153: Kate Bailey PLY - From Paralympic Medals to the Classroom

Career Clarity with Athletes: A 2ndwind Podcast with Ryan Gonsalves

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Kate takes us back to her early swimming days, competing in the Sydney and Athens Paralympics, and what it felt like to walk away from the pool after years of intense training. She opens up about facing subtle (and not-so-subtle) discrimination as a para-athlete, the identity crisis that followed retirement, and how she unexpectedly found a second wind through teaching and travel.

Now back in Sydney, Kate is slowly finding her way again—this time by helping young para-athletes feel seen, valued, and included. Her story is a powerful reminder that endings can also be beginnings, and that it’s okay not to have everything figured out.

We talk about:

• What life looked like after the 2000 Paralympics—and why it felt like the floor dropped
• Discovering para-swimming by accident
• Juggling training with academics (and sleeping through a lot of school)
• The bittersweet end of her competitive swimming career
• Teaching in Germany and Denmark—and losing it all because of a visa issue
• Why representation in sport still matters
• Reconnecting with the water in a new way through open-water swimming
• Her hopes for the future of para-sport and grassroots inclusion

💎 GOLDEN NUGGET:

"Paralympics isn’t about ‘having a go.’ I was in there to win—same as every other Olympian."

Get in Touch!

To learn more about career transitions after sport or to get in touch with Ryan, visit www.2ndwind.io

Chapters

1. Paralympic Career and Post-Games Challenges (00:00:00)

2. Teaching and Finding Purpose After Swimming (00:07:30)

3. Facing Discrimination in Paralympic Sport (00:17:00)

4. Teaching Abroad and Finding Anonymity (00:27:00)

5. Returning to Swimming and Making an Impact (00:38:00)

6. Advice for Young Athletes and Final Reflections (00:50:00)