The Whole Athlete
AcademySport · School · Life
About us

People who understand sport, school and everything in between.

Our facilitators combine elite sport experience, education and youth development knowledge to support student-athletes in a way that feels authentic, practical and relevant.

Why we exist

Together, our facilitators combine elite sport experience, education and youth development knowledge to support student-athletes in a way that feels authentic, practical and relevant. The goal is simple: to help young athletes build the confidence, resilience and identity they need to thrive in sport, school and life.

Every program we run is grounded in published research on youth mental health and athlete wellbeing. We aim to be the trusted mentor in the room, not another voice telling a young athlete to push through.

Trustworthy Professional Encouraging Grounded Driven

Meet the facilitators

The people behind every program, workshop and conversation.

Hannah, facilitator at The Whole Athlete Academy

Hannah

Co-Founder & Facilitator

Hannah brings a deep understanding of young people and their development to The Whole Athlete Academy. With a background in psychology and social work, her work has focused on supporting young people, families and communities to build confidence, navigate challenges and make positive decisions. Through years working alongside youth and community organisations, she has seen how environments like school, sport and family shape young people’s wellbeing and identity. Hannah is known for her warm and engaging style, creating spaces where students feel comfortable to reflect, ask questions and grow. At The Whole Athlete Academy she helps translate youth development research into practical strategies that support student-athletes to thrive.

Malietoa, facilitator at The Whole Athlete Academy

Malietoa

Co-Founder & Facilitator

Malietoa does not just understand the world of young athletes. He has lived it. His journey through the private school and academy system required him to balance people's expectations, school, sport and his own performance from day one. This journey led to a nine-year professional international rugby career. Today Malietoa is a teacher and coach who is passionate about helping young athletes navigate the same pathway with perspective and confidence. His coaching philosophy is simple: coach the player first. Malietoa has worked across elite and school environments, including international women’s rugby, junior high-performance pathways and leading a school First XV program. Through The Whole Athlete Academy, he helps athletes develop the confidence, resilience and identity to thrive beyond the game.

Common questions

Our programs are designed for student-athletes in Years 7–12 who are balancing sport, school, and personal development. Sessions are tailored to the developmental stage of each age group, ensuring the content is practical, engaging, and immediately relevant to the pressures young athletes face today.

Both. Supporting young athletes works best when parents, coaches and schools are aligned.

We offer:

Parent information sessions to help families support athletes through pressure, expectations and identity development Staff professional learning to help educators better understand the unique challenges student-athletes face These sessions create a shared language and support network around the athlete.

We focus on the mental and identity skills that transfer across any sport a student-athlete plays.

We are not a clinical service. Our programs are educational and preventative, designed to build confidence and resilience before issues arise, and to help schools and parents recognise when a young athlete may need clinical support.

Get in touch through our contact page and we will talk through what your school or family needs, then recommend the right starting point.

Want to know more about how we work?

Get in touch
The Whole Athlete
Academy

Building athletes who thrive in sport and life.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

The Whole Athlete Academy acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and play, and pays respect to Elders past and present.

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