We sit down with Dr. Erin Ayala, Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant, to talk about the mental side of injury and injury recovery in athletes.  Our discussion includes:  How Dr. Erin got into the field of counseling and sport psychology and her current research and projects Her athletic background and current athletic pursuits Types of injury in athletes and what areas of the athlete are impacted The roles of nutrition and sleep in injury rehab Building self-awareness with the ingredients of self-compassion and mental toughness Competing with an injury and how to consider the risks Her new online program “The Mindful Comeback”  Her personal current nutrition framework for daily nutrition and bike racing nutrition Links: Dr Erin’s company website, Skadi Sport Psychology, and give her a follow on Instagram @skadisportpsychology The Mindful Comeback course and use the coupon code ISNPOD for 10% savings Quotes from Dr. Erin Ayala:  “Mental toughness is not about putting your head down and doing the work and pushing the emotions away and ignoring them, mental toughness is about bringing them along for the ride and doing the hard things anyway.” More about our guest: With over a decade of research and clinical experience, Dr. Ayala is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant based in Minneapolis, MN. She specializes in working with endurance athletes and is licensed to work with athletes in over 40 states. Dr. Ayala is a published author of over 20 research articles and book chapters, and has been featured in Trailrunner Magazine, the New York Times, and other media outlets. Beyond her professional achievements, she is an accomplished cyclist, having landed on National podiums in road racing, fat bike racing, virtual racing, and gravel racing over the past few years. --- Connect with the podcast on Instagram @isnpodcast and on Facebook @insidesportsnutrition This episode is brought to you by All Around Snack Co. which features tasty snacks that are low in added sugars, contain zero dyes, colorings or additives and help control blood sugar for steady energy levels throughout the day.  Use code ISNPODCAST24 to save 15% on your purchase. Want to try the deltaG products to provide your brain another fuel source? Check out their products and save 10% by using the code ISNPODCAST and you’ll also help support our podcast!  We’d love to connect with you on social! Follow Dina on Instagram at @nutritionmechanic and Bob at @enrgperformance. You can learn more about Bob’s services at www.enrgperformance.com and Dina’s services at www.nutritionmechanic.com.