Addiction can creep into many of our lives in seemingly benign ways. It’s not just drugs that are addicting - it’s social media, food, fitness and diet culture, chasing podium finishes ... Where is the line between a passion and an addiction?
Purple Patch Fitness: Matt Hurley - from Prison to Podiums: Triathlon coach Matt Hurley bravely shares about his history with addiction and how he has found healing through sport, family support, and realizing it’s more important for him to show up with 80% effort every single day, than to need to chase that 100%.
Work Play Love: DNF, Emotional Labor, Athlete Sponsorship: Lauren and Jesse answer listener questions and discuss finding a lasting intrinsic motivation to race, balancing life changes and training, and what to consider if you’d like to pursue an athletic sponsorship.
RD Real Talk: How to Use Intuitive Eating in Collegiate Sports: Intuitive eating is a mindset intended to create a healthy and positive relationship with food (read more here). Rachel Manor, sports dietician at UNC Chapel Hill, discusses how she helps college athletes adopt this mindset and improve their performance and connection to sport.
Call Your Girlfriend: Instagram Anxiety: While this may not clearly relate to sports, I would argue that the way we interact with social media does affect our mindset and this in turn affects our athletic potential. Hosts Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman are best friends who call each other to discuss a new topic about work, politics, personal life, or pop culture each week.
This American Life: Wartime Radio: If you listen to podcasts, you likely know how incredible the stories told by This American Life are. This episode traces the story of an American-supported radio station in Syria and a US podcast led by two recovering addicts called Dopey. It’s no accident that this is the second podcast I listened to in a week about addiction and recovery - I find these stories important, thought-provoking, and yes, also heart-wrenching. I think as a society we have a long way to go to truly understand addiction and how to support those who suffer from it.