Founder of Boob Protect Suzie Betts is bringing breast health into mainstream conversation through her mission-driven leadership and profound passion for supporting women.
Breast injuries for girls and women in contact sports are alarmingly common and underreported, with these injuries often leading to long-term consequences like fat necrosis, a condition that mimics breast cancer cells in imaging.
This was the case for Betts, who found a lump in her right breast at age 48 and went to a health professional, worried that it might be breast cancer. After a series of tests and surgery, however, Betts uncovered that the lumps were likely caused by trauma she’d sustained in contact sports when she was younger.
Convinced that female athletes deserved an easy way to protect their breasts, Betts got to work testing impact absorption materials to create breast encapsulation to be worn with a sports bra.
In 2020, she launched ‘Boob Armour’, with the mission to protect the breasts of active girls and women.
While that mission continues to hold strong today, her company has recently announced a rebrand. Now called ‘Boob Protect’, the name change reflects Betts’ strong, clear and unapologetic desire to make breast protection as normal a product as shin guards or mouthguards.
Recognised for her groundbreaking work, Betts has been named the 2025 Victorian recipient of the Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership.
Betts tells Women’s Agenda it’s really exciting to be honoured for her work alongside an amazing list of women leaders.
“Someone said ‘you’re very persistent the other day’,” Betts jokes. “Hopefully, my persistent work is gaining traction.”
For anyone who gets the chance to speak with Betts, they’ll see her ‘persistent’ passion for breast protection is undeniable. Betts says education on the issue is the most important piece to the puzzle and wants the conversation to grow exponentially for the benefit of girls and women in sport.
“Breast protection really is a possible solution for girls and women playing sports,” she says. “It’s a bigger story, and it needs to be shouted from the rooftops.”
One study from 2019 shows that in more than 40 sports, 36 per cent of elite Australian female athletes had experienced breast injuries.
Similar findings were shown in a groundbreaking 2025 study that showed 36.6 per cent of female soccer and rugby league players in New Zealand reported previous breast injuries. Custom sports bras with impact inserts reduced injuries by up to 84 per cent, according to this first-of-its kind, comprehensive analysis.
When it comes to the real-life impacts of Boob Protect’s products, Betts is getting some phenomenal feedback from customers searching for a solution to protecting their breasts in sport.
“We get lots of people saying, ‘this has changed my life, this has changed the way I play’,” says Betts.
“Everyone who buys from us, they’re looking for [the product]. We don’t advertise at the moment, because [of money]. It’s organic,” she says. “[Customers are] actually searching for breast protection and we never get returns. They’re searching for that solution.”
Lead with passion
Along with the name change to ‘Boob Protect’, Betts’ company has been experiencing exciting growth, both nationally and internationally.
Just recently, Boob Protect was honoured as the only Australian-founded brand featured in a pioneering initiative in London. An immersive pop-up store, Style Of Our Own (SOOO) opened at 245 Regent Street, with over 20 independent female-led brands under one roof.
Proud to be part of the store, Betts described it as a “movement towards inclusivity, innovation and community in girls and women’s sports”.
It’s these kinds of exciting opportunities to scale the business and spread awareness that show how far Boob Protect has come, but Betts emphasises that the reason she started everything in the first place was to protect her daughters, as well as other girls and women.
“The amount of women and girls I’ve spoken to along the way who have actually had a breast injury, not even realising it until we’ve had a conversation about it, [is significant],” Betts says, noting that this is what motivates her entrepreneurial journey.
“[Breast protection] is such a simple solution. I’m like a dog with a bone with it,” Betts says, adding that it’s her fifth year with the business and she’s still self-supported.
Reflecting back on her leadership journey, Betts wouldn’t have even classified herself as a ‘leader’ in the beginning. Her drive was built on a mission to support other women so that they didn’t have to experience a health scare similar to her own.
For anyone else inspired to do the same, Betts recommends surrounding yourself with people just as passionate as you are and trusting your gut.
“Women are intuitive,” she says. “We know what’s right and wrong, so stick to it and strategise accordingly.”
Hear from Suzie Betts as she accepts the Victorian Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership at the Australian Women’s Leadership Symposium in Melbourne on the 1st August. Learn more and get your tickets here.