In today’s episode I interview brave human being and pro soccer player Sydney Miramontez.
Sydney and I met playing for the Utah Royals together. Before a few weeks ago we had no idea that, at the time, we were both secretly struggling with our own eating disorders.
In our conversation, Sydney opens up about her unhealthy relationship to food and exercise. She shares how it all started and tools that helped her to work through it.
I personally am most fascinated by the role that birth control played in her journey and how it wreaked havoc on her body.
She dives into how her own research and intuition led her to discover the pill’s negative side effects and how much it just straight up sucks for women’s hormones.
If you stick to the end, I was a sneaky lil beezy and continued recording our convo after our interview ended, and it gets juicyyyyy. We talk about the power of periods, how they are deeply misunderstood and could literally be utilized to teams' advantages. Sydney also shares about what it was like sharing her story publicly for the first time.
I’m so thankful for Syd’s vulnerability. I know there are so many female athletes who are struggling with their relationship to food, exercise, and their body, it’s simply just not talked about. If this is you, you are not alone!
I hated my body, but now I love it and it weirds me out
Today’s episode is a follow-up of my last one on how I healed my “disordered eating.” In particular, I dive deep into my tumultuous relationship to my body.
From bed-ridden concussion symptoms, to digestive issues, disordered eating, to hating what stared back at me in the mirror… my relationship to my body has been through the ringer. For so long, I viewed my body as the thing that was holding me back from doing the things I wanted to do in my life. I felt like a caged animal. A hermit crab, superglued to its shell, sporadically tortured by random emotional and physical sensations, with no place to escape.
When I started learning about the nervous system, everything changed.
In this episode I talk about:
-why over-achieving affected my confidence in my body
-the misconception that being positive about your body is healing
-going from hating my body to being at peace with it
-how I’m losing weight working out less and eating more
And more.
Enjoy :)
In today's episode, I go in depth about how about how I healed my "eating disorder'. I share how it all started, the shame I felt for binging in secret , resources that helped, and the book that changed my life and got me to the other side.
Read the written article HERE
One on one mentoring HERE
I have something on my heart that I’ve wanted to share about for years, but it felt too shameful to reveal while I was going through it.
I had binge eating disorder.
“Binge eating disorder” feels like three measly words that don’t encapsulate the hell my body went through during this experience.
For 7 years, food consumed my life. What started with the pure intention to heal digestion issues, quickly and also slowly spiraled into being about so much more. Eating was about my livelihood. I held this belief that if ate perfectly, then I would heal my concussion, I would get the body of my dreams, attract my soul mate and, most importantly, I would be able to get back to playing soccer like myself.
Food thoughts consumed my life. I attributed my lingering concussion symptoms to not being strict enough with my diets.
I know now, that this is complete and utter nonsense. But, fuck, when you’re in it, it’s a dark and shameful place. Because you don’t know why you can’t stop your binging, especially when it’s the thing you loathe about yourself the most. I’ve never felt more out of control.
I share this story with so much compassion for myself and anyone who resonates with it. I believe that disordered eating and body image issues are way way way more prominent than we know. Especially, in the female athletic world.
I’ll be sharing how I got to the other side in the future, but for now, here’s a piece where I recount a day in the life of my eating disorder, when I was in the thick of it.
Sending love to anyone who relates and I hope you know that every part of you is pure magic.
Link to read and/or listen to my story in the bio @arrowliving
xx Kendall
Today on the podcast, I am so honored to have on one of the most influential people in my life, energy healer and masseuse, Jessica Shannon. I got introduced to Jessica when I was playing in Utah. A teammate’s friend swore by her. At this point, I didn’t know much about energy work, but I was willing to try anything to heal my concussion and get back to playing soccer.
In my first session, I was mind blown. Jessica was able to tell me things about myself that there’s no way she would have known without having some sort of gift. I was astounded by her skills. This began my fascination with all things energy.
For the past few years, I’ve dove deep into the art of energy. Put simply, everything is made up of atoms which, at their core, are energy. So, it would make sense that focusing specifically on our energy would have profound effects.
I’ve seen several other energy workers over the years, but Jess remains my favorite.
If you’re new to this work, I feel you, I was skeptical at first too. One of the things that draws me to Jess is her to deliver information in a really digestible way.
I’m stoked for you to learn about her and what she does!
In this episode, Jess talks about:
-the chakra system and how it’s integral to our health
-the WILD miracle story about how energy work saved her daughter’s life
-why energy work is powerful for athletes
-her ability to read her clients “life contracts”(part of your purpose. Mine was spot on)
And more!
This one goes deeeep.
Enjoy!
I recently saw a tweet from a father of an 8 year old daughter who just found out she didn’t make her softball team.
The first thing she said to her dad after she found out the news: “Alright dad grab your glove, it’s time to work even harder.”
This tweet received thousands of retweets.
It rubbed me the wrong way.
Why?
Because working harder nearly destroyed me.
Working harder is wildly celebrated in our society and, as a kid, I wanted more than anything to be celebrated.
Working harder was a coping mechanism for me because I subconsciously didn’t believe I was good enough without it.
I thought working harder was the only way to reach my dreams.
Until, I discovered another way.
If you are working hard, thriving and truly happy, then fist bump to you, keep going!! I support you. This message isn’t for you.
But, if you are someone who has worked your ass off and you haven’t been getting the results you want or you feel like something is missing from this whole hard work=success puzzle, then, I feel you! I think you’ll dig my latest podcast episode “‘why your hard work isn’t paying off”
In the episode I talk about:
And more.
I promise you, there is another way to go after your dreams with way less struggle and much more ease.
In today’s episode I interview U.S. Army lieutenant, former NFL linebacker, and motivational speaker Caleb Campbell.
I stumbled upon Caleb on instagram and was captivated by his words.
Caleb, a lifelong athlete, writes a lot about vulnerability, shame letting go, and finding where you belong in the world.
Caleb attended the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, and went on to play at West Point.
After an impressive senior season, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions. However, the day he was supposed to sign, a government policy was revoked and he had to report to the military for two years.
He attacked those two years with the attitude “I’m going to get into the best shape of my life”. After his service, Caleb re-joined the Lions. He later signed contracts with the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs.
Although it had been his childhood dream to play in the NFL, he found himself incredibly unhappy. I love that Caleb is vulnerable about his experiences and very openly talks about his shame.
He also coined a term that I’m obsessed with: “holy frustration”-when you know something isn’t working and you need to let go but don’t know what the eff is going to happen next.
How good is that?
In today’s episode Caleb talks about:
And more!
In today’s episode, I interview one of the people who helped me out the most during one of the lowest points in my life: my therapist, Diane Ulicsni. When I had my first session with Diane, I had just stepped away from soccer and was in the depths of depression, and a foreign debilitating “stuckness.” Working with her gave me immense insight into why my body felt like it was shutting down. Time and time again, Diane has guided me through processing trauma associated with sports and other areas of my life. I have experienced massive levels of healing because of her.
Diane uses a combination of modalities (EMDR, brain spotting NLP, hypnosis, guided imagery, and EFT) to help athletes work through areas that are making them feel stuck, anxious, and/or confused.
In this episode, Diane talks about:
-where anxiety stems from and how to release it
-why talk therapy doesn’t work for a lot of people
-the emotional component of injuries that often causes people to get re-injured
-how to be the boss of your emotions
-the unconventional way she helped stewardess overcome their fear of flying after 9/11
And more!
Link in bio @arrowliving to listen
Diane's website: https://www.dianeu.com/
In today’s episode I interview craniosacral, myofascial worker, physical therapist, AKA the healing wizard Christina Goodwill.
Have you ever met someone who when they touch you, you wonder if their hands are dipped in an angel’s tears? Someone who reads into your soul, feels your energy, embraces your existence, and doesn’t judge any part of you.
Meet Christina Goodwill.
Chris combines her deep knowledge of anatomy with her gifted intuitive abilities in such a unique way that always leaves me so grateful to work with her.
In this episode, we talk about:
-why athletes can get the same injury, but some take longer to heal than others
-what kind of athletes are the hardest to treat
-recommendations for athletes to stay healthy
-how she sees colors, images, and past lives when working with patients, and how that helps her communicate with their body
-why gentle touch can be more effective than firm touch like sports massage
-the time I was told I had an ulcer, and I walked away from one session with Chris completely pain free
-her belief that most injuries have an energetic component that needs to be addresses in order to fully heal
And more!
In today’s episode, I interview meditation teacher and former professional soccer player Sam Lofton.
I first met Sam playing with the Portland Thorns. We bonded over the fact that we were both obsessed with finding (often unconventional) ways to maximize our performance on the field and off.
Sam played soccer and studied Health Science with a pre-med track at James Madison University. After college, she was picked 20th overall in the 2015 NWSL College Draft by the Boston Breakers, making her the first James Madison University player ever to be drafted by a NWSL team.
In 2016, she played for the Portland Thorns. She also played overseas in Sweden for Sunnana SK and in Iceland for Breiðablik UBK.
While playing professionally, Sam discovered meditation and it changed her life.
Through her business “Meditation by Sam” {https://www.meditationbysam.com/sign-up-control-and-create )she teaches athletes how to gain control of their minds and their lives.
In this episode Sam talks about:
-her all-time favorite hacks for improving performance
-how meditation helped her be confident playing against Tobin Heath
-why visualizing is so powerful for athletes specifically
-tips if you are a beginner meditator
-common misconceptions about mindfulness
And, she guides us through a quick meditation! You’ll walk away from this episode feeling the zen.
In today’s episode, I interview Icelandic national team midfielder Gunny Jonsdottir.
The second oldest of seven siblings, Gunny grew up a very independent person.
In 3rd grade, she moved from Iceland to America and picked up soccer. She quickly found comfort in the sport and has been playing ever since then.
Gunny made her debut for the Icelandic national team in Euro 2013 qualifying. She is a regular member of the Icelandic national team.
Gunny played 2 years with Utah Royals FC, playing every minute of the 2018 NWSL season and scoring Utah’s first goal in club history.
In today’s episode, Gunny talks about:
-how she deals with her anxiety
-the cool story of how she learned to speak english
-why she prefers Iceland to America
-what it was like coming back from 3 ACL tears
-how soccer forces you to be vulnerable
-her passion for helping people who have autism
And more.