Feisty Women's Performance

When you imagine a high-performance athlete, what qualities do they possess? Determination perhaps? Grit? Tenacity? According to today's guest, self-compassion is actually the key to success.This week Sara chats with Sports Psychologist Dr. Erin Ayala. Beginning as a professor of Sports Psychology, Erin now takes on clients in all realms of sport - from triathletes to golfers, to rock climbers.Erin shares some key takeaways from the athletes she's worked with, highlighting the importance of self-compassion and a growth mindset. Erin and Sara discuss how levels of arousal can alter our ability to perform as we move from rational to emotional thinking and even gives some insight into Feisty Media's latest project!Follow Erin on Instagram @erineayalaJoin us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

What does equity mean in sport? Yes, it's women being included, but it's also resources for racing moms, supporting the inclusion of Black folks in historically white sports, having size-inclusive athletic gear, and SO much more. Feisty Media welcomes a panel of women with intersectional identities to celebrate International Women's Day and discuss why equal opportunity is no longer enough. Hosted by Selene Yeager and Sara Gross, guests Khadijah Diggs, Marley Blonsky, and Alison Tetrick share the inequity they've faced in their athletic spaces, and what equity would truly look like for them individually. Follow Marley on Instagram @marleyblonsky Follow Khadijah on Instagram @khadijahtriathleteFollow Ali on Instagram @amtetrick

Alison Mariella Désir is an activist, runner, organizer, and author of the new book, Running While Black. After hearing her speak at the Feisty Women’s Performance Summit in 2022 (before the book was published) we wanted to catch up with Alison, hear how her book has been received, and learn more about her many cultural insights and observations about the Black experience in the running space.Alison shares how the past year has gone, post book launch, and the specific parts of the book that received pushback and critique. Further, she shares the ways the white culture influences how she presents herself in the world - and how she has worked to heal this. Finally, Alison gets honest about her postpartum depression - as well as the new program she’s designed to combine therapy and movement.@alisonmdesirhttps://alisonmdesir.com/ Founder of  @HarlemRun, @Run4AllWomen, Running Industry Diversity CoalitionAuthor of Running While Black, purchase hereNutritionist mentioned: @black.nutritionistJoin us on March 7th at 4pm PST for our International Women's Day Panel Discussion www.womensperformance.com/iwdJoin us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

Finding trustworthy and accurate information as a pregnant athlete can be extremely challenging. How much can you train? Will it hurt the baby? How high can I get my heart rate? This is the exact problem Maurya ran into when she first found out she was pregnant. Now 34 weeks, we welcome Maurya onto the podcast to share her pregnancy experience as an All-American triathlete. Maurya tells us some of the major roadblocks she encountered regarding finding accurate information. The duo discusses the specific training programs they followed during their pregnancies, and how pregnancy changed their performance ability. They tackle the widespread misinformation about active soon-to-be moms, and highlight the importance of staying active while pregnant. Links mentioned: Exercise and Sporting Based Activity through Pregnancy: Evidenced Based GuidelinesExercising Through Your PregnancyCaring for the Pregnant Athlete - British Journal of Sport ManagementJoin us to kick off International Women's Day! https://www.womensperformance.com/iwd Support our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Join us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcasts

There’s a lot of information circling about what women can and can’t do while pregnant. From lifting to running marathons, we wanted to get to the bottom of this. This week we welcome Dr. Kristi Adamo of Adamo Lab - a researcher who was involved in the groundbreaking 2022 study following the training habits of 42 elite runners through pregnancy and postpartum.Dr. Adamo outlines the study itself and turns out - 56% of athletes ran FASTER postpartum. Further, research now shows that, for healthy pregnancies, exercise is good for both pregnant individuals and their babies. Sara also shares her experience of pregnancy as an elite triathlete and how it changed her career for the better.http://www.adamolab.com/ Support our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr Join us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcasts

Is there a recipe for mental toughness? Is resilience something we can work on and will it lead to increased success? This week, we welcome Alyssa Godesky to help us get some insight into how she became mentally tough and some tools every individual can use to help us achieve more. Alyssa is a record-setting endurance athlete, coach, and the host of the IronWomen podcast. Throughout her career, she has been a professional triathlete, set multiple FKT's (fastest known time) including the Vermont Long Trail, and competed in various adventure races, including the Barkley Marathons.Alyssa shares how she prepared for and set records on not one, but three multi-day trail runs and what it took for her to push herself to the limits. The duo discusses what it actually means to be mentally tough, and how the key to success lies in your brain - not your body.Follow Alyssa on Instagram @alyssagodesky Vist her website at https://www.alyssagodesky.com/And listen to Ironwomen hereJoin us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

Okay, y'all. We are sensing A LOT of confusion around female physiology and training with your cycle. That's why this week, we welcome exercise scientist Alyssa Olenick, PhD to clear up misconceptions about female physiology and performance. Alyssa unpacks what the phases of our cycle are, and how we can work to support our bodies during these various phases. And she is clear that no matter what, we are capable.Alyssa shares her "miracle baby" story, which was the first spark for her journey in sport and female physiology. She gives us the details of the new studies on mitigating menstrual cycle symptoms and discusses the negative effects of dieting, the importance of carb intake, and the benefits of caffeine. Finally, Alyssa tells us about the impacts of hormonal birth control on training. Take away message? Don't let anyone tell you that your menstrual cycle is limiting.Follow Alyssa on Instagram @doclyssfitness Join us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

Despite not being A TON of research on female physiology, it seems like everyone is offering up different information, especially concerning menstruation and performance. That's why this week, we are sharing one of the informative sessions from our past Women's Performance Summit. In this session, Kerry McGawley shares a deep literature review of current research on female physiology in relation to menstruation and performance. Reviewing studies about the percentage of athletes tracking their period and what hormonal symptoms athletes experience specifically - Kerry dives even deeper by discussing statistics surrounding male coaches and how this affects menstruation communication. This episode is CHALK FULL of important information on Women's Performance. A must listen. Follow Kerry on Instagram @kerrymcgawleyJoin us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

Most of us can only hold our breath for 30 seconds, maybe a minute. But for Jordy Duncan, Australian pro freediver, 5 minutes is her sweet spot. This week, Sara welcomes Jordy to talk about the joys of freediving, how she found her way to the sport and the many ways freediving has helped her through tough times.Jordy talks about her experience with bulimia and alcoholism, and how finding freediving became her lifeline. Jordy explains exactly how she is able to hold her breath for such an extended amount of time, the dangers of blacking out, and the comfort and peace that can come from being underwater.Follow Jordy on Instagram @jordy_duncanJoin us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

In recent years, the media has depicted women's sports as a safe haven for queer women. But what about queer men? Trans folks? Or gender non-conforming people? This week, we seek to understand the queer experience in sport, how it differs between various gender expressions, and how we can work to make sport more inclusive. To do so, Sara welcomes Sports Psychologist and Researcher, Dr. Vikki Krane.Vikki chats about the toxic masculinity enwrapped in sport, and how this influences safe spaces for queer folks. Further, they outline how women's sports need more resources and an overall cultural appreciation to come further into the mainstream. Finally, Vikki discusses trans inclusion and how we can work to make a new system in which segregation based on gender isn't necessary.Join us at Feisty Fest - September 18-20th, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:https://feisty.co/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/Follow us on Instagram:@feisty_womens_performanceVisit the Feisty website at https://feisty.co/ for info on all of our events and podcastsSupport our Partners:Eternal: Get 15% off services with code FEISTY15 at https://eternal.co/ Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/ Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first orderWahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: Wahoo: Learn more at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr