By Jennifer Johnson, B.Ed., M.A., CEO, Captains & Poets Coaching youth sport lives in the tension between development and results, care and accountability, patience and urgency. As a coach, you are entrusted not only with preparing athletes to compete, but with shaping how young people experience challenge, effort, failure, and growth. Coaches are, by nature,...Read More
By Christine Miles I am a former varsity-level ice hockey player, high-performance youth coach and a seasoned leader in the corporate world, yet the support in coaching didn’t always follow. Without more women leading on the sidelines, we risk losing the perspective, mentorship, and representation that help girls stay in sport and see themselves in future leadership...Read More
November 3, 2025 Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities supports Captains & Poets to Empower 50 Youth Sport Teams Across Canada Initiative integrates emotional intelligence and leadership into sport, with a focus on keeping girls in the game. [Toronto, Ontario] — Today, Captains & Poets, with the support of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities (Jumpstart), announces a groundbreaking...Read More
By Rob Cavicchia As a high-performance athlete and youth coach, I have witnessed firsthand that many parents don’t know how to support their children to reach their full potential. When parents understand the game beyond the sidelines, they can become a powerful force for young athletes and the team or club they are a part...Read More
By Chris McCallum, Founder of Truth-Based Sports What is a Game? According to philosopher Bernard Suits (1978), the definition of a game is the common acceptance of unnecessary obstacles. This concept might sound ridiculous – why would anyone accept an inefficient path to achieve random and unnecessary outcomes? Yet, people spend extensive amounts of time...Read More
Where Captain Meets Poet: How Sport Shaped Our Inner Leaders By Ella Hupka and Nicole Bucur Over the summer, the Girls Forward Youth Advisory Council (YAC) participated in a powerful workshop led by Jennifer Johnson, founder of Captains & Poets. Through exploring the “how” and “why” behind our actions, we came to better understand our...Read More
What’s in Your Backpack? By Jennifer Johnson, B.Ed., M.A. As the new school year approaches, most of us picture the backpack filled with books and supplies. But there’s another backpack we carry every day (often unconsciously) filled with our strengths and weakness, thoughts, emotions, habits, and stories. Together, they define our learning edge for the...Read More
By Jennifer Johnson, B.Ed., M.A. You’ve heard of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz? So, I took the time to read Don Miguel Ruiz JR.’s book The Five Levels of Attachment as I sat on the shoreline last week and what resulted was a reflection on the role of self-awareness in authenticity and how...Read More
By Jennifer Johnson You run a high-energy drill. You repeat an instruction, again. You urge the team to reset and refocus but nothing’s clicking. You’re left wondering: Why aren’t they getting it? These moments are invitations to pause and reflect on how you’re connecting. Beneath the surface of performance lies a deeper influence on sport...Read More
By Jennifer Johnson We all remember showing up to Phys. Ed. class with a mix of trepidation and excitement. It was a place to stretch ourselves, both literally and figuratively, share sides of ourself that may not show up in the classroom, interact with others, and have fun. Health and Physical Education (HPE) is a...Read More
