Price You Pay Podcast | Season 3 Episode 8

We explore the real cost of chasing green and gold and follow Alex Hayden’s rise from rural South Australia to the PSA World Tour. She shares how she funds her career, why storytelling builds resilience, and how LA 2028 reframed what’s possible for squash.

• why the Aussie Athlete Fund exists and what it fixes
• how Alex fell in love with squash at eight in Clare Valley
• portable glass courts, iconic venues and fan experience
• LA 2028 inclusion and shifting goals beyond Commonwealth Games
• choosing the US as a training base and college pipeline insights
• breaking down funding: sponsors, raffles, exhibitions, clinics
• building a repeatable athlete business with simple systems
• supporter updates, honesty after losses and the 24‑hour rule
• values, mindset and aligning training with personal identity
• practical ways listeners and businesses can back athletes

Training, travel, and mindset weave through every chapter. Alex explains why the US became her base—strong competition, top coaching, and the gravity of a thriving college system—and how she manages the long-haul reality of an international schedule. We dive into the magic of portable glass courts set against iconic backdrops, the evolving culture of cheering in squash, and the moment Olympic inclusion transformed her horizon. Most powerful is her approach to resilience: a 24-hour rule for processing results, candid updates to supporters via WhatsApp, and the integrity that comes from aligning values, goals, and daily actions.

Listen on your preferred streaming service HERE