There’s something really powerful about being in a room where you can see what’s possible.
When you’re around it, it starts to feel more accessible.
Less like something far away, and more like something you could step into yourself.
High Tea with Emma came from that idea.
What would it have meant for me at 13, 14, 15… to sit in a space where the path ahead didn’t feel so unknown?
Because when I was competing, everything felt very focused on performance.
Scores, routines, expectations.
But I don’t think I was always surrounded by the kind of conversations or environments that helped me understand what I was feeling or how to navigate it.
And I definitely didn’t stop to appreciate it at the time.
High Tea is about creating that space earlier.
A place where young gymnasts can be around good people, strong values, and real conversations.
Where they can ask questions, feel supported, and start to see what’s possible for them.
Because sometimes, just being in the right environment is what allows someone to believe they belong there too.
What it actually is
It’s not a seminar.
It’s not me standing at the front telling people what to do.
It’s more of a conversation.
We sit, we eat, we laugh, and we talk about things that are actually relevant to them right now.
Things like nerves before competition, confidence, journaling, managing expectations, and how to balance sport with everything else going on in life.
There’s always a moment where the room shifts.
Where the girls realise they’re not the only one who feels a certain way.
And that part is really special.
Why I care about it
Gymnastics gave me so much.
But there were also a lot of moments that felt confusing, heavy, or hard to process at the time.
Injuries, setbacks, missing teams, coming back… all of it.
What I’ve come to understand now is that those experiences weren’t the problem.
It was not always having the support or perspective around them.
High Tea is my way of offering that earlier.
Not in a perfect way.
Just in a real way.
The part I didn’t expect
I knew the girls would get something out of it.
What I didn’t expect was how much the parents would too.
Some of the conversations after the event have been around understanding their child better, how to support them, and what’s actually going on behind the scenes in the sport.
That’s been a really nice part of it.
Because it becomes bigger than just one afternoon.
Where it fits
This is also something that sits really naturally within what we’re building through the ND Network.
A lot of what we talk about is supporting athletes as people first.
Not just how they perform, but how they think, feel, and grow through their sport.
High Tea is a simple expression of that.
It creates connection.
It builds community.
And it opens the door for ongoing support, whether that’s mentorship, conversations, or just feeling like you’re not doing it alone.
What I’ve loved most
Seeing friendships form within minutes
Watching girls ask questions they’ve been holding onto
And seeing confidence build, even in a short space of time
It’s subtle, but it matters.
Looking ahead
We’re taking High Tea to different cities and continuing to build the community around it.
But for me, it’s not really about how big it gets.
It’s about how it feels for the people in the room.
Because I keep coming back to the same thought…
If I had something like this growing up, I think a lot would have felt a little bit lighter.
And if it can do that for someone else now, that’s enough.