Women's Performance

Women's Performance

Welcome to the Feisty Women’s Performance Podcast where we cut through the B.S. and deliver trusted information from experts who know how to help women thrive. The sports and fitness industries were not designed for women. And we feel that. Not only has exercise science excluded women from studies but we often receive the message that we don’t belong. And yet we know our potential is limitless. Time and time again we see women crushing it- in the gym, on the race course and in the boardroom. Despite major data gaps, we are breaking records - Every. Damn. Day. On this podcast, host Sara Gross offers the tools you need to get the best out of yourself by learning from athletes and experts who are at the top of their game. We aren't afraid to talk about periods, diet culture, sex, menopause, mindset, depression, anxiety, pregnancy and all the messy details. Listen as we bring you trusted information relating to our four pillars of women’s performance: physiology, nutrition, mental health, and culture. By taking a female lens on human performance, we can truly unlock our potential.

  1. Brain Storm Episode 4: Concussion Prevention, Susceptibility, and What We’ve Learned

    23 SEPT

    Brain Storm Episode 4: Concussion Prevention, Susceptibility, and What We’ve Learned

    Obviously, the best way to deal with a concussion is to not get a concussion. But that’s not always possible, and nearly 30% of adults report having a concussion in their lifetime. In this episode we cover the basics on how to prevent concussion and what to do if you do hit your head based on what we’ve learned during this series. We also take a deeper dive into who might be more susceptible to concussion, including if females have special risk factors with special guest Dr. Julie Rios, who is leading a groundbreaking Women’s Health Concussion Study that aims to understand the broader effects of concussion on women’s health. Julie Rios, MD, specializes in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She practices at UPMC Center for Fertility & Reproductive Endocrinology and is affiliated with UPMC Altoona, UPMC East, and UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. You can learn more about her and her work at Julie Rios, MD. Rebecca Rusch is an adventure athlete, 7x World Champion, and 2x Hall of Fame inductee for mountain biking and gravel cycling. She is also a keynote speaker, the bestselling author of Rusch to Glory, and an Emmy Award winner for the documentary Blood Road about her journey to find the spot where her father, a US Air Force pilot, was shot down during the Vietnam War. She is also the founder of the Be Good™ Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming individuals and communities by using the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution. You can learn more about her and her work at rebeccarusch.com. Get Our Active Women’s Guide to Concussion: https://www.womensperformance.com/brain-storm-resources Episode 4 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-4-podcast-resources Episode 3 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-3-podcast-resources Episode 2 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-2-podcast-resources Episode 1 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-1-the-crash-podcast-resources Momentous: Use code BRAINSTORM to get 20% off your first order at https://www.livemomentous.com/

    53 min
  2. Brain Storm Episode 3: Working Through the Trauma of Brain Injury

    16 SEPT

    Brain Storm Episode 3: Working Through the Trauma of Brain Injury

    A head injury like concussion can fundamentally change you–especially if you have prolonged post-concussive symptoms, which can upend your life and sense of self for months, and sometimes years. Head injuries are also traumatic and they can leave you vulnerable to reliving other past traumas that may have been long buried. That’s where therapy comes in. Therapy can help you deal with your past and current trauma and importantly, put some new coping tools in your toolbox. As she struggled to cope with her lingering injury and depression, Rebecca pursued talk therapy and then later psychedelic-assisted therapy, both of which she credits with being pivotal turning points in her recovery. This episode takes a deep dive into her therapy experience, including insights from two of the therapists who helped guide her recovery. We also discuss the current state of psychedelic-assisted therapy, the FDA’s recent non-approval decision, and what it means going forward. Rebecca Rusch is an adventure athlete, 7x World Champion, and 2x Hall of Fame inductee for mountain biking and gravel cycling. She is also a keynote speaker, the bestselling author of Rusch to Glory, and an Emmy Award winner for the documentary Blood Road about her journey to find the spot where her father, a US Air Force pilot, was shot down during the Vietnam War. She is also the founder of the Be Good™ Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming individuals and communities by using the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution. You can learn more about her and her work at rebeccarusch.com. This episode also features interviews with Rebecca’s talk therapist Courtney Loving, LPC, who has certifications in Trauma, Military, Trauma Resiliency Model and Havening Techniques, and works as a Mental Health Partner at Higher Ground, serving Military Veterans, their families and supporters. You can learn more about her and her work at courtneyloving.com. Also featured is Sarah* who facilitated some of Rebecca’s psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions. Sarah is a chemist and is a Psychedelics Today Vital trained plant medicine facilitator and integration coach. * We are using Sarah’s first name only with respect to the sensitivity surrounding the subject matter. Get Our Active Women’s Guide to Concussion: https://www.womensperformance.com/brain-storm-resources Episode 3 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-3-podcast-resources Episode 2 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-2-podcast-resources Episode 1 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-1-the-crash-podcast-resources Momentous: Use code BRAINSTORM to get 20% off your first order at https://www.livemomentous.com/

    1h 51m
  3. Brain Storm Episode 2: How to Treat an Injured Brain

    9 SEPT

    Brain Storm Episode 2: How to Treat an Injured Brain

    What do you do when you hit your head? That can be a hard question to answer. Even when people go to the doctor or ER, the actual advice can be thin, amounting to: take it easy and let your brain heal. Sometimes that works. But for nearly half of concussion sufferers, symptoms like depression, headaches, fatigue, and cognitive impairment can linger for months. And for some, like Rebecca, they can hang on for years. When that happens, people get desperate and start trying anything that friends, family, Google, or various health practitioners recommend, which is exactly what Rebecca did. In this episode, we follow Rebecca’s desperate journey to resolve her persistent post-concussive symptoms. We also sat down with Dr. Alicia Trbovich, a neuropsychologist at the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program who studies the management of sport-related concussion and neuropsychological assessment following mild traumatic brain injury to talk about how experts are actively treating concussion and concussion symptoms today. Alicia Trbovich, PhD, presented on Domain Targeted Treatment and Rehabilitation Following Sport Related Concussion at the 12th Annual Sports Neuropsychology Society Symposium earlier this year. Dr. Trbovich is a neuropsychologist at UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program and Assistant Professor and Fellowship Research Coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. You can learn more about her and her work at Alicia Trbovich, PhD. Rebecca Rusch is an adventure athlete, 7x World Champion, and 2x Hall of Fame inductee for mountain biking and gravel cycling. She is also a keynote speaker, the bestselling author of Rusch to Glory, and an Emmy Award winner for the documentary Blood Road about her journey to find the spot where her father, a US Air Force pilot, was shot down during the Vietnam War. She is also the founder of the Be Good™ Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming individuals and communities by using the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution. You can learn more about her and her work at rebeccarusch.com. Get Our Active Women’s Guide to Concussion: https://www.womensperformance.com/brain-storm-resources Episode 2 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-2-podcast-resources Episode 1 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-1-the-crash-podcast-resources Momentous: Use code BRAINSTORM to get 20% off your first order at https://www.livemomentous.com/

    1h 24m
  4. Brain Storm Episode 1: The Crash

    2 SEPT

    Brain Storm Episode 1: The Crash

    On November 11th, 2021, on day three of a solo multi-day ride on Arizona’s Coconino Trail, seven-time world champion adventure athlete Rebecca Rusch clipped her handlebars on a protruding rock, launching her from her bike and into a ravine 10 feet below, where she hit the ground with enough force to bounce multiple times, breaking her helmet and badly bruising her ribs. After self-rescuing off the trail, Rebecca did what pretty much everyone told her to do: rest up and recover. Her ribs mended. Her brain, which had clearly been concussed, didn't. Now, going on three years later, we revisit the crash, what she did in the immediate aftermath, and how experts are thinking about the acute phases of concussion recovery today. Rebecca Rusch is an adventure athlete, 7x World Champion, and 2x Hall of Fame inductee for mountain biking and gravel cycling. She is also a keynote speaker, the bestselling author of Rusch to Glory, and an Emmy Award winner for the documentary Blood Road about her journey to find the spot where her father, a US Air Force pilot, was shot down during the Vietnam War. She is also the founder of the Be Good™ Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming individuals and communities by using the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution. You can learn more about her and her work at rebeccarusch.com. This episode also features an interview with Christopher Vaughan, Psy.D., who presented on Rest and the Treatment of Concussion at the 12th Annual Sports Neuropsychology Society Symposium earlier this year. Dr. Vaughan is a pediatric neuropsychologist in the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s National Hospital. He is also Associate Professor, in the departments of Pediatrics & Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University School of Medicine, and is Fellow and Treasurer, at the Sports Neuropsychology Society. You can learn more about him and his work at Christopher Vaughan, Psy.D.  Get Our Active Women’s Guide to Concussion: https://www.womensperformance.com/brain-storm-resources Episode 1 Show Notes and Resources: https://www.womensperformance.com/blog/brain-storm-episode-1-the-crash-podcast-resources Momentous: Use code BRAINSTORM to get 20% off your first order at https://www.livemomentous.com/

    1h 15m

Trailers

About

Welcome to the Feisty Women’s Performance Podcast where we cut through the B.S. and deliver trusted information from experts who know how to help women thrive. The sports and fitness industries were not designed for women. And we feel that. Not only has exercise science excluded women from studies but we often receive the message that we don’t belong. And yet we know our potential is limitless. Time and time again we see women crushing it- in the gym, on the race course and in the boardroom. Despite major data gaps, we are breaking records - Every. Damn. Day. On this podcast, host Sara Gross offers the tools you need to get the best out of yourself by learning from athletes and experts who are at the top of their game. We aren't afraid to talk about periods, diet culture, sex, menopause, mindset, depression, anxiety, pregnancy and all the messy details. Listen as we bring you trusted information relating to our four pillars of women’s performance: physiology, nutrition, mental health, and culture. By taking a female lens on human performance, we can truly unlock our potential.

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