Listening Before Leading: What I Learned About Supporting Women in Science

Amanda L. Rebar, PhD, with support from SBM's Theories and Techniques of Behavior Change Interventions (TTBCI) Special Interest Group and with gratitude to the many wonderful people who generously shared their time, experiences, and guidance in support of these efforts – both those featured in this article and others not named.

Like many women in science, I have been asked countless times how I manage work-life balance, and I have smiled through comments that left me questioning whether I truly belonged or measured up. So, when I took on the Joint Editor-in-Chief role at Psychology of Sport and Exercise, I felt well-positioned to advocate for women in the field. Increasing gender diversity in journal leadership was a key priority for me, and one that was strongly supported by Elsevier and my joint Editor-in-Chief, Markus Raab, PhD.

As we began considering how the journal could contribute to those efforts, I found myself looking more closely at evidence about women's experiences in academic publishing. I was struck by the data showing persistent inequities in leadership opportunities and the peer review process for women scientists in the field. As I began thinking about how the journal could better support women, I quickly realized I did not have the perspectives needed to make those decisions alone.

Those questions became the catalyst for a series of conversations with women across career stages and countries, not as formal research, but as opportunities to listen and learn. Those who know me will not be surprised by this, but it turns out my confidence and enthusiasm led me to be overly optimistic both about how easy the task would be and about my ability to accomplish it quickly and alone.

After some hard-learned lessons and generous guidance from many incredible people, I realized something that may already be obvious to you as a reader: no single person can serve as a voice for all women in the field. So I asked, and I listened. As a notoriously quantitative researcher, I found myself acting as a rather poorly trained semi-structured interviewer, having conversations with incredible women across the field and across the world.

While I am still far from having solutions, one idea surfaced repeatedly across these conversations. Calling it a “theme” may be generous – I suspect my qualitative colleagues would prefer several rounds of coding, a reflexivity statement, and more than one theme – but here it is:

Spot It. Say It. Support It.

Again and again, women described the profound impact of people who recognized their strengths, said so out loud, and then reinforced those beliefs through action. Sometimes that meant a timely reminder of their capabilities. Sometimes it meant opening a door, creating an opportunity, or lending credibility when it mattered most.

When I asked Emma Mosley, PhD what advice she would give her younger self, she replied, “I would probably just say, remember that you do know what you’re talking about,” and “Just remembering that you are smashing it.” In a similar vein, Eva Pila emphasized the importance of “surrounding yourself with advocates and mentors and having those people in positions of power who can help support and guide.” She also reflected on how much it matters to have “excellent advocates and other women mentors” and role models “to look up to,” describing them as “so, so helpful.”

Jaclyn Maher, PhD added an important dimension to this theme. Validation is not a one-off gesture, but something that has to be sustained through relationships, listening, and intentional support, by “surrounding yourself with people who are either in it with you or they've been there before and they can really relate.” She also noted that cultivating those relationships is “very tough” but essential if you want to create space for “honest conversations.” Her point was especially clear when she reflected on the people in her life who are “willing to not always be first,” because sometimes the most meaningful support is simply having someone who can put you first when you need it.

For Maria Luisa Guinto, validation came not only through words but through action. Despite beginning her career in rooms where athletes were visibly disappointed that their sport psychologist was a woman, she described how coaches, colleagues, and leaders gradually became advocates – seeking her expertise, recommending her to others, and continuing to place their trust in her work. As she reflected on receiving a national award recognizing her contributions to sport psychology, she described such moments as “affirmations that continue to encourage me.”

Across interviews, women repeatedly described the profound impact of colleagues, mentors, and leaders who saw their potential, said so out loud, and reinforced it through action. As I listened, I realized how many of those moments I have been fortunate enough to experience myself. I will never forget sitting with Dr. Markus Raab at a conference in Hong Kong, lamenting a humbling experience that I was desperately hoping to avoid dealing with. After listening patiently to my complaints, he simply smirked and replied, “Well, it’s lucky you’re strong.” I think about that moment a lot.

On another occasion, after being publicly diminished by someone I admired, I interrupted what was undoubtedly meant to be a peaceful pre-conference breakfast for two highly respected women in the field to ask for advice. I arrived armed with elaborate plans to expose the injustice, make a great deal of noise, and prove that I had been wronged. They listened calmly before one of them replied, “You’re trying to prove them wrong. Everyone already knows they are.” It was just what I needed in that moment – not strategy or vindication, but experienced people to remind me that my worth, competence, and reputation were not actually on trial.

So, I am still learning, still listening, and still far from having answers. But if there is one lesson I would pass on from these conversations, it is this: do not underestimate the impact you can have on someone else's career simply by noticing their strengths and acting on what you see. Sometimes that means saying the encouraging thing out loud. Sometimes it means offering an opportunity, making an introduction, recommending someone for a role, or sharing your credibility when theirs has not yet been recognized.

Let me be clear – The women I spoke with did not succeed because someone handed them confidence. They succeeded because people around them helped create environments where their strengths could be recognized, developed, and put to use. We can all do more of that.

Dr. Amanda Rebar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina and Director of the Motivation of Health Behavior Lab. Her research focuses on understanding why people do what they do – particularly how motivation, habits, and automatic processes shape health behaviors. Using advanced statistical and intensive longitudinal methods, she investigates how emotions, motivation, and behavior change over time and how these insights can be applied to improve public health outcomes. Dr. Rebar serves as Chair of the Theories and Techniques of Behavior Change Interventions (TTBCI) Special Interest Group of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and as Joint Editor-in-Chief of Psychology of Sport & Exercise.

Dr. Emma Mosley is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology within the Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences. She is an accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist through the Chartered Association for Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES), a Chartered Scientist, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Dr. Mosley completed her PhD in 2018 which examined themes around psychophysiology and performance under pressure. She is an active researcher within psychophysiology and sport psychology, with a particular specialism in heart rate variability and breathing exercises.

Dr. Jaclyn P. Maher is Co-Director of the Physical Activity and Lifetime Wellness Lab and Director of the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research focuses on the motivational processes underlying physical activity and sedentary behavior, and how these behaviors influence psychological well-being across the lifespan. She specializes in the use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and remote sensing technologies to study health behaviors in real-world settings and develop low-burden, just-in-time adaptive interventions. Dr. Maher has led research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Maher is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine. As a mother of two, Dr. Maher is passionate about supporting and mentoring women in academia.

Maria Luisa Guinto is a Professor at the College of Human Kinetics, University of the Philippines Diliman, and one of the pioneering sport psychologists in the Philippines. With nearly three decades of sport psychology practice, she has provided psychological support to athletes across developmental and elite levels, advancing the integration of mental well-being into sport performance and athlete development. 

Proffesor Guinto serves as President of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESGW), where she advocates for gender equity and the empowerment of girls and women through sport and physical activity. She is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of International Sports Studies, one of the world’s oldest and most established scholarly sports journals. Her research focuses on athlete well-being, resilience, gender and sport, and Indigenous Filipino perspectives in sport psychology.

Dr. Markus Raab is director and professor for psychology at the Institute of Psychology at the German Sport University, Cologne. He is Editor-in-Chief of Psychology, Sport and Exercise. He is past-president of the European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSAC). He received a PhD in sport science as well as a PhD in psychology and was awarded by ECSS, FEPSAC, asp, DOSB, NCA, DGPs for his research. He published seven books and over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals. His main areas he is interested in covers judgment and decision making in sports and beyond, embodiment as well as motor learning and motor control.

If you are interested in joining these conversations or have ideas for how leaders can help create a more empowering scientific community for women and others disadvantaged by existing systems, please get in touch with Amanda at arebar@mailbox.sc.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more, see our outcoming special issue in Psychology of Sport & Exercise which includes outstanding commentaries:

• Maher, J. P. (2026). Balancing the field and the home: Reflections on gender, caregiving, and academia in sport and exercise psychology. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 103120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103120
• Teychenne, M., Baker, T., McKeon, G., Darroch, F., Deslandes, A., Daley, A. J., ... & Rebar, A. (2026). From glass cliffs to glass ceilings: What can we do to support women working in the academic field of sport and exercise psychology?. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 103084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103084