"A lot of us were really struggling with our own issues, particularly related to issues with eating disorders, issues with body image that sort of thing, myself included. and I think unknowingly I was kind of passing it on to my teammates," shares Julianne Morse, or Coach Jules as she's known these days! 

Morse joined the Wheaton Lyons women's cross country and track team as a walkon athlete her freshman year. She competed through injuries, setbacks related to REDs, and struggles with body image. She found support in both a therapist and a dietitian, connecting with Boston's Female Athlete Clinic, and eventually ran major PRs in her 5K and 10K events. Despite what was considered a career-ending injury during her senior year, she's stuck with the sport and continues to advocate for her care so she can, hopefully, get back out on the run soon. She's now a Graduate Assistant Coach at University of Wisconsn-Platteville, where she's also pursuing her Master's degree in Sports Administration. 

We talked about: 

• not being the fastest runner in high school, and reaching out to the Wheaton coach asking to be the team photographer...which turned into her own spot on the XC and T&F teams
• struggling with disordered eating, body image, and amenorrhea during her freshman and sophomore years of college
• connecting with both a therapist and dietitian who supported her to come back to the sport and stay injury-free for over 2 years
• the injury that ended her season, and her D1 committ to Niagara University
• her decision to coach as a Graduate Assistant Coach at University of Wisconsin-Plattevile
• her future plans and ambitions as both a coach and an athlete

If you're struggling with REDs, body image, underfueling, digestive issues, or resonate with any of Julianne's story, we have a directory of women's health and sport clinicians ready to support you. Go to Lane9project.org/Directory and find a clinician that feels like the right-fit for you. We're happy to help! If you have questions, contact us via Lane9project at gmail dot com. 

For show notes, a full transcript (via email/PDF), and more work that we're doing in Lane 9, head to Lane9project.org. 

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