Youre dealing with very powerful people generally men whove had their power for a long time. Theres theres thousands of reasons that get put forward as to why a woman cant actually follow around the head coach of a mens cricket team and just think OK what does this job look like and how would I do it if it were me because thats how I learned how to be a doctor. So it actually wasnt until I was in my second year of medical school I went straight into medical school out of high school and I started doing a triathlon. There are still definitely haters and trolls and people who are abusive. Discover Bridie O'Donnell's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Im Chris Stafford. In 2016, at age 42, she broke the womens world record for the longest distance covered by bike in one hour. According to our Database, She has no children. Bridie also managed and reached for Rush womens team a national road series cycling team in Australia in 2016. Once the road went up and gravity became a factor, women whose physiology could generate power while carrying as little weight as possible were the benchmark. Theyre powerful for women and theyre equally powerful for boys and men. But I was a very academic kid and so I studied really hard through high school and I was completely mediocre at team sports and I wanted to be a leader like I was so desperately trying to be the best athlete and I just wasnt I didnt have enough speed I didnt have enough agility and all those things that you do when youre playing netball and touch football and some of the sports that have really big in teams here in Queensland. Posted on July 26, 2021 by July 26, 2021 by Your email address will not be published. The medal was awarded to my great grandmother who won an Irish bag piping competition as a teenager and she kept it with her every day. [00:22:31] And she said well you know what I did some digging and I found out that everyone checks their responsibility or their part to play in the way. Its where May speaking it you know over 120 events panels conferences et cetera in the last 18 months supports that is driving that message home that leadership can look different. Dont rub it in an area had it right. Its all of the things that I experience which is you lose a lot. I think no go do the deal with our channel 7 9 or 10 or ABC or SBS which are our national broadcasters because its not good enough anymore to just say oh thats not our job. But we also need the networks to to buy into it too because at the end of the day everybody benefits if they have the foresight to invest in it at whatever level. She is quite reserved. The Silver Ferns where were sitting and we also saw and Im sure this photograph reached across the world is the photograph of Taylor Harris That was the most glorious examination and image of a woman kicking sheet. The core values of WiSP Sports are based on the following principles to: WiSP Sports, Inc. You know we see the increase in pay for professional cricketers for example. She is a member of famous with the age 48 years old group. So it actually wasnt until I was in my second year of medical school I went straight into medical school out of high school and I started doing a triathlon. There was also no escaping it as a teammate working so closely with her. To make matters worse, at least in the eyes of management, I showed nowhere near enough shame about my body and its apparently terrible excesses. And were seeing this more in the States. [00:10:25] Well it certainly teach to see problem solving skills and what we know theres data from an amazing piece of research that Ernst and Young did globally where they examined women in leadership positions all over the world. As long as many more episodes of different shows we have now over a thousand episodes and a global audience reach now of more than three million. Bridie: In 2007, Cycling Australia put a call out to other sports for athletes with the potential to become time trialists. And when Peggy talks people listen. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? We have 17 per cent of school aged children are getting the required amount of physical exercise every day of one hour one hour of movement and only 17 percent of kids are getting it. And it has been outstanding and we are now supporting New Zealand South Australia W.A. But my goodness it does allow you a context and help you deal with strong personalities and we say that a lot in where Im working now as a sports administrator or working in government. You dont get what you want a lot. So, how much is Bridie O'Donnell worth at the age of 48 years old? She represented Australia at three Road World Championships and broke the UCI Womens Hour World Record in 2016, riding 46.882km at the Adelaide Superdrome. My most useful object is definitely my pillow. Its not life and death. You know these are the things that shape us for when were sitting in a very difficult meeting with difficult personalities or when we have staff who are feeling unrecognized via a process thats happening whether thats in government or in medical industries and as I said Ive been a doctor for a very long time. You know how to deliver you keep going when youre tired you keep going when youre annoyed when it rains when its windy. Then it would have been an even more difficult. And if I had had men in the public service say youll never be able to be this boss of this office and run this budget do make this change because youve never done it before then. I bought it on holiday in Antibes in France, and it made me feel very European, mon cheri. You know you become quite self-absorbed and so focused and you have to be. And I think also our sporting nature nation culture is a bit is a bit mythical. About so many things I could have done better. Ensuring that girls and women can show up to sporting clubs and feel safe included theres not just this sort of dark mahogany with pictures of men who won in 1963 that these places are family friendly and people want to. Eating little to lose a lot wasnt restricted to my teammate in Italy, and it wasnt the first or last time I would ride with a woman whose peak performances coincided with a body fat percentage edging dangerously close to a medical admission. Bridie what what did your main focus in the big to dos because you know youve got a huge huge agenda. Were seeing this more in the year in the UK and in parts of Europe with the different networks too. But we do have a lot of great wheelchair athletes who did very well obviously in Rio and do very well. She is currently on secondment to the Department of Health as Area of Operation Controller for the South-East Metro region in the COVID-19 response. And the idea around comparison is actually incredibly unhelpful and quite ignorant by a lot of commentators. Thank you for joining me. Its not actually how well am I getting along with my family my children my wife my husband my parents. Were making sure we support every organisation and their attacks on. The first day she gets it and I am living breathing example of that that I had never worked in government before and all I was was just a washed up athlete doctor. They were selected because of their admirable strength, their long limbs, and the extraordinary power required for a six or seven-minute effort. You know all those generalised resistance statements that a lot of people have which is Im okay with girls playing footy but I dont want to watch women doing it on TV. Search Log In Sign Up Systems around unconscious bias around myths of maintaining confidentiality so we dont want to have a mentee follow the head coach male coach around or retaining information and privacy that you cant have women in mens spaces because you know sexuality issues or nudity or whatever. But I had incredibly supportive colleagues and certainly the public service is very good at that. Bridie graduated as Valedictorian from the University of Queensland Medical School and won the J R S Lahz Prize for Most Outstanding Intern in 1999. If we were to simplify wed say our three strategic priorities are increasing the number of girls and women participating in sport and aggression. And yet we have over 30000 girls and women registered to play was he rules in this state and hundreds more that are paid teach physical education teachers or former coaches in other jobs that could be highly qualified to do that. Theyre powerful for women and theyre equally powerful for boys and men. And since Title 9 in the United States were seeing now a third generation of girls and women benefiting from legislation that allows them to receive the same financial support at universities. Well its an opportunity to learn about what you doing there at the Office for Women and Sport and Recreation because its the one and only organization of its kind in the in Australia as I understand it. About so many things I could have done better. Now if we come back to Australia and we look at the WB ls a great example we have the fourth season of The Womens Big Bash. Bridie returned to full time work in 2013 as a behavior change physician at Epworth health check in Epworth breast centre with a part time role teaching doctor patient communication at Deakin University Medical School from 2013 to 2016. Bob Marleys daughter who owns the Jamaican womens team the Thai billionaire who has funded the Thai womens team you know. Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. So its one of the biggest cities. Where do you see Australia right now in terms of equality. And as the saying goes you know you cant be what you cant see that that access is critically important. It was a problem all over the worldwhat youd almost term performance-enhancing eating disorders. Now how do you do you have any thought so. And like so many of them I took a chance of you know quitting my job as a physician where I was working behaviour change because I just felt that this was a unique opportunity and remarkable way for me to have an influence over the lives and the outcomes of so many girls and women that I didnt have when I was coming through sport and that so many girls and women who are who have a disability or who are from a multicultural background or from a marginalized communities definitely dont have in Australia. Theres no way were going to get that across the line. Or you can post your comments on our social media at Facebook Instagram and Twitter or LinkedIn. Our guest this week is Dr. Bridie O'Donnell who is head of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation in Melbourne Australia and she is here to discuss the issues affecting women and girls from her perspective. So being active playing sport engaged in it in their life. Inwardly, I shook my head contemplating the likely osteoporosis resulting from her weight loss, the amenorrhoea and the malnutrition. I discovered this when I was a professional cyclist, and realised it was the only way to be comfortable while squished in the back of a team van during the long 14-hour road trip all the way from central Italy to northern Spain for a bike race. Thank you so much. Six years of med school was helpful but actually following around the senior doctor and thinking Okay heres what being a surgeon involves. Now shes a young AFL footballer playing for Carlton who has not only incredible strength and agility but she has this kicking style thats very characteristic for her. Shes very tall incredible flexibility of this photograph of her kicking so her legs completely apart almost 90 degrees flexible hips incredible flexible flexibility and strength. I was one of 70 who applied and one of 12 who got selected to be part of a testing programme. And its amazing what it is to be constantly comparing yourselves to world champions because firstly you have to learn to deal disappointment on a regular basis but what it also does is it actually really reframes your way of thinking about well what can what do I need to do to perform. The progress that the organization has made to advance women and girls participation in sport and the challenges that lie ahead. How should where should the money be directed from. Ultimately the hard work, planning, persistence and determination lead her to. [00:29:45] Organisations that deliver Sport and Recreation to Victorians that are funded by government. And if youd like to find out more about Bridies work and the organization you could find a link in the show notes accompanying this episode at WiSP Sports dot com. Its not life and death. We are in such a rapid time of change that its quite discombobulating. [00:20:59] You mentioned a couple of times there Bridie in the last few minutes about the Fitbit the free to air TV that that makes a big difference in terms of exposure for womens sports. Bridie returned to full time work in 2013 as a behaviour change physician at Epworth HealthCheck and Epworth Breast Service, with a part time role teaching doctor-patient communication at Deakin University Medical School. I arrived in that sport aged 26, weighing just below 70kg, which put me right in the middle of two body types. One year I was stupid enough to pack it in a suitcase of clothes I couldnt care less about when I was heading off to Italy to join my pro team, and of course the baggage never arrived at Malpensa Airport in Milan. "A German mother taught the German language, a surgeon parent taught anatomy by cutting up ox's hearts, and we learnt music three times a week from another parent," she said. Its where May speaking it you know over 120 events panels conferences et cetera in the last 18 months supports that is driving that message home that leadership can look different. But O'Donnell said after nearly a year of preparation, when she spent thousands of dollars on a bike and partaking in a strict anti-doping protocol, the record attempt was surprisingly easy. So youre right were seeing enormous change and you mentioned the M O U the memorandum understanding the Cricket Australia finally succumb to with the male and female cricket players here and look at the impact thats had on our Australian women. Ultimately the hard work, planning, persistence and determination lead her to a truly extraordinary sporting performance when, at the age of 41, she set aUCI Hour Record in January 2016 with a distance of 46.882 kilometres. There was definitely a bumpy start and Im sure that the governing body the AFL they did receive criticism. It also saved me when we would arrive at 2.5 star motels with awful pillows that inevitably led to terrible sleep. At 48 years old, Bridie O'Donnell height not available right now. During her residency she was a rower and then an Ironman triathlete, and finished the Ironman Hawaii World Championships in 2006. What does this say. According to our Database, She has no children. Because Im most curious about this you know being in the media for as long as I have. Peggy ONeil shes the president of the Richmond Football Club here the first woman to be president of an AFL club which is no mean feat and certainly as an outsider to a non Australian. So for example there was a rather controversial commitment made by the federal government a few years ago where they said were going to give money to Fox Sports to focus on niche sports. How do they respect and talk about women in their privacy of their own home. Women and what they when they dug down into these. So learning that online is not good enough. Thank you for joining me. So sports shapes you in all of these ways and you you I guess you have this benchmark and you think you know what I have done harder shit than this. The Silver Ferns where were sitting and we also saw and Im sure this photograph reached across the world is the photograph of Taylor Harris That was the most glorious examination and image of a woman kicking sheet. [00:34:51] So they have funded a national program around women in leadership and coaching theyve basically selected 16 scholarship holders from all over the country and are cultivating those. [00:21:41] Its a great question. But I did really well and I was ridiculously ambitious and I joined a triathlon squad and then I took a year out of med school like a gap year if you like and I thought to myself yep OK I want to go to the Olympics in Olympic distance triathlon but this was in an era when the Jones Emma Carney Jackie Gallagher Loretta Harrop like the best women triathletes in the world were all in Queensland. I think no go do the deal with our channel 7 9 or 10 or ABC or SBS which are our national broadcasters because its not good enough anymore to just say oh thats not our job. So theres something for everyone here at WiSP Sports. Pic: Collingwood FC/Instagram. And weve seen more than one women a week killed by her former husband or intimate partner which is a devastating statistic in this country that we need and we are working very hard to remedy. [00:39:10] Its just it can be overwhelming but I hope it can be rewarding too and youll youll see absolutely the changes. "My sister and I swam a lot in the ocean and did a bit of surfing, but I was not an athlete at all.". In 2007 she began road cycling and in 2008 after winning the national time trial title she raced on the Australian national team and then professional teams in Europe and the United States representing Australia at three world championships. 3-min read. And if youve said to me a year ago that Id be sitting down with other jurisdictions and talking about how important it was that we are going to bid for the Womens World Cup football in 2023 to host that in four years time I would have thought Id. So whilst we do have a reputation of being healthy and bronzed and tanned were in fact you know I think we have the third highest rate of childhood obesity in the world behind the US and Mexico. And unfortunately under that category of niche was womens sports. You know these are the things that shape us for when were sitting in a very difficult meeting with difficult personalities or when we have staff who are feeling unrecognized via a process thats happening whether thats in government or in medical industries and as I said Ive been a doctor for a very long time. I was good but just never great enough to represent my country. Six years of med school was helpful but actually following around the senior doctor and thinking Okay heres what being a surgeon involves. [00:39:37] And if youd like to find out more about Bridies work and the organization you could find a link in the show notes accompanying this episode at WiSP Sports dot com. She is currently single. Usually former players umpires referees presidents etc. So those kinds of images have far more reach than one could ever imagine. Now if we come back to Australia and we look at the WB ls a great example we have the fourth season of The Womens Big Bash. You are my reputation as a sporting nation but just to give a little bit about Graham Brady is to your sporting history because youve been very involved with sport actively as a triathlete and then as a cyclist. So what we know about women as coaches is that their lack of qualifications is not the thing. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. These werent really. Its just it can be overwhelming but I hope it can be rewarding too and youll youll see absolutely the changes. Transcending Sport is hosted by Chris Stafford. Bridie graduated as valedictorian from the University of Queensland medical school and won the G R S last prize for the most outstanding intern in 1999.