This is Mental Health Awareness Week.
The theme is Action.
I want to use that as a prompt to talk about something that gets overlooked in our sport. We talk a lot about athlete welfare. We talk about performance, development, and doing right by the people we coach. What we talk about far less is the mental health of the coach.
I have coached in a number of different environments over the years. The military, team sport, a fixed gym, and now in my role as Coaching Lead for British Powerlifting. That experience across very different settings has taught me one thing consistently. No coach does their best work, or lives their best life, completely alone.
The Isolation Problem
Coaching can be an isolating profession, and that isolation is getting harder to spot. More coaches than ever are working online, operating as sole traders, building businesses without a team around them. There is real value in that model. It gives athletes access to quality coaching regardless of where they live, and it gives coaches flexibility and reach they would not otherwise have.
But there is a cost that does not always get talked about.
When you work entirely alone, you can quietly lose access to things that matter. Daily contact with peers. Honest feedback from people who know their stuff. The informal conversation after a session that helps you process a difficult day. Someone who notices when you are not quite yourself. Research consistently shows that social support is one of the most significant protective factors against burnout and poor mental health in coaches (Ferreira et al., 2024; Olsen et al., 2024). Its absence does real damage, even when that damage is gradual and hard to name.
Know Your Strengths and Your Barriers
One of the most important things any coach can do is develop an honest picture of where they thrive and where they are exposed. Some coaches are energised by working independently. Others need regular human contact to function well.
Some are excellent at seeking feedback. Others, often without realising it, have built an environment where challenge rarely reaches them. That is not a character flaw. It is a pattern worth examining.
Ask yourself honestly. Who challenges your thinking? Who would notice if you were struggling? Who do you call when a situation is beyond your experience? If the answer to those questions is unclear, that is worth paying attention to.
Research in coach development is clear that reflective practice, mentorship, and genuine peer relationships are not optional extras. They are part of what keeps a coach effective, developing, and well over the long term (Nash, MacPherson and Collins, 2022; Collins et al., 2024).
Engage With the Community Around You
British Powerlifting has a coaching community. Use it.
That means showing up at competitions and events, not just to judge or support your athletes, but to connect with other coaches. It means being open to mentorship, whether you are newer to the role or more experienced. It means contributing as well as receiving. The best coaching communities are ones where knowledge, challenge, and support move in both directions.
If you are working in isolation and finding it difficult, please reach out. British Powerlifting has a duty to create visible routes for support, conversation, and signposting. That work is ongoing, and your feedback helps shape it.
British Powerlifting Coaching Community
Coaching enquiries and support: coaching@britishpowerlifting.org
The One Action
If this resonates with you, do one thing this week. Reach out to another coach.
Not to talk about programming or competition prep. Just to check in. Ask how they are doing and mean it. Coaching is demanding work. The people who do it deserve the same care and community they give to their athletes.
Be aware of your strengths. Know your barriers. Engage with the people around you.
That is the action.
Craig Spicer
Coaching Lead, British Powerlifting
Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
References
Collins, D., MacPherson, A.C., Bobrownicki, R. and Carson, H.J. (2024) ‘Drivers for change: reflective practice to enhance creativity in
sports coaches’, Reflective Practice, 25(3), pp. 378-390. doi:10.1080/14623943.2024.2320142
Ferreira, J.P., Rodrigues, J., Hernandez-Mendo, A., Carvalho, M.J. and Sequeira, P. (2024) ‘Social support, network, and relationships
among coaches in different sports: a systematic review’, Frontiers in Psychology, 15, p. 1301978. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1301978
Frost, J., Walton, C.C., Purcell, R., Fisher, K., Gwyther, K., Kocherginsky, M. and Rice, S.M. (2024) ‘The mental health of elite-level
coaches: a systematic scoping review’, Sports Medicine – Open, 10, p. 16. doi:10.1186/s40798-023-00655-8
Kang, S. and Lee, S. (2025) ‘A systematic review of psychological difficulties among elite sports coaches’, Frontiers in Psychology, 16, p.
1666035. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1666035
Leeder, T.M., Russell, K. and Beaumont, L.C. (2022) ‘Educative mentoring in sport coaching: a reciprocal learning process’, Cambridge
Journal of Education, 52(3), pp. 309-326. doi:10.1080/0305764X.2021.1990860
Nash, C., MacPherson, A.C. and Collins, D. (2022) ‘Reflections on reflection: clarifying and promoting use in experienced coaches’,
Frontiers in Psychology, 13, p. 867720. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.867720
Olsen, C.R., Berthelsen, H. and Breivik, M.B. (2024) ‘Protective factors of burnout among Norwegian sport coaches’, Cogent
Psychology, 11(1). doi:10.1080/23311908.2024.2410560
Wright, S.A., Walker, L.F. and Hall, E.E. (2023) ‘Effects of workplace stress, perceived stress, and burnout on collegiate coach mental
health outcomes’, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, p. 974267. doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.974267
