Annie Kunz, professional heptathlete and olympian at the 2021 Tokyo olympics guides us through her journey in sports. She shares with us her journey with mental health, nutrition, and body image, and reminds us that we are all on our own journeys so we shouldn’t compare ourselves to other athletes but instead embrace ourselves for who we are and strive to be the best, strongest, healthiest version of ourselves. Annie also discusses the importance of our period and how our cycles can help us to be more in touch with fueling or balancing our hormones. Annie continues to be an inspiration through her work on and off the track. “Keep showing up every day, even when it's hard, even when it feels like you aren't capable, and it doesn't feel fun. If you are passionate about something, you have a dream just keep showing up. If you show up every day and give your best, it will pay off in the end.” - Annie Kunz

Monica Abbott is one of softball’s greatest, with four World Championships, two Olympic medals, three Canada Cup titles, and five National Pro Fastpitch Championships under her belt. Being the first woman to sign a million dollar contract, Monica continues to set a new standard for not only softball players, but all young girls who aspire to profess in their sport. She tells us how the balance of time management, preparation, and positive self-talk contributed to her success, and how it can contribute to yours as well. “Just go for it, go all in.  At some point someone's going to open a door for you. That might be a little crack in the door. It might be big wide open door, but it's up to you to like run through it as fast as you can and don't look back.” -Monica Abbott

Haleigh Washington, Olympic gold medalist, professional volleyball player and VIS League Mentor shares her journey in sport. Haleigh speaks about how she got into the sport and the sacrifices she and her family had to make for her to play volleyball. She dives into her collegiate experience, and how she  prepared herself to play professionally. Haleigh also shares what playing abroad in Italy is like, and describes her experience at the Tokyo Olympics! Beyond her journey, Haleigh gives us great advice on embracing our emotions as athletes, learning to fail and taking deep breaths every day. Haleigh is an inspiration, reminding us that we might find ourselves struggling with anxiety or depression, but all that aside, we are who we are and that is what makes us beautiful. “You have to honor who you are, which is a very difficult thing to do, because it means that you have to know who you are” - Haleigh Washington. 

Laura Thweatt, professional marathoner for Saucony and VIS League™ member shares her journey in sport. Laura speaks about her experience with underfueling and the resultant cycle of injuries she had to overcome in college. She takes us through how she learned to value her own journey, and understood that there are many paths to success. Laura is an inspiration, reminding us to believe in ourselves and persevere through failures, in order to chase our dreams. She shares how this determination helped her grow after college, going from uncertainty about whether she could have a career in running, to becoming one of the best marathoners in the United States. Laura reminds us that our individuality is a strength and our uniqueness is a superpower. “There is power in owning your journey, and there's power in remembering that there are a thousand different ways to get somewhere. There is not one way to get anywhere. You are your superpower.” - Laura Thweatt

VIS Expert, Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University, Dr. Emily Kraus speaks with us about her experience growing up in Nebraska as a multi-sport athlete, her journey into sports medicine and research, and her current projects: The Healthy Runner Project and FASTR. Dr. Emily Kraus shares with us important injury prevention tips, the importance of our general energy availability, both the implications and ways to prevent RED-S and the female athlete triad, and the existing gap in sports medicine research between male and female athletes. “There's been this need to better understand these physiological differences between sexes so we can better understand the injuries, treat those injuries, and both improve health and performance and longevity in sport.”- Dr. Emily Kraus 

Kate Courtney, 2020 Olympic mountain biker, Team USA member, Redbull athlete, and World Cup champion shares her journey in sport. Kate walks us through her high school journey in mountain biking, and reflects on her experience at Stanford. She shares how she balanced a full course load and a professional training schedule. Beyond college, Kate talks about her transition and experiences as a full-time professional athlete. With an emphasis on mental health, using WHOOP data to inform her training, nutrition and body image and the positive impact of her sports psychologist on her overall well-being, Kate shares excellent advice on how to elevate our journeys in sport. “I felt like the combination of those experiences, again, a success and a failure taught me that mental strength, mental toughness, resilience. It's something that you can build.  It's a skill that you can train. It's something you can get help with, and that you can strengthen over many, many years.” - Kate Courtney

VIS Expert™ Carrie Jackson, a mental performance consultant specialising in mental training, resilience and injury psychology shares how to overcome injuries and come out stronger than ever. Carrie explains the importance of having a positive mindset when recovering from injuries. She walks us through some of the mental drills that can help us alter our internal conversation, and see injuries as opportunities for growth, rather than obstacles. Carrie reminds us that reaching out for support and getting access to mental health is never a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength. She also emphasises that injury is a part of the journey that all athletes go through. We are never alone in this hard experience, and being injured does not make us a worse or a weaker athlete. “Your recovery is now your sport, and all of the energy and effort you are putting into competition now needs to go into your recovery” - Carrie Cheadle, Injury Psychologist and VIS Expert™. 

Katie Rainsberger, professional middle distance runner and recent graduate of the University of Washington shares her journey in sport. She takes us through the transition from high school to college, and how the pressure to perform impacted her fueling, leading her to develop a cycle of injuries. Katie shares the importance of having a regular period, even during hard training blocks. She highlights that we are the ones living our life, and we have to do what is best for our bodies in the long term. Katie also takes us through her transition from the University of Oregon to the University of Washington, and the challenges of being a collegiate athlete during the Covid pandemic. Finally, Katie shares her mantra, “persistent consistency”, and takes us through how it helped her see progress over time. “You have to own your journey. You have to own your body, you have to own your training, the choices you make and own your why. “ - Katie Rainsberger

Kelsey Robinson, VIS League mentor, Olympic volleyball player, photographer, blogger, and now designer speaks with us about the release of her new clothing line, the Kelsey Marie Capsule Collection! As a guest on the first Voice in Sport podcast episode, Kelsey talks us through the evolution of her creative journey. Speaking from her own experience in and out of sport, Kelsey discusses the importance of rooting her new brand in sustainability and ethical labor. She also highlights why we need to be inclusive of all bodies in the fashion industry. “We are more than just athletes and for me being creative is the most important element to great mental health. When I’m creative, I’m joyful and present. And I’ve found that without this, I can’t do my sport.” - Kelsey Robinson