Get to Know Brooke Marshall

Q&A with Our Director, Brooke Marhsall

Wheaton College Head Field Hockey Coach
Former Smith College Assistant Coach

Do you have any nicknames?

No

Do you have any unusual talents or absurd things that you love?

I recently taught myself how to play the ukulele!

If you can eat only one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Avocado toast

What is the latest show, series, podcast or book that you binged on?

Lost in Space

What is the one or more things that you take with you or do every day before you greet the team at practice? This can be something tangible or non-tangible.

I’m really enjoy reading coaching, leadership, or health and wellness books in my free time. After I’ve finished prepping for practice, I like to spend the last few minutes in my office flipping through my latest read. It’s nice way to step back from the x’s and o’s and come back to practice with the big picture at the forefront of my mind.

What purchase of $100 or less has positively influenced your life in the past 6 months or recent memory? 

My new yoga mat! After recognizing how much of a toll training for a marathon can take on your body, I’ve recently put a lot of focus on mobility and recovery work. Yoga is so easy to do at home, and the mat I bought from TJ Maxx was under $20! It even came with a handy velcro strap to roll it up and take it on the go.

Do you have a quote, phrase or motto that you use on a daily basis or during tough times? or maybe something you think of often or live your life by.

Whenever I’m faced with a challenge that seems daunting or going through a tough time, I try to compartmentalize the situation. The more you can break something down into smaller pieces, the easier it is to overcome. I remind myself and the athletes I coach to take things one step at a time. If you focus on chipping away at something bit by bit, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can achieve your goal!

What advice would you give a smart, driven 14 year old athlete about to enter high school and what advice should they ignore on the other hand?

Do what makes you happy, but do a lot of different things that make you happy! I see so many talented athletes focus on just one sport, often sacrificing other things that they’re passionate about in order to dedicate more time to it. While it might seem like a good idea to focus on the sport you’re best at, play it year-round, and go above and beyond with your training, you’ll eventually experience burnout. Staying involved in a variety of activities, whether they’re athletic or not, will help you avoid burnout and improve time management. Playing a variety of sports often helps you become a more well-rounded athlete, too!

In the last 5 years, do you have a specific season, game or competition that changed your life? What advice or realizations, do you have for people in the coaching field who are trying to achieve their team’s potential?

When I was working as an assistant coach, our team started one season lacking confidence. After being named fifth in the conference’s preseason poll, it was hard for the team to believe we were good enough to win a conference championship. At the beginning of the season, team conversations focused on nerves or concerns about upcoming opponents, often questioning if we were good enough to beat them. As a coaching staff, we encouraged the team to change the language they used in order to exude more confidence. Rather than saying, “I’m nervous about today’s game, our opponent is so good, I don’t know if we can beat them” we encouraged our team to try saying, “Today’s game is going to be hard-fought, our opponent is solid so it’s going to be a good competition”. While many factors contributed to the team’s growth throughout the season, this shift in mindset was a major influence. By the end of the fall, we found ourselves hosting, and winning the conference championship.

If you want to achieve your team’s potential, make an effort to prioritize positive language. Even if the confidence isn’t there yet, using language that exudes confidence will ultimately help establish it.

Is there a moment from your youth that set you up for career in coaching?

Throughout my childhood, I participated in a variety of sports and therefore got exposed to a variety of coaches. Each coach affected my life in a positive way, and I learned so many valuable lessons from each of them. I got into coaching because I want to give athletes the same positive experience I had in athletics. I want to inspire, educate, and challenge athletes to become the best version of themselves!

FEATURED VIDEOS