Feisty Women's Performance

Why do we spend so much time talking about the history of women's sports? Because what doctors, coaches, and fans think women are capable of on the track or field changes how women are viewed in all parts of society. Like how women's colleges had mandatory rest days for their female students, because women were believed to be too physically weak to handle the stress of attending school.

Today, Sara and Kelly talk about surprising moments in the Olympics that have been lost to misogyny and inaccurate coverage. And, Kelly speaks to Maggie Merton about her new book "Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women."

Maggie dives into the history to examine how doctors, coaches, sports associations, and the media fought hard to keep women out of sports. They misreported what really happened, lied about races, and perpetuated medical myths that simply weren't true.

But it's time to learn about all the surprising moments you might not have known from the Olympics and the history of women's sports. Like the female athlete pioneers, including: 

• Stamatis Rovithi, who actually ran the marathon at the very first modern Olympics in 1896
• Diane Leather, who was the first woman to break the 5-minute mile
• Alice Milliat, who started a separate Women’s Olympic Games 
• Jasmin Paris, who was the first woman to finish the Barkley Marathons

Where we are now is a product of where we came from, and still shapes things today.

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Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

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“What’s the point of the Olympics, anyway?!” That’s the question Kelly and Sarah look to answer on Episode #2. And how do athletes get to the Olympics. Let's talk all about the Olympic Trials — why is that a uniquely American thing — and the Olympic selection process.

At its core, the Olympic Games were developed to improve international relations and promote unity through sport — except, of course, only among men. In some ways, this global celebration of athleticism has turned into a big business that's about competition, medal count, performances, and money. But in other ways the whole point of a Trials process and expanding the Games to new people and new countries was to create a more universal and diverse event that truly reaches everyone.

Today, Kelly dives into how we've gotten to this point and describes the complicated and confusing Olympic qualification process, including the many ways countries (and even athletes without a country) can get spots to the Games. 

Are the Olympics still achieving their initial goal of promoting peace? Do they help or hurt the host city? What's the best (and most fair) way to qualify for the Olympics?

Is one of the goals of the Olympics to inspire future generations of athletes? According to Chat-GPT, it is. According to Kelly, not so much. 

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Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

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@feisty_womens_performance

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Welcome to a special Feisty series, “Croissants and Commentary - Moments on the Road to Paris,” hosted by Feisty CEO Sara Gross and Feisty's sports reporter & Head of Content, Kelly O’Mara. Over the next seven weeks, they will be counting down to the Olympic Games in Paris — complete with interviews with athletes, coaches, and experts about everything from peak performance to nutrition to all the issues athletes face on the start line.

Once the Olympics begin, Feisty Media will be live from Paris recording daily podcasts and content with all the behind-the-scenes scoop.

Join us on our Feisty road to the Paris Olympics!

In this first episode, as we prepare for the first-ever gender-equal Olympics, Kelly and Sara wanted to start by talking about the current state of women's sports. They look back at all of the moments and milestones that have made this into a movement — from soccer to tennis, cycling and now basketball, women’s sports are building on top of more media coverage, more infrastructure, and more investment. 

Women’s sports are not an “eat your broccoli” situation. These games and races are exciting! (Don't miss out.)

They also speak with Canadian Olympic basketball star, Shay Colley, about what we can do to keep the momentum and enthusiasm going, including investing our time and dollars, watching and supporting women’s sports and our favorite female athletes. That includes at the Olympic send-off game for the Canadian women's basketball team.

More coverage leads to more fans, which yields more sponsorship dollars, better contracts, and more media.

Sara and Kelly also talk with Shay about what will be different in Paris this year, at this inflection point in the women's sports movement. The biggest change from Tokyo? Fans will actually be allowed at the Games, creating even more support and momentum!  

Finally, they discuss the flaws in traditional sports models and how women’s sports don't have to look the same as men's. Women are in prime positions to develop new models and alternative approaches to pay, play, and grow. 

It’s an exciting time for women’s sports, indeed, so be a part of the many moments that are turning into a MOVEMENT.

Get tickets for the Canada women's basketball send-off game and be a part of setting a national home game attendance record on June 26 in Victoria, BC at selectyourtickets.com

Join the Feisty Winter Training Programs:

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Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

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@feisty_womens_performance

Support our Partners:

Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first order

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This episode originally dropped on June 26, 2023

Louise Green envisions a world where everyone can achieve their athletic potential regardless of size and, for 17 years, she’s been creating that world for people in larger bodies through her coaching, programming, and education at bigfitgirl.com and the Size Inclusive Academy.

She joins Sara Gross to discuss athleticism in a larger body. Weight bias is still so rampant in our culture that it’s normalized, but imagine navigating a world that is not made for you — from small doors and cramped fitness studios, to buff trainers and classes focused only on getting lean and “earning a bikini body.” You’re literally walking into a space where people don’t want to look like you.

It’s a traumatic experience, which is why some in larger bodies avoid fitness altogether, especially in public spaces.

It’s not laziness or lack of dedication. It’s not an unwillingness to do the work. It’s the impossible task of trying to fit into an unrealistic “one size fits all” standard and this is the cultural divide Louise is working to close. 

She and Sara discuss:

• Louise’s personal entry into the fitness space and the stereotypes she had to overcome to be recognized
• Our culture’s obsession with thinness 
• Why avoiding fitness is often a trauma response
• Why people in larger bodies are often devalued 
• How she started working with this population and why she feels it’s still important to create safe spaces
• The details of developing curriculums for trainers and fitness centers on how to work specifically with larger-bodied athletes
• Identifying Body positivity vs. body neutrality
• Our complicated relationship with the word, “fat” and the value of owning your own language
• How to work with companies and industries in helping them change and expand their offerings
• Future courses, programs, and books to support this audience

As she says, “If you're hating on yourself all the time, there's no way that you can rise to your highest potential.” This is why she creates programming specifically for women in larger bodies because she undoubtedly believes that anybody and any body can be an athlete. 

Follow Louise on Instagram: @bigfitgirl

This episode originally dropped on February 6, 2023

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 

https://doclyssfitness.com/

Join the Feisty Winter Training Programs:

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Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:

Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

Follow us on Instagram:

@feisty_womens_performance

Support our Partners:

Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first order

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At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.

This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.

Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.

In the final episode of this limited series, Selene and Dr. DiGirolamo answer listener questions around HRT, inflammation, LEA, asthma symptoms, bone density, training and racing around your period, and more, including:

• If you're over 60, do you need to come off of HRT, especially if you've been on it for over 10 years? (Research Study)
• What can an athlete do if a taper brings on a period and the PMS that comes with it?
• How should I address exercise-induced inflammation post-menopause?
• Is there a connection between new onset asthma and asthma-like respiratory symptoms in perimenopause and menopause?
• What are your recommendations around micronized progesterone administration?
• Why am I so lazy to train on days when I'm near my period?
• How do hormones affect your performance in hotter temperature races?
• How do hormonal changes in women over 40 affect nutritional needs and race fueling?
• What are some of the psychological dynamics of hormonal changes?
• What should I expect coming off hormonal birth control after 15 years?
• How do hormonal changes from peri-to-post-menopause affect the quality of our ligaments and tendons and the rate of healing?
• What happens hormonally when you stop elite high-performance sport?
• Breastfeeding and performance. What should women know?

Bottom Line: "We are not victims of our hormones and we are not broken. It's not that our hormones are doing something they're not supposed to do. It's that people have different sensitivities to their own hormone fluctuations. We just need to figure out what our personal path is and use all the tools available to live our best lives."

Listen to Episode 1 of Hormonal

Listen to Episode 2 of Hormonal

Listen to Episode 3 of Hormonal

Join the Feisty Winter Training Programs:

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Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:

Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

Follow us on Instagram:

@feisty_womens_performance

Support our Partners:

Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first order

Wahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: https://wahoofitness.pxf.io/0GAByR

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Orca: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://orca.avln.me/c/HzUkzIfxsmYo

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.

This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.

Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.

During these four episodes, you will learn what you need to know to work with your body's fluctuating hormones and perform your best.

Episode three discusses questions and confusion around hormone related conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, Hashimotos, and more. Plus, Sarah and Dr. DiGirolamo address fertility and egg freezing.

• What do we mean by balanced or imbalanced hormones?
• What might cause hormonal imbalances?
• When people take HRT to get their hormones "back in balance," what does this actually mean?
• Common hormonal conditions and concerns?
• PCOS definition and its effects on reproductive health?
• The difference between hypo and hyper-thyroidism?
• Why thyroid imbalances impair our overall performance, mood, and energy availability
• Endometriosis definition, management, and treatment
• Egg freezing best practices for fertility preservation and recommendations from a fertility specialist

For everyone who is sick of the narrative that women's hormones are a curse, we are here for you. Together, we will learn how amazing it actually is to be hormonal.

Have a hormonal question for Dr. DiGirolamo and Selene? Leave a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/Hormonal or DM us at https://www.instagram.com/feisty_womens_performance/

Listen to Episode 1 of Hormonal

Listen to Episode 2 of Hormonal

Join the Feisty Winter Training Programs:

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:

Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

Follow us on Instagram:

@feisty_womens_performance

Support our Partners:

Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first order

Wahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: https://wahoofitness.pxf.io/0GAByR

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Orca: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://orca.avln.me/c/HzUkzIfxsmYo

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.

This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.

Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.

During these four episodes, you will learn what you need to know to work with your body's fluctuating hormones and perform your best.

Episode two discusses questions around hormonal birth control and IUDs, fertility treatments, and pregnancy, including:

• What are hormonal contraceptives? How do they work? How do they impact what would be a "normal" cycle?
• How does Dr. DiGirolamo counsel women when it comes to hormonal contraceptives and exercise?
• Do hormonal contraceptives make it harder to identify Low Energy Availability and REDs?
• Do women need to stop exercising if they want to get pregnant? 
• What about women who are undergoing fertility treatments? What are the special considerations there?

For everyone who is sick of the narrative that women's hormones are a curse, we are here for you. Together, we will learn how amazing it actually is to be hormonal.

Have a hormonal question for Dr. DiGirolamo and Selene? Leave a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/Hormonal or DM us at https://www.instagram.com/feisty_womens_performance/

Listen to Episode 1

Research:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32666247/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK164632/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060104232338.htm

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33993156/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29283683/

https://globalsportmatters.com/health/2022/02/28/what-happens-female-athletes-pill-oral-contraceptives/

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/hormonal-birth-control-athletic-performance-research/

https://runnersconnect.net/birth-control-and-running/

https://fasterskier.com/2011/08/it-shouldnt-be-at-all-surprising-a-link-between-birth-control-and-performance/

Join the Feisty Winter Training Programs:

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:

Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

Follow us on Instagram:

@feisty_womens_performance

Support our Partners:

Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first order

Wahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: https://wahoofitness.pxf.io/0GAByR

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Orca: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://orca.avln.me/c/HzUkzIfxsmYo

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.

This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.

Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.

During these four episodes, you will learn what you need to know to work with your body's fluctuating hormones and perform your best.

Episode one covers all the basics about your hormones, including:

• How our ovarian hormones impact sports performance
• Whether you really need to sync your training routine with your menstrual cycle
• Why some women are more or less sensitive to their monthly hormone fluctuations
• What happens when your hormones start fluctuating in your 40s or flatten out in your 50s and beyond.
• How to know when and why you might need hormone testing

For everyone who is sick of the narrative that women's hormones are a curse, we are here for you. Together, we will learn how amazing it actually is to be hormonal.

Have a hormonal question for Dr. DiGirolamo and Selene? Leave a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/Hormonal or DM us at https://www.instagram.com/feisty_womens_performance/

Join the Feisty Winter Training Programs:

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:

Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

Follow us on Instagram:

@feisty_womens_performance

Support our Partners:

Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first order

Wahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: https://wahoofitness.pxf.io/0GAByR

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Orca: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://orca.avln.me/c/HzUkzIfxsmYo

What happens when you leave a situation that is holding you back and you start betting on yourself? Anything becomes possible in the case of today’s guest, Vicki Anstey.

After 20 years in a relationship that limited and stifled her, this former advertising professional, turned fitness pioneer and award-winning entrepreneur, became (at age 41) one of the first ever women to participate in Channel 4’s ‘SAS Who Dares Wins’, reaching the final stages after 11 days in extreme conditions at an altitude of 3,000ft in Chile.

In 2021, she and two other women, the Girls Who Dare, set a new World Record for rowing unaided across the Pacific Ocean, confronting her fear of deep, open water to do so. It took 60 days, 17 hours and 6 minutes.

Her most recent endeavor was a five day race in one of the northernmost, remote parts of the world, The Arctic. She covered a distance of over 230km in temperatures of -35 degrees, carrying everything she needed to survive.

Up next? She and a team of three other women (Four the Record) are tackling the World’s Toughest Bike Race, the Race Across America (RAAM), covering 3,000 miles across 17 states in just 7 days. They are attempting to break the women’s world record in this event.

On paper, Vicki is an avid adventurer, but her biggest achievements are less about the adventures, and more about her self-discovery. In times of adversity and extreme difficulty, Vicki learned to tap into her self-reliance, trust, and emotional endurance.

Today, Vicki shares her personal story with Sara, including:

• Her career changes and personal growth from advertising executive to entrepreneur
• How she followed her gut instincts, which led to Vicki opening the first Barre studio in the UK
• The personal and professional growth that stemmed from leaving her controlling relationship
• Her transformation from “non-athlete” to extreme adventurer
• Overcoming her personal fears and adapting to challenges in all of her experiences
• Lessons learned from her personal and physical adversity
• Honing the skill of emotional endurance, which involves understanding, processing, and letting go of emotions, rather than just tolerating them
• Developing the muscles of self-reliance, mental toughness, and resilience, especially in times of turmoil and extreme personal difficulty
• What's next? Another World Record attempt at RAAM and how you can help

Vicki’s story is one of wild bravery and self-knowledge, but her true wisdom comes from her own internal journey and ability to understand her strengths, remain emotionally resilient, and overcome her fears. These are the skills that make her incredible achievements all the more inspirational.

Vicki Anstey Website

Vicki's Instagram

Four the Record RAAM Website

Four the Record Instagram

Join the Feisty Winter Training Programs:

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Sign up to Receive The Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter:

Feisty Women's Performance Newsletter: https://livefeisty.com/newsletters/feisty-womens-performance/

Follow us on Instagram:

@feisty_womens_performance

Support our Partners:

Momentous: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com/ and use promo code PERFORMANCE for up to 35% off your first order

Wahoo: Learn more about Wahoo Fitness Products at: https://wahoofitness.pxf.io/0GAByR

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/

Hettas: Use code STAYFEISTY for 20% off at https://hettas.com/

Orca: Use the code FEISTY15 for 15% off at https://orca.avln.me/c/HzUkzIfxsmYo