Marilyn Okoro: Finding a voice, purpose and power through Unlocked

Marilyn Okoro knows firsthand the power of the Women’s Sport Trust’s Unlocked programme. The former British track and field athlete, who was part of its inaugural cohort in 2020, describes it as nothing short of life-changing, and she’s thrilled to see it returning in 2025, made possible by a grant from the Jacobs Futura Foundation.

“I was looking for community,” she says simply. At the time she applied, Marilyn was unknowingly at the beginning of her retirement from elite sport. She was physically sidelined – training less, competing less, and confronting what would come next. “My sense of purpose in terms of just running around the track was no longer very strong,” she says.

Marilyn’s motivation to apply came from a need to connect, but also from a growing desire to use her experience to support others. “I wanted to help the next person coming through,” she explains. “And something so centred around the female lens, on women in sport – that really attracted me.”

Unlocked is more than a community

What she found in Unlocked was more than community. “It gave me my voice,” she says. “I was going through a really tough time with my mental health, but being in that space, surrounded by women who just got it, made me feel seen and heard.” The confidence she gained allowed her to speak openly about difficult experiences in sport, realising they weren’t isolated or personal failings but part of broader systemic issues.

The programme also paired her with a personal ‘activator’, Claire Parnell, then Director of OnSide Communications and now Senior Director, International Communications at the National Football League, who offered not just professional support but emotional care, from sending care packages to helping her rebuild her CV. That CV would go on to land Marilyn her first job post-retirement and later empower her to guide others through the same process. “The timing was perfect. It moved at my pace and gave me the tools to give back.”

One of the most tangible outcomes of her Unlocked journey came in 2022, when she was appointed an Independent Non-Executive Director at UK Athletics –  a role her Unlocked activator, Claire, encouraged her to pursue. “The programme really fed my desire to be a real role model,” she adds.

Return of Unlocked both timely and essential

Now, with Unlocked relaunching after a hiatus, Marilyn sees its return as both timely and essential. “While we’ve made progress in athlete welfare, especially around transition, the conversation needs to continue. Unlocked was a brilliant vehicle for that,” she says. “I’m elated it’s back. I want to be involved however I can.”

She also highlights the programme’s long-term ripple effect. Although Marilyn and Para shot putter Vanessa Wallace first crossed paths in 2018, it was meeting again in person at the launch of Unlocked that the connection blossomed into a working relationship – just one example of how the Unlocked network continues to grow.

To any elite female athlete considering applying this time around, Marilyn offers clear advice: “Go for it, even if you have doubts, take that leap of faith. Every journey begins with a simple step. You deserve to be there. You’ve committed your life to sport. That says something about your character, your discipline, your worth. You do have something to offer.”

And what can they expect to gain? “Each of us come with a different lens. That’s the beauty of life, that’s the beauty of sport. The activator you are paired with will work with you to pull that out of you. It’s not about being the loudest or most decorated. It’s about your story. And trust me, someone out there needs to hear it.”