#447 Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach on the Difference Between Coaching Boys and Girls
Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach (@DrDCoachScience) is an associate professor of Athletic Coaching Education, director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science at West Virginia University and president of the United States Center for Coaching Excellence. She is an Association of Applied Sport Psychology certified consultant, public relations and outreach head on the AASP e-board and president of the United States Center for Coaching Excellence. Dieffenbach is a professional coach with a category 1 (elite) USA Cycling license and Level II endurance specialization from USA Track and Field. She has coached for more than 20 years at the high school, collegiate, recreational and elite levels and works with coaching education at all levels of performance. Dieffenbach’s teaching interests include coaching techniques, professional development and professionalism in coaching, ethics and moral development in coaching, coaching theory, training theory, long term athlete development, long term coaching development, coaching education, sport psychology for coaching and gender and sport. In our discussion today we touch upon an oftentimes controversial yet incredibly important topic for coaches: is there is difference between coaching boys and coaching girls? We discuss the research, the cultural differences, and so much more. There is a reason this is one of our most popular episodes ever. Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher Link The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women, by Naomi Wolf Link The Beauty Myth, by Naomi Wolf Link Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, by Michael Thompson Link Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, by Lisa Damour Ph.D Link Boys Adrift, by Leonard Sax Link Taking the Field: Women, Men, and Sports, by Michael A. Messner Link Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, Link US Center for Coaching Excellence www.uscoachexcellence.org Dr. Kristen Nash John Kessel, USA Volleyball Connect With Dr. Dieffenbach Website: https://www.uscoachexcellence.org/ Twitter: @DRDCoachScience LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-dieffenbach-b926843/ BOOK A SPEAKER: Interested in having John or one of our speaking team come to your school, club or coaching event? We are booking November and December 2025 and Winter/Spring 2026 events, please email
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