This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with elite trail and ultra runner and wildlife biologist Becca Windell. Becca has a remarkable story from professional cycling in her early 20s, to retiring from sport due to an eating disorder, then returning to competitive sport as an elite ultra runner in her 30s, and recently earning a Golden Ticket into the Western States 100 mile race. We discuss the disordered nutrition culture Becca experienced as a professional cyclist, and how...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with  sports dietitian, runner, and mom of two, Meghann Featherstun. As well as helping other athletes with their fueling, Meghann is a rockstar athlete in her own right with multiple marathon finishes. We talk about how she uses her professional knowledge to help her own performance, leading to her best races aged 40 after having kids. We dive deep into marathon and endurance nutrition, focusing on pre-race nutrition. Meghann gives...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with  World-renowned sports dietitian and nutrition researcher Professor Louise Burke. For over 40 years, Professor Burke has been studying elite athletes, and today we take a deep dive into her research into the ketogenic diet and performance.  We discuss why low carb, high fat diets impair elite performance, as well as immune and bone health, and iron status. We also chat about ketone supplementation and the use of different diets for...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with Olympic Trials qualifier and registered sports dietitian Kelsey Pontius. Kelsey recently competed in the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Team Trials, and comes on the podcast to share about her nutrition and athletics journey. Growing up playing soccer, Kelsey credits this background to her ability to remain injury free as a runner, allowing her to ascend to an elite level. Personal and professional experiences have highlighted to Kelsey...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with professional ultrarunner and board-certified physician and surgeon Dr Stefanie Flippin. Stefanie just completed lululemon’s FURTHER event, running an epic 6-day ultramarathon in the name of science and research into women’s sport. We discuss her career path as a surgeon, as well as her recent decision to step away and prioritize her running and coaching careers. Stefanie shares her athletic background, beginning as a ballet dancer...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with 4x obstacle course racing World Champion, ultrarunner, eating disorder and mental health advocate, Amelia Boone. Amelia has been very open about her decades long struggle with anorexia, as well as her recovery journey in recent years. She shares these experiences, highlighting her motivations to change and get help. We bust some eating disorder myths and stereotypes: anyone in any body can have an eating disorder, and everyone...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with To Taste’s Registered Dietitian and culinary nutrition specialist Lexi Cole. To Taste is a culinary nutrition company on a mission to enhance nutrition education and culinary experience. We discuss the importance of learning how to cook, as well as kitchen and knife skills, for mental and physical health, including the emerging field of culinary medicine. Lexi shares her journey to becoming a dietitian, rooted in family food...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with endurance sports journalist, ultrarunner, and podcaster Molly Hurford. Molly is also a coach and author, passionate about getting people—especially girls and women—psyched on adventure and being outside. We talk about how the lessons learned through sport translate into life, highlighting the importance of sport for women and girls. Molly and I discuss the huge participation dropout rate in teen girls, emphasizing strategies for...

With Valentine’s Day falling this week, I recorded a special solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast in dedication to my mom. In many previous episodes, I’ve spoken about the impact my dad has had on my own athletics career, however my mom also heavily influenced this journey too. So today, I share memories of my mom’s involvement in sports, how she inspired and supported my athletics, and our common passions for gymnastics and swimming. I reflect on how athletics have shaped my...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with sports medicine physician Dr. Efren Caballes, a Boulder-based sports doctor currently working with many professional athletes, primarily runners. He is also the co-host of the Ready To Run podcast, helping individuals navigate injuries and reduce injury risk. Dr. Caballes talks about how and why he came to specialize working with injured athletes, as well as his own athletics journey. We discuss common injuries, and the role of...

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition, I have the honor of interviewing a true legend, world renowned exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist, Dr. Stacy Sims. Dr. Sims is a true pioneer in this field, who aims to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance for women. We talk about the lack of research in female athletes, before diving deep into differences in female and male physiology beyond hormones, including the heightened risk of low energy availability and related...

This solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is all about supplements, especially collagen. Until recently, I’ve been skeptical about collagen supplementation, but recent personal experiences have changed my perspective. I talk about the benefits of collagen both my husband and myself have experienced recently, before diving deep into what collagen actually is and why we need it. A vital protein in our bodies, I discuss the place for supplementation versus consuming certain foods...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with registered dietitian and pioneer of research into female athletes, Dr Kelly Pritchett. From personal experiences as a top NCAA DI swimmer and decades of work with female athletes of all levels and sports, Dr Pritchett is quite the expert on all things female athlete nutrition. We talk about the fueling mistakes she made that led to her studying nutrition, before diving deep into  chocolate milk for athletic recovery, fact versus...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with Team USA volleyball player Betsi Flint. Betsi talks about her path to playing professional volleyball, from high school standout to competing in both indoor and beach volleyball at the NCAA DI level. We discuss Betsi’s journey with nutrition, and how criticism from a coach led her down a path of restriction and disordered beliefs about healthy eating, appearance, and body weight. Betsi shares the negative effect this had on her...

This solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is the first of 2024 and one big oreo sandwich- two tasty treats with some less tasty filling in the middle! I’m kicking off the New Year with a candid conversation about my personal life, the struggles I am having as a mom to a child with a chronic, life-threatening condition, and the toll this is taking on me, my family, and my work. As such, I share the decisions I have had to make pertaining to my business, Rise Up Nutrition,...

Today's conversation is with fellow Registered Dietitian Paula Sturm RDN FMN CFSP to address the multitude of gut concerns that people face. We chat about all the fun stuff: bloating, diarrhea, constipation, IBS, heartburn, gluten intolerance, and more! Paula expresses the importance of finding the root cause of these gut issues and getting professional help as opposed to starting restrictive elimination diets on your own which may make things worse for years to come. In addition to testing,...

This solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is a holiday special, but suitable for listening all year round! I talk about the increase in triggering messages and diet culture myths during the holidays, especially around weight gain. I reveal the truth about holiday weight gain, normalizing body changes throughout the year, including weight fluctuations in athletes’ off-seasons. Weight gain, especially for athletes, is often a very positive thing for health and performance....

In this episode of the Female Athlete Podcast, I talk with professional trail runner and exercise scientist Keely Henninger. We discuss community and competition in trail running, and Keely shares strategies for optimizing performance, as well as handling unexpected challenges like injuries and race DNFs. Keely and I explore nutrition culture in trail running, how fueling enough improves how you feel and perform, as well as debunking the fear of overfueling. Keely touches on her nutrition...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with NCAA DI college athlete Megan O’Connor. After taking to social media to share her eating disorder recovery story, Megan wanted to come on the show to continue raising awareness for eating disorders. Megan candidly details her struggles with bulimia and how it intersected with sport, she speaks out about the harms to health and performance of eating disorders and the importance of getting help. We discuss mental health resources for...

In this solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I revisit the topic of diet culture around the holidays, something I also covered in episodes 3 and 52. I discuss diet culture and toxic messaging surrounding food and bodies during the holidays, providing listeners with tips for dealing with family events and food occasions, navigating unhelpful conversations, and dieting pressures. I debunk holiday food myths, guilt, and shame: our bodies need energy and you can enjoy holiday...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with former professional runner Alexa Efraimson. A high school phenom and one of the best junior runners in US history, Alexa signed a professional contract with Nike aged 17, and ran professionally for 8 years. Alexa shares the highs and lows that came with such early success, including challenges with confidence and comparison as an elite athlete. We discuss how athletics can be a vehicle for personal growth, and how that intersected...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with youth sports coach and returning guest Erica Suter. Erica has been working with athletes for over ten years in performance enhancement and injury prevention: her mission is to help them become strong, resilient, and creative through exercise, while inspiring them to love movement and sports. Today we dive deep into Erica’s specialty: speed training for all athletes, across all sports and stages of life. We discuss the importance of...

In this raw and vulnerable solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, Lindsey shares her experiences with a changing body postpartum and how other peoples’ comments have impacted her. She unpicks society’s flawed belief that weight loss is always good and deserving of compliments, and weight gain is bad, countering these beliefs with real world and personal examples of when weight loss is not a good thing or sign of health, and when weight gain is. Lindsey talks about how stress...

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with fellow Registered Dietitian Marissa Casella. Marissa works with elite youth athletes as the Senior Performance Dietitian at IMG Academy, a school designed for young athletes to balance their sport with education. Marissa talks about how her challenges as a young athlete with celiac disease led her to a career in sports nutrition. Marissa shares about her role at IMG Academy, specifically helping girls feel more comfortable about...

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...