354. Breaking The Ice: Jessica Campbell On Being The First Female Coach In the NHL, The Importance Of Empathy & Trusting Your Gut
Hurdle
Emily Abbate
5 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2025
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Emily sits down with Jessica Campbell, the first female full-time coach in NHL history with the Seattle Kraken. From her childhood skating in a hockey-loving family to breaking barriers in a male-dominated sport, Jessica shares her journey of resilience, grit, and purpose. She opens up about the profound influence of her late brother Josh, the challenges of earning respect as a young female coach, and the weight of carrying the torch for women in hockey. Jessica’s story is a masterclass in overcoming hurdles and staying focused on what matters most.
IN THIS EPISODE
(6:40) How Jessica feels about being the first woman coach in the NHL
(6:59) If Jessica ever thought she could be a hockey coach
(9:28) Jessica talks about what it was like to be a player at the highest level
(13:32) How to figure out how to turn setbacks into positives and use that redirection to your advantage
(15:30) Jessica talks about losing her brother when she was 10, and how her family navigated that devastating loss
(20:21) How she faired playing with the boys through her teenage years, and how she managed the bullying that came with it (one boy even said: "she would be pretty but she shouts like a boy"
(26:49) What characteristics make Jessica a strong coach
(30:40) Jessica talks about how her mom's influence impacted her as a coach
(36:24) Jessica talks about the email she opened in a Las Vegas hotel lobby that changed her life
(40:01) How Jessica hearing "no" after "no" on her career search
(44:50) How Jessica navigates working with older players as a 32-year-old coach
(49:20) How to reframe your perspective when things don't go as planned
(53:49) How Jessica feels being a mentor to young women and girls, and what it's like to see them show up to her games
(57:32) What's next for Jessica and what goals she has on the horizon
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | the quicker you can adopt that growth mindset, you can turn any setback, any pain, any hurdle |
| 0:05.9 | into that catalyst for your next biggest trajectory. |
| 0:25.6 | What's going on, y'all? Emily Embody here. |
| 0:26.8 | You are listening to episode 354 of Hurtle, |
| 0:30.8 | a wellness-focused podcast where I talk to inspirational people |
| 0:33.9 | about everything from their highest ties and toughest moments |
| 0:36.2 | to essential tips on how |
| 0:38.2 | to live a healthier, happier, more motivated life. We all go through our fair share of hurdles. |
| 0:44.7 | My goal through these discussions is to empower you to better navigate yours and move with |
| 0:49.5 | intention so that you can stride toward your own big potential. And of course, have some fun along the way. |
| 0:57.5 | I am elated for episode 354 to bring you my conversation with Jessica Campbell. |
| 1:04.8 | She's the first ever female coach in the National Hockey League. She works as an assistant coach to the Seattle Cracken. |
| 1:14.6 | Prepare to be inspired, motivated, amped up by this chat. Jessica is a ray of sunshine. It is no |
| 1:23.9 | wonder why she has truly skyrocketed within her chosen field. |
| 1:30.9 | We talk about how it's been so rewarding for her to have the honor of being the first female coach in the league and how she wishes that sometimes the focus was less about her gender and more on her, let's call it tenacity, strength and leadership |
| 1:47.1 | as a coach, period. Jessica talks to me about growing up, skating and playing hockey in Canada |
| 1:54.0 | and the choices that led her down this path to where she is today, plus the feelings that |
| 1:59.8 | went hand in hand with being offered |
| 2:02.1 | her dream job, something that she never thought could be possible for her. We talk about this |
| 2:08.5 | idea that when you have no one to model the way for you, it might be at times hard to dream that |
| 2:15.7 | way. And now today, so many young women and girls seeing Jessica playing |
| 2:21.2 | such an instrumental part of the success of the Seattle Cracken, in turn encouraging them to go after |
... |
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