FIERCE Athlete Podcast

You are more than an Athlete...you are LIMITLESS! Growing up, and even today, many of us are labeled as "an athlete", and while we are so proud of this, there is so much more to us than what we do on a track, or field, or in a pool; maybe it's drawing, or music, or like Sam, BIRDS! Whatever it is, we have been created for beauty and to discover the true, the good, and the beautiful in sport, but also in the amazing world around us. Sam and Britt talk about their experiences with labels, and breaking free to discover some really cool things that the world has to offer. So grab a buddy to listen with or throw us on while you're on a run, and enjoy! Feel free to share what brings you joy outside of sport! Tag us #iammorethan @fierceathlete

Takeaway:
Go on a Beauty Quest. 

How to share this:
Bring someone along on a beauty quest, or do something that brings them fully alive!

Support the show

You are  more than a number on a scale, a body fat %, or your eating habits. As women, and especially as athletes, we are hyper aware of our weight and body make up. We struggle with over eating, under eating, comparison, and false standards. Britt and Sam break down this sensitive topic, speaking into their own experiences, but also providing insight into the beauty of our bodies, not matter the weight, and how to have a healthy view of how we look. 

Resources:
If you know someone struggling with disordered eating here are some resources that can help:
https://catholicmentalhealth.org/eating-disorders
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support
https://thecatholicwoman.co/letterstowomen/finding-my-worth-amidst-an-eating-disorder

Takeaway:
Mediate with 1 Corintians 6:19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body."

How to Share This:
If you see a friend struggling, talk to them about it. Don't try to fix them, but walk alongside them in their struggle and help them get help. See resources above for a start!

Support the show

Failure is a natural, but brutal part of sport. Ultimately, it helps us get better, but it definitely hurts in the process. This week, we talk about the times in sport and life we have faced failure. We hope to provide you with some advice and tips in order to turn your failures into your greatest drivers for growth, because you are more than your mistakes and failures...you are perfectly imperfect. 

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.  - Michael Jordan

Takeaway:
Pick a statement to help you combat negative cyclical thinking and refocus you on the game

How to share this:
Be an encouragement to others. Help them focus on "making the next play".

Support the show

While once reserved for athlete's sporting accomplishments, everyone has access to a highlight reel today through social media. Britt and Sam dive into the world of social media and how it affects our performance, self image, and view of others. You'll also learn Britt's fun "nickname" and enjoy a few laughs with us! So press play during a workout, invite a friend to listen in and discuss, and join us for episode 4, because you are more than a highlight reel...you are loved as you are. 

Takeaway:
Take a fast from social media, or learn to praise God for others accomplishments.
Start a Gratitude Journal- write 3 new things you are thankful for everyday.

How to share this:
Invite someone else into a fast with you.
Start a Gratitude Journal with someone else. 

Support the show

You are more than your injury. Injury can be one of the toughest and yet most common realities of women's sports. Whether it be a concussion, sprained ankle, tendinitis, or a torn ACL, most of us have experienced injury. Between the two of them, Britt and Sam have 20 surgeries, so they are no stranger to the struggle. They speak into their own experiences, giving practical advice and new perspective as to how to both navigate and use our injuries to make ourselves and those around us stronger. So share with a friend whose injured, or listen and bring new light and healing to an injury you've had. Either way, you'll really enjoy the practical tips offered as to how injury can actually bring us closer to Christ.

Takeaway:
Reflect on how your injury can bring your closer to Christ.
Find your role on your team while injured.

How to share this:
Offer your injury, rehab, and suffering up for someone else who is injured, having a hard time, or just needs your prayers. 

Support the show

You are more than your view of your body. As athletes our bodies come in all shapes and sizes, often times reflecting our sport; whether it be soccer thighs, swimming shoulders, or runners legs. However, our views of our bodies range from body hate to body pride, causing us to view our bodies as tools, or something we can manipulate. Britt and Sam talk about their own struggles with their view of their bodies, and how those views have been redeemed.

We want to honor our bodies, in order to perform, not get caught up in how we look. We need to realize we are beautiful! We are made in the image and likeness of God! We are designed as athletic. So grab a friend, take a listen during a workout, and lets learn the true nature of our beauty.

Takeaway:
Body Scan
Start at the top of your head, and body part by body part go down to your toes, and with every body part ask yourself this question, "Do I like this part of my body?" Be honest- it can be tough. But don't stop there. Next but yourself in the Lords presence, and go body part by body part and ask him, "Jesus, do you love this part of my body?" (His answer is always yes!)

Mirror Exercise: "This Body, is loved, by God" Breathing exercise

How to Share:
Watch and Listen for the pattern of self critique in others. Compliment them on their beauty, turn the conversation to the positive, and invite them to do the Body Scan with you. 

Support the show

You are more than your performance. Everything we do as athletes comes down to performance- whether its wins or losses, time clocked, our play at practice, how much we lift, or what we do off the field. As such, we can easily get caught up in the ups and downs of sport day to day. Sam and Britt, offer practical advice to avoid this. They share how your true identity lies in being a Daughter of God. Ironically, realizing this truth as athletes actually helps us "perform" at our highest potential. So grab a teammate, listen on a run, and join us as we begin Season 3!

Because you are more than your performance...you are a Daughter of God.

Practical Takeaway:
You were made in my Image Genesis 1:27
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I knew you even before you were conceived.   Jeremiah 1:4-5
I knit you together in your mother's womb.   Psalm 139:13
And You are fearfully and wonderfully made.   Psalm 139:14
For I am the perfect father.   Matthew 5:48
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.   1 John 3:1
And I rejoice over you with singing.   Zephaniah 3:17 

How to share this: Compliment someone, a teammate or friend, on something other than their performance. If you see them getting caught up in the up and down emotion of sport, encourage them and share where their identity really lies. 

Support the show

We are living, playing, and competing in interesting times. Whether your season has been cancelled, changed, modified, or put on hold due to COVID, injury, or other unforeseen circumstances, this podcast is for you. Erin Yenney, current professional soccer player, joins us to talk about how the uncertainty of her professional career, but also how this specific time has shaped her outlook on sport, faith and life. She shares her own journey, as well as offers some amazing advice as to how to properly view, deal with, and receive the uncertainties of our sports careers and lives! Join us for a dynamic discussion. Know you are not alone, and are a part of this FIERCE family! We are all in this together.

Show quotes:

"You are rewarded not according to your work or your time but according to the measure of your love"- St Catherine of Siena

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart. - Proverbs 3:3

Support the show

Confidence is something that every athlete needs in order to be at the top of their game, and yet it is something that we all seem to struggle with. Former Notre Dame and 7 time professional soccer player, Brittany Bock, joins us to talk about her journey with confidence. Sam and Britt engage in a dynamic discussion, sharing their own experiences with injury, comparison, overcoming failure, and learning that true confidence is Trust. It takes a tremendous amount of confidence to reach the career level Brittany did, so we end the podcast with some GREAT practical tips for athletes to grow in confidence in their sport and beyond! 

Support the show

"Ugh its that time of the month again" is our usual reaction to our periods, but what if coming to understand our fertility cycles as women can not only help us appreciate how our bodies were designed but also help us with our sport training and performance? 

Join host, Samantha Kelley, as she interviews fertility care specialist Marie DiCecco. Marie was a health education teacher for 35 years, coached college sports, and is a Fertility Care Practitioner teaching the Creighton Model. Her unique knowledge and wit provides us, the athlete, with insights into our menstrual cycles and how they relate to performance, how to track and know our fertility better, how to identify and treat potential problems, the truth about the Pill, and the reality and risks of the female athlete triad. If you are an athlete or know an athlete, you won't want to miss this episode. We guarantee you will be shocked at how cool the female body is, and how much we can learn from it and celebrate it!

Are you interested in learning more about YOUR specific cycle?
Contact Marie at [email protected] 

As always if there is anything you have questions about or need please email us at [email protected]

Support the show