactivity because then it, it shouldn't be an issue. And like yourself saying there shouldn't, you shouldn't have had to have created something because of this situation that you were in. So then so there's so many different things you spoken about. So clearly linked to schools, but then you also mentioned. The role of role models which clearly shows that within your own personal experience as well, how much more do you think a teacher can do'cause of the experience that you had, has been incredible and teachers do a crazy amount now. So is it the role of a teacher to do more? Or is it that we don't have the right people within schools on top of teachers?

Kelly: 29:57

I think that, all teachers, not even, not just PE teachers, all teachers nowadays have such a difficult job to do, and I totally appreciate that. I was at school 30 years ago. It was a completely different time, although was, I. We were just, I was just very lucky in what we did. And we had, I think it was three women PE teachers very passionate. And I'm not saying that the teachers nowadays are not passionate, but they have got such a, such, such a difficult job to do. And I think, especially a girl school. So having had four teenage girls in my house, pretty horrific at times, they were all the same age, so it was pretty horrific. It's so difficult to engage them in anything that's not on a mobile phone, if I'm honest with you, this is the trouble that I had with half of them or two of them. All they wanted to do was to be on their mobile phone and as soon as they were able to get on their phone, it was sport was pushed to the side and it was only'cause I forced, I literally forced them to go until it got to the stage where, they, they would not get in the car to go to sport. Very difficult. So that as a parent was hard. As a teacher when you're trying to manage all of these different year groups, all of these different ages, all of these different personalities, how do you even do how would you manage that? I have such empathy for any teacher, particularly a sports teacher, probably in a girl's school, secondary school. Just don't, I dunno what the answer is. I, it's not down to them to be. Maybe it's, I look at the girls' school, I'm trying to think of what sports they did, and they, obviously, you've got your different terms and you do your different sports throughout the term. Try just trying to find something that the girl is engaging with. It. It's really difficult. One of my girls was an amazing hockey player, but she fell out of love with it for a bit. But then she did badminton and I was just happy that she was moving her body. She really enjoyed badminton. The other two, again, really good at hockey, but just didn't want to, just didn't wanna do it. Kept talking about going to football, let's get you to football. Didn't want to do it. It's so difficult to engage girls. I think especially around the age 13 mark when they hit puberty, because if their friends aren't playing sports, they're not interested. They just wanna be spending time with their friends. They don't wanna look like. The one who's having to go off on the coach to go and play a game somewhere, they don't wanna be missing out. They, it's so difficult. I honestly dunno what the answer is, but I do all, I think, all I can think of is if we just need to start it from as early as we can. Get them interested in and passionate about something. And it doesn't need to be the sports, like the rugby, the netball, the football. There are so many other ways of moving our body that we can try to encourage. Again, I dunno the answer, I dunno the answer, but I do feel like parents need to be so involved. You don't stop parenting when they hit secondary school. don't, they go to secondary school. You don't just then write, this is it. You get on with your stuff. You still need to encourage and you still need to take them to that activity. Actively take them and pick them up to ensure that they are doing it because it, I think in the long run, everybody reaps the benefits. Generally, hopefully they're a little bit more tired and they'll sleep better and they're not as miserable when they get back from their sport.

Alex: 33:04

And you've said it a few times that you dunno the answer and that's completely valid. And it is. I think everyone's in that same space where, and why The title of this podcast is called Working it Out.

Kelly: 33:14

Yeah. We're all trying to work it out still.

Alex: 33:18

We're all trying to work out and then the concept of how can I get some founders, some CEOs and get their thoughts together to see if collectively we have some cohesive opinion about how we can tackle inactivity. I think there is something, really two really important themes of what you said around nursery and investment and the opportunity and then also the role of role models and parents around how they're engaging. Amazing things that will be adding to my map. So I really appreciate you coming on today and then sharing first your personal story and also then your opinions on tackling inactivity. Thank you very much, Kelly.

Kelly: 33:51

You're so welcome. Thank you. And if I talk to lots of nonsense, I apologize. This is the menopause speaking.