Recently awarded the title of Advanced Sports Osteopath, Dr Louise Bibby is moving mountains within her industry and is helping to pave the way for other women.
Boarding at Caulfield Grammar
Growing up in rural Victoria, Louise attended Caulfield Grammar School (Class of 2004) as a boarder where she was blown away by the wide variety of sports, hobbies, activities and friendship groups that she could immerse herself in:
All of a sudden, I had access to some of the most phenomenal staff, teachers, coaches and friends. The routine of boarding school life kept me completely involved – school, sport, music, study and antics with boarders out of school hours. Life was busy, but incredibly structured.
Louise fondly remembers the unique environment of the boarding house where staff happily devote their time to guiding and caring for students who are away from home, challenging them and helping them to learn and grow in a variety of ways. One of her favourite memories was winning the 2004 First Netball trophy. The team was coached by Marilyn Longworth and netball idol Nicole Richardson, who had just represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games and retired after captaining the Melbourne Kestrels in 2003.
Louise’s advice to other young students and alumni is “Your energy is endless and by giving it so generously to others, it will take you all the places you dream of travelling. Be brave, back your decisions, and trust all those crazy gut feelings. It’s usually a sign that success is around the corner.” This is a fantastic message for others trying to negotiate the challenging transition from school to adulthood, university and work.
Osteopathy & Footy
These days, Louise’s life is full and fast-paced. She is an osteopath who treats patients in a self-owned rural practice in Swan Hill; a strength and conditioning coach pushing athletic development; the director of a national sports network for osteopaths; and a player for the Western Bulldogs VFLW state league competition in Melbourne, which means weekly travel and training commitments. In between all of this, Louise manages to spend time connecting with friends and family, playing guitar and reading.
Louise Bibby owes her growing career and achievements to making bold business decisions, pushing the boundaries and always thinking laterally. She is inspired by any woman doing great things in sport, whether that be through being an athlete, coach or executive, or working in sports medicine.
Sometimes you have to go well out of your own way to chase success and happiness, which can involve stepping outside of what is comfortable. I’ve turned life on its head many times, driven crazy miles down uncertain roads to chase goals against other people’s advice, but it’s gotten me to where I am today and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Future goals
Louise relishes the opportunity to help others, be a leader, and network and collaborate. Her career has enabled her to have experiences with people that are meaningful and memorable. One of her least favourite things about her role is the evergrowing to-do list, however Louise views this as a positive sign of progress. In the future, she hopes to be mentoring the next generation of allied health practitioners whilst continuing to advocate for her profession, and taking on roles of executive leadership.
We wish Louise Bibby all the best with her journey to champion the role of women in sport.
Read how Grammarian Aish Ravi is also championing women’s leadership and gender equality in sport.
All images courtesy of Louise Bibby.
