I love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way: Coach Melissa Smith

Some would say that one can’t have it all, at least not all at once – but high performance coach Melissa Smith is living proof that with the right support and relentless passion, anything is possible.

A business owner, a physiotherapist, a mother to one-year-old and with a squad of six, Smith has mastered the juggle.  Three days a week, the 32-year-old starts her day by dropping her son Fletcher to his grandparent's house, before a full day of work, followed by coaching a group of the nation's top athletes in Wollongong, two hours south of Sydney. 

Despite the challenges of balancing her demanding roles with life, Smith’s love for her work and her family shines through in her sunny disposition.

“It’s very busy, but I love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.

“The life I live quite suits my personality. I’ve always been busy even before having a family, but it’s many people in my life that allow me to achieve the things I want and to make sure I’m trying to be as successful as I can be across all facets of my life.”

The foundation of Smith’s success lies in collaboration and the mutual support that characterizes her relationships, both at home, on the track and in the professional realm.

From her husband Chris and his crucial role in caregiving, to her business partner who shares her vision and the understanding of her athletes, the collective effort underscores a vital message: success is not a solitary journey but a shared endeavour.

“Life hasn’t really changed that much for me since having Fletch but I’ve quickly learnt that it comes down to the support systems we have around us,” she said.

 “Chris is supporting me and looking after Fletch when I need to go away. Even on the weekend (at the Chemist Warehouse Canberra Track Classic), we were supposed to go as a family but I had to work, so I drove down on my own after work. I know how lucky I am to have a husband who is hands on and loves it.”

A member of Athletics Australia’s Women In High Performance Coaching Program, Smith has found also found solace in women who have paved the path for her, with the mutual respect fostering a group where vulnerability and support go hand in hand.

“Everyone was saying I would be fine, but it was really nice to have a group of women who had been through it before me,” she said.

“I was worried because I’d worked so hard to where I got to in coaching and in the High Performance realm that I thought I would be forgotten when I had my family and I still wanted to have the same opportunities than everyone else.”

Returning to coaching merely two weeks after giving birth, Smith was eager to reconnect with her athletes and the sense of community that training provided. Her gradual return was met with understanding and support from her athletes, who adjusted seamlessly to her new schedule.

“It was nice to gradually ease back into it. It didn’t take me long to go back to three track sessions a week. My athletes, to their credit, have been very supportive too. If I’m late for instance, they just start their warm up because they know I will arrive for the session,” she said.

Through the balance of it all, Smith also inadvertently empowers her athletes and other female coaches to lean into a varied range of goals. The squad currently includes a physiologist, another physiotherapist, and even a financial planner in Tokyo Olympian Sarah Carli under her tutelage.

“You just have to tweak things a bit sometimes. As a squad, we all have goals outside of athletics. I try and instill this into them all that as an athlete, athletics has such a short lifespan. You want to have something else that you can put your time and energy into when that chapter closes.”

Smith says that her story is also a narrative of changing tides in the world, reflecting a growing recognition of women to support balancing their professional and personal lives, along with their passions.

“Di Huxley (Athletics Australia National Performance Pathway Lead – Coaching) has been a massive supporter of me.  She’s given me advice on how to manage things and a definite confidence boost that I can do this – even if I do have a young family,” Smith said.

“I’ve also noticed that there are a lot of changes to benefit women and there has been so much progress. Other coaches have travelled with their families, and it’s not just female coaches but younger male coaches.

“We are all more aware of that we need to help and support each other to get the best out of each other.”

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 5/3/2024