CHARLY RHODES
“Being someone's high five, "well done", or helping hand when they need it goes a long way to making lasting connections.”
Meet Charly Rhodes, a sports bra expert and fitness enthusiast who has spent the last decade turning technical sports bra knowledge into empowering education. As the director of boobydoo, she has helped women and girls feel confident in their sports bra choices—partnering with the British Army, elite and international sports teams, and sharing her expertise on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“My journey began reluctantly at school, as a C team netballer and hockey player, encouraged to "goal hang" from the back of the pitch. I was not the school wonder athlete and I certainly didn't wear a sports bra. Back then, I didn't understand why it was important. My mum then gave me a Shock Absorber Ultimate Run Bra and I remember thinking at the time - how ugly!”
“When I started drama school for university, I realised that keeping my body fit and strong was a priority for performing. That 'ugly' sports bra finally came out of the drawer and suddenly, I felt more comfortable.
I became a runner and gym class goer, and finally felt the buzz of empowerment that having a strong body had on my mental strength. Leaving study behind, I joined boobydoo eleven years ago and my eyes were opened to the world of sports bras and breast health. I discovered how a properly fitted sports bra can improve your confidence, performance and enjoyment of exercise.
Since immersing myself in the world of active women and the boobydoo community, I've committed to trying all sorts of physical challenges - triathlons, bodybuilding, summiting Kilimanjaro, ultra marathons and crossfit competitions! All the while in a great sports bra, of course.”
COMMUNITY IN WOMEN’S SPORT
“I can recount those moments in the gym, or at a event or race, where you find yourself connected to the other women around you, who lift you up. Cheering on a PB squat, a high five at the end of a workout, or a stranger showing me how best to set up my transition station as a newbie to a triathlon. Making those connections are the memories that stick with you, and keep you turning up to the next class, next match or next event.
Community in women's sport is everything. Women have so much going on in their lives and the mental load is immense. Having a safe, supportive space to exercise with friends is the endorphin release we all need to keep going!”
HOW BRANDS CAN SUPPORT WOMEN IN SPORT
“At boobydoo, we are advocates for choice and understand that not one sports bra can solve the needs and wants for all women and girls. To often, we see sports teams who have limited kit contracts with brands when it comes to breast support, with the sports bras "thrown in", in size ranges like small, medium and large.
When we provide our education and sports bra fitting service, we regularly meet athletes who have long endured ill-fitting or ineffective sports bras and end up purchasing their own, at their own expense. Sports bra fitting is a professional service, and should be considered with as much care as the fitting of boots or gumshields, to protect female athlete's breasts from the demands of physical activity.
Exercise-induced breast discomfort is a recognised barrier to performance and participation, and a properly fitting sports bra can solve it. Removing sports bras from kit contracts in favour of more bespoke services is the best way forward, along with providing better access to breast health education for players, coaches and performance staff.”
THE BOOBYDOO TEAM
“I am lucky to have a great professional mentor in our Managing Director, Rob. He is a blue sky thinker with an entrepeneurial spirit, where no idea is too big or scary. His faith in me as a professional in what I do as a sports bra expert has helped me to forge our pioneering path to delivering sports bra education, fittings and supportive partnerships with the Armed Forces, international sports teams, grassroots clubs, national governing bodies and leading independent schools.
Our mission at boobydoo is to support every active woman to find the right sports bra for her, no matter their size or activity, and to offer unparalleled choice and exceptional service.
I also couldn't do all that without our amazing team of women who are our Fitting Experts, who have become champions of change and action for breast health and support.”
“I hope that my journey demonstrates that you don't necessarily need to be a star athlete to be part of the sports industry. In some ways I fell into my role at boobydoo, and learned on the job. There is no greater way to learn than from experience, and my passion for enabling more women to be and stay active is what drives me each day to ensure boobydoo and its work is making actionable change.”
