The Female Elite

Episode 020: Meghan O'Leary was gracious enough to chat with The Female Elite Podcast about her path to being a two sport, Division I athlete and then how she became an Olympian is rowing. 

Check out Meghan's bio from her website www.meghanoleary.net :

Meghan O’Leary is a 2016 Olympian, 2017 World Championship silver medalist, and five-time National Team member with the United States Rowing Team. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she was a two-sport student athlete (Volleyball, Softball) and Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia. After obtaining both her Bachelor’s (CLAS ’07) and Master’s (M.Ed ’08) from UVA, she went on to begin a career with ESPN in the Content Production and Programming Departments.

In 2010, Meghan’s career took a dramatic turn after picking up rowing for the first time and falling in love with the sport. After just one year of rowing, she was invited to join the USRowing National Training Center in Princeton, New Jersey. During her time with the National Team, Meghan continued to work part-time with ESPN through the spring of 2013, until deciding to pursue her Olympic rowing career full-time.

Meghan is a three-time World Cup medalist, five-time National Selection Regatta Champion, and has competed in four world championships. At the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, she finished sixth in the women’s double sculls with her partner, Ellen Tomek.

Outside of rowing, Meghan is a professional motivational speaker and entrepreneur. She is the Vice President at InstaViser, where she oversees the Customer Success and Marketing divisions. She is an advocate for women in sports and equality, serving as an ambassador for the Women’s Sports Foundation. Meghan also serves as a Director on the USRowing Board of Directors.

2017 | World Championship Silver Medalist, W2x

2017 | U.S. Lotman Challenge Third Place, W1x

2016 | Olympic Finalist, W2x

2016 | U.S. Olympic Trials Champion, W2x

2015 | World Cup II Silver Medalist, W2x

2014 | World Cup II Silver Medalist, W2x

2013 | World Cup III Bronze Medalist, W2x

2012 | U.S. Olympic Trials 5th Place, W1x

Follow Meghan:

IG: @meghanoleary1

Twitter: @meghanoleary1

Facebook: Meghan O’Leary

Twitter: @TurazoTeam

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com

Episode 019: With the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, I wanted to honor the amazing women in sport. So, I’m launching The Female Elite Olympic and Paralympic Series. This series will share the incredible stories of how these women made it to the Olympic and Paralympic level and what it took to get there.

Michelle Konkoly is a four time Paralympic medalist in the Rio 2016 Games. Gold (50m free, 100m free), silver (34 pt. 4x100m freestyle relay), bronze (34 pt. 4x100m medley relay). She grew up swimming as an able-bodied athlete and competed in high school on state level relay teams. She returned to the sport 2011 after falling out of a window from a five-story dorm building at Georgetown University. She sustained an injury to her spine, a broken foot and a punctured lung. While attending Georgetown University, she won several awards including Most Resilient Female Athlete, The John Hensler Award for Most Improved Female Swimmer, Princeton University’s 'Big Al' Inspirational Swimmer Award and was named in the Big East All-Academic Team. She is currently in medical school at Thomas Jefferson University.

Connect with Michelle:

IG: @michellekonkoly

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com

Episode 018: With the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, I wanted to honor the amazing women in sport. So, I’m launching The Female Elite Olympic and Paralympic Series. This series will share the incredible stories of how these women made it to the Olympic and Paralympic level and what it took to get there.

Cat Osterman is a Team USA softball pitcher out of Houston, TX. She played college ball at The University of Texas, Austin where she led the Longhorns to three Women's College World Series appearances (2003, 2005 & 2006), she earned WCWS all tournament honors two times, was the only three-time winner of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year (2003, 2005 & 2006), a four-time NFCA First-team All American 2005 & 2006, ESPY Award winner as the Top Collegiate Female Athlete 2005 & 2006, four-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, and holds Big 12 record with 25 "Pitcher of the Week" honors.

Osterman is a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2010 World Championship Gold Medalist, as well as, 2006 World Championship Gold Medalist.

Connect with Cat:

IG: @catosterman

Twitter: @catosterman 

FB: @catosterman

USA Softball: @usasoftball

This Is Us Softball:

IG: @thisisussb

Website: www.thisisussoftball.com

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com

The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were suppose to start July 23rd (Olympics) and go through September 5th (Paralympics) this summer but due to COVID-19 they have been rescheduled. 

To celebrate the baddass women of the Olympics and Paralympics, I'm dropping episodes of interviews with past and present Summer and Winter athletes where we get to hear their behind the scenes journey of what it takes to compete at the Olympic and Paralympic level.  

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com

Episode 017: Community

A week of action! How can you be a GREAT member of your community? What can you do to make someone's day? This episode is a call to action for everyone in the Female Elite crew to do what they can to make their communities better. 

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com

Episode 016: Shay is an expert coach and speaker on confidence and mindset for female athletes. Having worked with hundreds of youth female athletes and college teams from across the country, she’s empowered girls from all walks of life to strengthen self-belief to play and live confidently

As the founder of Alpha Girl Soccer Academy, host of the Alpha Girl Soccer Podcast, and Author of the best-selling book “She the Confident,” Shay is widely regarded for her insights on confidence and mindset by soccer parents and coaches around the country.

After overcoming her own struggles of self-doubt and lack of confidence, she knew that it was her life’s calling to provide female athletes with the coaching that she wished she had. Shay is dedicating her life to teaching female athletes how to uncover their greatest superpower of all, allowing them to break free from their limitations and achieve their biggest dreams.

Connect with Coach Shay:

Instagram: @alphagirlsoccer

Facebook: @alphagirlsoccer

Twitter: @shayhaddow

Website: www.alphagirlconfidence.com

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com

Episode 015: I surrender the control of the podcast to two of my athletes for this episode! 

We hear, first hand, what it's like to be a female athlete, why it's important to be surrounded by other young women with similar interests, and the importance of having a safe space to better yourself.

I have gratitude for Liv Daniels and Izzy Waters for writing the outline for this episode, for being open and vulnerable while sharing their experiences, and for not being afraid to DANCE like no one is watching. 

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com

Episode 014: Lindsey Richter tells us how she got into mountain biking and why she is so passionate about the sport. She shares with us the life lessons that mountain biking has taught her and how it helped her through some tough times. 

Lindsey Richter - Director of Inspiration

The founder of Ladies AllRide has a mission: Change women's lives with two wheels and some dirt. Of all her wild life experiences (like being a Reality TV star on the CBS show: Survivor) it was mountain biking that taught Lindsey life is about CREATING yourself, not finding yourself. Now as a world-renowned leader in the women's mountain bike movement, Lindsey spreads her passion for mountain biking across the globe through innovative and inspirational skills camps. Lindsey knows firsthand how mountain biking can change lives and she is a true ambassador for the sport! Her student, Marilyn sums her up best: "Not only is she knowledgeable, she is able to convey that knowledge in a way that makes you understand why you're doing what you're doing. Lindsey is someone who truly enjoys teaching and her energy and enthusiasm for the sport is infectious. The fact that she shreds on a bike, is tireless, funny and fun is just a bonus."

The AllRide Tour: For over a decade, she traveled North America alongside her now ex-husband, longtime pro mountain biker Kirt Voreis, promoting mountain biking as brand ambassadors, skills instructors, and racers. They ran the Fox Racing AllRide Tour, The Santa Cruz Syndicate AllRide Tour and The Specialized AllRide Tour together. They also ran the AllRide Academy kids program where they sponsored and mentored kids to give them life experiences and opportunities on the road and in the bike industry.

Lindsey developed Ladies AllRide in 2013:

During her travels with Kirt, Lindsey noticed a distinct void in women’s participation in mountain biking. She knew from experience how intimidating it can be to go beyond your comfort zone and feel left behind. In 2012 she became determined to find ways to be a voice of encouragement to invite more women into the sport. She began realizing through her own experiences on the bike that mountain biking is a lot like life with ups and downs, finding balance and overcoming challenges.  Once she learned that accomplishments on the bike related to self-esteem and life, this inspired her to educate more women about the beauty of the sport, which led to the Ladies AllRide movement. She has creatively applied that knowledge to her teaching and has a unique way of breaking down skills in an easy to understand, positive and entertaining way. She believes everyone should take a lesson no matter how many years they've been riding. Lindsey says, “I teach people how to give their bikes life and help them develop a deeper relationship with the mountain bike lifestyle. I know firsthand how mountain biking can enrich women's lives and bring so much joy and happiness into their worlds! I must get more women involved with this community!!”

Get in touch with Lindsey:

Website: www.ladiesallride.com

Instagram: @ladiesallride

Facebook: @ladiesallridemountainbikeskills

Keep up to date with The Female Elite:

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: www.thefemaleelite.com

Episode 013: In this episode, I tell you what I have found to be the KEY COMPONENTS to a great sports performance session. With over 15 years of experience training females athletes, I have tried it all and settled on the most sound principles of movement AND I'M SHARING THEM WITH YOU!

Katie earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science from Western Washington University in 2005 and Master of Arts in Sport and Athletic Administration from Gonzaga University in 2013. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

She trains small groups, one-on-one, and adult fitness classes: Bootcamp and High Intensity Cross Training. She specializes in Sports Performance Training for youth athletes and is the director of the Female Elite class. In her free time Katie loves to run, bike, camp, hike, and mountain climb.

Episode 012: As ACL injuries continue to rob us of our season, Brian shares with us his best practices for safely returning athletes to sport after an ACL rupture. He tells us what the process is like, what options athlete's have when it comes to the type of repair they choose, and why sports performance is key for a safe transition to returning to sport. 

Brian earned his BA from the University of Washington and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Eastern Washington University. Brian specializes in orthopedic and sports rehabilitation. Brian combines his unique sports medicine education, his sports background as a player and coach, and his passion for the game to provide cutting-edge therapy and performance training.

Brian has been an adjunct professor teaching in EWU’s Physical Therapy Department since 2007. He was elected a board member for the Private Practice SIG in 2016 and he also proudly serves on the U-District Foundation Board. Brian has provided community educational talks to Washington Trust Bank, SNAP, Wa. State Dept. of Transportation, Leadership Spokane, SYSA, Washington State Employees Credit Union, NE Kiwanis, Morning Star Boys Ranch, Avista, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Lee & Hayes, Gonzaga’s Business School, EWU Exercise Science Department, and Washington Alliance for Physical Education. Brian is Certified as an Emergency Medical Responder and in Applied Functional Science by the Gray Institute.

Contact Brian:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.udistrictpt.com

Instagram: @croninb12

Keep up to date with The Female Elite

Instagram: @female.elite

Facebook: @thefemaleelite

Show Notes: https://thefemaleelite.com