In this episode of the Hear Her Sports podcast, host Elizabeth Emery sits down with professional squash player Melissa Alves. Despite facing early-season injuries, Melissa has had a remarkable year including a well-deserved victory at the Cape Town Squash Open in late November. The episode delves into Melissa's journey, from her early days on the court to her collegiate career at the University of Pennsylvania. She discusses the challenges and rewards of transitioning from a top collegiate player to a professional athlete. Melissa discusses her wrist injury and the subsequent adaptation of her playing style. She shares her inspiring story of resilience and innovation, demonstrating how necessity can drive significant changes in technique and performance. Additionally, the episode explores Melissa's training regimen, including her off-season cycling routine, and her passion for culinary arts. She also discusses the mental aspects of the sport, emphasizing the importance of self-belief and taking up space on the court. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Melissa Alves on IG at https://www.instagram.com/malves973/ For a short bio go to http://www.hearhersports.com/#/ep180-melissa-alves-pro-squash-player For more of Melissa’s results take a look at her PSA Squash Tour page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Holden is a writer, a physics teacher, a travel company owner, an X-Files podcast host, and an avid roller derby player. Her debut novel, Mighty Millie Novak, was released by Flux Books in 2024. She believes the ideal conditions in which to write a novel are in the dining car of a train traveling through the Alps, with a pot of tea beside you -- though she does most of her writing at her home in Wisconsin. Like Millie, Elizabeth Holden is an avid roller derby player, a blocker with Madison Roller Derby since 2015. Liz’s league-mates know her as Auntie Matter; her derby name is a reference to her job teaching college physics. (And, yes, she is also an aunt. Hi, William and Hugo!) When not busy writing, playing derby, or teaching, Liz is most likely leading international trips with her company, Leaping Hound Travel. Liz also co-hosts an X-Files podcast, We Want to Believe, with her sister. Liz’s tattoos are vibrant and numerous, her laugh is loud, and her heart belongs to her pet greyhounds. Learn more about her at elizabeth-holden.com. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Elizabeth Holden on IG at https://www.instagram.com/elizabethh_wi/ Elizabeth Holden’s website elizabeth-holden.com Order Mighty Millie Novak at https://bookshop.org/a/16267/9781635831030 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natasha Camy is an NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Referee now in her 14th season. She has officiated at the very top level, including in the 2024 Elite 8 game featuring LSU and Iowa, the most watched women’s basketball game in history! She has also officiated in the Conference USA championship, Big 10 conference playoffs, Big 10 final, SEC conference playoffs, WNIT final, WBIT quarterfinal and final. In the episode, Natasha shares with host Elizabeth Emery about how she prepares for games, nerves, cute interactions with players, and how things have changed in the fourteen years she’s been oficiating. Beyond her own officiating career, Natasha is helping others grow in the profession. She founded and runs Referee Ready Academy, a holistic referee development training program. In January 2024 she was announced as an investor for the Cape Town Tigers, a South African basketball club belonging to The Basketball Africa League (BAL); founded by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and International Basketball Federation (FIBA); making her one of the first African American women to do so. The investment deems Camy one of the only African American women to invest in a BAL team. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Natasha on IG at https://www.instagram.com/natashacamy/ Find Referee Ready Academy on IG at https://www.instagram.com/refereeready/ Learn more about Referee Ready Academy at https://refereeready.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corrine Leistikow is a 65 year old family physician living in Fairbanks, Alaska. Her passion is being physically active outdoors. She started doing endurance biking and skiing events at age 50, when her children became teenagers. She continues to push her limits as an older athlete. Corrine tells host Elizabeth Emery about her adventures, pushing ourselves as older athletes, staying, why more older women don’t do endurance bikepacking, strength training, her own severe stomach issues while racing, and hostess donuts. Corrine’s first event was the Fireweed 200. Since then she has done the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, White Mountain 100 -- twice on skis and once on a fat bike, the Smoke N Fire 400, BC Epic 100, Tour Divide (a 2700-mile bikepacking race from Banff, Canada to the Mexico Border in New Mexico), the 700 mile Trans South Dakota, and 700 mile Cross Washington. And she has tried twice to finish the 350 mile Unbound Gravel XL. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Corrine through her blog at https://notquiteoverthehillcorrineanderic.blogspot.com/ Find Corrine on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/corrine.leistikow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Iris Slappendel shares with host Elizabeth Emery stories of all things Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift. Iris is a commentator and reporter for Eurosport and is an expert source about the women’s peleton, teams, politics, and racing tactics. Iris raced professionally for 12 years with much success including a Dutch national road race title in 2014. After retiring at the end of 2016, Iris launched her own apparel brand called I R I S, her first name but also an abbreviation of ‘I Ride In Style’. Being educated as a product designer and having the experience of being a pro cyclist, Iris designs all products from start to finish, having complete control over the materials, the fit and the design. Bold, fearless and colorful, I R I S is for anybody and everybody that wants to express their own personality on the bike and most importantly have fun with every ride. Her products address the specific needs of female cyclists. Iris co-founded and is now executive director of The Cyclists’ Alliance (TCA), an organization that supports women pro cyclists and campaigns to improve their working conditions. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Iris apparel line at https://www.i-ris.cc/ Follow Iris on IG at https://www.instagram.com/irisslappendel/ Hear Iris Slappendel on Ep42 about The Cyclists’ Alliance https://www.hearhersports.com/archives#/episode-42-iris-slappendel-womens-cycling-union/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Moon is two time World Champion and a two time Olympic medalist. At the Tokyo Olympics she won a gold medal and in Paris 2024 she won silver. Katie graduated from Olmsted Falls High School where she started her pole vaulting career. She returned there this summer to host the inaugural Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic. She went to the University of Dayton and then transferred to Ashland University, where she won two NCAA Division II national titles. Learn more about Katie in Hear Her Sports Episode 14, in which she talks about body image, nutrition, poles, and how she got started. She also talked to host Elizabeth Emery during Covid about how tough it was to train and recently in another bonus episode about being a gluten free athlete. Donate to support everything Hear Her Sports is doing to increase media coverage for female athletes and women in sports. Go to https://www.hearhersports.com/checkout/donate?donatePageId=6176b09220b0c3018b78ca66 Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Katie Moon on IG at https://www.instagram.com/ktnago13/ Listen to Katie Moon on Episode 14 at https://www.hearhersports.com/archives#/episode-14-pole-vaulter-katie-nageotte-more-than-1-way-to-look-healthy/ Hear from Katie about training during Covid in a Hear Her Sports Fast Track https://www.hearhersports.com/archives#/fast-track-katie-nageotte/ Katie is a gluten-free athlete. Hear more about that in this bonus episode: https://www.hearhersports.com/#/bonus-katie-moon-becoming-gluten-free-athlete/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Moon is two time World Champion and a two time Olympic medalist. At the Tokyo Olympics she won a gold medal and in Paris 2024 she won silver. Katie graduated from Olmsted Falls High School where she started her pole vaulting career. She returned there this summer to host the inaugural Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic. She went to the University of Dayton and then transferred to Ashland University, where she won two NCAA Division II national titles. In this Bonus episode Katie explains how she discovered she was celiac, how she has managed being gluten free as a professional athlete, and she shares some tips, favorite foods, and apps. Learn more about Katie in Hear Her Sports Episode 14, in which she talks about body image, nutrition, poles, and how she got started. She also talked to host Elizabeth Emery during Covid about how tough it was to train. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Katie Moon on IG at https://www.instagram.com/ktnago13/ Listen to Katie Moon on Episode 14 at https://www.hearhersports.com/archives#/episode-14-pole-vaulter-katie-nageotte-more-than-1-way-to-look-healthy/ Hear from Katie about training during Covid in a Hear Her Sports Fast Track https://www.hearhersports.com/archives#/fast-track-katie-nageotte/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus episode of a cross posting of a Casual FC podcast episode featuring a deep dive into the world of Angel City FC, with discussions on its unique charm, importance of community, inclusivity, and fan culture. The discussion, involving Catherine Dávila from the Angel City front office, covers her diverse career journey and underlines the integral role of the community in shaping the team's identity and activities. The podcast sheds light on the milestones, outreach efforts, and the balance between being a business and driving social good, with an outlook on deepening community engagement for the third season. It also explores the evolution of professional women's soccer in LA, the impact of fan culture and exciting expectations for the upcoming season. The Casual FC hosts are: Mario Salazar is a born and bred Angelino who grew up playing soccer. Although of the two Casual FC hosts, he has the "most experience" on the pitch, he still is the soccer "Casual" of the podcast. Eager to learn about the NWSL and the larger arena of the Women's Soccer world, he brings the curiosity that both he and Angela hope the audience brings. Mario often can be found attending both mens and womens soccer in LA. Sometimes he brings his two kids and wife. Angela Morales is a born and bred Angelino who has worn sports equipment since before she could walk. An accomplished athlete she brings the "Expert" to the podcast. Her knowledge of players, tactics and sports psychology is no accident as she holds a Masters in Sports Psychology from PennWest University. You will likely find her at live music shows all over LA when she’s not at a soccer game. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Causal FC podcast on IG at https://www.instagram.com/casualfcpod/ Follow Catherine Dávila on IG at https://www.instagram.com/communitycatdav/ Find the Casual FC website at https://casualfc.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda Sobhy is the highest ranked American born squash player ever. She is the first US player to win a world championship title, which she did on her 17th birthday at the 2010 world junior championships. She graduated from Harvard University in 2015 with a remarkable 62-0 undefeated college career, three team titles, and four individual titles.  As a professional squash player, Amanda reached a career high of world No. 3 in 2021, making her the first American player ever to crack the top 3 in the world rankings. She has captured twenty titles on the PSA World Tour, and has won six US Women’s National titles. Amanda represented Team USA in three Pan-American Games (winning seven gold medals and two silver medals). She also represented Team USA in five World Team Championships. Outside of the squash court, Amanda is an inspirational speaker who uses her story about overcoming adversity and setbacks as a professional athlete to inspire others. Amanda ruptured her left Achilles in 2017 and her right achilles in late 2023. Amanda also spent a decade struggling privately with an eating disorder. Amanda serves on the board of the Professional Squash Association, Squash & Education Alliance, and USSquash, and is an ambassador for the recently launched USSquash Foundation. In the episode, Amanda talks to Hear Her Sports host Elizabeth Emery about her experiences with injury, recovery, rehab, and maintaining her mental strength. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Amanda Sobhy on IG at https://www.instagram.com/asobhy93/ Hear Amanda on Ep145 about her eating disorder https://www.hearhersports.com/#/ep145-amanda-sobhy-us1-pro-squash-player/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the episode, decathletes Adeline Audigier, Patricia Mehlich, and Roséva Bidois who all represent Team France tell host Elizabeth Emery what it was like to compete in the inaugural Women’s Decathlon World Championships that took place in Geneva, Ohio at Spire Academy on August 3rd and 4th, 2024. These championships were historic and a big step towards achieving their goal of bringing the women’s decathlon to the LA Olympics in 2028 as an exhibition sport. Tune into the previous Hear Her Sports episode to learn more about their fight to do so and why decathlon is the sport for the complete athlete. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Adeline on IG at https://www.instagram.com/adeline_audigier/ Follow Patricia on IG at https://www.instagram.com/p.a.t.r.i.c.i.a__m/ Follow Roséva on IG at https://www.instagram.com/roseva.bidois/ Follow Lauren Kuntz on IG at https://www.instagram.com/lo_kuntz/ Follow Jordan Grey on IG at https://www.instagram.com/grit_goddess/ Follow Women’s Decathlon at https://www.instagram.com/decathlon.femmes/ Learn more about decathlon & Adeline’s project at https://www.hearhersports.com/#/ep173-adeline-audigier-patricia-mehlich-womens-decathlon/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adeline Audigier was born in the city of Marseille in the South of France. She is about to turn 32 and is living her second athletic life as a decathlete. Before turning to decathlon, she was a heptathlete. She grew up in a sporty family. She and her brother and sister do dozens of sports. She has a degree in EHS (Environment, Health, Safety) engineering, was a professional firefighter, and is now a shipboard firefighter trainer. Adeline embodies the multi-sport life: absolutely everything interests her and she wants to try it all. “My biggest problem is that I won't have enough life to do everything I want.” When she was 30 she began the decathlon project, which allows her to help her sport that has always offered her great things. For her, it’s important to contribute to the development of the sport by correcting the oversight that stalled the evolution of the heptathlon into the completed version of multisport events, the decathlon. Patricia Mehlich is German but has been living in France for about 10 years. She works as a chartered accountant. Like Adeline, Patricia is a multi-eventer on and off track. She enjoys playing the piano, reading, and writing books, crocheting/knitting, and gardening. In the decathlon, her best event is the 100 meter hurdles, but she stresses that she’s not exceptional anywhere. Patricia is dedicated to the decathlon project, so girls don’t have to miss out on the pole vault, discus, and 1500m like she did. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Adeline on IG at https://www.instagram.com/adeline_audigier/ Follow Patricia on IG at https://www.instagram.com/p.a.t.r.i.c.i.a__m/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pole Vaulter Gabi Leon was one of the most successful student-athletes in the history of University of Louisville. She competed for the Cardinals from 2017 to 2022, finishing her career as the program record holder in both the indoor and outdoor women's pole vault. During her time competing for Louisville, Gabi was a four-time NCAA All-American, won two individual ACC championships, was recognized as All-ACC seven times, and earned USTFCCCA All-Academic distinction twice while receiving All-ACC Academic honors four times. In 2022 Gabi won the NCAA outdoor National Championships. That year she also won numerous awards including USTFCCCA Outdoor Southeast Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year, ACC Female Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year, and ACC Track & Field Female Scholar Athlete of the Year When she graduated, Gabi became a professional athlete sponsored by Puma. At the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships she placed 4th earning her a spot on Team USA for the World Championships, where she place 12th. Gabi’s indoor personal best is 4.70 which she did this past February at the USA indoor track and Field Championships, earning her a bronze medal in the competition. Her outdoor PB is 4.62, which she achieved in July 2024 at Hengalo, Netherlands. In addition to talking about the Olympic Trials & the Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic, Gabi shared a very cool story about calf cramps, mastering the mental aspect of sport, initially being scared of pole vaulting, the importance of a varied diet and nutrition in general, and supporting herself as a pro athlete. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Gabi Leon on IG at https://www.instagram.com/gabiileonn_/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mechelle Lewis Freeman is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mass Communications. At USC, she was a member of the 2002 Women’s Outdoor Track & Field team who, brought the first National Championship in any sport to the university. After a successful marketing career, she transitioned back to an athlete to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an Olympic athlete. Mechelle is a Track & Field 2007 Pan American Double Silver Medalist, 2007 World Champion, and 2008 Olympian. Her events included the 100 meters and the 4×100 meter relay. Mechelle serves as Head Women’s Relays Coach for USA Track & Field National Teams, achieving gold medal successes at the 2020 Olympics and the 2022 & 2023 World Championships.   In 2015, Mechelle founded TrackGirlz, a national nonprofit that provides access to track and field to middle-school and high-school girls. She is an active coach for the organization.   In their 2022-23 season, over 200 girls were empowered through the TrackGirlz workshops and events. They awarded $40,000 through a grant program that supports girls’ participation in track and field in their local communities. TrackGirlz also provided to girls over 50 direct mentorship opportunities with world class women track and field athletes, coaches, and influencers. Mechelle discusses with host Elizabeth Emery the selection process for the US Women’s relay teams, the qualities of each leg of the race, creating chemistry in the team, the value of every role on the team, the hardest part of her job, what she’s looking forward to in Paris, and her organization TrackGrilz. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow Mechelle Freeman on IG at https://www.instagram.com/mechellelewisfreeman/ Follow Track Girlz on IG at https://www.instagram.com/trackgirlz/

Lynn Holzman returned to the NCAA in February 2018 as the vice president of women’s basketball. She is responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, operations, and management of women’s basketball in Divisions I, II and III. She serves as the primary liaison to the women’s basketball committees and provides strategic oversight of the site-selection process for each championship. In 2014, Holzman was appointed commissioner of the West Coast Conference after serving in various leadership roles within the conference office, including executive senior associate commissioner/chief operating officer and senior associate commissioner of governance and administration. Before her conference office tenure, she worked at the NCAA national office for 16 years, last serving as a director of academic and membership affairs. Holzman serves on various Boards, such as the Board of Directors of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She has also served on numerous other Boards such as Women Leaders in College Sports, San Jose Sports Authority, National Association for Athletics Compliance and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics. Holzman earned her Bachelor of Science and secondary major degrees at Kansas State University where she was captain of the women's basketball team and a three-time Academic All-Big Eight Team member. She also earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University. Lynn discusses with host Elizabeth Emery some changes coming up in the March Madness site-selection process, how she ended up working on the administrative side of sports, consequences of the pandemic on women’s sports, the importance of sport for player and fans, the NCAA equity report that came out after Sedona Prince’s weight room TikTok in 2021, and being a natural introvert but learning how to use her voice. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Follow NCAA Women’s Basketball on IG at https://www.instagram.com/marchmadnesswbb/

Annie Villareal, the vibrant force behind the Rippedgrandma brand, is not your typical personal trainer. With a background in pharmaceutical sales, Annie took a leap of faith 17 years ago, embarking on a journey of personal reinvention. Inspired by her love for sports and movement, she shed 60 pounds, rediscovered her passion for running, and even completed the Big Sur Marathon at the age of 50. Annie's fitness journey didn't stop there. Armed with a diverse fitness background including yoga, Pilates, strength training, and more, she became a beacon of inspiration for those seeking a functional and holistic approach to fitness. Her training philosophy is rooted in post-rehab work, specializing in shoulders, hips, and low back issues—the "big 3" as she calls them. In 2019, just before the global pandemic hit, Annie created a space dedicated to keeping aging adults strong and fully functional. Now, Annie's average client age is 75. Beyond the gym, Annie found solace and passion in outrigger canoeing, fostering a sense of family and competition. Her mantra, encapsulated in the Hawaiian word "Imua," reflects her commitment to moving forward with strength, grace, and a touch of fun. Annie Villareal is not just a personal trainer; she's a testament to the transformative power of embracing movement and competition at every stage of life. Topics Annie shares with Elizabeth include how becoming active again was not an easy or quick transition, the importance of moving move every day, working with older clients, ways to improve balance, lifting weight that challenges you, Annie’s 15-minute strength workouts, rucking, and her love of outrigger canoeing. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Annie Villareal at https://rippedgrandma.com/about-ripped-grandma/ Find Annie Villareal on IG at https://www.instagram.com/rippedgrandma/ and on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@rippedgrandma1059

Vanese Barnes is a 2023 Women’s Sports Foundation Tara VanDerveer fellow with Tufts University Women’s Basketball team. At the same time Vanese was a part of a two-year Future Leaders Fellowship program at Tufts, where she earned her master's degree in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership within the Tufts Graduate School of Arts & Sciences in addition to her coaching duties.  In 2019, Vanese earned a degree in elementary education at St. Joseph's College in Maine, where she was a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship team. She also played at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, Maine and was captain of the team and selected as a United States Collegiate Athletic Association Academic All-American. For four seasons after graduating from college, Vanese was an assistant coach for Southern Maine Community College, where she temporarily took over the lead role while the head coach was out on maternity leave. She was also a varsity assistant and the junior varsity head coach at Portland High School for a year. She has also participated in a number of professional development opportunities in recent years, including being a member of the Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Development Series since 2020. Vanese joins Elizabeth Emery to talk about the NCAA Final Four weekend in Cleveland, the terrific Women’s Sports Foundation panel she was on, the Tara VanDerveer Fellowship, confidence, imposter syndrome, aggression, controlling emotions, her identity as a mixed-race woman, representation, women’s coaching now, burnout, and Dawn Staley. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Vanese on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CoachVBarnes Find Women’s Sports Foundation at https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/

Mary Ellen Kelly is credentialed as a registered dietitian and board-certified sports dietitian. She holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition from Boston University, where she was a 4-year member of the NCAA Division 1 varsity women’s track and field team. She earned her master’s degree in clinical nutrition from New York University and completed her clinical training at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bronx, New York.  Mary Ellen is the Manager of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association Sports Nutrition Immersion Program fellowship. She is also currently an Adjunct Faculty for Boston University and has previously served as an Adjunct Professor at Bloomsburg University and online Adjunct Faculty at Drexel University. In 2014 she was hired into a full-time team dietitian role in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and worked with them for over three years. Mary Ellen was the Head Sports Nutritionist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and prior to UNC, she served as the Campus Dietitian/Sports Nutritionist at St. John’s University in Queens, NY. She began her career as a staff dietitian at the JJPVA. In 2018 Mary Ellen Kelly founded Fuel Forward, private practice and nutrition consulting business offering nutrition-related speaking, writing, consulting, and coaching for groups and individuals. Current or former clients include but are not limited to: Baylor University, Bloomsburg University, Boston College Varsity Women’s Lacrosse and Field Hockey, Boston University, Golf Mind & Body, LaSalle University, New York Liberty (WNBA), North Coast Seafood, Trimsarter.com, University of Delaware, USA Lacrosse. In the episode Mary Ellen and I discuss her work with Liberty, being a vegan athlete, importance of getting enough protein and fiber, why nutrition is both simple and complicated, essentials of fueling adequately, and high school, collegiate, and aging athletes. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Mary Ellen’s nutrition consulting, Fuel Forward at https://www.fuelforward.me/ Find Mary Ellen on IG https://www.instagram.com/fuelforwardllc/

AJ Hurt's passion for skiing and ski racing began at a very early age. Growing up in North Lake Tahoe, Palisades Tahoe was her winter playground. At four years old, she entered the Team Palisades Tahoe and fell in love with the sport. With a father who has been a member of the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol for the past 30 years, Hurt was raised a true member of the Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) family. At 14, Hurt was invited to be a part of the National Training Group. As a first-year FIS racer in the 2016-17 season, she was the top junior for birth year 2000 in NorAm qualifying race points—not only in the speed disciplines but also the technical disciplines. Hurt scored her first World Cup points in 2020 placing 18th in the Courchevel giant slalom. The 2023-24 season was a major breakout year for Hurt. Each World Cup race she improved upon the last scoring person best after person best. In Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Hurt had a major slalom result scoring third place, her first ever World Cup podium. Then later in the season she did it again! This time in giant slalom, a third place in Soldeu, Andorra. AJ and I discuss injury, going fast, control and lack of control, the recent NCAA women’s final four, and what aggression in women’s sports looks like now. And she talks about the not-glamourous, living-out-of-a-bag-for-6-months World Cup tour. This episode is a perfect follow up to last week’s episode with rock climber Beth Rodden because AJ too likes being in the mode of figuring things out, which she was happy to share with us. I like that mode as well! Always looking for a little bit of improvement or some greater understanding of how things work. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find AJ Hurt on IG https://www.instagram.com/ajhurti/ Find US Ski Team on IG at https://www.instagram.com/usskiteam

Beth Rodden is one of the best female rock climbers of all time, and a globally recognized ambassador for the outdoor community. She has achieved a number of notable free climbs on El Capitan, the 3,000-foot monolith in Yosemite National Park, and has also established the hardest first ascent of a crack climb ever done by a woman. She has been climbing for thirty years, and she hopes to be climbing for thirty more. She lives with her family in California. For more information, visit: bethrodden.com. In our conversation, Beth speaks to me about the book, climbing, of seeing strength in young female rock climbers, REDs, the beauty of sports, and she compares climbing to golf and writing. Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Beth Rodden at www.bethrodden.com Find Beth on IG at https://www.instagram.com/bethrodden/ Find A Light through the Cracks at https://bookshop.org/a/16267/9781503903791

Sydney Palmer-Leger is one of the young cross country ski racers on the US National B team. She made a quick trip to Falun, Sweden for the season finale, where she skied to her best-ever World Cup result -- a 23rd place. Right before Falun, Sydney capped off a stellar collegiate career with a victory at the NCAA National Championships in Steamboat, Springs Colorado. Sydney is a three-time NCAA National Champion, was a member of the 2020 Junior World Championship Silver Medal Relay Team and is a 40k classic U.S. National Champion. In 2023, she represented the USA at the 2023 World Championships in Planica, Slovenia, placing 20th in the skiathlon. Sydney is part of an exciting-to-follow, strong class of skiers climbing up the ranks and representing her nation at the top level. Before she decided to focus exclusively on ski racing (which we talk about in the episode), Sydney also raced mountain bikes. In fact, she is a five-time US Mountain Bike National Champion. In the episode Sydney discusses some tactics in the 20-kilometer Freestyle race in Falun, starting in the back, the US National Team camp in Bend Oregon, and traveling as a vegan. On the academic side, Sydney is set to graduate from the University of Utah in May of 2024. She also shares what’s next for her post college and about her goals for the 2024-25 season. Outside of skiing, she enjoys acrylic painting, baking, rock climbing, and finding the best vegan recipes, as she has been a vegetarian her entire life and a vegan for 12 years.  Get involved and support the show and more sports media for women through https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearher Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Sydney Palmer-Leger on IG at https://www.instagram.com/sydneypalmerleger/ Find Stifel US Ski Team on IG at https://www.instagram.com/usskiteam/