By Alexis Fairbanks and Heather Caplan RDN
4.8
238238 ratings
The podcast currently has 263 episodes available.
Dr. Sarah Lesko is MANY things—a runner, parent, practitioner, and a staunch advocate for female athletes of all ages, devoting her work to getting and keeping girls in sports. We couldn't have been more excited to chat with her, getting the story of her days as a collegiate athlete, why she took more than 15 years off of running and how that actually felt, what happened when she came back to running and met Oiselle's founder Sally Bergesen, and everything in between.
Sarah is now the Executive Director and Board President of the incredible nonprofit, Bras for Girls, which started within Oiselle in 2017 and branched out as its own 501(c)3 in 2021. They have donated over 60,000 sports bras just THIS YEAR to young female athletes, and have even bigger plans for 2025.
Come for all of the things Sarah has done in the sport of running and for female athletes up to this point, but stay for the hot takes, and unfiltered reality checks, on what really needs to happen within the NCAA to protect female athletes and keep them in sports at all levels, for the long run.
Follow Dr. Lesko on Instagram @DrLesko and @brasforgirls. Go to brasforgirls.org to get involved.
To work with Lane 9 and support what we're building for women's health providers and female athletes, go to Lane9Project.org, and follow us on IG @lane9project.
Melissa (Mel) Lodge was a collegiate track and field athlete who had multiple bone stress injuries, and a few providers in her corner that knew exactly what to do to help her navigate REDs. She took her personal experiences and funneled her drive into studying the prevalence of and interventions that may actually help prevent and treat REDs in all levels of sport. She takes time out of her day as a PhD candidate to translate the research into digestible bits on her popular and informative Instagram account, @FED_Collaborative.
We talked to Mel about her athlete journey, and how it's informing the work she's doing now. Tune in for some well-informed hot takes, relatable anecdotes about working with providers, and the latest in her REDs research.
Love this episode and the work we're doing at Lane 9 Project? Leave us some good vibes in the reviews! Or stop by lane9project.org to learn how to work with us.
Follow @Lane9Project on IG, or go to Lane9Project.org/Contact to get in touch.
Emma Kertesz won the 2024 Bayshore Marathon in 2:37, a three and a half minute PR for the seasoned marathoner and Boulder CO resident. She's from Toledo OH, and ran for the University of Toledo. While she describes her collegiate athletic experiences as "tricky", she had a few lucky experiences with a supportive assistant coach that helped her steer clear of disordered eating habits or chasing the thin ideal (especially at the time). She went on to train with the Hanson brothers, and eventually moved out to the mountains. She has a full time job in early education, and is very intentional about her training, nutrition, and periods of rest. She trains with the The Track Club in Boulder, gave a shoutout to Caila Yates of Steady State Nutrition, and keeps a low profile on social media.
We talk about all of this, including what's up next for Kertesz as she trains for Houston 2025, in this episode.
Read more about Emma in the "9 Miles With Emma Kertesz" post on our Substack.
For more about the work Lane 9 Project is doing to improve the menstrual health of female athletes, and reduce REDS, go to lane9project.org. Follow along @lane9project on IG.
We talked to Ann Arbor-based physical therapist, Eliana Lin DPT, about her experience as a collegiate athlete, completing her doctorate in physical therapy with clinical rotations in Division 1 Track and Field programs, and her clinical practice philosophies on strength training for runners, and running while rehabbing some injuries (if it’s safe, of course!).
Bonus (IMO): This episode includes a deep dive into the world of Pole Vaulting! Somehow I had never spent much, if any, time thinking about what the workouts, warmups, and track meet experience of a pole vaulter all look and feel like. But, we’ve got that for you in this episode.
Eliana Lin DPT, a former pole vaulter turned distance runner and triathlete. Witnessing numerous runners sidelined by preventable injuries, Eliana is on a mission to ensure athletes stay in the race. Having experienced the frustrations of injury firsthand, she's dedicated to transforming your running experience. At Up and Running Performance, Eliana's passion is improving runners' form and strength, helping them run faster, stronger, and injury free. Whether you're new to running or a seasoned athlete aiming for new goals, Eliana is here for you every step of the way. (@Eliana.Lin.DPT on Instagram)
For more from Lane 9 Project. go to Lane9Project.org and follow on Instagram @Lane9Project. We're working to keep your periods regular, plates full, and rest days aplenty, so more female athletes stay in sports!
Melanie (Mel) Sulaver RDN, aka Nutrition by Mel (@nutritionbymel), is here to talk about her sport story from soccer to running, parenting to postpartum, and everything in between. We chat about what happened during her collegiate soccer career that led her to leaving the team, and how that was an early lesson in advocating for herself and her own wellbeing.
Mel is now a sports dietitian speicalizing in work with female-bodied athletes, menstrual health, and supporting birthing athletes through pregnancy and postpartum. Mel brings her signature Big Uterus Energy to this conversation, and her work. We talk about that!
Work with Mel: NutritionbyMel.com
The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes.
Dietitian Serena Stewart, aka Serena Marie per her IG account, joins Lane 9 Project to talk about her experiences with adolescent body changes, how it impacted her body image, and how it led her to running. While her early experiences in sport were part of an effort to change her body, her relationship to running has evolved and changed. She recorded this episode with us at 37 weeks pregnant, on the brink of a major life transition! We know that parts of her story resonate with a lot of our Lane 9 community, and appreciate the helpful information she shared in regards to adolescent nutrition support, sports nutrition trends, and more.
Get in touch with Serena via SerenaMarieRd.com and/or via @runnergirldietitian on IG.
The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes.
On this episode we talk with Heidi Strickler, a dietitian who checked herself into eating disorder treatment in 2020 (at Opal) after years of struggling and running through it. Heidi planned on being a collegiate soccer player but transitioned to Track and Field, and then Cross Country, and has been a competitive and accomplished runner ever since. She talks about the many years of work she has done to untie her identity from her achievements in running, and find ways to play in the mountains, have fun, and be out there for the joy of it.
Find Heidi at @hstrickler_sportsrd on Instagram.
The Lane 9 Project is working to reduce REDS and improve menstrual health for female-bodied athletes at all levels of sport. Find more of our work and how to work with us at Lane9Project.org. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Lane9Project.Substack.com. Full transcripts are available for all episodes.
"I did not have a period. It's not unrelated that then I had a series of five stress fractures." Nancy Boyd, former D1 collegiate runner and now DPT with a practice specializing in providing pelvic floor physical therapy, joins the Lane 9 Project for this episode.
Nancy shares her experience with late puberty onset, i.e. primary amenorrhea, at the age of 20 competing in D1 athletics. She developed an eating disorder, and experienced a series of five stress fractures. She had surgeries, a lot of time off, and some not-greaet experiences within the healthcare system. She went on to get her doctorate in physical therapy, to help athletes and humans at all levels and abilities get back to movement in whatever ways are accessible to them.
We talk about:
For more about how to work with the Lane 9 Project in reducing REDS and improving the period health of female-bodied athletes, go to Lane9project.org.
Nancy's practice in Michigan, Ancouer Wellness: ancoeurwellness.com
@ancoeurwellness on Instagram
"What I'll see in PT {with REDS} is delayed healing...." Dr. Leada Malek, whom you may know as @drmalekpt on Instagram and TikTok, joins Lane 9 co-founder Heather Caplan to chat about what it really takes for athletes to get and stay "healthy" for the long term.
We talk about her athletic story, how she starts every assessment with active clients, the most common injuries and inquiries from runners, why strength training is a key component of running fitness, and what to actually do about stretching.
Her book, "The Science of Stretch" is available wherever books are sold. And if you haven't yet, check out her Instagram and other social channels for accessible, and very helpful, short physical therapy-focused videos and content!
Lane 9 Project is working to reduce eating disorders and REDS in female-bodied athletes at all levels.
Check out our upcoming events and resources via Lane9project.org and subscribe to our weekly newsletter at lane9project.substack.com.
Follow along on Instagram @lane9project
"As someone who already felt like I was such a big fish out of water... I was like, well, that's what other people are doing to get faster. Maybe, maybe that's what I should do."
Morgan Voight, a registered dietitian based in Salt Lake City, Utah, who's focused on the intersection between movement and eating disorders, with specific research focused on the prevalence of eating disorders among the LGBTQ plus population, joins us for a Lane 9 Project conversation.
We chat about Morgan's early experiences as a middle and high school track athlete, and then joining the Quinnipiac Cross Country and Track and Field teams as a D1 competitive runner. Between her junior and senior year, she had to take time off to begin the process of treating her disordered eating, but she was able to get back to competition before graduating.
Morgan talks to us about her relatoinship with running now, what may have been helpful to her as a younger athlete, and why she's not ashamed to be using loads of Body Glide!
Reach out to Morgan via the Kayla Jessup Nutrition team in Salt Lake City, and follow her on Instagram @morganvoight.
The Lane 9 Links:
@lane9project on Instagram
Lane9project.substack.com Weekly newsletter
Lane9Project.org to get in touch, and access our resources!
The podcast currently has 263 episodes available.
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