This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with lifelong competitive runner and mother of 2, Jen Saint Jean. After an active childhood and running in high school, Jen walked on to her collegiate cross country and track team and has never looked back! We talk about how her athletics journey evolved to where now, aged 49, she is training to be faster than ever in her #fasterasamaster project. We highlight the inclusiveness of running, as well as the impact female coaches can make...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with licensed professional counselor and lifelong athlete Hannah de Groot. She is the founder of Stride Counseling, a private practice dedicated to helping athletes struggling with eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Hannah shares how she combines her personal experiences as an athlete struggling with an eating disorder with her education in nutrition and counseling to help other athletes overcome eating disorders,...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with dual board-certified specialist physical therapist in orthopedics and sports, Dr. Jessica Wulke.  Jessica has extensive experience treating professional athletes and continues to treat athletes in the NFL and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. For the first time, we talked about nutrition and training for cheerleaders and NFL athletes. Jessica explains the importance of training the mind and body during rehab, building a stronger...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with physical therapist Dr. Kelly Baez, PT, DPT. Kelly shares her unconventional path to becoming a physical therapist, inspired by teaching children and taking a personality test. Kelly owns a concierge medical practice, Brisa Wellness, that offers personalized care plans tailored to your lifestyle. Brisa stands for breeze in Spanish, which represents the emphasis on our body’s environment and movement. We dive deep into concierge...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with former NCAA Division I soccer player, author and founder of SPRHRA, Marina Paul. Growing up in a sporty family, Marina shares how athletics was always part of her life. However, this came with misinformation about diet and health that impacted Marina’s relationship with food. Pressure to maintain her spot as a star player, coupled with negative environmental factors, led to Marina developing an eating disorder in high school that...

This is the second episode in our new Fast Fueling Facts series. These episodes are designed to highlight key areas of sports nutrition and equip you with actionable tips for optimizing your nutrition and performance. Today, we discuss within training nutrition: the what, why, when and how much. We talk all about fueling with carbohydrates during training sessions longer than 1 hour, to maintain stable energy and prevent fatigue. No matter your sport –from stop-and-go sports like soccer and...

This is the first episode in our new Fast Fueling Facts series. These episodes are designed to highlight key areas of sports nutrition and equip you with actionable tips for optimizing your nutrition and performance. Today, we cover the importance of pre- and post-workout fueling for performance and recovery: the what, why, when and how much. We talk about nutrition timing for training at different times of day, including plenty of great meal and snack ideas. Remember, as athletes -that...

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition, I speak with elite cyclist and author Mackenzie Myatt. Mackenzie shares her introduction to sports, beginning with gymnastics and then working her way up to elite mountain biking. We discuss the highs and lows of an athletic life, and how competitive sports can be balanced with fun. Mackenzie highlights how periods of low motivation were the catalyst for her finding her identity outside of sports. For Mackenzie, this was combining her love of...

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition, I speak with Canadian Olympic sprinter and new author Micha Powell. The daughter of two Olympians, Rosey Edeh and long jump World Record holder Mike Powell, athletics is part of Micha’s DNA. She talks about what it was like growing up with two Olympian parents and the impact that had on her own journey is sports. After playing multiple sports growing up, Micha, like her parents, found success on the track and quickly progressed to making the...

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition, I speak to the 2020 Olympic Champion in the pole vault, Katie Moon (née Nageotte). Katie will be looking to defend her Olympic title in a few days at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! She touches on her bumpy build up to the Olympics, overcoming food poisoning and underperformance before winning gold. Katie details her steady progression in the pole vault from high school beginnings to NCAA D2 success and into her professional career. College was a...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with family medicine physician Dr. Jana Baatenburg MD. She is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and Owner of Concierge Medicine of West Michigan, opening in September 2024! Dr. Jana shares her path to becoming a doctor and how athletics factored in. Dr. Jana opens up about her struggles with RED-S and underfueling, including 12 years of amenorrhea -a missing period- and bone injuries. She talks about how finding CrossFit and a community of...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with two great friends and physical therapists, Dr. Bobbie and Dr. Jess. They also co-host the Two Gals and a Glass Half Full Apple Podcast. Dr. Bobbie is a former competitive gymnast who now works with gymnasts, amongst other sport athletes, as a physical therapist at Level Up Osteopractic and Wellness in Naperville, IL. While Dr. Jess is the owner and founder of Core Essentials Physical Therapy & Wellness in Jacksonville Beach, FL,...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with former elite gymnast JaNay Honest. JaNay shares her gymnastics journey, overcoming multiple knee surgeries and doubt to compete at the NCAA DI level for UCLA, the best collegiate gymnastics program. We discuss JaNay’s recruiting journey, with advice to listeners about choosing the right college. JaNay highlights UCLA’s tasty food options, as well as the nutrition support she received as a top college athlete, focusing on energy for...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with Adidas-sponsored professional trail runner Dani Moreno. Dani ran cross country and track at the NCAA Division I level, where she struggled with burnout and all the demands of student-athlete life. Following graduation, she found balance outside of sport, before returning to competitive running, this time on the trails. She shares these challenges, as well as how she navigated puberty and body changes in high school that affected her...

This Female Athlete Nutrition podcast episode is with Tokyo 2020 Olympian Elise Cranny. Currently a Nike-sponsored professional runner, Elise found success early on in high school and college, before going on to compete in the Olympics and set multiple American records. These highs have not been without lows, and Elise shares about her struggles with relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S) that led her down a path of injuries, fatigue, and underperformance. We discuss the steps she took...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with sports dietitian Angie Asche. Angie specializes in helping baseball and softball athletes fuel, and this is the theme of our conversation. We talk about caffeine consumption in athletes, and the effect of energy drinks and other stimulants on performance and sleep. Angie and I give listeners advice for fueling late night training and competition, and the importance of sleep. When sleep is disrupted, meal timings can be too, and...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with Head Lacrosse Coach at Northern Michigan University, Lindsey LeMay Majkrzak. Lindsey shares her athletic background, participating in both NCAA Division I lacrosse and rowing. Her own mental health struggles in college prematurely ended Linsey’s own playing career, but not her love for the sport of lacrosse. Aged 24, Lindsey took on the Head Coach role at Northern Michigan, and has steadily guided her women’s lacrosse team to more...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with REDs researcher, elite runner Melissa Lodge. Melissa opens up about how her personal experience with RED-S and underfueling led to a series of stress fractures and underperformance as an NCAA Division I athlete. Recovering from RED-S led to performance breakthroughs for Melissa, and also motivated her to study RED-S and advocacy for RED-S awareness and the dangers of underfueling through @FED_collaborative.  Melissa and I discuss...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is the second in a 2-part episode series about me! After almost 4 years of weekly podcasts, we have a lot of listeners who probably don’t know my story, so here it is! If you haven’t already, go back and listen to Part 1 here! Transitioning on from my own struggles with disordered eating, over-exercising, and my body, I discuss 3 key recovery tips. I bring listeners up to speed with the last decade of my life, where I have maintained a...

Trigger warning: this episode talks explicitly about disordered eating behaviors, calories, and other numbers that other people might find triggering. Feel free to give this episode a pass, or ask a trusted person to check this episode out before you.  This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is the first in a 2-part episode series about me! After almost 4 years of weekly podcasts, we have a lot of listeners who probably don’t know my story, so here it is! Today, I dive into my...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with Carrie Verdon. Carrie is an elite runner, coach, and full-time school teacher, who recently competed in the US Olympic Marathon Trials. In this episode, Carrie opens up about her eating disorder in high school and college, and how a desire to eat healthier and run faster led her down a dangerous path of underfueling and injuries. She talks about stepping away from running after college, burned out and unwell, instead focusing on her...

This episode is with Olympian, professional runner, and coach Kim Conley. Kim shocked the world when she made Team USA for the 2012 Olympics after a slow start to her running career. We discuss her rise in the sport and the role nutrition had in her progression. She shares how she has maintained a healthy relationship with her body composition and weight by seeking help from professionals, fueling properly around workouts, and focusing on nailing nutrition basics. We talk about the importance...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is an elite runner for Team Boss and sports dietitian Maddie Alm. Maddie shares her story from high school soccer player to college walk-on to professional athlete, and how nutrition has fueled this progression. We discuss some of the common fueling pitfalls faced by college and high school athletes, and tips for improving performance: post-workout snacks for avoiding within-day energy deficits, electrolytes and hydration, and lots of...