Ep 22. / Alex Wallace - Founder, Mintridge Foundation ~ Enhancing Life Skills & Wellbeing In Young People Through Sport

Alex Wallace is the Founder of the Mintridge Foundation. Established in 2015 when Alex was 24, Mintridge has worked with over 100,000 young people.

As a lifelong sports fan and with a wealth of knowledge across the school sector, Alex was keen to channel her interests and help others and give all young people equal sporting opportunities. 

Alex wanted to use her experiences, both positive and negative, to promote an active lifestyle and positive mental health for children and young people and to harness the power of sporting role models to help and influence young people. Put simply, she wants every young person to build and maintain a positive and healthy relationship with sport in whatever capacity they choose to pursue it.

Alex needed help herself as a teenager. As a committed hockey player, Alex missed out on getting into the u16 England team at the final stage; she had a huge crash of confidence and felt her identity was under threat. Alex struggled with what she perceived as failure, and she never wanted anyone else to go through the same.

Alex’s role model growing up was the men’s rugby union star, Jonny Wilkinson. She loved his devotion to his teammates and meticulous training regime. Looking back, Alex often questions why he was her role model. She didn’t play rugby and she isn’t male but it was hard to see female sporting role models. 

Alex wants every young person to look up to the Mintridge Family and think “that person looks like me, they are from the same background as me, and my possibilities are endless”.

Alex was awarded the Women of the Future Sport Award in 2017 alongside Dr Sarah Leiter and is now a proud Ambassador for the organisation.

Alex was awarded the 2018 Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year in the Grassroots Category and is now a Judge for the Awards, being a huge advocate for promoting the importance that women’s and girl’s sport plays in society.

Alex has been granted the distinction of Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society for her commitment to promoting the values of the Commonwealth and working to improve the lives and prospects of Commonwealth Citizens. 

Alex’s fun mentality always lends itself to her mammoth fundraising challenges, with two such examples being a tractor selfie campaign that went viral to support mental health within the farming industry and even a “Party with a Purpose” where she achieved World Record Breaking status in a 29 hour spin class for a number of causes.

Kindness is at the forefront of all she does as she was recently a Rising Star Listee on the 2024 Kindness & Leadership 50 Leading Lights List in association with KPMG.

Highlights:

1. The importance of bridging the gap between performance sport and youth.
2. How sports can instill values that translate into everyday life.
3. The role of mentors in shaping personal and professional journeys.
4. Overcoming depression and the fear of failure.
5. The significance of being present and enjoying the journey.
6. The impact of family and community on personal growth.
7. The vision for Mintridge Foundation to inspire young people.
8. The challenges of identity tied to sports and finding balance.
9. The power of asking and taking risks in personal and professional life.
10. The importance of passion and authenticity in everything you do.

Here are the top 5 quotes from the episode:

1. "If it ain't raining, it ain't training."
2. "Find something more important than you and devote your life to it."
3. "I always say my biggest love became my worst enemy."
4. "The doing is the thing you do for the longest."
5. "Just ask, just do it, just why not?"

Links:

Website: https: www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-wallace-dl-95b9b687/