If you've been considering podcasting, or maybe you already have a podcast you may have heard of anchor dot f m or the anchor hap. This is an all-encompassing easy way to make a podcast that gives you everything you need in one place for free, which you can use to record edit your podcast and get sponsors to help you fund your show. They'll also distribute your podcast for you. So it can be heard from Spotify. Apple podcasts Google podcasts and many more platforms.Arms, so to get started download the anchor app or go to Anchor dot f m-- to check it out. Welcome to strong Runner chick radio a leading online community where our goal is to educate Empower and connect female distance Runners across the world. We believe in healthy running fueling and embracing our strength is female distance Runners inside and out through interviews with top professional Collegiate and Masters level Runners leading dietitians Coaches Sports psychologists and Runners of all shapes and sizes. We hope to spread the message that there is no one-size-fits-all. Approach to distance running now. Let's get to the show. Hello strong writer chicks. Welcome to another episode of SRC radio. I'm so thrilled to have Starla Garcia joining us. We have worked tooth and nail to get her on our podcast. So Starla welcome everyone. Thank you for having me. I'm excited. I know we've been like dry. So the gate and also joining us today. We have Elena welcome Elena. Hi. Hi strong Runner chicks. It's great to be here speaking. I'm with you all. So to give you a little bit of more background. Let's introduce Starla a bit more. So Starla Garcia is a registered dietitian in Houston, Texas and is currently training to qualify for the Olympic trials and at see IM in December, her current PR is 247 her journey to Wellness came after a battle after battle and eating disorder as a student athlete during her Collegiate years. She was pursuing her Master's in education with a concentration in health at the University of Houston yet. She was too Currently unhealthy physically mentally and emotionally her competitive nature and the pressure to perform as a runner let her to develop restricted eating habits, anorexia and engaging in excessive exercise. It wasn't until she sought help from a dietitian and therapists that are in her unhealthy obsession with nutrition. He could begin to heal that experience was a catalyst for her to set path to re-evaluate how she ate and develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Now her story is what fuels her mission to remove the lid. He believes and unproductive habit that men and women create around diet exercise body image and worthiness welcome again Starla and we're thrilled to have you thank you so much. That was perfect. I know you sent me this beautiful by owners it gosh. How do I condenser? So it captures everything that she's about so thank you. So with that being said, how did you get your start running? So I've been running since I was a kid, I was the middle child. Child, so it was the one thing that you know right away with your hitting your you have two siblings who are also girls you try to find like her own identity the way into that was me. I definitely did that and I received a lot of praise for a when I was younger and then I started taking it more seriously and more competitively when I was in middle school and then even in high school and you know continue to want to get better again almost a middle child, super typing Personality perfectionist when I was younger, so I definitely gravitated to it right away. Hmm. Do you think that type A personality helped you or was it a hindrance to you in terms of running will say I think it's definitely helped me. I think there's a lot of Runners who are definitely typing additive overachieving people. And so those are my kind of people I like being around people like that. So I think it definitely He holds me like especially because when you want to be a runner and I think when you're first getting into a you realize how much of the consistent habit it has to be and I think that's where I definitely thread was like making it consistent and like just knowing that because I knew that I wanted to be good and I wanted to be better and faster that I could definitely do. It was more attainable. I think because of my personality. Yeah, that's a great point. I think I agree with you though a lot of runners. You to be that type A personality and kind of fit into that like those railroad tracks of like keeping going the same way if that makes sense. But so I didn't mention this. I don't think in your bio. No, I didn't mention it. But you ran in College, correct? Yes. Sorry Ryan College. I University of Houston. So for about five years, I was there my four years of undergrad and my first year grad school gotcha and tell us a little bit about that experience. I thought experience it was very how do I say this? It was very interesting. I think when you're just like Collegiate athlete or a 21 or even like and other kinds of schools. It's a very unique experience. There's a lot of benefits to it. And then there's also like a lot of pressure and other things too that come along with him, but I always encourage like younger people who definitely want to be a Collegiate athlete like definitely try it. I think you know, Had some people like other teammates I had left at like decided to continue and I was their decision but I definitely feel like it's a unique experience and it was not anything horrible for me. I just I think I was going through a lot of the time but now looking back I was just so lucky because I had an eating disorder when I was there and I was just so well taken care of and I had so much support just from my teenage from like the staff there and I think just even financially Paying for my services. I just had an all-around great experience that I don't think I would have gotten anywhere else. As you said you had a lot of support from staff and teammates and coaches. How did how did you approach your teammates and coaches did they approach you or was this some about having any disorder with the something you opened up to them about or somebody Express like concern with you about? Yeah, so my eating disorder, so I had disordered eating Tendencies when I was in high school. Um, and then even like my first year of Collegiate racing think I was curve it a little bit but I was still like very ashamed of it and I think I don't really feel pain try to cover it up. But what ended up happening was right after my freshman year and after the summer I came back for my sophomore year. I was definitely thinner I had definitely lost a weight and I think it was just again with alkyl competitive nature that just like took over my life and Obsession wanting to just be better at it. So badly and body Compares and things like that that I just wasn't the same person even just like personality-wise. I was more irritable. I'm like depressed. I was in like as kind or like ask patient with my teenage. I was more controlling as well. I wasn't at like open and like fun and friendly speaking. That was definitely Just about right away to the coaches and then even to my teammates. So what happened was I think that was like displaying all of these behaviors and these moods and after a track session my coach was like hey, I think we should have like a Muscle Milk like what flavors do you guys want and that's all have went together to think he don't want to like put the focus on me. He wanted to like encourage everybody together to have something and so I just kind of like when with it and then when my coach left I was so anxious about this one drink like threw it away and I like got very upset about it. And I went to the locker room. I basically on random Locker like I couldn't handle the pressure to drink it and my teammates saw that and she had a disorder panic disorder when she was in high school. I had some it so she was picking up on all the signs in the behaviors right away. So she Into my coach and she told my coach would happen when he when he left and so then he he brought me at and he confronted me about it because I think you have a problem and I think at that point I was kind of like yeah, you're right I do so there was no more hiding it. I think they're push it in the safest way possible. I was definitely angry about it. But that was just the eating disorder being angry. Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing that Starla. Thank you. I know it's not easy to always open up. But for a lot of people that's something that we need to hear and not even for some people who might have an eating disorder, but I fear that teammate to because props to your teammate for going into sharing something with your coach because that's definitely not easy thing to do at all. Yeah. Yeah, and it's funny because I've had a lot of people ask me like, you know, how do I approach my teammate or how do I approach my friend my family member and like there's not a right way and like be prepared for like a push back. Like I always tell them, you know, they're not going to be happy about it. But when they're on the other side like they're going to be thanking you and like that's have to deal if you see that they're going to be better because of it. That's yeah. Yeah. Yeah, definitely and that's something that's hard being a teammate you want to have that trust with your teammate, but then you may not for a little bit there. But as you said on the other side, that's something that you are really thankful for exactly and I think also like after a certain point like it was no like I couldn't hide it anymore like Like there was just it was just so apparent. So it was either like he like living like that or like be open and tell people about admit to it and receive help or like, you know, just kind of push people away and then I would just continue to be lonely. So there was definitely a point where you know, I'm glad that they that they thought and they caught on. Yeah definitely were there some things outside of running during this time that were able to help you find a little bit more meaning Our worth in during the time that helped out. Um, you know, that's a really good question. I haven't really thought about that like kind of a distraction. I think if anything it was. I think schoolwork just kind of helped a little bit more. But then again I was also I'm also like the type A personality. So it was like I put a lot of pressure on myself to you to study hard. So how is really hard and it was I would say the school work was one of the main things that suffered a lot but I think like I tried to be really involved. Actually. I didn't want to just do like running. I wanted to be more involved and I wanted to like there is this like yearning for? Relationships beyond my running ones. I think that was probably something that I'm glad that I did because I met other people who are not athletes at all and those kind of relationships to so I was like involved in other groups and it was it mainly also realize like my behaviors are not normal even like among athletes. I don't know. I think that was probably good too because I wanted to be a normal person and I want to learn how to Not always be an athlete saying there was going to be a time where it wasn't always going to be an athlete either. That's good. That's that's a really important thing to mention because I think a lot of people I was a division one athlete in college as well. And I think that's something like realizing that you're not always going to be an athlete. That's something that you don't always think about in that moment. So Props to you for thinking about that and realizing that and building those relationships during that time because that's really helpful. Thanks. What did you do as a division 1 athlete I was at Cross country Runner as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I love style you said about reaching out to others and actually seeing that in like seeing that your behaviors were normal through those other people's relationships and it's and I say that with a little bit of a caveat to because like I don't want people to compare their behaviors to others like there could be some turkey lines like Blurred Lines there, but I agree because I went through over. Recovery of an eating disorder and like going out to people and seeing like normalized eating. I was like, oh, oh, oh like you like in recognizing like my behaviors are not normal and then even through the recovery period recognize it like going out to eat with people with so helpful to kind of just like normalize just eating together and just like having a plate of food in front of you and that like it's something that everybody does. So I appreciate you saying that and also hearing you yearn for those relationships because it meant that there was a Swanton drive to get better. So with that being said, I'm curious like how what steps did you take to overcome your eating disorder? And how how did that shape kind of your you moving forward with this? I think there was definitely like I wanted to get better like that was one thing. I don't mean like if anybody that's hearing this is going through one or like has disordered eating Tendencies and like you're in a place where you're not sure if you want that for yourself yet, but for me personally, like I just knew that when I got to the other side that there was maybe something bigger than me that's going to come out of Like I just like felt that and I knew it and I knew that like if I got better than I had to make something out of it too. So that was kind of like the one thing that I think really drove me to get better as well. Like I had to and I think that's also like maybe the overachiever and me like I have to overcome this thing. I have to get better or else nothing else in my life is ever going to get better too. Yeah. I think they're happy stew it. It and I worked with a therapist a lot. I had actually had like three therapists. So this is also very I think interesting to when people seeking help for this just because your place with that first person and like that's a really important relationship to you. It's like probably the most important relationship. I think you'll ever have other than maybe your significant other and yourself because in that moment that time you were sober Vulnerable to all kinds of information and if you have the right therapist that can definitely set you back or I think maybe make you feel like you're not going to get better, but I was just so lucky because I had gone to the school of H has like counseling services for free and then after a point, I think you came like maybe like two dollars per session like he was like ridiculously accessible for students. So I was pleased with the woman. In and if she was in her PhD program and I saw her she was my very first therapist and I stuck with her for like a year and a half and finished the program and then she told me she was going to leave and it was like the most like it's like you were breaking out like he crying: like so it was so hard. I went on summer break and I saw another dance therapist and she was also a dietician to which is also interesting. So I saw her and we had a good relationship. But just like wasn't the same I went back to school in the fall again, and then I worked with another therapist and I was just not opening up like it was just not happening and I think that they're happy as could tell that I was just so like rigid and I was not like there was like no like I don't want to say like no love for her, but it was just like I just didn't feel that same connection. And so I got kind of like kicked out and so I like left and then I saw my other day. My other therapist again, and then that's when the athletic program stepped in and helped me pay for her to but that and then I went through like for dietitians as well. I'm like four different dietitians - help. The one that I really liked but she moved and so I couldn't see her again and she was too far and then one of them went on maternity leave so then she had to lean and then like the other two. I was just like not making progress with and it's not like I was expecting myself to like Be like gaining weight or getting more comfortable. I think there is also like connection pieces that just like weren't doing it for me eventually. So that was also really interesting part of my I guess my professional help to get better and then other things that I did to were again, like I think yearning for other relationships outside of Athletics. That was a big piece because I wanted to create I guess I think I also just wanted to figure out who I was Like what who were at Starla was without running and his trailer was without the eating disorder like what I like like what were those like things that made me tag? I spent a lot of time alone as well just to figure out who I was and so I think I like listen to a whole bunch of music read a whole bunch of books and I would like read a whole each of logs because I think I will have is real like becoming a thing and so I read a whole bunch of blogs and their blogs. I like stuck out to me that really helped me. There was like Oh She Glows was one of like the biggest blogs. So I read her blog and she actually went through like disordered eating too and that helps me like relates her a lot. There's also Kathy's real food. So can't eat like everything and she looked blog about all her meals all the time and I was like, wow, that's why I put All real balanced food looks like so like it seems blogs that I remember that made such an impact on like my recovery. So things like that and we were also thinking like maybe I'll start a blog and do something like that to and like help people. So I think that was also feeding back into it. Like I have to overcome to sing like it's possible. Yeah. I think those are things that definitely helped in my recovery. That's awesome. And you also through all the different people you see in the relationships you made you are very active. In the process because that's something some people may not have that drive or as your the mindset you had a this is a new thing overcome. It's a new challenge to get after and be come to the other side of and that's something that for somebody who for somebody else that might be dealing with an eating disorder. That might be tough to have to deal with all those different people moving people leaving different life situations, but you stuck with it and I think for anybody else listening it's something that you have to Be active in and really you yourself have to want to overcome it exactly because you know, I've talked to clients and patients to when I was in the hospital is that did have eating disorders and I wanted to help them so badly like because I wanted that I wanted so I wanted them to experience recovery. I wanted them to figure out and feel what it was like to feel like the way I felt every day and like without worrying and not having the anxiety. T and I so badly for them but there was just so much fear and untrust with themselves and their body their decisions and like they just were stuck and it was also like I was trying to be so patient to so every time I would see them it was just also like applying my own patients with them all the time, but there was always like I would always verbally tell them like, you know I hope that you don't think that I'm pushing you but I just like want recovery for you and I think possible. So even if like maybe they weren't feeling like they could do it. Like I wanted to still plant that seed every time it's hard because I felt like that. I mean, you know, I had a really low point. I was very depressed. I was always isolated. I know I was always alone, but I think I think I just always wanted a better life to for myself. I wanted to really get better as well and you have to write it down or firm it about yourself in a better place. And I think those things you helped me a lot and I think running was like a good way to also visualize that too because and running you have to visualize yourself finishing doing well. How's the race going to turn out? What do you do something goes bad and I think that's for running really prepared me to be able to lie. Kind of navigate like my eating disorder a lot better. Yeah. I think I like maybe a lot of people don't really talk about but because running can definitely keep the eating disorder, but I think mentally it just really helps me Advocate that a lot more. Yeah. Thank you. I wanted to jump back really quickly because I also want to point out for those who are listening that when you go like that choice to recover. There's like a fear associated with it, right? So like If you're listening like you're scared to recover we hear you because it's something that is super scary because you're taking away usually of come something that's actually comforting to you. So I also want to point out that as much as we are sitting you're advocating for it and saying like yes, like like you can do it. It's also like a very scary thing. So I also want to point that out because it is, you know, a really tricky thing to navigate but knowing that you know, you have two people here who have overcome it and can you know relate to that? I think it's really important to and I'm glad also Starla that you point out that running did seem to have played a role in your ears your Ed recovery process because like you said it's a very tricky line to play around with like can this like client or patient or whatever dive a little bit deeper into running or do they really need to take like a step back and figure out who they are outside of running and who they are outside of their eating disorder and then see if even running is appealing to them because it may have just been a way for them to utilize exercise. And maybe a manner that wasn't appropriate for their body. So because I think all they're all like sorts of viewpoints that matter here. So thank you for mentioning that and kind of I don't know just bring that to light into surface. So let's dive. I'm kind of curious. I want to dive a little bit more into your running. And so with that being said what helped you find and enjoy running again because we mentioned in your bio that You like exercise might have been something that was a bit excessive for you at times. So, how did you find that that line? That was like, okay. I'm ready to dive back into it for myself rather than for the eating disorder or anything along those lines. Yeah. So I guess this is a good stick Facebook you talked about like how running helped helped me navigate that and how did I you know, maybe figure out those lines of like excessiveness and then helpfulness, but After I finished Collegiate racing and like 2013 top five finish my fifth year. I you know, I didn't have anyone eligibility. I still had another year of grad school to go through and I was like, well, you know, what do I do now? Like everything I've done has been always like Collegiate and racing and I was just like I still really like running and like how do I realign myself and I kind of I figure out my values and how do I figure out my goals? With not like my adult life. Yeah. Now there's no for college not like like so I just kind of like I want to say took time away because I finished in May and them into and I was like signing up for my first marathon, but what I did and how I approach that I think has really helped me now, and I'm so glad I did it when I was just like I just want to know and I just want to experience what a marathon is like a half marathon experience that In all I knew was that I enjoyed being out there and I was now at a healthy place of my body to you know, getting like my cycle back and I was eating enough to support it and I was like, I just want to know what this is like and I think I was also searching for a new experience with running with was like no like to find time for me. Like there was no set time that I had to hit and I also wanted to know no, like I think just I think I was also just searching for something like spiritually to about it when I figure out like I just wanted to know what it was going to be like for me in a marathon. Like what did that feel like not paying wise but what was what was it going to feel like and so when I trained for that, I just kind of like trained very like casually I don't judge you like 45-minute run Sixty Minute Rice. Friends dinner really look at pays like I had a watch but it would just like restart after the our like the Casio watch very janky didn't have a Garmin. I didn't know what pieces I was rampant. All I knew was that I was ready for this amount of time. And then that was it and I'll just cut it off. How would you long runs me like an hour and a half maybe two our I think I did two hours once and just kind of stick to my routine and outside of running high was like also, Learning who I was as an adult. So I would like I think after college because I'd been so stringent. I just like went a little bit crazy. Like I just like had a lot of fun with my friends. I figured out like one of the things I like to do and stuff like that and I was still going to grad school and I had a job. So I was also pretty busy with that. So running was there but it wasn't the center part of my life anymore. Like it wasn't college and I ended up running really well. Well, I didn't even know like the Boston qualifying time. I called hyper Boston off my first one and I finished and I was like that was so great. I can't make them do that again. Like I enjoyed the experience so much. I didn't even know Paces nothing. I didn't even know what pays I had to have to be cute none of that. And I know that that's a very privileged like thing that I have that I could just do that, but it just really opened up like a whole new. Or for me of running and like what was possible and that I actually enjoyed the process of just running a not actually having like goals with it. I just enjoyed like just running and so I actually got injured right after that. I kind of like a hip injury and never fracture or anything like that. I didn't pull I think I think I just have a lot of built-up inflammation from all the years of running. So I took like a year off and then I got my dietetic license. It's dinner really burn too much. I have their through my dietetic license because I was so focused on school work first and then what and then after that around my second marathon in 2017 random minute faster than my first one stole super happy trained the same way dinner really like care about during workouts. None of that didn't you tempos and nothing just ran and then I was and then I was going to do boss. I did Boston 2018, so everybody knows Boston 2024 18 is like a creepy old there's and I've actually really glad I finally drink for that. So I think at that time I was like, okay, I have like my licensure. I have like most of my adult things that I need a copper done now finish prepping for it. So it's kind of like a nice place to just kind of come back and be like, okay now I have time energy. I've been in recovery for this amount of years now. I think it's time to actually train again maintained from January 2018 to April 2018 for Boston and I hadn't done a single track workout. Nothing since I finished in 2013 and I remember being at the track the first time again, I was like I haven't done this in like five years. What am I doing here and within a month, it just felt like very normal again for me to do that and I loved it too. So I was like, I think I can definitely continue to train I run a little bit faster. So I pr it on the go. Of course, I think out of a miracle it was such a miracle. Wow one piece and that I actually PR did I think I did I really get 3:15. And so I was very very happy that I had finished first. And then I was like even more excited because I actually Pete art on that thing. So just like okay if I had such crazy things that I couldn't control what happen if I trained And I took care of my body and I had a great day like everything was set up like what could happen and I found out last year at Sea. I am 28 2018. Yeah, I just like kind of 253 and I was like, okay, I guess I'm going to take you now. Wow, that's awesome. Yes. It was that was also a huge surprise. I was just wanting to break 3 hour and my friend was kind of like I think you're deadly gonna do that. And I was like, well, I don't know who knows like I just said hoping that I you know can do it. So yeah, I think it's just been very like humbling to think like where I was at 20 in 2018. But like where I am now, I think just like having a healthy body and like a healthy mindset like how much that can give you and runny and I think people definitely look over those two things. We things like grind grind grind grind. Run and like yes, you have to do that. But you also need to take care of your body first and I'll grab your mindset to you. I think that's been one of the biggest things that I have done this time around and didn't again like track rounds are going to be out there all the time, but I think just like taking care of those two things was like what really set me up for like cin last year because I was just so like wanting to stay healthy and to make sure that I was taking care. Care of my body and that you know just didn't have any like questions there wasn't any pressure and I was just really out there because I was like, okay, like I'm just gonna have fun today, you know, you could feel the excitement last year the guy like I wasn't even not getting the top hundred or anything like that. It was just like he could just feel the excitement and I think just like catching on to that and like how you know, the internal feelings I think is really important. And I think like whenever I'm talking to new renders in the like why I'm always so nervous and I just like that's a good thing and that's how I this is how I perceive it is like when I'm nervous and I'm a little bit like jumping that's just my body telling me that something's about to happen and it's just waiting to like Let Go it just kind of like that if anybody's listening and like they're a little bit nervous about the upcoming race. Just think about it in that way. You're like your body's just ready for you to like Yourself flow I love that. Yeah, you did that's really clever. And so and I love your story about how like just naturally you came to running like you're just like here I am. I'm going to just kind of have fun with it and enjoy it and I'm just like love that so much because I can relate wholeheartedly like I did run in college when I started running after college. I was just like I'm going to try to do this and see how much fun it is and see how we do with it. And I had never done a track worker out or anything like that. Adam so I can relate somewhat to that story. So even though you had a background in it, but I love how natural it is and then also watching you talk about it. The joy that's on your face is like so pure and just so it did like I couldn't help it. You probably saw me smiling I couldn't help but smile when you were talking about it. So I'm super excited for your upcoming race. But unfortunately, we are a little bit short on time. So with that being said we kind of want to wrap up. We usually have two questions that we'd like to wrap up with. So the first one is what is currently making you drive. I would say right now. I don't want to say I guess like a little bit of my training is just like my consistent thing like it's always been a consistent part of my life since I was a kid and so if it's not there like I don't feel like my highest self, but it always makes me Thrive but when I don't have running or like if I have a rest day, I definitely enjoy and I love I absolutely love like Like working with new runners or like people who are like trying to break a two hour and a half like that is so exciting and I think that's why sometimes oh, yeah, like I guess not that like I'm much faster but it's like it's really fun to just like hear their excitement to and like how much fun that they're having because I never might seem like yeah, like what I do is actually like a really fun hobby to have to be serious. So Like always like reminds me of like the excitement and the joy like when you're doing something for the first time like I want to break two hours and they're like, well, I'm hoping to do I don't like well that's like legitimate time if that's what that's why I like your body's doing like there's nothing to be like scared or embarrassed or fearful of like that's a really exciting thing. Like how would you feel if you broke two are on the like one willingly I would be really excited and I'm like, okay. Well then let's think about that. That for the next session and what can we do to get you there? And so I'm not just like I guess a dietitian that works like a with just nutrition. So I really like to like figure out what makes an excited about it because they're not going excited about it. Then they're not going to do their nutrition right or they're not going to feel well and also making them feel worthy of that to our things. I think that's a big piece with running is like you have to believe that you have to feel like you're of value and worthiness for that time. Then when it's really tough and it when it's tough out there and it's hard even if it is a two hour or like, you know, are you going to have that extra little push to get you there? Yeah, when people come to me for that but kind of stuff. It's just like will be fun to help them like uncover that piece to know and so I think that our lab because we are so short on time. I wanted to look apart to it. Because I feel like they're hungry. We got really deep into like your background stuff like that. But I want to talk more about like what you're doing now and how you like to help athletes and how athletes might be able to reach out to you. If you have like spots open and then kind of where you hope to go and kind of anything else we can cover. So with that being said, I guess the question I'll ask now is how can others connect to you and like what services do you offer in the last like minute we have so people can find me on my Instagram. Stralla underscore Shines My my Instagram. My website is www.seannal.com and people can just send me a message. Usually, I'll reply like right away. I'm pretty good about it, like on my social media and then Services I have are like different plan options like for session a session and then helping people with like they're feeling strategy awesome. Well, thank you Starla so much for joining us. It was a really great podcast and I feel very honored that you shared your story with us because like Elena said, sometimes it's really tricky to talk about and done. We do appreciate it for all those who are listening who can really am and who are willing to take the next step to recover. So SRC listeners. Look forward to Part 2 because I think we might have to have another but Starla thank you again so much. No problem. Thank you so much for having me on today was a lot of fun. Thank you Starla. Thank you. Thanks for listening to this strong Runner chicks radio do us a favor and leave a review in iTunes to help spread awareness and Foster the SRC Community additionally make sure to follow us on Instagram Facebook or Twitter at strong run chicks.
Starla Garcia, is a Registered Dietitian in Houston, Texas and is currently training to qualify for the Olympic Trials at CIM in December. Her current PR is 2:47. Her journey to wellness came after battling an eating disorder as a student athlete during her collegiate years. She was pursuing her Master’s in Education with a concentration in health at the University of Houston, yet she was secretly unhealthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Her competitive nature and the pressure to perform as a runner lead her to develop restrictive eating habits, anorexia, and engaging in excessive exercise. It wasn’t until she sought help from a dietitian and therapist that her unhealthy obsession with nutrition could begin to heal. That experience was the catalyst that set her on the path to re-evaluate how she ate and develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Now her story is what fuels her mission to remove the limiting beliefs and unproductive habits that men and women create around diets, exercise, body image, and worthiness. ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. 