Changing the Game: Women, Sport and the Culture of Competition

From elite competition to lifelong strength, this session explores what it really takes for women to thrive in sport. World champion veterans powerlifter Deb Macer, TBC, and leading mental health researcher Professor Rosemary Purcell unpack the physical, psychological and cultural realities of high-performance sport. The conversation ranges from resilience and identity to injury, pressure, ageing, and the quiet cost of success — and why women’s voices are finally reshaping the sporting landscape.