Wednesday Bienusa MA, LAT, ATC, CES, VRC

I can definitely say that comes from my mom and my dad. My dad always told me that whatever a boy could do, I could do. He didn't raise me like a boy, but if there were chores to do around the house that were typically "boy chores" he expected me to get them done, teaching me that there weren't limits to what I was capable of. He did it not as a way to make me tougher, but just show that I have the same capability and inner strength that a male does. My mom had a big influence on the way I saw and approached the world with a level of emotional intelligence and communication that was straight forward but compassionate when needed. It was very much if you have something to say that is impactful and significant, say it; otherwise, open your ears and listen. So I took that to heart, if I didn't have anything to say that was going to add to the development of myself, or the development and improvement of my environment, I didn't say anything, but I listened to what other people were saying and hearing what their ideas and what their thoughts were. If I heard something that could be impactful, I supported and added my thoughts on how that could actually work, asking "How do we build that?, What do we need to support the changes?" and when something wasn't going to work re-directing the ideas to help shape them towards a more successful path. Even from being a kid, I was always called the quiet one in class, but when I did speak, it was always contributing to what was being discussed.

The best career advice I’ve ever received has come from my mentors, Heather Farwig, Karmont Mak, Sarah Lyons, and Emily Wilder to name a few, which was serve and lead in the same way, with compassion, intelligence and inner strength. Their guidance and support have shaped my professional growth, strengthened my confidence, and taught me to trust my clinical judgment while staying committed to athlete-centered care.

Stand up for yourself, speak your mind, and take up space. Coming up in the field, it was always subtlety imposed on me as a female, maybe not in direct words but sometimes in the actions of those in leadership roles, that females can't really be a head of football due to the demands of the job, both physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's not as common as it could or should be but every female head athletic trainer I have met has been a badass. They respond to the questions of "what about when you want to start a family, get married, do all those things?" same way I do, "you can do both". It's not easy but you can do both, for sure, 100%. I mean, I'm doing that. I'm married and my husband and I are planning for that next step of having a family and I'm just as committed to my career as ever. You can have your cake and eat it, too.

So, I tell them, stand up for yourself, you have a voice. If you want to do something, there's no reason why you can't do it. Don't let anybody tell you no, and don't let anybody stand in your way. I'm kind of a "kick down a door first before I knock" type of person, so I teach a lot of my female students to do that.

One of the biggest challenges in athletic training is navigating a male-dominated environment while managing the intense demands and high-pressure nature of the role. At the same time, this creates meaningful opportunities to increase representation, inspire future generations of women in sports medicine, and elevate the visibility and value of athletic trainers in athlete health and performance.

For me personally, this work is deeply shaped by my own experience with a career-ending gymnastics injury, which ultimately redirected me into sports medicine and continues to drive my purpose. It’s also an opportunity to expand my impact beyond physical care by providing emotional support and mentorship to athletes, helping them through some of their most difficult moments while encouraging others to pursue careers in healthcare and athletic training.

I'm an avid reader. I probably either listen to or read up to 2 or 3 books per football season. We spend a lot of time on the road, bus or plane flights, so you usually have about anywhere from 3 to 6 hours where you're just traveling, so I consider that downtime, so I read a lot. I do crafting every now and then too. I have a whole tub of crafts that I play around with when I have the time and opportunity to. But otherwise, if I'm not doing that, I'm just kind of hanging out with my two cats at home.