Our people

The people behind the smile

Sense Sports Foundation grew from a partnership of sport and allied health — and it is still driven by people who believe sport is for everyone.

Carlien Parahi, Founder of Sense Sports Foundation, at a Sense Rugby session

Founder

Carlien Parahi

Carlien Parahi is an occupational therapist, founder and mother of three who has spent her career finding better ways to bring therapy to the families and communities who need it most.

Carlien began her OT journey in 2011, working in private practice with neurodivergent children and their families. It was there that the seed of Sense Rugby was planted — born from the collision of two lives, two perspectives and two kinds of expertise. Carlien’s husband and co-founder, Jesse Parahi, is a rugby player and neurodivergent himself, and Jesse experienced firsthand how the sensory input, structure and belonging that rugby provides could be genuinely transformative. Together, Carlien’s clinical lens and Jesse’s lived experience created something neither could have built alone.

From those early beginnings, Sense Rugby grew rapidly — and as it grew, so did the model. The addition of the Sense AFL program showed that what worked on the rugby field could work across codes, and through their partnership in delivering programs alongside Sense Therapies, Carlien and Jesse were able to expand into multiple sports. That growth gave rise to what is now Sense Sports Foundation — a living expression of everything they set out to build together.

When COVID hit in 2020, the team pivoted, channelling their energy into Sense Therapies, the multidisciplinary private practice that now serves the Illawarra community. When the world reopened, both Sense Sports Foundation and Sense Therapies grew again — and in 2026, the vision broadened further with the launch of the Sense Schools program and the development of platform and software solutions designed to help everything scale and reach more families across Australia.

Throughout it all, Carlien and Jesse have been guided by a shared conviction: that meaningful inclusion isn’t a one-off event or a handful of participation opportunities. It is an embedded culture — ongoing, local and woven into the fabric of the communities they serve. Everything they build is designed with that in mind.

Jesse Parahi, Co-Founder of Sense Sports Foundation, at a Sense Rugby session

Co-Founder

Jesse Parahi

Jesse Parahi is a co-founder of Sense Sports Foundation, a professional athlete, Australian Olympian and the kind of quiet, steady presence that children and adults are drawn to — a judgment-free leader whose warmth and effortless way of connecting with people, young and old, has become the soul of the Sense programs.

Jesse spent ten years as a professional rugby player, representing Australia in the Rugby Sevens programme at the highest level. He competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and claimed bronze at the Commonwealth Games, and throughout his career he captained his team on numerous occasions — leading not just through performance, but through the kind of presence and culture-building that makes teammates feel seen and valued. It is that same quality that he brings to every Sense program.

What makes Jesse’s contribution to Sense Sports Foundation so distinctive is that his understanding of what sport can do for a young person isn’t theoretical — it’s lived. As a neurodivergent young man, Jesse didn’t find his stride in traditional academic environments. He found it on the field. Movement, sport, team belonging and the rhythm of physical challenge gave him the focus, confidence and drive that shaped everything that followed. That personal experience is the heartbeat of every program Sense delivers, and Jesse’s passion for sharing it with the children and families who come through the Foundation’s doors is impossible to miss.

On the field with participants, Jesse creates something that is genuinely hard to put into words — a kind of magic that comes from someone who is both elite and deeply warm, who can hold the energy of a group of kids and make every single one of them feel like they belong. His ability to connect effortlessly, to lead with empathy and to build the kind of inclusive team culture that sticks long after the session ends has been the cornerstone of Sense Rugby, Sense AFL and every program that has grown from them. It is no exaggeration to say that the culture Sense Sports Foundation carries today was shaped by the culture Jesse has always created around him.

Our board

We’re building our board

We’re in the process of building our board. If you have fantastic skills and experience you’d love to contribute to a growing not-for-profit that’s changing what sport can be, we’d love to hear from you.

Reach out