SNORT! The soundtrack …

Y’know us. Honest. Not ‘cos we’re untouchably moral types but because there’s no point in not.

We’re on a mission here. The mission takes steps forward – great, let’s talk about it. Steps back – crap, let’s talk about it.

As sort of a vehicle for the good and the bad, we started TWHQ newsletters in September 2023. A year later, the before / after shot is quite something.

There’s some obvious stuff: in 2023 our debut book was in one language and now it’s in six. From two major partners we’re now at eight …

But this last year was about so much more than numbers …

Almost Day – October 2023

We’re on a mission, sure, but we’re also a business trying to make it where women’s health meets sport. It’s not an easy place to operate.

To sum up our 2022 / 23 business in a single sound it’d be SNORT.

See, we’d have a meeting (or five or ten) with organisational decision-makers, before finally laying out the timeline, commitment, effort and investment required to implement meaningful and lasting change …

SNORT?! How much?! SNORT How long?! SNORT How big?!

With that, bad luck and institutional silliness culminated in a perfect storm of broken promises and project delays. October 2023 and we were teetering.

How we pulled through is a complex haze of sleepless nights, tough decisions, and SoS phone calls. Why we pulled through seems a little more like fate …

When not if?

Because a year on there’s a marked difference. We know we’ve changed, we’ve had to, but there’s been a subtle shift in the zeitgeist too.

Prospective TWHQ partners today turn up to discovery meetings well-briefed on what this’ll take. We still hear the odd SNORT, but it’s rare.

TWHQ consulting with government on the problem has helped. Us being called out as the solution 14 times in Parliament paper Health barriers for girls and women in sport has helped. Audience upticks in women’s sport and amazing performances in flagship tournaments have helped.

There’s less time wasting, ignorance and tokenism. Not none but less.

There’s a budding realisation across the board that system change is inevitable and that delay will cost big in time and money, athletes and medals.

It’s a case of when, not if.

The ripple effect

Another encouraging observation from the last year – the ripple effect is more profound. More systemic. Nucleases of change are at work in the world of sport – and they’re radiating.

The last year has seen us establish train the trainer models at The FA, The Gym Group and now British Cycling. And it’s super-viable.

As newly-trained practitioners bring better information to life in their own communications, webinars, strategies, environments and sports then many more people at many more levels of the system are dealt in.

The case studies and numbers coming out of The FA and The Gym Group already show that quantifiable change is happening at depth and speed.

Our work with CIMSPA to rewire best-practice for training girls and women means that whole territories, such as pre and postnatal care and pelvic floor guidance, can be taught consistently pan-sport and pan-institution.

In a nutshell, the push for change is becoming more centralised, open and cohesive. There’s greater resource, reach and rigour behind the mission.

SNORT! It almost never was

Whole sections of the system are preparing to act. It’s sobering to think we almost missed it. We’re the go-to organisation which almost disappeared.

In the last 12 months we’ve had to make big decisions. We’ve had to learn to push back and say no quickly when prospects propose shortcuts, gimmicks and stop gaps. The team has responded brilliantly. We’ve hit our groove.

One year on from that definitive day in October we’re relieved we’re still in the game. We’re excited you’re with us and we’re cautiously optimistic …

Most happily of all, we’re stoked we hear SNORT a lot less.

Y’know. Not never, but less.

So if you love system change post #SNORT on social just for fun and we’ll be back again soon.