This week on Hurdle, Emily is joined by Elyse Kopecky—three-time New York Times best-selling author, educator, and co-author of the Run Fast, Eat Slow cookbook series with Olympian Shalane Flanagan—for a conversation that dives deep into the power of real food and the journey of turning personal struggle into a successful, mission-driven career. Elyse opens up about her intense personal history with a low-fat diet mentality as a young athlete, which led to severe health complications like athletic amenorrhea, low bone density, and stress fractures. She shares the pivotal moment in her 30s—while living abroad—when she realized that simply introducing healthy fats like butter and high-quality dairy allowed her body to heal and regulate naturally.

We discuss the key to her philosophy: Indulgent Nourishment, which promotes celebrating whole, delicious food as the true opposite of deprivation. Elyse shares why focusing on real food, rather than counting macros or calories, is the best path to a healthier life. We also dive into the non-negotiable role healthy fats play in hormonal and brain health, how to spot misleading packaging on food labels, and the truth about high-protein fads and refined white flour. She also talks about the full-circle journey of leaving a successful corporate career at Nike to go to culinary school, and ultimately launching her own company.

OFFER
You can snag a coupon code for 15% off your Superhero Muffins order by using HURDLE15 at checkout, here.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

• “Raising kids that are watching me do something that I’m so passionate about is the biggest gift of all in this whole career journey.”

• “I think so many Americans have no idea how good you can feel.”

• On her philosophy: "You don't need to stress about like measuring things and counting macros, all you need to do is get in your kitchen and cook."

• “Real food does not cause weight gain. Let’s just like stop even thinking that.”

• On the longevity of her message: "I think that's why our books continue to sell well is because the nutrition messaging is still upholding 10 years later."

• “You’ll have a horrible stomach ache if you eat when you’re super stressed.”

• On her pivot: "I think if I had known what I know now about the world of grocery and retail and how complex it is, I probably never would have started the company. But I think it's always been my thing like I jump into it."

• On the surprising benefit of her injury struggles: “Sometimes those lowest points of your life ... will teach you the biggest lessons. So your low points or your failures can become your greatest success in life.”

IN THIS EPISODE

• Pivoting to CPG: The decision to launch the direct-to-consumer Superhero Muffins baking mix.

• The Low-Fat Lie: Elyse's experience suffering from athletic amenorrhea, low bone density, and stress fractures due to not eating enough healthy fats.

• The Power of Real Fat: Why healthy fats (like butter and olive oil) are essential for hormone balance, brain health, satiation, and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins.

• Dieting & Deprivation: How to shift the mindset from deprivation to "Indulgent Nourishment".

• Label Literacy: What red flags to look for on ingredient lists, including artificial sugars, refined flours, natural flavorings, and cheap protein fillers like refined gluten.

• Protein Obsession: Why high-protein diets are often overdone and the importance of balanced meals that include healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.

• Gut Health & Stress: How high stress and not eating during a "rest and digest" state can destroy your digestion and prevent nutrient absorption.

• Stress Combatting Tip: Using movement—like a short walk or quick sprint—to lower cortisol levels before sitting down for a meal.

• The Entrepreneurial Grind: The challenges of launching a small food brand against major competitors with large marketing budgets.

• Career Resilience: The journey from a successful career at Nike, to a culinary school detour, and finally finding her passion.

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There's a lot going on right now, and I'm catching you all up on what's happening with me and the stuff I've been navigating this week. Plus: Answering a listener question on how to get better quality sleep, and the difference between quality and quantity.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Expert Tips For a Better Night's Sleep

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This week, I’m sitting down with Seema Simmons, the General Manager of Running for North America at Nike. Seema’s path to the this role, 25 years in at Nike, has been anything but straight. She shares her journey from playing team sports and loving group fitness to pivoting away from an engineering major in college, and ultimately finding her dream role in Oregon.

In this inspiring and candid conversation, Seema discusses how her background in team sports shaped her unique leadership style, the lessons she learned from trusting her instincts (even when it was scary), and how she juggles a demanding career while prioritizing her role as a mother. Plus, she opens up about the challenge of being a quiet leader in a loud room, the power of embracing vulnerability, and Nike's commitment to making running more inclusive for women.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The unexpected journey from studying engineering to becoming a GM at Nike, and the hard conversation with her parents that led to a major pivot.
• The handwritten note from her mom that gave her the courage to trust her own intuition and pursue a different path.
• How her background in team sports shaped her leadership style, emphasizing hard work, teamwork, and knowing your role.
• Moving from a finance role into product development and the lesson of empowering your team by letting go of the need to be the "expert" in the room.
• Finding balance between a busy career and motherhood, and the "loud" message of women sacrificing family for work.
• The importance of being an authentic, quiet leader in a corporate environment and balancing that with stepping into your power.
• Nike’s approach to making running more inclusive and less intimidating, especially for women, and thinking "big" with audacious goals.
• Why passion and building a strong family-like culture is key to a long career in the sports industry.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

Self-Worth and Authenticity

"We have to remind ourselves that we're worthy, we're good, we don't have to keep proving ourselves."

"I think it's about combining your authentic self with understanding how you need to show up in those environments."

"I want people to remember is, 'Wow, she made an amazing point.' I want the words that I share to have that impact versus 'she talked the whole time.'"

Career, Strategy, and Trusting Your Path

"Trust your gut and go with it, and then have fun with that journey, honestly."

"You get out what you put in, and you learn that really quickly in sports."

"The job of a leader is really empowering your team... and driving the strategy [versus] being in the weeds and the details."

Family and Balance

"At the end of the day, my priority is to be a mom."

"I think that just kind of hopefully will be something that they take away with them, [that] they know that my girls actually recognize that as they were growing up."

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Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Sharing the lessons in the aftermath of an unfortunate mistake earlier this week, plus answering a listener question on whether or not everyone could be a morning person. Plus: If morning workouts feel particularly hard for you, this could be the reason.

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This week, Emily's sitting down with Olympic Gold Medalist, professional volleyball player, founding athlete for League One Volleyball, and co-owner of Love Nebraska, Jordan Larson. A lot has happened since our first chat in 2021. Jordan dives deep into the personal and professional work that has allowed her to maintain elite performance over an impressive 16+ season career. "The Governor" (Jordan's nickname) opens up about the immense internal work required to evolve from being a quiet "leader by action" to a vocal and empathetic captain for her team.

Jordan also shares her experience navigating a difficult personal period, including a divorce, and how she learned to separate her self-worth from her on-court performance. It's a candid conversation about finding inner peace, the importance of "failing fast" to learn, and her excitement for growing the future of women’s volleyball in the United States through ventures like Love Nebraska and League One Volleyball. This is a masterclass in resilience, leadership, and the power of continual evolution.

In This Episode:

• 16+ Seasons of Elite Performance: Jordan shares what still excites her about lacing up and how she remains a student of the sport after almost two decades.
• The Evolution of Leadership: We discuss the shift from being a "leader by action" to a vocal, empathetic captain who builds deeper connections with her teammates.
• Beyond the White Lines: Why true success and team cohesion require knowing the person behind the athlete, not just their on-court skill.
• The Hardest Hurdle: Jordan opens up about the immense internal work required to find peace and process her divorce, and how she used that time to define her self-worth outside of volleyball.
• Failing Fast: The necessity of taking risks in practice and the importance of a "goldfish mindset" for quick failure and recovery.
• Love Nebraska and League One Volleyball: Her passion for growing the sport domestically and the importance of creating opportunities for female athletes to thrive at home.
• Advice to Her Younger Self: The importance of being able to sit in the hard, uncomfortable feelings instead of running from them.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

🥇 On Success, Self-Worth, and Longevity

• “How do I help others around me believe that they are unstoppable?”
• “There’s moments of time in my career that I burnout was real and I was like maybe this is time to step away.”
• “I think the fastest you fail, the more you learn.”

🧘 On Inner Peace and Healing

• “I really started building myself up. Lots of therapy, and I feel like today I’m in a place of just loving myself and finding inner peace and learning that that is actually the true happiness.”
• “I think I would go back to tell myself that like it’s gonna hurt, but that doesn’t mean that that’s wrong. That even in the pain and the hurt, it’s okay to sit in it.”

🏐 On Leadership and Team Dynamics

• “It’s not just about what’s happening between the white lines. It’s about how I get to know my teammates, how I’m showing up for them.”

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Special episode popping into your feed today, live from Every Woman's Marathon, featuring Molly Huddle and Des Linden. Huddle's a 2x Olympian, and recently toed the line in Scottsdale for her first marathon since having her second child six months ago. Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon Champion and fellow Olympian, recently ran the TCS New York City Marathon alongside first-timer Anthony Ramos. 

In this conversation, Huddle and Linden get candid about the highs and lows of training and competing, offering advice on how to conquer big goals while remaining honest and compassionate with yourself.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Molly Huddle’s first marathon back postpartum
• Des Linden’s experience running the New York City Marathon alongside Anthony Ramos
• How to conquer the “pain cave” during a hard race
• The importance of self-compassion and being honest with yourself
• Mental strategies for running a marathon (staying present, embracing the challenge)
• The significance of celebrating the small wins
• Advice for first-time marathoners
• QUOTABLE MOMENTS

On Mental Toughness & The Pain Cave

• "You're stronger than you think." – Des Linden (as parting advice to the audience)
• "You didn't train so that this would be something easy. You trained so you'd be prepared for when it got difficult." – Des Linden
• "The best thing to do for that [the pain cave] is to just stay in the moment." – Molly Huddle
• "When you cross the finish line, you're going to just have that tool in your pocket of like, 'Look what I did, look what I can do.'" – Molly Huddle

On Strategy & Planning

• "I like to just think bottle to bottle ... you can pretend you're starting over again." – Molly Huddle 
• "Stay here... You're strong... Hang on." – Molly Huddle 
• "What can I get out of something that's not going my way?" – Des Linden 
• "If it was easy, everyone would do it." – Emily Abbate 

On Life, Balance, and Identity

• "This year I will have made a baby, ran a marathon, and I'm like writing a book. Like, what's wrong with me? Like, why am I feeling like that's not enough stuff?" – Molly Huddle
• "You put in work, and you stay committed, and have this self-belief, and if you keep looking forward, there's always things to tackle that are out in front of you." – Des Linden

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Team Milk

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Talking about why it was a good call for me to forgo my annual turkey trot in favor of taking it easy. Also, answering a listener question about hot to get more comfortable lifting weights.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Future, my personal training app

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On this week's episode of Hurdle, Emily sits down with professional runner Sara Hall. Sara is an athlete whose longevity, incredible range, and commitment to the sport are truly inspiring. She's also the only American athlete in history to win USATF National Titles in both the mile and the marathon.

Recorded in New York City on the weekend of the TCS New York City Marathon, this conversation highlights the depth of her incredible career. In it, Sara opens about her journey, the perseverance required for success, and the mental fortitude it takes to navigate the inevitable challenges—whether that’s a tough injury cycle, the complexities of competition, or even online critics.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The Power of Perseverance: We dive into the grit required for a long and successful professional running career.

• Love Over Fear: Sara opens up about the decision to adopt four children from Ethiopia and how that was rooted in choosing love over fear. The adoption included four girls, ages 5 to 15, all at once.

• The Emotional Tax of Sport: Sara discusses how to navigate the mental fortitude required to deal with challenges like injury cycles, competition complexities, and online criticism.

• Doping & Disappointment: Sara shares how she copes with the deep emotional tax of competing against athletes who were later disqualified for doping.

• Learning from Failure: She reveals how her biggest failure—coming in last at a US Championships—was actually a profound turning point in her life, helping her understand God's unconditional love.

• The Meaning of the Grind: Sara talks about what the "grind" means to her specifically at this chapter in her life, and her upcoming book, For the Love of the Grind.

• Rebounding: Sara shares her advice for moving on from big disappointments, including "slamming a bunch of coffee" and setting a new goal.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

On Resilience and Perseverance

• "I want to be good period, not just good for my age."
• "What you speak over yourself is powerful."

On Motherhood and Family

• "We just chose love over fear... it was just like closing your eyes and jumping off a cliff and just choosing faith."

• "The word 'Berchi' [Amharic for 'Be Strong']... I was like, I want them to be like keep their Ethiopian toughness."

• "When you're happier, you run better."

On Identity and Self-Worth

• "You have to really have a love for the process, and an excitement to just continue to believe in what you're doing that holds you through all of it."

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Talking about the importance of prioritizing yourself in order to handle when things get crazy, whether that's in a busy work season or the holiday craze. Also, answering a listener question on the protein craze and how much you really need, and the dangers of the protein craze.

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Welcome Kate Martin to Hurdle! This week on the show, the WNBA player for the Golden State Valkyries and Unrivaled competitor takes us on a deep dive into what it takes to thrive in the professional game, sharing how she's constantly evolving both on and off the court. Kate opens up about the major adjustments she’s made since leaving college—not just to the rigorous WNBA schedule, but to her own mindset. She discusses the chaotic travel and the importance of finding those small windows to optimize her body, sharing the hydration and mobility hacks that are her non-negotiable recovery tools.

Martin gets honest about her struggles with negative self-talk and how the identity of being the "glue" teammate actually helps her play better. Plus, Kate talks about the mental and physical comeback from a devastating ACL tear, explaining why that difficult experience taught her how to be a cheerleader first—a skill that has shaped her entire career.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The Post-College Grind: How she manages the WNBA travel schedule by prioritizing mobility work and drip-drop hydration (electrolyte packets) on every flight to combat dehydration and stay ready for immediate workouts.
• The Power of NIL: Her personal experience navigating the NIL landscape in college, and the hilarious story of how she was completely blindsided by her own draft pick while expecting to be fully focused on supporting Caitlin Clark.
• The Best Version of an Athlete: Why she is focused on becoming a more well-rounded player by working on attacking the rim and being consistent when shooting under fatigue.
• Adversity as Fuel: Why she views her major ACL injury in college as the "best thing that ever happened to me" because it taught her empathy and the importance of showing up as a great teammate.
• Personal Identity: Why being labeled an "underdog" doesn't bother her, and why she is okay with the balance of being a great athlete and a great person who prioritizes her family.
• Simple Wellness: Her simple, non-negotiable wellness routine, which includes chicken, rice, and cold tubs for physical and mental reset.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

On self-talk:
"I would definitely say that [negative self-talk] is still a work in progress for sure. I would sit here and tell every single one of my teammates, 'Don't be so hard on yourself, negative self-talk is terrible, it benefits nothing.'"

On what she sees in the mirror:
"I want people to see a good person who cares about her teammates and who is a lot more than just a basketball player."

On coming back from injury:
"If you have a bad day, that's okay, too. Because you're going to have bad days... and you're going to eventually start trending upwards if you continue to do the right things."

On coming back after a loss:
“You cannot linger in the past, you really just got to keep pushing and looking forward. You have to have that goldfish mentality."

SOCIAL

@kate.martin
@hurdlepodcast
@emilyabbate
@iheartwomenssports

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ASK ME A QUESTION: Email [email protected] to with your questions! Emily answers them every Friday on the show. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.