ELITE ATHLETE WELLBEING 

For the first episode, I’m joined with Pippa Woolven - a cross country runner and steeplechaser, who balances athletics with a part-time Masters in Positive Psychology and working for the National Trust. Pippa has won 4 BUCS gold medals in cross-country, duathlon and athletics and her career highlight was finishing 8th in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Pippa now acts as a mentor for other athletes and recently created a resource for athletes struggling with RED-S.

As a young athlete, Pippa transitioned into a very regimented, high pressure, elite environment in the US. This transitioned thus played as a catalyst and encouraged Pippa to develop disordered tendencies towards her food, body, and training.

Pippa initially began manipulating her diet to lose weight, to subsequently benefit her sporting performance. However, as explained in this episode, her tendencies gradually built and became a habitual, destructive component within her lifestyle….. highlighting how high athletic performance expectation can often influence athletes to go down routes that aren’t necessarily that healthy – to meet this perceived standard for success.

Finding herself surrounded by athletes exhibining unhealthy behaviours and eating disorders, Pippa was poorly influenced by this somewhat toxic culture… consequently progressing her desire to lose weight, increase training and food restriction. 

This thus triggered Pippa’s development RED-S (Relative energy deficiency in sport), which we discuss thoroughly in this episode.  However, years and years of practicing self-care, self-compassion, allowed Pippa to find a balance… motivating her to fuel her body healthily - developing a positive relationship with food and prioritising her wellbeing.

We also discuss the process of transitioning out of the sporting culture and the tedious process of athletes having to rediscovering their identities.