The WAI We Rise: Navigating Nutrition in a World Without Sport

Last year, my husband and I attended the Female Athlete Conference in Boston to stretch + learn + grow as professionals — that’s where I first heard Rebecca McConville speak.

Being 15 years removed from competitive sport, I didn’t expect to have so many ahas. Particularly around the injuries I endured during my time in competitive sport — both visible + invisible.

It was during her talk, at the very end of the conference, when I connected the dots of my shoulder injury and subsequent forced isolation from the sport I loved — to my eating disorder. I know now that injury is a high risk factor for mental illness.

Rebecca talked about her work with athletes who are transitioning out of sport and her work around RED-S. Again, more ahas.

While I retired from sport in recovery from my eating disorder — the transition away from sport brought different challenges. I threw myself into teaching, coaching and running. I cut my caloric intake because I wasn’t “training” anymore.

A few years later, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), low bone density, amenorrhea and was pre-diabetic. My cortisol (stress hormone) was sky high - all while I was sitting at the lowest weight of my life.

Up until that point, there was a part of me still clinging to the false narrative that a lower weight was ‘better’ and ‘healthier.’

Thankfully, we found help in a physician who recommended meditation + encouraged me to slow down.

The transition to life after sport is hard for a lot of athletes. Some struggle finding peace with food + movement + their bodies, even decades later.

Right now, we have millions of athletes, at all levels, around the world — who’ve been thrown into this transition prematurely, even if temporary.

For many, it’s caused issues to arise where there were none before — especially around food + body image.

I’ve seen it in my private practice — I’ve heard it from my clients. Many of them teens. Unsure what to eat. How to eat. Downloading dieting apps. Trying to find their way with a growing inner critic.

They need guidance. And as coaches + parents, we need guidance, too.

Which is WHY I reached out to Rebecca to have an in-depth conversation around performance nutrition. She’s an expert. And my go-to for conversations around nutrition, fueling for performance and eating disorders.

And she graciously agreed to spend some time with us. 🤲✨

Facebook had other plans for us - or maybe it was just the Universe tossing us some technical curveballs to see if we practice what we teach! Ha! Either way, we linked arms for a powerful conversation.

Of all mental illnesses, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate.

As someone who’s been in recovery for 18 years — and as a mother of four, a high-performance consultant + mental health educator — I’m excited to bring this conversation to you.

We busted through common myths and talked about pressing issues including:

• Fueling when we aren’t training as hard / often as we once were

• Understanding RED-S and what we can do about it

• Navigating pressure of social media / influencers and their impact on our body image

• Cost of youth athletes adopting diets

Take a listen - and please share the conversation with anyone you think might benefit.

To learn more about Rebecca and her work, head over here.

To link arms with Samantha in her Ride the Wave Virtual Workshop, head over here.

To listen to Samantha’s interview on the P.H.I.T. for a Queen podcast, head over here.

To learn more about the WHOLE Athlete Initiative (the WAI), head over here.

Samantha Arsenault Livingstone is an Olympic Gold Medalist, high-performance consultant, speaker, educator and mental health advocate. She is the founder of Livingstone High Performance and the WHOLE Athlete Initiative (the WAI), providing pillars of support to individuals and organizations to elevate mental health and improve performance.

In addition to private and group coaching, Samantha consults with teams and organizations on athlete wellness initiatives, leadership, strategic planning, rising skills and developing high-performance cultures. She is a certified instructor of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) and a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid. 

Samantha is the founder and facilitator of two, multi-module online courses, the Rise Free Academy and Ride the Wave — inspiring, empowering and equipping others with the skills + supports needed to become more mindful, courageous, resilient leaders.

Samantha and her husband, Rob, live in the Berkshires with their four girls. To learn more about her offerings, go over to www.samanthalivingstone.com