I’m so excited to be writing a book about coaching girls with Alison Foley, Women’s Soccer Head Coach at Boston College called How To Coach Girls.
We’ve been hard at work since landing the publishing contract in early January with Audrey Press and the first draft is done!
Here are the chapters:
- Introduction
- What Are the Differences Coaching Girls vs Boys?
- Keeping It Fun
- Developing Good People Not Just Good Players
- Teaching Growth Mindset Through Sportd
- Coaching Your Own Daughter
- Building Team Chemistry
- Social Awareness and Giving Back to Community
- Positive Reinforcement is Critical
- Playing Time
- The Pitfalls of Choosing Captains
- Body Image, Puberty and Sports
- Building a Player’s Confidence
- Cliques On and Off the Field
- Handling a Losing Streak
- Supporting Multi-Sport Athletes
- How To Be A Good Teammate Game
- Creating Your Medical Emergency Plan
- Parent Code of Conduct
- Player Code of Conduct
- Player Goals and Evaluations
- Pre-Season Logistics
In addition to these twenty-two chapters, we are interviewing about a dozen of the best coaches for girls and women that we personally can vouch for. I have their interviews on my YouTube, and they will be transcribed and included in the back matters page.
Here’s Marc Gargaro, boxing trainer and co-owner of Nonantum Boxing Club with advice to a first time coach:
Here’s Brent Bode, Competitive Novice Girls Rowing at Community Rowing Inc. on personal introspection for mindfulness in coaching.
The book comes out in March of 2018. We are excited to share what we hope will be a hopeful guide for coaching girls.
If you want a deeper peek into the book, the first few chapters of each book are posted on our website: How to Coach Girls. We are also on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and welcome you to follow our (first-time) publishing journey.
p.s. Here’s our backstory:
It all started when Alison moved into a new neighborhood. Her daughter, Sidnie, wanted to become friends with the girls playing outside, around the corner from their new house. She jetted over on her Razor Scooter with Alison following closely behind.
Sidnie’s new friends, Zoe and Ali, became like sisters to her. Sidnie even fought like a sister with Ali. Ali and Zoe’s mom, Mia, became friends with Alison and this friendship began on that spring day, more than ten years ago.
In the beginning, Zoe, Ali, and Sidnie played soccer, starting with Kindergarten Soccer meant to get incoming Kindergarteners to make new friends before starting elementary school. They progressed to town soccer, travel soccer, and club soccer. There was plenty of drama, and Mia consulted Alison at every twist and turn.
As the years went on, these three girls played a multitude of other sports: basketball, softball, rowing, volleyball, surfing, diving, rock climbing, sailing, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, gymnastics, kickboxing, karate (Chun Kuk Do), swimming, rhythm gymnastics, boxing, lacrosse, and golf. Different sports, but still a lot of the same drama.
Mia and Alison decided to write a book to help coaches, both parent volunteer coaches and those who coach girls professionally. This is where they are chronicling their journey of creating this book. It comes out in March of 2018 through Audrey Press.
Alison Foley is the head women’s soccer coach at Boston College. Their success has led them to the NCAA Final Four, final 8 during 13 consecutive NCAA playoff appearances. During her 20+ year coaching career, she has coached many national team-level players.
She started playing soccer at a young age working herself through the school and club soccer ranks, receiving ODP regional and national invitations. As a college All-American, she enjoyed a successful career playing at another competitive level. Although she still enjoys playing the game, her passion for soccer led me to get involved in club soccer, and ODP, and now she is entering my 14th season of Lady Eagles Soccer School.
Academically she received her undergraduate degree in psychology, specifically studying sports psychology of girls, and a graduate degree in exercise science and kinesiology. In addition, she earned my USSF “A” license and the NSCAA Advanced National License.
Alison and Mia also created Alison’s brainchild, Soccer on the Mat, a unique and innovative soccer & yoga program specifically created for middle school girls (ages 11-15).
Mia Wenjen co-founded Aquent in 1986 with John Chuang and Steve Kapner as a dorm room entrepreneur at Harvard University. She has been a member of the board of directors ever since and has held a number of roles at the company including starting the West Coast operations and growing the Los Angeles, California office into the company’s largest market.
In 1992, Aquent (then called MacTemps) placed #12 on the Inc. 500 list for Fastest Growing Private Company.
She later managed the Boston market, where she introduced Aquent’s Partner Program, an innovative effort to secure the loyalty of the company’s contingent workforce. This initiative reduced turnover among freelancers to below 20% per year, lower than that for many firms’ full-time staff.
Mia is also a blogger at PragmaticMom, a mashup covering education, parenting, and multicultural children’s books. Her blog receives over one million views a year.
She is also a co-founder of Multicultural Children’s Book Day, January 27th, a non-profit that celebrates diversity in children’s literature.
Mia graduated from Harvard College, cum laude in history and science, and earned an MBA in Entrepreneurial Marketing from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.
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My books:
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación
- ⭐ Starred review from Kirkus
- ⭐ Starred review from Publishers Weekly
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal
- Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026
Free and downloadable guide:
Barbed Wire Between Us Teacher’s Guide
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Gold Award
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
The Traveling Taco:
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
- ALSC Notable Children’s Book
- 2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
- 2024 Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
- Recommended Reading for the Social Justice Literature Award 2025 (International Literacy Association)
- Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
- Sunshine State Young Readers Award Orange Blossom List for Nonfiction
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bank Street College’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
I’m so happy that you are writing your book co-authored with Alison, venturing out from just reporting on other people books. You can start promoting your book on the website
“Sporty Girl Books.”
Thanks so much for that marketing tip Giora! Writing that down!
Your book sounds great – from the table of contents it looks quite thorough.
Thanks MaryAnne,
I’d love to get you a copy to review when it’s done in about four months. Let me know if you are interested.
Congratulations Mia! What a great idea for a book! I like the chapters.
Thanks so much Pat!
Mia, Congratulations! Such an exciting time😊
Thanks Kathleen!
Thanks for sharing a great post with us it really helps me a lot.
Thanks so much for sharing your kind words Samule! That makes my day!