Women's Performance Feisty Media

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.
This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.
Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.
In the final episode of this limited series, Selene and Dr. DiGirolamo answer listener questions around HRT, inflammation, LEA, asthma symptoms, bone density, training and racing around your period, and more, including:
If you're over 60, do you need to come off of HRT, especially if you've been on it for over 10 years? (Research Study)What can an athlete do if a taper brings on a period and the PMS that comes with it?How should I address exercise-induced inflammation post-menopause?Is there a connection between new onset asthma and asthma-like respiratory symptoms in perimenopause and menopause?What are your recommendations around micronized progesterone administration?Why am I so lazy to train on days when I'm near my period?How do hormones affect your performance in hotter temperature races?How do hormonal changes in women over 40 affect nutritional needs and race fueling?What are some of the psychological dynamics of hormonal changes?What should I expect coming off hormonal birth control after 15 years? How do hormonal changes from peri-to-post-menopause affect the quality of our ligaments and tendons and the rate of healing?What happens hormonally when you stop elite high-performance sport?Breastfeeding and performance. What should women know?
Bottom Line: "We are not victims of our hormones and we are not broken. It's not that our hormones are doing something they're not supposed to do. It's that people have different sensitivities to their own hormone fluctuations. We just need to figure out what our personal path is and use all the tools available to live our best lives."
Listen to Episode 1 of Hormonal
Listen to Episode 2 of Hormonal
Listen to Episode 3 of Hormonal
Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter:
https://www.feistymenopause.com/blog/Feisty-40-plus
Sign up to Receive The Feist Newsletter:
https://www.womensperformance.com/the-feist
Follow us on Instagram:
@feisty_womens_performance
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
https://www.womensperformance.com/
...

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.
This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.
Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.
During these four episodes, you will learn what you need to know to work with your body's fluctuating hormones and perform your best.
Episode three discusses questions and confusion around hormone related conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, Hashimotos, and more. Plus, Sarah and Dr. DiGirolamo address fertility and egg freezing.
What do we mean by balanced or imbalanced hormones?What might cause hormonal imbalances?When people take HRT to get their hormones "back in balance," what does this actually mean?Common hormonal conditions and concerns?PCOS definition and its effects on reproductive health?The difference between hypo and hyper-thyroidism?Why thyroid imbalances impair our overall performance, mood, and energy availabilityEndometriosis definition, management, and treatmentEgg freezing best practices for fertility preservation and recommendations from a fertility specialist
For everyone who is sick of the narrative that women's hormones are a curse, we are here for you. Together, we will learn how amazing it actually is to be hormonal.
Have a hormonal question for Dr. DiGirolamo and Selene? Leave a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/Hormonal or DM us at https://www.instagram.com/feisty_womens_performance/
Listen to Episode 1 of Hormonal
Listen to Episode 2 of Hormonal
Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter:
https://www.feistymenopause.com/blog/Feisty-40-plus
Sign up to Receive The Feist Newsletter:
https://www.womensperformance.com/the-feist
Follow us on Instagram:
@feisty_womens_performance
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
https://www.womensperformance.com/

Support our Partners:
Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/
Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/
The Amino Co: Shop Feisty's Favorite 100% Science-Backed Amino Acid Supplements. Enter code PERFORMANCE at Aminoco.com/PERFORMANCE to Save 30% + receive a FREE gift for new purchasers!
Lagoon Sleep: Go to LagoonSleep.com/performance and take the 2 minute sleep quiz to find your match, and then use the code PERFORMANCE for 15% off...

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.
This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.
Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.
During these four episodes, you will learn what you need to know to work with your body's fluctuating hormones and perform your best.
Episode two discusses questions around hormonal birth control and IUDs, fertility treatments, and pregnancy, including:
What are hormonal contraceptives? How do they work? How do they impact what would be a "normal" cycle?How does Dr. DiGirolamo counsel women when it comes to hormonal contraceptives and exercise?Do hormonal contraceptives make it harder to identify Low Energy Availability and REDs?Do women need to stop exercising if they want to get pregnant? What about women who are undergoing fertility treatments? What are the special considerations there?
For everyone who is sick of the narrative that women's hormones are a curse, we are here for you. Together, we will learn how amazing it actually is to be hormonal.
Have a hormonal question for Dr. DiGirolamo and Selene? Leave a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/Hormonal or DM us at https://www.instagram.com/feisty_womens_performance/
Listen to Episode 1
Research:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32666247/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK164632/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060104232338.htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33993156/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29283683/
https://globalsportmatters.com/health/2022/02/28/what-happens-female-athletes-pill-oral-contraceptives/
https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/hormonal-birth-control-athletic-performance-research/
a...

At Feisty Media, we are all about reclaiming language and turning it on its head. That's why we're proud to present our limited series, HORMONAL - Periods, Pills, and Pregnancy: How Women’s Hormones Impact Sports Performance.
This series is hosted by double-board certified Obstetrician and Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, who has been featured in Boston Magazine as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" every year since 2019.
Carla is joined by Feisty's own Selene Yeager, who has been hosting the Hit Play Not Pause podcast since 2020, and has conducted over 160 interviews with leading experts and top athletes in the perimenopause and menopause space. Combined with her background as a health and science journalist, Selene is great at reading the research and translating it into actionable steps for active women.
During these four episodes, you will learn what you need to know to work with your body's fluctuating hormones and perform your best.
Episode one covers all the basics about your hormones, including:
How our ovarian hormones impact sports performanceWhether you really need to sync your training routine with your menstrual cycleWhy some women are more or less sensitive to their monthly hormone fluctuationsWhat happens when your hormones start fluctuating in your 40s or flatten out in your 50s and beyond.How to know when and why you might need hormone testing
For everyone who is sick of the narrative that women's hormones are a curse, we are here for you. Together, we will learn how amazing it actually is to be hormonal.
Have a hormonal question for Dr. DiGirolamo and Selene? Leave a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/Hormonal or DM us at https://www.instagram.com/feisty_womens_performance/
Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter:
https://www.feistymenopause.com/blog/Feisty-40-plus
Sign up to Receive The Feist Newsletter:
https://www.womensperformance.com/the-feist
Follow us on Instagram:
@feisty_womens_performance
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
https://www.womensperformance.com/

Support our Partners:
Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/
Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/
The Amino Co: Shop Feisty's Favorite 100% Science-Backed Amino Acid Supplements. Enter code PERFORMANCE at Aminoco.com/PERFORMANCE to Save 30% + receive a FREE gift for new purchasers!
Lagoon Sleep: Go to LagoonSleep.com/performance and take the 2 minute sleep quiz to find your match, and then use the code PERFORMANCE for 15% off your first purchase
MOTTIV: Get two months of full premium access with the code FEISTY at mymottiv.com

What happens when you leave a situation that is holding you back and you start betting on yourself? Anything becomes possible in the case of today’s guest, Vicki Anstey.
After 20 years in a relationship that limited and stifled her, this former advertising professional, turned fitness pioneer and award-winning entrepreneur, became (at age 41) one of the first ever women to participate in Channel 4’s ‘SAS Who Dares Wins’, reaching the final stages after 11 days in extreme conditions at an altitude of 3,000ft in Chile.
In 2021, she and two other women, the Girls Who Dare, set a new World Record for rowing unaided across the Pacific Ocean, confronting her fear of deep, open water to do so. It took 60 days, 17 hours and 6 minutes.
Her most recent endeavor was a five day race in one of the northernmost, remote parts of the world, The Arctic. She covered a distance of over 230km in temperatures of -35 degrees, carrying everything she needed to survive.
Up next? She and a team of three other women (Four the Record) are tackling the World’s Toughest Bike Race, the Race Across America (RAAM), covering 3,000 miles across 17 states in just 7 days. They are attempting to break the women’s world record in this event.
On paper, Vicki is an avid adventurer, but her biggest achievements are less about the adventures, and more about her self-discovery. In times of adversity and extreme difficulty, Vicki learned to tap into her self-reliance, trust, and emotional endurance.
Today, Vicki shares her personal story with Sara, including:
Her career changes and personal growth from advertising executive to entrepreneurHow she followed her gut instincts, which led to Vicki opening the first Barre studio in the UKThe personal and professional growth that stemmed from leaving her controlling relationshipHer transformation from “non-athlete” to extreme adventurerOvercoming her personal fears and adapting to challenges in all of her experiencesLessons learned from her personal and physical adversityHoning the skill of emotional endurance, which involves understanding, processing, and letting go of emotions, rather than just tolerating themDeveloping the muscles of self-reliance, mental toughness, and resilience, especially in times of turmoil and extreme personal difficulty What's next? Another World Record attempt at RAAM and how you can help
Vicki’s story is one of wild bravery and self-knowledge, but her true wisdom comes from her own internal journey and ability to understand her strengths, remain emotionally resilient, and overcome her fears. These are the skills that make her incredible achievements all the more inspirational.
Vicki Anstey Website
Vicki's Instagram
Four the Record RAAM Website
Four the Record Instagram
Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter:
https://www.feistymenopause.com/blog/Feisty-40-plus
Sign up to Receive The Feist Newsletter:
https://www.womensperformance.com/the-feist
Follow us on Instagram:
@feisty_womens_performance
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/...

Are you feeling stress or anxiety about something right now? How are you holding your shoulders? Are you breathing through your nose or your mouth? Is your breath shallow or deep?
This week, Sara talks with Stephanie Green about the power of breathwork to alleviate anxiety and lift your mood. Stephanie is a Vancouver Islander who lives in Nanaimo. She is founder of OmTown Yoga Studio and is also an ultra runner and mountain biker, turned multi-day adventure racer.
Like so many guests, Stephanie learned how to overcome patriarchal notions that limit women's potential, and used her own knowledge, physical strength, and skill to propel her mental and emotional growth.
Sara and Stephanie discuss:
Gender dynamics in adventure racing and how women are often seen as "mandatory gear"Remaining open and curious to learning new skills, especially as an adventure racerHow motherhood prepared Stephanie for several races that required patience and sleep deprivationHow breathing deeply and efficiently can improve running form, economy, and overall athletic performance by connecting the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and coreNasal breathing vs. mouth breathing for better health and athletic performanceEmploying simple nasal breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and lift your mood throughout the dayUsing breathwork to manage fear and anxiety in racing and competition
So, breathe deep (through your nose), relax, and enjoy the episode.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram
Sign up to Receive The Feisty 40+ Newsletter:
https://www.feistymenopause.com/blog/Feisty-40-plus
Sign up to Receive The Feist Newsletter:
https://www.womensperformance.com/the-feist
Follow us on Instagram:
@feisty_womens_performance
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
https://www.womensperformance.com/

Support our Partners:
Hettas: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off at https://hettas.com/
Tifosi Optics: Use code FM20 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/
The Amino Co: Shop Feisty's Favorite 100% Science-Backed Amino Acid Supplements. Enter code PERFORMANCE at Aminoco.com/PERFORMANCE to Save 30% + receive a FREE gift for new purchasers!
Lagoon Sleep: Go to LagoonSleep.com/performance and take the 2 minute sleep quiz to find your match, and then use the code PERFORMANCE for 15% off your first purchase
MOTTIV: Get two months of full premium access with the code FEISTY at mymottiv.com