By Casey Neill
Her daughter’s involvement in basketball inspired Jo White to start a podcast.
It’s not a route most courtside parents take, so why did Jo jump behind the mic and launch Pause Beyond the Court?
“It’s about empowerment,” she said.
“I think it’s really important to address those barriers in sport for girls.
“I really wanted to make sure my daughter was equipped and empowered to keep moving forward with something that she was interested in.”
The qualified social worker gathered teens, experts, Olympic champs, and more to chat about navigating the challenges for girls in sport.
“I want to be part of challenging the stereotypes when it comes to female sport,” she said.
“The community level are the elite athletes of the future.
“We want to build women’s sport. We want to acknowledge and give it the recognition it deserves.
“The more we can celebrate the role models, the better that is.
“Women’s sport and that gender focus is really prominent at the moment.
“The more people talk about it, the better for future generations.”
Jo said her daughter has flourished from being part of a team sport – and her family has, too.
“We’ve met people in our community that we would probably have never met before if it wasn’t for playing team sport,” Jo said.
“We’ve been able to come out and be part of something.
“The community connection for kids and families as a whole is really important.
“A lot of parents talk about the commitments of sport and the running around.
“I try to look at things from that silver lining.
“There’s a lot of driving, but the quality time I get to spend with my daughter is something I think I will hold onto forever.
“It won’t always be that way so I think I’m trying to embrace it.”
That driving time is also a great opportunity to dip into a podcast. Listeners have told Jo they’ve found tuning in with their kids to be a great conversation starter.
One episode covered sports bras and body changes, while another tackled periods.
“Watching young girls on the court be self-conscious about their bodies…” Jo said.
“It’s about making sure the parents are also equipped with the information so that they can support their young people.”
In another episode, Jo spoke with an Olympic athlete about how winning was great, but it was the broader experience of team sport that stuck with you.
“At the community level, it’s really around that engagement for kids and being with others,” Jo said.
“All those other experiences that wrap around that on court time or training time; the conversations and fun you have.”
