A personal biochemistry wizard for the world’s best athletes. That’s Ashley Besecker. An innovator in the nutrition space. She even coined her specialty, Functional Performance Nutrition. What does all that mean? Well, this podcast episode featuring a conversation between Lisa Bonta Sumii and Ashley Besecker gets into just that. And two of her clients will explain what Ashley does from their perspectives: Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird.

As Megan Rapinoe says, “She’s Amazing! Ok so she does this really amazing thing called nutrigenetics which is basically looking at the individual architecture of a person and then designing the whole plan based on that so nutrition plan and training plan. Umm, it’s pretty incredible. We loved it.” – Megan Rapinoe, NWSL, USWNT

As Sue Bird says, “We (Megan and I) did DNA, gave a little saliva, and then we gave our bloodwork to Ashley and then from there she was able to like, dissect us or something! The micronutrient analysis was the most important for me.” – Sue Bird, WNBA, USAB

So yeah, when it comes to biochemistry for athletes, Ashley Besecker is the one to talk to. So we did just!

In this AthMindset episode, Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW, CSW, shares space with Ashley Besecker, and they talk all things functional nutrition performance, the impact of food on and off the field/court, and why everyone needs to understand what food is best for them.

Ashley has a B.S. in Nutritional Science from Pepperdine University, a Dietetic Internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and a Genetics and Genomics Certificate from Stanford University.

As Ashley Besecker says, “we live in an oversaturated world of information. Especially within the field of nutritional science. It is so overwhelming that most athletes ask the simple question – how should I eat?”

Well, Ashley happens to be obsessed with answering that question. 

Based on her specialties and research, she analyzes athletes – from their DNA and blood, to their goals and biometrics, in order to design personalized food and hydration plans, supplement prescriptions if needed, sleep protocols, travel protocols, and injury protocols. 

For the time being, Ashley is one of the only people in the world that has this job. She had to build her own path, and actually create her own specialty, which she coined “Functional Performance Nutrition.”

This relates so much to mental health as you’ll hear in this podcast episode. And that’s why Lisa Bonta Sumii, Founder of AthMindset, was so eager to have this enlightening conversation.

From Lisa:

I’m Lisa Bonta Sumii and this is the AthMindset Podcast Series on SportsEpreneur. 

This podcast series is a space for conversations with athletes, coaches, practitioners, and stakeholders in sports. And it’s where those individuals share their perspectives, experiences, and thoughts on mental health in sports. 

Eric Kasimov of SportsEpreneur is generously hosting the AthMindset Podcast Series on his platform as he deeply believes that these conversations are essential and deserve to be prioritized.

This is the AthMindset Podcast Series on SportsEpreneur. SportsEpreneur — the content platform where sports, entrepreneurship, and mental health collide!

If you are looking to start a podcast or create original content, you have to talk with the team at SportsEpreneur. I work with them and I vouch for them. It’s that simple. Go to SportsE.io to learn more. 

Useful web pages from this episode:

• SportsEpreneur
• AthMindset | Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW
• Ashley Besecker | A/B Website
• KazCM Podcast Production

More content on Mental Health:

• AthMindset | Black Representation and Visibility in Softball with Zoe Conley
• Normalizing Mental Health in Sports with Lisa Bonta Sumii

Let’s Connect:

• Lisa Bonta Sumii: LinkedIn, Twitter
• Ashley Besecker: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
• Eric Kasimov: Twitter, LinkedIn

That’s a wrap:

• Thank you for listening to this AthMindset Podcast Series episode on SportsEpreneur titled, “AthMindset | Ashley Besecker | A Biochemistry Wizard for Athletes Like Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird”
• SportsEpreneur podcast episodes are all about colliding sports and entrepreneurship.
• We hope you will Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you take in your podcasts!
• Intro Music, “escape” was provided by Pluto Tracks. 
• Check out more from our content platform: SportsEpreneur. The place where sports, entrepreneurship, and mental health collide!

Eric Kasimov

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