Why we are all in on Women’s Performance

And will keep it going in 2023

By Sara Gross

When I first started the Women’s Performance Podcast I wasn’t sure I even wanted to talk about “performance” at all. I used to be an elite athlete and when we talked about performance it usually meant a deep dive into heart rates, power numbers, pacing, and counting macros (sorry, but… boring). I wanted to talk about performance in a different way, in a way that recognizes that our experiences and ability to live well can’t be reduced to numbers. 

I also wanted to create a space where we could talk about performance from every angle. Yes, physiology and nutrition are part of it, but what about our mental health and relationships? What about the cultural environment of sport and fitness that still excludes women more than most other institutions?  Further, I wanted to talk about how all these things relate to each other.

For example, Feisty Media recently created a campaign called “Fueled is Fast” in which we approached fueling for female athletes from multiple angles, from protein requirements, to timing of food, to addressing the challenges we face with eating disorders and social pressure. We can’t really understand an issue unless we look at it from every angle. 

I am also keenly aware that the lion’s share of sports science studies are done on college-aged men making it a lot more difficult to know what actually applies to us as women. 

So a big part of leaning into women’s performance is figuring out what actually does apply to us as women. 

The fitness industry is rife with BS about what women are “supposed to” look like, and then, the same industry sells us terrible diet plans, fitness programs, and products to “help us” look the part. Seriously, WTH?? 

And while I recognize that there are tons of supportive spaces for women in the sports and fitness industry, we also need to name some of the crap that has been spread around for so long. 

In order to start cutting through all that crap, I wanted to create a podcast that addresses human performance through a female lens, a lens that diligently keeps asking the hard questions like, does this work for women? And how do we know? 

And because the studies are few and far between, we need to hear from experts, both from academia and who have real-world experience. I want to talk to women who are performing at the top of their game, so we can learn together.

And if I do say so myself (which I do), our third season of the Feisty Women’s Performance Podcast has been the best so far. We have discussed sex, intimacy, and female pleasure with Dr. Jess, learned to accept our bodies with Marley Blonsky, honed our CEO mindset with Vic Brumfield, and channeled the confidence of Racquetball legend Rhonda Rajsich. 

I’m learning so much through this process and can’t wait for more.