Cognitive challenges can begin as early as your 20s. Yes, it’s a little-known fact.

While we’re often told how to protect our skin, bones, and muscles as we age, brain health is rarely part of the conversation. So—what’s the best regime to support our aging minds?

In the final episode of our Brain Health for Women series, Dr. Sara Gross and Dr. Erin Ayala sit down with Dr. Laura Best to explore just that.

A medical student at UBC with a PhD in Medical Science and post-doctoral work at CAMH, Dr. Best brings research-backed insight to the often-overlooked cognitive health needs of women. She also works with the Women’s Brain Health Initiative to promote the six pillars of brain health: exercise, nutrition, stress management, social connection, mental stimulation, and sleep.

She covers:

• Why brain health matters as early as your 20s
• How stress, nutrition, and hormones impact cognition
• Simple lifestyle changes to support mental clarity long-term

Whether you're navigating brain fog, curious about neuroprotection, or simply want to feel your best mentally, this episode offers practical strategies to help you take charge of your cognitive well-being starting now.

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If you’ve ever felt mentally foggy or struggled with decision-making during or after a long training session, this episode is for you.Dr. Sara Gross and Dr. Erin Ayala sit down with Katherine Boere, a Ph.D. candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Victoria, whose research explores how the brain recovers from cognitive depletion—especially under the demands of endurance sports.With a background in biomedical engineering and personal experience recovering from brain injury, Katherine brings a unique lens to how physical exertion impacts cognitive resilience, decision-making, and mental recovery.Her research shows:

• The real cognitive toll of fatigue—particularly in high-performance environments
•  How low energy availability affects brain function, especially in female endurance athletes
•  Why fueling and hydration are essential for mental performance, not just physical output
• The cognitive benefits of outdoor exercise over indoor settings
• How mindfulness and decision delegation can reduce mental strain during training and racing
• Simple, everyday strategies to support brain health and cognitive recovery

Whether you're an athlete, coach, or someone curious about boosting brain performance, this conversation offers research-backed strategies you can use right away.

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We hear it all the time—stay strong, keep your bones healthy, hit the weights. But what about your brain? For midlife women, keeping your mind sharp is just as important as keeping your body strong.In part two of this series on brain health co-hosted by Dr. Sara Gross and Dr. Erin Ayala, they are joined by Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, a Board Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner.Hormonal shifts in midlife can impact cognitive function and it’s worth paying attention to. As both a doctor and a recreational athlete, Dr. DiGirolamo brings a personal and professional perspective to the table as she discusses what really happens to our brains during hormonal changes, why it matters, and how to stay sharp through it all.She discusses:

• The latest (and muddy) research around menopausal hormone therapy and reduced dementia risk
• Myths and misconceptions around hormones and brain health
• Powerful Tools and habits for protecting brain health
• The significant effects of nutrition and hydration on brain health
• Self-sabotaging behaviors that may impact our brain health as we age
• How to combat trendy topics and the impact of diet culture on women at this stage of life

Understanding your own body is the key to making smart and confident decisions about your health and as Erin and Carla stress, being “empowered” doesn’t mean doing what everyone else is doing. It means paving your own way and making the decisions that are best for you. Your brain will thank you.

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We spend so much time focusing on nutrition, strength training, and bone health as we age—but what about our brain? How can we build mental resilience and protect our brain health starting now?

In this new Feisty series, co-hosted by Sara Gross and Dr. Erin Ayala, we’re diving into the intersection of brain health, stress, and performance. In this first episode, Dr. Erin Ayala, a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant, sits down with Jill Colangelo, a researcher at the University of Bern specializing in Sports Psychiatry. Jill works with athletes and teams on critical topics like endocrine health, hypothalamic amenorrhea, stress, overtraining syndrome, and athletic identity.

Together, Erin and Jill explore the real impact of stress—both short-term and long-term—on the brain and body. While stress itself isn’t the enemy, chronic stress without proper recovery can lead to brain fog, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and metabolic issues.

In this episode, they break down:

• Common stressors for women, including underfueling, toxic productivity, and the relentless push to do more
• Practical strategies for managing stress and setting boundaries for mental and physical well-being
• Why recovery should be a non-negotiable part of your training routine
• The truth about cortisol—friend or foe?
• Which recovery trends (cold plunges, sauna, acupuncture) actually work

As active women, we often use movement as a way to relieve stress—but when does “more” become too much?

This conversation is a call to action to reassess your relationship with stress, challenge the culture of overtraining, and develop a mindset that values mental resilience as much as physical strength.

To learn more about the Brain Power Course click here!

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Recorded live at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, this special episode of The Think Tank from Essentially Esports dives into the booming growth of women’s sports.

The Think Tank show is where industry leaders—CMOs, brand strategists, team executives, elite athletes, and coaches—break down the forces shaping the sports world.

In this exclusive episode, Host Trey Holder teams up with co-host Angella Goran, a former Canadian National Team cyclist and entrepreneur, alongside Feisty Media CEO and two-time Ironman champion Sara Gross and Naomi Clarkson, Senior VP of Marketing at Momentous. Together, they explore how strategic marketing and media initiatives are not just increasing visibility but also driving real investment and long-term growth in women’s athletics.

The panel dives into key factors fueling the rise, including:

• The power of authentic storytelling to elevate both athletes and brands
• Strategic partnerships that create meaningful industry impact
• Smart resource allocation, backed by data proving the success of women’s sports initiatives
• Community-driven events like The Power Hour, designed to promote physical and mental wellness
• Continued media coverage with new product launches, podcasts, and educational resources

More than just a conversation, this episode is a call to action, highlighting the need for collaboration, ongoing support, and a shared responsibility to champion inclusivity and equality in sports.

Links to Brands:

Brand Innovators Sports and Entertainment

Think Tank from Essentially Sports

Essentially Sports on YouTube

TAPanGO Technologies

Feisty Media

Momentous

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In the final episode of our series on coaching young athletes, Sara Gross and co-host Jill Colangelo are joined by MD student, scientist, coach, and pro-runner Keely Henninger (@runwidkeel) to debunk myths about body weight, nutrition, and the often-overlooked role of mental health in sports—especially during the late-teen and early collegiate years.

Through a true-or-false format, Jill and Keely tackle key questions:

• Does a lighter body weight lead to better performance?
• Is it okay to skip breakfast before a tough training session?
• Do I really need rest days?
• Is missing a period a badge of honor?

Sara, Jill, and Keely also share personal experiences with underfueling, overtraining, and moments when they ignored their intuition—decisions they now look back on with regret.

This conversation encourages young athletes to recognize warning signs, make informed choices, and build a healthy relationship with their sport—one that supports both performance and long-term well-being.

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In the second episode of our three-part series on coaching young athletes, Sara Gross and guest co-host Jill Colangelo turn the spotlight to the coaches who work with young female athletes through topics like body image, menstruation, and proper fueling. As awareness grows about the impact of body image on performance, coaches—both male and female coaches—must learn to navigate these conversations effectively.

Guest Jason Russo, a veteran high school cross-country coach, shares his experience in fostering open communication, involving parents and experts to create a supportive and non-judgmental environment.

Sara and Jill also share their own personal experiences and anecdotes surrounding the female aesthetic myth, particularly the harmful notion that being “skinny” equates to being a better athlete.

This episode calls on coaches, parents, and athletes to prioritize health, well-being, and open dialogue as key pillars of athletic development.

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Frequent mirror checks, comments from teammates and parents, and feeling the need to “earn” food—these are common red flags of disordered eating in youth sports.

In the first of a three-part series, Sara Gross and guest co-host Jill Colangelo explore eating disorders among young female athletes, a growing concern for parents and coaches.

Colangelo, a researcher in Forensic and Sports Psychiatry, speaks with Sarah Naticchia, a Harvard-trained athlete who shares her struggles with disordered eating in high school and college.

Also joining the conversation is Stephanie Roth-Goldberg, LCSW, CEDS-C, a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders and athletes.

Together, they discuss the pressures young athletes face, the need for a cultural shift toward health over aesthetics, and how parents can support their children by focusing on well-being and performance rather than appearance.

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As more people seek to "clean up" their diets, we’re seeing how rigid rules and an obsession with food purity can disrupt lives.

In this episode, Kylee and Zoë dive into the evolving conversation around Orthorexia—a term for the unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. We explore the impact of societal norms, social media, and misinformation on people's relationship with food, particularly athletes. And they unpack how Orthorexia isn't officially recognized in the DSM but still significantly impacts mental and physical health, drawing from professional insights and research.

They also talk through how athletes and active folks can work towards a more balanced healthy approach to nutrition, and avoid the pitfalls of over-restriction. 

It’s that time of year when the world is drowning in bad diet advice and unsustainable fitness trends. That's why we're teaming up with the Your Diet Sucks podcast to bring you a series of Your Diet Sucks episodes this January aimed at ditching diet culture and getting you ready to fuel your goals.

Hosts Kylee Van Horn, RDN, (@flynutrition3) and Zoë Rom (@carrot_flowers_z) combine years of research, professional expertise (as well as unprofessional nutrition mishaps!), and athlete experience to deliver evidence-backed explorations of nutrition—no fluff, no fads, just science. 

Want more on how to "unf*ck your food"? Subscribe to the Your Diet Sucks podcast feed.

And if you want to join the hundreds of women who have learned how to fuel their bodies with us, you can still sign up for Feisty’s Fueled course that starts at the end of the month.

So, are you in a diet cult??

In this second episode teaming up with the Your Diet Sucks podcast, Zoë and Kylee discuss the shocking parallels between diet fads and cult dynamics, emphasizing how these trends often create a false sense of community and manipulate individuals into restrictive eating patterns. 

How do you know if your diet is just a little bit cult-y? There are plenty of red flags, including:

• extreme language in the messaging (clean eating, detox, this is the best and healthiest diet)
• social isolation from other groups or ways of eating
• manipulation of your personal identity
• the allure of belonging and identity (especially on social media)

Instead of blindly following your favorite “influencer,” this episode encourages you to think critically about your choices and the motivations behind them. Recognize those cult-like patterns and consider healthier, more balanced approaches to nutrition and community.

It’s that time of year when the world is drowning in bad diet advice and unsustainable fitness trends. That's why we're teaming up with the Your Diet Sucks podcast to bring you a series of Your Diet Sucks episodes this January aimed at ditching diet culture and getting you ready to fuel your goals.

Hosts Kylee Van Horn, RDN, (@flynutrition3) and Zoë Rom (@carrot_flowers_z) combine years of research, professional expertise (as well as unprofessional nutrition mishaps!), and athlete experience to deliver evidence-backed explorations of nutrition—no fluff, no fads, just science. 

Want more on how to "unf*ck your food"? Subscribe to the Your Diet Sucks podcast feed.

And if you want to join the hundreds of women who have learned how to fuel their bodies with us, Feisty’s Fueled course goes on sale today.