The Feisty Women's Performance Podcast Feisty Media

Creatine is having a moment and, as today’s guest, Shannon O’Grady says, “Creatine has been waiting for its moment for decades.”
Shannon has her PhD in Nutritional Physiology and is the COO and Chief Product Officer of Gnarly Nutrition, where she leads product research and innovation across their entire line of products.
Today, she and Sara focus their conversation on creatine.
Creatine is the most studied ergogenic aid and, early on, was pigeonholed as mostly a bodybuilding supplement. 
Research is now clear that the benefits of creatine are far greater than just increased muscle mass (although that’s a great benefit). It has been shown to help in:
RecoveryInjury preventionCognitive function and brain healthHeat toleranceTreatment in psychiatric disordersAging athletes and female athletesIncreased power for endurance athletes
Sara and Shannon discuss what creative is, how it’s produced and synthesized, how it could possibly provide all of these benefits, the best types, dosages, and the importance of being NSF Certified for safety and efficacy in a “wild west” industry. 
The advantages of creatine supplementation are clear and the question has gone from, "Why would I take that?" to "Why wouldn't I?"

From The Wall Street Journal to Runners World, People Magazine, and Women's Running Magazine...
From Lululemon to Ford Motor Co...
Mirna Valerio is proving that you can be an athlete in whatever body you have.
What started as a blog, FatGirlRunning, about her experiences as a larger woman in a world of thinner athletes, has turned into a movement that inspires people everywhere to be whoever they want and to do whatever makes them happy. 
Her training, racing, and advocacy work allow others to see what is possible because no one should determine what you can or can't do.
So, as she says in her keynote from the Feisty Women's Performance Summit, "Stick your ass in all the spaces because you belong!"
Follow The Mirnavator: https://themirnavator.com/
Instagram: @themirnavator
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Since Title IX passed in 1972, there has been extraordinary growth in women’s sports and performance. 
However, for decades, athletic research primarily conducted on males has simply been applied to women, and as we’ve discovered, when the standard of performance is based on that one type of person, it skews our understanding of what is considered “normal physiology.”
Christine Yu, author of the new book Up to Speed - The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletics speaks with Sara Gross about the future of research on women athletes.
As Yu says, “Women and female athletes need specific research that reflects their personal experience to provide appropriate and specific guidance from nutrition and injury prevention, to customized training, and even clothing and gear.”
So, what reputable science and research is out there for performance-minded women? And, how can we apply good science to our lives in order to boost performance and remain healthy for years to come?  
Sara and Christine discuss this and more, including:
Why females have often been considered “messy” and “poor subjects” when it comes to research studies on athletics The impact good (and bad) research can have on female athletes, especially when it comes to longevity in sports and overall healthHow more female scientists and researchers are asking the right questions and leading the way to close the gender gap in researchWhat surprised Christine the most when researching and writing the book?What angered her, and what has she applied any of the good research in her own daily life?
Maya Angelou once said, “When you know better, you do better.” Yu’s book provides an understanding of how we go to this point and, thanks to the vigilance of others, how we are starting to do better.
Order Up to Speed - The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletics
Follow Christine on Instagram: @cyu888
Download the Feisty Female Athlete Guide:
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Support our Partners:
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!
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Jill Moffatt and Jenny Casson didn’t dream of becoming Canadian Olympic rowers. In fact, neither actually started the sport until they were a little older, but discovered quickly they both had an innate talent for the sport. 
This talent, coupled with their chemistry and work ethic, landed them a spot at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and they’re currently in the process of trying to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 
It all seems like a fairy tale, right? Start a sport later in life and still land at the Olympics?! Amazing? Yes. Fairy tale? Not always.
Today, Sara, Jenny, and Jill have a wide-reaching and powerful conversation about the pros and cons of being a high-level athlete, including:
How they complement each other as a pair Dealing with the pressure that their spot in the boat is never guaranteedApproaching mandatory weigh-ins during race season Tracking their cycles for performanceHandling their inevitable personality differences on and off the water
Jenny and Jill also candidly address the toxic culture and predatory behavior that existed just a few years ago on their team, along with the organization that was complicit in this behavior. 
The personal damage and erosion of trust were and are devastating for both, but Jenny and Jill remain vocal advocates for providing support, education, and advice on spotting, addressing, and changing predatory behavior.
No doubt, this is a duo we look forward to watching in Paris. Best of luck to Jenny and Jill!
IG: @jillmoffatt (jillmoffatt8@gmail.com)
IG: @jenny_joan_casson (jjcasson@gmail.com)
Download the Feisty Female Athlete Guide:
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Support our Partners:
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!
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So often, women’s sports history is forgotten, lost, or, at best, diminished. It’s especially true for African American female athletes in sport. 
Many are familiar with Jackie Robinson as the first black man to play Major League Baseball, but few know of the accomplishments of female tennis and golf legend, Althea Gibson.  
Author, Ashley Brown, shines a light on Gibson’s history with her biography, “Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson.”

Brown is Assistant Professor and the Allan H. Selig Chair in the History of Sport and Society at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an expert on sport history, women's history, and African American history. 

Why Althea Gibson?

As Brown highlights, Gibson was a woman of many firsts. In her unprecedented athletic career, she was the first African American to win titles at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

She went on, amazingly, to become the first African American to compete in the Ladies Profressional Golf Association. She had a success music career, and high political ambitions. She even graced the covers of Sports Illustrated and time. 

Always an advocate for causes she believed in, Althea Gibson didn’t do anything half-heartedly, even in a time in society were there was little support for people of color. In fact, for as much fame as she had on the court, she also faced increased challenges as a woman of color in the late 50s and 60s.

Lessons from this legend bubble up in this enlightening conversation, including themes of:
Resilience and PerseveranceNot Letting Passion Go ColdContinuous Pursuit of ExcellenceHelping and Supporting Others in their JourneysBeing an Advocate for Causes You Believe InFighting for Social Justice Reform
Althea Gibson was a woman who refused to be forgotten and thanks to Ashley Brown’s comprehensive biography, she won’t be. 
Purchase Serving Yourself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson
Download the Feisty Female Athlete Guide:
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Learn More about the Feisty Kona Tri-Cation:
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Follow us on Instagram:
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Support our Partners:
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!
InsideTracker: Get 20% off at insidetracker.com/feisty
Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code PERFORMANCE at https://www.previnex.com
VJ Shoes: Use code FEISTYVJ for $20 off a pair of shoes at https://vjshoesusa.com/pages/feisty

This episode first aired on the Women's Performance Podcast on April 4, 2022.
Sara talks to Emily Kraus and Megan Roche. Emily is the FASTR program coordinator, MD, a clinical assistant professor at Stanford children's orthopedic and sports medicine center, a seven-time marathoner, and a two-time Boston finisher.
Megan is the FASTR lead researcher, an MD, a Ph.D. candidate in epidemiology, AND a five-time national trail running champion.
So what is FASTR? It is a program designed to conduct research and provide information for female athletes. Sara talks to Emily and Megan about the moments they first realized there was a gender gap in sports science research, and how they are working to close that gap. Further, they discuss how women have certain advantages built into their physiology to help them perform, and what Emily and Megan would do if they could conduct ANY research on female performance broadly.
Follow the FASTR program on Instagram @stanfordfastr
FASTR Website
Follow Emily @emilykrausmd_sportscience
Follow Megan @meg_runs_happy
Download the Feisty Female Athlete Guide:
https://www.womensperformance.com/
Learn More about the Feisty Kona Tri-Cation:
https://www.feistytriathlon.com/trication
Follow us on Instagram:
@feisty_womens_performance
Feisty Media Website:
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Support our Partners:
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!
InsideTracker: Get 20% off at insidetracker.com/feisty
Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code PERFORMANCE at https://www.previnex.com
VJ Shoes: Use code FEISTYVJ for $20 off a pair of shoes at https://vjshoesusa.com/pages/feisty