September: Serena’s racket, Ilona’s cojonas …

… and sports kit with a silver lining

1. Working Well

Nods and pods about bods and mods

Bless y’all. When this email didn’t land in August several folks asked if all was Well at The HQ. It was but thank you for checking. We’re simply a team full of working mums that try for a lighter August to redress the old work / life balance …

And, well, it was wonderful. As any coach’ll tell you, rest days (months) are when the magic happens and with that we’ve already hit our stride in September.

On top of BAU, several projects, panels and pods focusing on GLP-1 (Ozempic etc) are coming this way, plus Dr Dr Emma (not a typo – she last week picked up an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University) gave her thoughts on Serena Williams’ revelation to The Observer. More in a sec.

Away from GLP-1, we’ve added an option to pay for our Guided Coaching course in instalments via PayPal. Oh and cartea noastră este acum în română, as we all know, means that our book is now available in Romanian. We’re now at seven language translations for The Female Body Bible; not that anyone’s counting.

Lastly, as a team we’ve been reflecting on 2025’s summer of sport which, thanks to the Rugby World Cup is far from over. As well as the stars, the standouts, the successes and the, ehh something else with s, the ssssssellotape … we reckon this summer has landed the female body at a really interesting crossroads …

2. The World at Well

What does Serena’s revelation say to women?

News came in June that Ilona Maher (#LOVE) will soon have her own documentary series courtesy of Hello Sunshine; Reese Witherspoon’s production co.

As you know, Ilona’s a personality juggernaut who’s taken the narrative re sportswomen and their bodies and progressed it all massively. In a sport dominated for centuries by men she’s probably rugby’s most recognisable face and she backs it up with cunning, comedy and, well, cojones. Thank you spellcheck.

But before we fangirl on and on, Ilona’s in this spot because others blazed a trail. Others including a tennis player who withstood hefty abuse when she brought her broad shoulders and atypical physique to a sport she’d go on to dominate. Tennis before Serena and tennis after Serena – not the same. Not the same.

Hence the discomfort that Serena Williams has come out not just as a GLP-1 user but one who has major financial stakes in that game. As the elite sportswoman who broke the mould on body types it’s unsettling that she of all people is drawing back to promote the thin standard she transcended for an entire generation.

If the message is that a larger body is acceptable in one’s 20s or 30s but not so in midlife then pushing to that demographic a cost-prohibitive product in which you have a vested interest feels more than a little cynical. Sigh – what to think?

3. Can you hack it?

It’s getting all Starbucksy up in here

It’s not really a project, we’re simply trialling a new referral system that offers you a free (fancy) coffee for every ten people you refer to The Well HQ’s newsletter.

So tell your friends, enemies, pets, peers (and that weird dude at reception) that we’re here doing our thing at the junction of sport, science, progress – and her.

Send ten newbies our way for caffeine, kudos and crocodiles (no crocodiles).

Here’s the sign-up link …

4. Here Comes the Science Bit

Kit with silver lining

As you know, roughly two in every three British girls will drop sport like a hot rock before they’re through puberty. This freefall in participation is traditionally put down to changing bodies, new priorities and biased facilities, but it seems PE kit represents a more significant part of the problem … and perhaps the solution.

Data commissioned by sports brand ASICS and mental health charity Mind found that just 12% of UK girls aged 14-16 are completely satisfied with their current school PE kit. This echos data published in 2024 by the Youth Sport Trust and reflects a key theme when Dr Emma spoke at a recent SOOO London panel event.

The silver lining here is that PE kit is, relatively speaking, much more easily fixable a problem than the more complicated legacy and cultural factors that turn girls off playing sport. In fact, nearly three quarters of the girls surveyed in the report said they’d be more likely to participate in PE if kit improved.

It sounds so simple and, as such, ASICS and co. have developed a concept sports uniform called the “Undropped Kit”, which is already being trialled in Burnley.

This feels like progress, like low hanging fruit, and it mirrors great work ongoing at Schoolblazer; as our partners do more to develop sports kit with girls truly in mind.

5. Medical BS

Will I suffer withdrawal if I come off GLP-1?

Dr Bella says: You shouldn’t experience withdrawal symptoms, but as this is unknown territory (plus everyone’s different) we can’t yet say for sure.

For context – weight loss drugs like Ozempic will soon cost more and this’ll probably price many elective / private / non prescribed users out of the market.

If you’re about to come off GLP-1s then you’ll ideally have mental and physical health support at arm’s reach. Also, I’d suggest you plug into online groups and forums to share info, symptoms and experiences with others in the same boat.

The main symptom of coming off GLP-1 is that your hormones will probably readjust and your appetite will return. Lifestyle will again be the most obvious tool for managing your weight yet that’s often much easier said than done.

But we have to try. GLP-1s were never intended to replace diet and exercise so I’d urge people to revisit those basics. To set realistic (but challenging) goals. Although professionals (dieticians etc) are there to help, I’d again urge you to engage with others to tap into extra motivation and accountability. Good luck!