Schedule Finalized for 2025 Empowerment Coaching Session

Tactics and technique win games—but emotional intelligence builds teams. In this interactive, coach-focused workshop, Cate Clark, Executive Director of the NFHCA, will guide participants through the core principles of emotional intelligence (EQ) and how they translate into stronger, more resilient team culture.

“EQ isn’t about being soft. It’s about being skilled,” added Clark. “Self-awareness is the foundation of confident, steady leadership—especially when pressure is high.”

This session is not a lecture—it’s an immersive experience where coaches will reflect, connect, and walk away with tools that elevate how they lead athletes, manage conflict, and handle the daily emotional demands of coaching.

This workshop will blend guided self-reflection, real coaching challenges, and small group discussion to help coaches:

• Understand how emotional intelligence affects decision-making and team dynamics
• Identify personal patterns of response during stress or conflict
• Build self-regulation skills to lead with clarity and composure
• Apply EQ strategies in real-world coaching scenarios
• Walk away with practical tools and a reflection workbook to continue learning beyond the session

Whether you're managing varsity athletes, club teams, or collegiate programs, EQ gives you the edge that today’s athletes—and staff—need from their leaders. Coaches of all levels will benefit from this session’s ability to connect leadership growth with practical, day-to-day coaching success.

Today’s top-performing teams aren’t just strong—they’re informed. In this early-session Empowerment Talk, performance coach Hannah Jaussen brings forward the science and strategies behind training female athletes with intention, understanding, and impact.  If you train young women, this session is for you.

This session dives into the physiological and biomechanical realities unique to female field hockey players, giving coaches practical tools to optimize performance, minimize injury risk, and lead with empathy and effectiveness.

"When we understand how the female body responds to training, stress, and recovery, we stop guessing—and start empowering,” commented Jaussen.

Tailored for coaches of female teams at the high school, club, and college levels, this session provides actionable insights rooted in sports science and real-world coaching.

Key Topics Include:

• Understanding anatomical, hormonal, and neuromuscular differences and how they influence injury risk
• How to tailor strength, recovery, and workload based on female-specific performance patterns
• The role of the menstrual cycle in adaptation, energy availability, and recovery
• Strategies for cycle tracking, inclusive conversations, and creating athlete-centered support systems
• Training adjustments across different phases of the season and cycle to prevent burnout and overtraining

This session isn’t just about preventing injuries—it’s about creating smarter, stronger, and more resilient female athletes through data-informed coaching.

Ideal for coaches of all genders, this talk also encourages open dialogue and inclusive leadership, helping staff members foster trust and performance in female athletes throughout every stage of development.

Coaching requires more than tactics and time—it demands emotional endurance, round-the-clock leadership, and often, the quiet sacrifice of personal wellness. For women coaching women, the complexity runs even deeper.

In this powerful 50-minute wellness session, nurse practitioner and board-certified health and wellness coach Lisa Dunlap will explore the intersection of hormonal health, performance, and sustainable coaching leadership. This session is designed specifically for female coaches in field hockey—but welcomes anyone ready to support women in high-performance environments.

“Burnout isn’t a badge of honor—it’s your body asking for change,” said Dunlap. “This session is about restoring energy, balance, and purpose so you can lead yourself and your team more powerfully.”

Backed by science and grounded in real-life coaching demands, this session will help you understand why you're exhausted—and how to change it.

Topics Include:

• The Biology of Burnout – Understand how stress affects your hormones and performance
• Hormones at Every Age – From your 30s to perimenopause, learn how to train and lead through hormonal shifts
• Mind-Body Recovery Tools – Nutrition, sleep, nervous system regulation, and daily mindset practices
• Leadership Through Wellness – Model strength and sustainability for your athletes and staff
• Creating Lasting Balance – Walk away with real-life strategies to protect your energy and extend your coaching career

This talk is a call to redefine what success looks like in the coaching world. It’s time to replace chronic fatigue with capacity, and silent burnout with visible resilience.

The strategies shared won’t just benefit you—they can be applied to your athletes, your staff, and the culture you build. Male coaches and administrators are encouraged to attend to gain deeper insight into how hormonal health and stress affect the women on their teams—and how to better support them.