In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole is joined by sport scientist, strength and conditioning coach, and researcher Tzlil Shushan to discuss submaximal fitness testing and how practitioners can better monitor training response in women's football.

Tzlil shares insights from his research exploring how simple, repeatable fitness assessments can provide meaningful information about an athlete's cardiovascular fitness throughout the season without the need for exhaustive maximal testing.

The conversation explores how submaximal fitness testing can fit into the realities of a team sport environment, how practitioners can interpret heart rate responses, and why monitoring athlete response may be just as important as monitoring external training load.

Topics include:

• The difference between maximal and submaximal fitness testing • Why team sport environments need practical monitoring solutions • Continuous versus intermittent submaximal testing protocols • How to select an appropriate testing intensity • Exercise heart rate and heart rate recovery as monitoring tools • The impact of environmental factors on heart rate responses • What current research suggests about menstrual cycle effects on submaximal testing outcomes • Using football-specific passing drills as monitoring tools • The relationship between internal and external training load • Practical recommendations for implementing submaximal fitness testing in women's football

Tzlil also discusses ongoing research in female football players and shares how practitioners can begin implementing simple monitoring systems that provide meaningful insights without adding unnecessary complexity.

If you work in sport science, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, or performance, this episode provides a practical framework for improving athlete monitoring and understanding training response.

In this solo episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole shares a personal and professional update on her recent transition into the role of Director of Medical and Performance for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL.

Nicole discusses the recruitment process, why she decided to return to a team environment, and the factors that ultimately led her and her husband to relocate from Phoenix to Orlando. She also reflects on the challenges of moving across the country, balancing professional opportunities with personal priorities, and the realities that often exist behind major career decisions.

The conversation also explores how the NWSL has evolved since Nicole's previous experience with OL Reign, including increased resources, larger support staffs, improved facilities, and the growing need for strong leadership and communication systems within health and performance departments.

Topics include:

• The process of accepting a leadership role in the NWSL • Why fit matters more than title when evaluating opportunities • The realities of relocating for professional sport • Returning to a collaborative team environment • The role of a Director of Medical and Performance • Building systems and supporting staff development • How the NWSL has changed over the past several years • Communication and leadership within larger performance departments • The growth and professionalization of women's football • What's next for Femme Football Collective

Nicole also provides an overview of the upcoming Soccer Performance Support Summit, including the conference theme, featured speakers, and the importance of creating opportunities for education and collaboration across men's and women's soccer.

Whether you work in sport, are considering a career transition, or are passionate about the future of women's football, this episode offers an inside look at leadership, growth, and the next chapter of Nicole's journey.

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole is joined by Dan Kadlec, researcher and lecturer at Edith Cowan University, to challenge one of the most widely accepted approaches to injury prevention in sport.

Dan recently co-authored the paper Warm Up is Not a Workout, which critiques the reliance on structured warm-up programs for reducing ACL injury risk. In this conversation, he explains why these programs may have a role for young or untrained athletes but fall short in preparing elite athletes for the demands of sport.

This episode explores the gap between research, messaging, and real-world physical preparation, and why long-term strength and conditioning remains the foundation of athlete health and performance.

Topics include:

• Why warm-up programs have a ceiling effect for injury prevention • The difference between preparation and adaptation • Why something is better than nothing is not enough • The importance of progressive overload and long-term training • Strength as the foundation of resilience and durability • Why the basics are often overlooked in female athletes • The impact of early athletic development and training history • Misconceptions around training female athletes • Why chasing new trends can distract from effective methods • What a sustainable physical preparation model should look like

Dan also discusses how limited access to quality training environments in the women's game contributes to injury risk and why expectations for female athletes need to shift.

This episode is essential listening for practitioners in sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sport science, and coaching who want to rethink how they approach injury prevention and physical preparation.

JOIN THE COLLECTIVE:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@femmefootballcollective

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femme-football-collective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femmefc

Website: https://femmefc.com

Continue your learning at the Soccer Performance Support Summit this June in New Jersey! Learn from and connect with practitioners across the NWSL, MLS, and NCAA!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole is joined by Kat Okholm Kryger, a researcher with UEFA, to break down the current state of research in women's football and what still needs to be done to truly support the women's game with high-quality evidence.

Kat shares insights from her work connecting researchers and practitioners, highlighting how research questions should come directly from the needs of the football environment and be translated into practical tools that can be applied on the pitch.

This conversation explores where the evidence base is strong, where it is lacking, and how common narratives in women's football are not always supported by the research.

Topics include:

• The current landscape of research in women's football and key gaps • Why injury research dominates and what is still missing • Why we cannot simply apply research from the men's game • The difference between lack of evidence and evidence that does not support a claim • Menstrual cycle research and common misconceptions in practice • The reality of ACL injury trends and the "epidemic" narrative • Why prevention strategies exist but are not consistently implemented • The importance of translating research into practical application • Barriers between researchers and practitioners • Future priorities for research including global representation and better quality studies

Kat also discusses the role of technology in women's football, including equipment design, football boots, and how poor fit can impact both performance and injury risk.

This episode is essential listening for practitioners in sports medicine, sport science, strength and conditioning, and coaching who want to better understand how to apply evidence-based practice in women's football.

👉 Subscribe to Femme FC for more conversations connecting research, performance, and women's football.

✨ Femme Football Collective: Elevating the Game, Empowering the Experts.

JOIN THE COLLECTIVE:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@femmefootballcollective

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femme-football-collective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femmefc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FemmeFootballCollective

Website: https://femmefc.com

Continue your learning at the Soccer Performance Support Summit this June in New Jersey! Learn from and connect with practitioners across the NWSL, MLS, and NCAA!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole is joined by Rachel Woodland, Head of Client Engagement at The Nxt Level Group and Assistant Coach for Fulham Women, to explore leadership in elite sport and what it takes to move from practitioner to effective leader.

Rachel brings experience working across sport, business, and leadership development, and shares insights into what separates strong leaders from technical experts. This conversation challenges the common assumption that the best practitioners automatically make the best leaders and instead focuses on the skills, behaviors, and experiences required to lead effectively.

The discussion also explores how leadership can be developed over time, the importance of self-awareness and reflective practice, and how organizations can better identify and support future leaders.

Topics include:

• Key traits of effective leaders including adaptability, communication, and authenticity • Why being a technical expert does not automatically translate to leadership success • Common challenges when transitioning from practitioner to leadership roles • The importance of time management, delegation, and communication as a leader • How to develop leadership skills through experience, reflection, and mentorship • Emotional regulation and its role in decision making and trust • How to build self-awareness and use tools like reflective practice and feedback • Why varied experiences are critical for leadership development • What effective leadership looks like in high-performance environments • How organizations should evaluate and hire leaders in elite sport

This episode is essential listening for practitioners in sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sport science, and coaching who are looking to step into leadership roles or improve their impact within a team.

👉 Subscribe to Femme FC for more conversations connecting research, performance, and women's football.

✨ Femme Football Collective: Elevating the Game, Empowering the Experts.

JOIN THE COLLECTIVE:

Website: https://femmefc.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@femmefootballcollective

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femme-football-collective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femmefc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FemmeFootballCollective

Continue your learning at the Soccer Performance Support Summit this June in New Jersey! Learn from and connect with practitioners across the NWSL, MLS, and NCAA!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole is joined by world-renowned sports scientist Jo Clubb, founder of Global Performance Insights and former performance staff member at Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Jo has worked across multiple professional sports including football, the NFL, and the NHL, and now focuses on helping teams and practitioners translate sports science data into practical decision making.

In this conversation, Jo explains why collecting more data isn't always the answer and how practitioners can build smarter monitoring systems that actually improve athlete performance and availability.

The discussion walks through a practical framework for sport scientists, performance directors, and medical staff working in women's football who are trying to decide:

What should we measure? Why should we measure it? And what will we actually do with the information?

Topics covered include:

• Why sports science is really about translating data into action • A six-stage framework for managing injury risk in sport • How to decide which metrics are worth collecting • The difference between profiling and monitoring athletes • Using load monitoring to support performance rather than restrict it • Balancing the value of data against the burden placed on athletes and staff • The importance of player buy-in when collecting monitoring data • How benchmarking physical performance in women's football is evolving

Jo also discusses the FIFA physical benchmarking dashboard created from research analyzing nearly 300 studies and 19,000 women's football players, highlighting key physical qualities associated with higher levels of play.

For practitioners working in sport science, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, or performance leadership roles, this episode provides a clear framework for building effective data systems in women's football environments.

Continue your learning at the Soccer Performance Support Summit this June in New Jersey! Learn from and connect with practitioners across the NWSL, MLS, and NCAA!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

Resources:

Fundamentals of Load Monitoring

https://www.sporthorizon.co.uk/fundamentals-of-load-monitoring

Roe et al paper

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40621-017-0123-x

FIFA Benchmark Dashboard

https://fifawomensdevelopmentprogramme.shinyapps.io/FIFA_Womens_Profiling/

FIFA Benchmark Paper

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-025-02251-0

Global Performance Insights

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@globalperformanceinsights

Website: https://www.globalperformanceinsights.com/

Jo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-clubb-89a285210/

In this solo episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole breaks down practical strategies for building effective health and performance systems in women's football using stewardship theory.

This episode is based on Nicole's dissertation completed as part of her Master's in Sport Directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University, titled What Do Women Need? Developing a Framework for Athlete Health and Performance Structures and Strategies in Elite Women's Football.

As the women's game continues to grow, there is a unique opportunity to design systems that prioritize athlete health, long-term performance, and sustainable success rather than simply replicating models from the men's game.

Nicole introduces stewardship theory as a guiding framework for how medical and performance teams should operate, emphasizing athlete-centered decision making, collaboration, and long-term thinking.

Topics include:

• Why the growth of women's football creates an opportunity to design better systems • What stewardship theory is and why it matters in elite sport • Common challenges in women's football including limited resources and rapid professionalization • Why copying systems from the men's game may lead to the same problems • The importance of shared objectives such as availability, readiness, and performance development • How to structure communication within health and performance teams • The role of trust, consistency, and ethical behavior in building athlete buy-in • Using interdisciplinary collaboration and "pod systems" to improve individualized care • Why athlete education is critical for autonomy and decision making • The importance of continuous professional development and reflective practice

This episode provides a clear, practical framework for practitioners working in sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sport science, and performance leadership roles in women's football.

👉 Subscribe to Femme FC for more conversations connecting research, performance, and women's football.

✨ Femme Football Collective: Elevating the Game, Empowering the Experts.

JOIN THE COLLECTIVE:

Website: https://femmefc.com

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@femmefootballcollective

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femme-football-collective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femmefc

Don't miss the Soccer Performance Support Summit this June!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

Disclaimer: The information presented is not intended as medical advice or a substitute for professional medical care. Please consult an appropriate healthcare provider for individual concerns.

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole sits down with Krysten McCaughey, Registered Dietitian, Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and Sports Dietitian for Angel City FC.

Krysten shares what the role of a sports dietitian actually looks like inside a professional women's soccer team and how nutrition supports every area of player health and performance.

From fueling strategies and recovery nutrition to injury support and supplement safety, Krysten explains how nutrition integrates with medical and performance staff to help athletes train, recover, and compete at the highest level.

This episode breaks down the real nutrition priorities for elite women's soccer players and the common mistakes that lead to under-fueling.

Topics include:

• How nutrition supports performance, recovery, and injury prevention • The biggest barriers to proper fueling in elite athletes • Why carbohydrates are often the most under-fueled macronutrient • Pre-training and pre-match fueling strategies • Recovery nutrition and why carbs matter just as much as protein • How nutrition changes during injury rehabilitation • The most common micronutrient deficiencies in female soccer players • Why supplements should always be third-party tested

Krysten also shares practical advice on fueling around training and matches, supporting vegan athletes, and navigating the confusing world of supplements and nutrition trends.

If you work in sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sport science, or coaching, this episode provides practical insight into how nutrition supports the entire performance ecosystem.

Don't miss the Soccer Performance Support Summit June 20-21, 2026 in New Jersey to learn from and connect with experts working in elite soccer.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

👉 Subscribe to Femme FC for more conversations connecting research, performance, and women's football.

✨ Femme Football Collective: Elevating the Game, Empowering the Experts.

JOIN THE COLLECTIVE:

Website: https://femmefc.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@femmefootballcollective

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femme-football-collective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femmefc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FemmeFootballCollective

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole sits down with Catarina Bajanca, Lead Sports Scientist for Benfica Women's Football, to break down how she individualizes weekly training loads inside a team sport environment.

Catarina shares her philosophy on using match demands as the anchor point for planning, how she integrates GPS and heart rate data, and how she balances volume and intensity across clean and congested weeks. She explains how Benfica uses Catapult GPS and Firstbeat heart rate monitors, how they apply TRIMP and RPE, and how they adjust when players do not hit target metrics.

This conversation is a masterclass in contextualizing data rather than chasing numbers.

Topics include:

• Using match demands to build weekly training targets • Two to three times match distance and high speed targets across the week • Why sprint exposure above 90 to 95 percent max speed matters • Managing congested microcycles and Champions League weeks • Balancing volume versus intensity across the season • Most demanding periods and worst case scenario windows • When not to force a player to hit 90 percent max velocity • Position based reference values and individualized targets • Internal load monitoring using TRIMP and RPE • Building actionable post match reports for coaching staff

If you work in sport science, performance, rehab, or coaching, this episode will challenge you to think beyond raw numbers and plan with context.

Do not miss the Soccer Performance Support Summit June 20 to 21, 2026 in New Jersey

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soccer-performance-support-summit-tickets-1625338644639?aff=oddtdtcreator

In this episode of the Femme FC Podcast, Nicole is joined by Nichola Renwick, Senior Research Associate at the University of Portsmouth, whose work focuses on breast biomechanics and sports bra design.

Nichola breaks down what breast biomechanics actually is, how breasts move during sport, and why breast support should be considered a performance, health, and injury risk issue rather than just a comfort concern. She explains how breast movement changes during running, cutting, and jumping, and how inadequate support can alter stride length, running efficiency, breathing, ground reaction forces, and even joint loading.

This conversation also explores how breast pain and discomfort influence athlete behavior, confidence, and movement patterns, as well as how cultural norms in women's soccer can shape sports bra choices in ways that do not always align with performance needs.

Topics include:

• What breast biomechanics means and how breast movement is measured

• How breasts move in three directions during sport

• Why larger breast mass increases forces and acceleration

• How poor breast support reduces stride length and running efficiency

• The link between breast support, ground reaction forces, and joint loading

• Psychological and cultural factors influencing sports bra choices

• Compression vs encapsulation vs combination sports bras

• Key design features of high support sports bras

• How clubs can better educate players and staff about breast support

This episode is essential listening for medical staff, performance practitioners, coaches, and anyone working to improve athlete health and performance in women's soccer.