074 Reckoning with Performance, Defeat, and Wellness with Pro-Athlete and Coach Tenille Hoogland

When Women Fly

Tenille Hoogland has always been an athlete. Her journey started as a young girl with dreams of being a synchronized swimmer in the Olympics. After years of intense training, Tenille hit bottom and left the world of competitive swimming altogether.
Despite early setbacks, the drive to compete stayed alive for Tenille. She would later lead Age Group Team Canada to International Triathlon Union World Championship events and become a professional triathlete, earning titles in short-distance and long-distance triathlons.
Through all of these experiences and her own struggles with body image and health, Tenille recognized there is a lack of educational programs and resources for female athletes.
Today, Tenille is challenging the narrative around what a female athlete can and should be. Her mission is to empower female athletes to fulfill their athletic goals through individualized coaching, mindset, nutrition, training, and recovery.
In this episode, Sylvia and Tenille talk about Tenille’s background in sports, the importance of relationships and community, advice for women experiencing setbacks, and much more.
Topics Include:
- Tennille’s career as a synchronized swimmer
- Becoming a professional triathlete
- How Tenille measured success as an athlete
- Lessons learned as a competitive triathlete
- Tenille’s relationship with her body over time
- Tenille’s fertility journey
- The power of surrender
- Body image
- The Resilient Athlete Project
- And other topics…
Tenille Hoogland is Founder and Head Coach of Elements Sports Coaching, where she applies evidence-based science - including the emerging field of female physiology as applied to sport - into performance-altering individualized programs and experiences. With 20+ years of experience and education in psychology, sport nutrition, exercise physiology, sport administration, race management, active travel guiding and triathlon and bike racing at the professional and local level, Tenille works with athletes to discover personal goals in sport, understand athletes' unique physiology, fitness strengths and weaknesses, and nutrition gaps.
Before coaching full-time, Tenille led Age Group Team Canada to International Triathlon Union World Championship events, organized IRONMAN events, and was a senior planner for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Federal Secretariat. She competed as an elite, professional, and sponsored triathlete from 2007-2013 earning titles in both short distance (ITU Pan-American Cup Champion) and long-distance triathlon (2 x 70.3 IRONMAN Champion).
She earned her Master of Public Administration at Queen’s University, a Master's Certificate in Project Management at Royal Roads University, and a BA in Psychology at Western University.
Resources Mentioned:
Element Sports Coaching: https://www.elementsportscoaching.com/
Athletes Thriving in Perimenopause and Beyond: https://www.facebook.com/groups/athletesthriving/about/
Books by Brené Brown: https://brenebrown.com/books-audio/
The Practice of Groundedness by Brad Stulberg: https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Groundedness-Transformative-Feeds-Not-Crushes-Your/dp/0593329899
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