Elizabeth Egan, PhD, BSc

Personal Development, Lifestyle and Welfare practitioner

Elizabeth has been involved in the sport of athletics since the age of 14 and has national medals in a range of disciplines. She won numerous Irish and British university titles and briefly held the Irish Masters steeplechase record. The highlight of her sporting career was competing for Ireland at the 2004 World University Cross Country Championships, a feat that she achieved during the final months of her PhD programme. Elizabeth’s history of competing at a high level while maximising her academic potential and undertaking voluntary club captaincy roles, places her in an excellent position to help athletes manage their busy lives

Elizabeth graduated with first class honours in Sport and Exercise Sciences from the University of Limerick in 2001; completed a PhD thesis entitled Consequences of menstrual status in athletic populations and sedentary females in 2005; and completed 3 of the 4 modules of a Graduate Certificate in Career Counselling for Elite Athletes through Victoria University before the course was discontinued. She holds a 1st4Sport Level 3 Certificate in Talented Athletes Lifestyle Support, is a UKAD Accrediated Anti-Doping Advisor and Educator and has completed a Level 1 Certificate in Athletics Coaching. She is also Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trained.

Elizabeth published Notes from higher grounds: an altitude training guide for endurance athletes, through her own publishing company (Kukimbia Huru Publishing) in 2013. The book is a travel guide for endurance athletes wishing to train at altitude.  Further details can be found at AltitudeTrainingCamps.com.
"Elizabeth was an excellent mentor during my time at University. She not only helped me understand my athletic lifestyle, but helped me acquire the knowledge and skills to live a healthy and happy life. I now cook for myself, carry a water bottle, stretch, run, and train with an understanding of what I am trying to achieve."
Andrew Smedley (Head Assistant Professional at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club)

Main areas of support

Personal Development Consultations

Elizabeth delivers one-to-one sessions during which a variety of topics can be explored. These sessions are particularly useful for helping strike a workable life balance, exploring career options, developing problem solving skills, setting goals and improving personal management skills. Whether you're a young student-athlete looking at university choices, a disorganised individual struggling to fit everything in, or an experienced international facing the retirement transition, you'll benefit from these consultations. Sessions typically cost €50/£40 but price varies depending on amount of travel involved.

What to expect from a Personal Development Consultation

Lifestyle and Welfare Workshops​

Elizabeth delivers a wide variety of workshops to athletes and parents. Sessions normally look at developing a high performance support network, striking a balance, time management and personal organisation, goal setting and self awareness. A 90 minute workshop typically costs £150/€175, though discounts are offered for multiple sessions. Example workshops include:
  • Planning for Success - incorporating goal setting, time management, performance planning and decision making in an interactive and interesting format.
  • The Travelling Athlete - covering jet-lag, travelling to altitude, dealing with boredom, training and competing in heat and humidity, travel nutrition.  Workshops can be tailored to suit a particular trip or competition abroad. For specific altitude training advice, check out AltitudeTrainingCamps.com
  • The Female Athlete - covering the female athlete triad, body image, iron and anaemia, and injury prevention. Particularly useful for runners, endurance coaches and parents.
  • Looking after your Health - a basic introduction to sports nutrition, immunity, injury prevention and maintaining balance for young developmental athletes and their parents.

​Example workshops run by Elizabeth

Guest Lectures

Elizabeth has experience delivering guest lectures to undergraduate and post graduate sports science, coaching science and exercise physiology students. Guest lectures can be provided on Bone Health and the Female Athlete Triad; Altitude Training; Career Transitions, Retirement and the Role of Personal Development Support; and Communicating and Working with High Performance Athletes.

Coach and Mentor CPD

Elizabeth delivers comprehensive coach development sessions, covering a range of topics, including Welfare Issues in Athletes, Special Concerns of the Female Athlete, Effectively Managing Transitions, Communicating with Athletes, and Long Term Athlete Development. She also facilitates workshops for other Personal Development Practitioners and personal working with high performance athletes.

Experience

Elizabeth has more than 10 years experience delivering personal development, welfare and lifestyle support to high performance athletes. She currently provides individual support to TASS, WSL Academy and Sports Scholarship athletes at the University of East London on a consultancy basis, and delivers group workshops to a variety of high performance athletes, coaches and parents in the UK and Ireland.

She has also delivered the following support to athletes and coaches:
  • Personal development and lifestyle workshops to the Athletics Ireland racewalking development squad; Leinster Athletics Development squad; Wexford Athletics county development squad; Wexford Athletics Summer Camp attendees; performance athletes at University of Hertfordshire, University of Derby, University of Brighton, University of Birmingham and University of East London, Carlow Rowing Club development squad and coaches; Galway City Harriers athletes and coaches; Taghmon Athletics Club athletes and coaches; Shropshire County swimming development squad; Glenmore Camogie Club players.
  • Lucozade Sport Education Programme workshops to various sports clubs and groups on behalf of Coaching Ireland
  • Individual support to development and elite sportspeople in her capacity as High Performance Sport Manager at University of East London (2011-2012)
  • Individual support and lifestyle support to elite student-athletes in her capacity as Sport Scholarship Manager at the University of Birmingham (2006-2010)
  • Female Athlete Triad workshops to a group of coaches, athletes and parents on behalf of England Athletics, and to distance runners and triathletes and their coaches at the University of Birmingham
  • Lifestyle and Nutrition support to Irish Team Managers and Athletes prior to 2007 World University Games
  • Altitude Training guest lectures to undergraduate students at University of East London

Elizabeth has been a member of the TASS Lifestyle Advisory Group since April 2017, and set up the UEL Dual Career/Lifestyle forum in 2018. In 2020 she designed a lifestyle workbook for TASS.

She was Team Manager for University of Birmingham Athletics Team during 2008 'Ivy League' Tour of America and for University of East London Athletics Team during BUCS T&F Championships in the London Olympic Stadium in 2012.

​She has also presented research findings at major international conference and published research findings in peer-reviewed publications .

She also likes to write about athletics. Check out her athletics blog at elizabetheganathletics.blogspot.ie and articles she's written for fastrunning.com

Publications

  • Egan et al (2006) Body composition & bone mineral density changes during a Premier League season as measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. International Journal of Body Composition Research, 4 (2) 61-66
  • Egan et al (2006) Bone mineral density among female sports participants. Bone, 38 (2) 227-233
  • Egan et al (2003) Disorders of the menstrual cycle in elite female ice hockey players and figure skaters.  Biological Rhythm Research, 34 (3) 251-264

Contact

Phone: +353 (0)86 2439848 (from Ireland)/+44 (0)7856 505621 (from UK)
​email: eegan41@gmail.com
Elizabeth's LinkedIn profile