EPISODE # 13 …. Leah Thomas 

 Today’s guest is Leah Thomas. Leah serves as an assistant athletic director of student-athlete development within the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, responsible for overseeing the wellness and development of more than 400 Georgia Tech student-athletes. She was a founding member of the Collegiate & Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA), an organization that supports registered dietitians working in performance settings and is featured in the College Football Hall of Fame as one of the leading and longest-serving sports dietitians working in college football. 

 A finalist for the Allied Health Professional award in 2019 as well as a competitive runner who in 2004 was an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, Leah has a passion for both nutrition and education and is making not only short-term changes in the health of the athletes at Ga. Tech but helping them create lifelong habits that will benefit them long after they leave the flats. Let’s jump in and get to know Mrs. Leah Thomas. 

 1:28- Introduction 

3:49- Bridging the Gap to Performance through the Georgia Tech Total Person Program 

6:21- Developing a Nutrition Plan for Athletes 

8:10- Taking Athletes to the Grocery Store-Nutrition Counseling 

11:12- In-Game Fueling and What it looks like! 

17:40- The Importance of the Relationship between Nutritionist/Coach and the Athlete 

21:35- Leading in the world of Student-Athlete Development 

24:38- Real, Applicable Ways to Improve the Well-Being of the Student-Athlete 

28:40- What does a Hydration Plan look like?  The Right Stuff electrolytes  

32:09- The ‘FUN’ in the Evolution of Student-Athlete Development 

35:05- Getting ‘Buy In’ from Coaches when Implementing a Nutrition Plan 

37:10- Grocery List for Athletes … Leah Thomas’ Grocery List & Meal Ideas 

40:02- 2-Minute Drill 

You can follow Leah Thomas on Twitter @GTSprtNutrition or Georgia Tech Athletics @GTAthletics  

Find more about Leah Thomas and The Georgia Tech Total Person Program at:  

The GT Total Person Program 

Don Baker.... Director of Athletics for the Cobb County School District in Georgia. @CCSD_AD (twitter & instagram)

Josh Mathews...Athletics Director at Pope High School in Marietta, GA.  @jwmathews14 (twitter & instagram)