The Fearless Warrior Podcast

084: How Nutrition Can Get You to the Next Level with Brooke Miller, RD, CLC

• Amanda Schaefer

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Brooke Miller, a dietitian and former college softball pitcher, gives us the lowdown on how to take care of our bodies as athletes. She shares insights on athletic performance nutrition, the importance of fueling for success, and navigating identity transitions beyond sports. 

Episode Highlights:

• Proper nutrition directly affects energy, brain function, and reaction time
• For optimal performance, include protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats 
• Hydration and electrolytes are crucial
• The transition from high school to college creates nutritional challenges 
• Post-workout protein intake is essential for muscle recovery and growth

Connect with Brooke:

Instagram: @nutrition.for.mamas

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the fearless warrior podcast, a place for athletes, coaches and parents who know the value of a strong mindset. I'm your host, coach AB, a mental performance coach on a mission, former softball coach, wife and mom of three. Each episode, we will dive deep into all things mental performance, mindset tools and how to rewire the brain for success. So if your goal is to gain the mental edge and learn the secrets of mental performance, mindset tools and how to rewire the brain for success, so if your goal is to gain the mental edge and learn the secrets of mental performance, you're in the right place. Let's tune in to today's episode. Brooke is a registered dietitian with a background both on and off the field. She grew up playing softball and went on to pitch at the collegiate level, so she understands firsthand what it's takes to fuel your body for performance. While she currently works with postpartum and breastfeeding moms to help them nourish their bodies and regain their energy, she still has a deep passion for helping athletes. Brooke loves combining her personal experience as an athlete with her professional expertise to help young women fuel their bodies to feel strong, energized and confident both on and off the field. She is a great friend of mine and I cannot wait for her to share her expertise with you all.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the pod. Yay, I'm so excited to be here. Let's go, so I guess we could start off. The Fearless Fam wants to know. We're full of parents and players. They always ask if you were on a guest speaker call. They always ask what position did you play? Where did you play?

Speaker 2:

Tell me all the things. So I played all through. I literally started T-ball at five, so it was my identity from a very young age. I played all through high school and then I did play two years in college and I was a pitcher and I played at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and then it ended up changing majors, moving colleges for my degree and ended things. But yeah, softball was a huge part of my life from the age of five until I was you know what 20, a huge, huge part of my life.

Speaker 1:

And here you are. So how does one get into this field? Tell us what sparked this passion for you. Why are you now a dietitian?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's really interesting. I actually started off as an exercise science major and I was just as an athlete. I was like I love lifting weights, I love exercising, I want to do something in that realm. And then I really wanted to do occupational therapy and I had this passion for wanting to help kids with special needs with, you know, either physical therapy or occupational therapy. Um, funny story. Now my six-year-old has autism and down syndrome, so I'm pretty much a full-time therapist, and so I was heading in that direction.

Speaker 2:

And then my senior year, right before my senior year of college, I got diagnosed with celiac disease and had to completely change my diet and back this. I am like 36 years old, so this was a while ago. Nobody knew what gluten was, and so all of a sudden I'm, you know, living in a small town, small college town, and I have to go out to eat, change my diet. Nobody knows what gluten is. And that is really when I decided, you know what? I really want to help women with their nutrition. And so I've always had a passion for health and wellness and I ended up going into dietetics, kind of thinking I was going to end up doing gut health and all of that and I just really found that I really really enjoyed helping women and athletes and just anybody feel better with nutrition, but specifically women and younger girls.

Speaker 2:

Because for me, I actually had a really unhealthy relationship with food as an athlete. I had a lot of disordered eating and I was not fueling my body properly. We can dive into that and now that I've learned how to fuel my body properly, I just know what a difference it can make with your mental health and your physical health and I really want to set especially young women up to have a healthy relationship with food with their body, learn that food is fuel and learn how to leverage nutrition in the right way so that they can take that, you know, through their years as an athlete. But even beyond that, like I'm not an athlete quote unquote anymore but I still lift weights. I still, you know, chase my kids around, I still do things that an athlete would do and I need to function at my best to take care of everybody in my family.

Speaker 1:

I love that you touched on that because I have now gone back into nutrition and, knowing what I know now, the same thing I say like a broken record on the podcast all the time is I wish I could go back with the mental skills. I wish I could go back with you know what I know in the weight room now and more recently with nutrition, and so you you touch on so many great topics. But I actually want to touch on something else. I think a lot of our listeners, especially high school age athletes who love their sport and there's this pressure to go to college and get your degree and what do you want to be? And we have this attachment to athletics of like. Well, I guess I could have a career, and it's like, once you understand there are so many different career paths possible. You just wanted to stay involved and this is so relatable to how the body moves as an occupational therapist. It's just another path that you decided to take.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there was like there were so many paths I could have taken with softball and with, you know, with college and with my degrees, and I could have been successful, you know, being an occupational therapist or being a physical therapist, or being a dietitian, like whatever it may be. Even I looked at being a nurse, you know, um, because I was looking at other colleges to play at, you know, back in high school, and I was like, oh well, if I go here, they don't have this major, maybe I'll be a nurse. And so it was really fascinating, like looking back at my high school journey, because I was almost like it was like, oh, I want to play softball somewhere and I'm getting scholarships here and offers here and I don't know where to go and they don't really have my major, but like, who, who really cares about that? And and then, you know, I had to take a step back and be like, okay, I'm not going to play in the Olympics, I'm going to college and paying for college and, um, you know, I'm going to get a career out of it, and so I really need to look at like the long-term thing. And something I realized actually while playing college was I my love for the game started to shift and I started to realize that my I didn't really want this to be my identity anymore.

Speaker 2:

I kind of had like this identity crisis of like you know, everybody in high school, everybody in my hometown, they knew me as the softball player, as the athlete, as the volleyball like I was known as that and I just realized, like I don't actually need to carry this identity anymore, like I really need to rediscover who I am outside of sports. And so that was a huge, just identity crisis and like learning process. That's totally off topic, but I do think there's a lot of pressure for high schoolers to determine, like their career and where they're going to play, and it's, it's big life decisions, but also there's a lot of right decisions. You know, it's just you really have to identify like what does this sport mean to me? And, and you know, is this season of life something I want to continue carrying it for?

Speaker 2:

So, like for me, softball was something that it taught me how to be on a team, it taught me how to be a captain, it taught me so many amazing life skills that I would never take back, and then I realized like hey, this is the time for the season to be over in my life and it's time for me to focus on something else in this season. And I think if people, you know, if athletes, are like just playing a sport because their parents want them to, or they're just playing a sport because that's what their identity is and they don't want to disappoint anybody or let go of that, um, you know it's, it can be really hard, but I don't know there's so much there with, like the mental game, but uh, I don't know, we could dive into so many different directions but I've loved that you're sharing this because I know that there's somebody out there that's saying oh my gosh, I was meant to hear this, I needed to hear this and it's okay to make that decision year by year.

Speaker 1:

I also my major. I was. I started out as pre-med and I had this realization that I can do biology, I can do chemistry, but you put those two together biochem that class scared the crap out of me. But I think that's you know, if you go in and there's this pressure of I have to have my major figured out and I have to get recruited and I have to play softball, and I think, if you just go into that, knowing I don't know what the statistic is, but we could Google it. Yeah, the percentage of people that change their major is very, very high. Yeah, and that's okay.

Speaker 2:

For sure, and I was even scared to like transfer schools, you know, and you know the funny thing is is when I like, finally, you know I wasn't playing the sport anymore and so I really had freedom to just be, like I can go wherever, wherever I want. And oh, this school 40, you know, it was like 30 minutes away has my major. It's a smaller school. I actually learned so much better at that school and in that setting, because it was smaller class sizes, it was really intimate. My professors knew me super well and so I actually learned that I was a much better learner and student in a smaller environment versus being in big lecture halls like biochem and microbiology, like I struggled, you know, and that and fizz, with 400 students, like I was just a number, I really struggled. And actually one of the reasons I decided to end my softball career in college was I was struggling through a nat and fizz. It was like this big lecture hall and you know I was traveling so much for softball. We, we won the national championship my freshman year and, um, I was missing a lot of class and my professor like saw me struggling and he had a really like intimate sit down with me one day after class, like just in the middle of the lecture hall, and he's like Brooke, I know you love you know softball and I know you love your sport, but you are going to have to withdraw from this class. Like I had to take a W and I had to retake a nat and fizz the next semester.

Speaker 2:

Which? A nat and fizz? Crucial for dietetics, crucial for you know, you know um, exercise science. And he's like I know, I know that this is important to you, but I also know that you're in college to get a degree and to have a career after this. And he really challenged me and I really thank him for doing that because he saw how hard I worked in class and how much I tried. And he's like you, missing classes is not helping you and you know, and you have to really decide like what's more important to you in this season of life. And that was definitely a big deciding factor for me.

Speaker 2:

Just, I'm used to being an, a student and a perfectionist and for me to feel like man, I might not even pass a class in college and softball was kind of hindering that in a sense with my schedule. I was like I just I need to make this tough decision. I'm here in college to get a degree and, you know, to set myself up for the next 30, 40 years, and you know it did help that a lot of my uh, my like my besties graduated and you know my other friends weren't coming back, so that also, like solidified the decision, because I'm a very social person and I'm like, oh, if my best friends aren't there then you know that obviously makes things a lot easier. Um, but yeah, it's, it's hard and I know that there are some athletes listening to this who can absolutely play and they can manage school and they can still hit a 4.0. Like my college roommate she's a doctor now she got a 4.0 like while being an athlete. Like there are some people that can absolutely do that.

Speaker 1:

It's hard, but it's really hard.

Speaker 2:

It's really really, really hard. And so I think, just like continuing to look onward, like through each season of life, um, you know, this was when I was very little, I played basketball and I was terrible at it and I hated it. And I was like mom, dad, can I quit? And they're like, well, you have to stick it out this season. But yes, if you don't want to go back, you do not have to go back. And I was like, okay, I don't enjoy this. And so, you know, it was like, okay, they didn't punish me for wanting to quit.

Speaker 2:

And even when I told my parents I was going to quit softball, I was kind of scared because it was such an identity and it was a big part of our life and you know our family's life for so long. And they were like, okay, if it doesn't make you happy, that's fine. Like, again, school is more important. And if your grades are suffering, they were very much like if your grades are suffering, like and you're not happy and your friends are leaving, like then you do you. You know you're an adult, you make your own decisions. Um, and so that was, that was nice, cause I was, I was a little scared about? Are they going to judge me or other people going to judge me and like nobody cared?

Speaker 1:

which was great, right. I think this is the beauty of this conversation and I love that we're taking it to this level, because I think we glamorize, you know, college softball, d3, d2, d1. And I know you've touched a lot about grades and you've touched a lot about softball. But, going back to your background, one of the things that I had written down to ask you is the things that we didn't have resources to back then. Is this concept of nutrition right? And and you know, in my world, mental skills is as a college athlete it takes different levels of commitment, and so if we kind of switch gears a little bit, um, can you talk about kind of that responsibility of you're not just eating to eat, you're eating to fuel?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely, and I think there's a lot of pressure. You know, I think, especially for college level, I didn't really struggle with disordered eating or anything like that in in high school, but I think when we start feeding ourselves, like we have this transition where our parents are feeding us in high school and we just like come home and eat whatever they serve us, right, and usually they're pretty balanced meals. And then we go to college and now all of a sudden we are 18 and we're like responsible for feeding ourselves and there's a Taco Bell on campus Okay, I'm going to eat that, um, and so we're not necessarily making good food decisions. And you know, a lot of women especially are like scared, what if I gained the freshman 15? And there's like some fear with weight gain there and that can actually scare a lot of women athletes, where they may start developing a disordered relationship with food, like oh, I'm scared, to scared to eat this, or I don't want to fuel, and they really are not looking at food as fuel or food as a way to help them enhance their performance. They're looking at food as something that they're scared of.

Speaker 2:

And I remember drinking slim fast on my way to softball practice and we would have four hour practices. I was a pitcher so of course, like I'm doing, you know, more endurance than like somebody standing in the outfield, which again we're like all important and we're all doing things, but like pitchers are just physically doing a little bit more in that in that practice period and skipping, you know, lunch and then drinking a slim fast. That is not going to sustain you at all for a game or for a four hour practice or for conditioning or anything like that. And so I was getting really frustrated because I was like why am I not gaining muscle at the gym? I'm working out, I'm strength training four or five days a week. Like why am I not gaining muscle? Why am I not getting strength? Why why don't I have the endurance? Why can't I throw harder? And it was like I was not fueling my body effectively at all.

Speaker 2:

And so one of the biggest things that's so important for women and young athletes to realize is nutrition is the thing that can get you to the next level if you are using it properly. So protein is so crucial. So if you are weightlifting at the gym, you need to have protein. After you need to help repair those muscles and tissues and carbohydrates, so important for energy. So especially those quick carbohydrates before practice, during games, after games, that can also help.

Speaker 2:

Um, if we are under eating, under fueling, what ends up happening is our muscles can't heal, they can't grow, they can't improve, and then our brain function can actually go down.

Speaker 2:

And especially being a pitcher like you're involved in every play and so you need to have good reaction time. You need your brain to be functioning effectively. Um, and you know, no matter what position you're in, you do need to have a fast reaction time, because somebody can hit a ball to you and if you are slow at getting it, you're not going to catch it. And so you start to realize, like, as you start feeling your body effectively, oh my gosh, my brain is functioning better, I have better focus on and off the field, I have sustained energy through the whole game, I'm not like losing gas, and in the fourth inning you're not having mood swings. Our nutrition plays a role in our mood and our energy and our brain function and our muscles, like every aspect of our body, mentally and physically, plays a role, and so we really, really need to train our brains. Food is not bad, calories are not bad, we just need to learn how to fuel properly to feel our best.

Speaker 1:

And I love. Again, I keep saying I love it, I do, I love this so much. One of the things that pops into my mind is a lot of my current clients. Some of them are in college, but most of them are preteens and teens, so high school, middle school, and one of the things that I'm noticing is that, unless I'm coaching them on those factors, we do performance profiles where, yes, we'll talk about mental skills, but some of the things that I'm also holding them accountable to is the two most underrated things that affect mental performance. One is sleep and two is ding ding ding. Nutrition.

Speaker 1:

And a lot of my high school athletes I don't think that they've been educated enough on, you know, protein goals. One of the things that we're setting right now is protein goals and again, I think there's two things. I think one is a fear of misinformation, but the second one and I'm calling some of my clients out I think sometimes it's just a sheer lack of effort, and I don't want to call it laziness because it's not laziness, because these athletes are putting in. I mean, some of them are on elite teams. They do have big goals to get recruited, but what happens is is because they're going to hitting lessons, going to pitching lessons, going to their team practices, playing in scrimmages, and they're a student and you know they also want to be involved in other things, like if they're in drama, or you know these clubs in high school.

Speaker 1:

I think that this generation is just stretched so thin and things aren't always as convenient, and so, if you want to fuel in the morning, some of my athletes were having them food prep in the morning. Um, can you kind of talk about? You know what are some of those resources of? If you could step into my client's worldview, what are some of those things that you would coach them on of? Here's some ways to help make sure you're hitting those protein goals, help make sure that you're getting the right nutrition.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, to keep it really basic and simple. Um, at this age especially and this is something that I'm going to continue teaching my kids through, like elementary school is when we're making a meal specifically try to get a protein, a carb and a fat on your plate, like it. Let's just keep it super basic a source of protein, a source of fiber and a source of fat. So you know, carbs with fiber, fruits and vegetables are obviously great options, um, but you can also add things like you know, toast, or you know a high fiber bread or something like that. Protein you know the best sources are going to be from, like you know, chicken, eggs, meat, fish, anything like that. Um, you know you can get canned tuna, which is like not convenient or it is convenient, but like you know you can mix it with some mayo and put it on some crackers.

Speaker 2:

Um, hard boiled eggs can be really helpful, but beef jerky like beef jerky is one of those things that you can literally have it with you. They make like little trail mix, um, single serve packs. Those are really convenient to have with you too. So you know, just to have like on hand and in your sports bag with with like nuts or beef jerky, like just some. Some of those quick sources are really helpful. Uh, my kids eat these, but I think these are great for athletes. The fruit and vegetable pouches so you can go to Costco and you know, get them. They're like marketed for toddlers, Right, but they're so convenient because, again, it's a quick source of carbohydrate. You're getting some fiber in. Those are going to be really convenient, like right before practice. So that's something that, yes, they're marketed towards kids, but definitely Don't mind me just slurping my, my juicy pack, or what?

Speaker 2:

what are they called?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the little kid fruit and veggie pouches yeah, so I always look at the applesauce ones.

Speaker 2:

I'm like, is there really a nutrition in that? Like half serving of applesauce? You, you got to get the ones that say fruit and vegetables. So Costco has some really good ones, um, and then different brands do so. I always find one that has fruit and a vegetable source in. Um, but those are really convenient. Um, you know, even depends on, like, what type of storage they have, if they have access to a fridge or a little cooler. I'm a huge fan of, like, greek yogurt, string cheese. Those are really great options.

Speaker 2:

Um, the nut and date bars. So Laura bar makes them, but other brands make off brands. It's literally just nuts and dates, and then sometimes they'll add things like apple and cinnamon to it or like little chocolate chip pieces. Um, so those are really great things just to have on hand, like in your backpack or, like you know, throughout the day. And something else that's really important for um athletes is to always have a water bottle with them, like, literally, I just remember sitting in high school and like always having a massive water bottle with me and like you need to be hydrating all day long. And electrolytes are also really great. So, you know, um athletes can either, you know, buy those electrolyte packets. So something like LMNT brand is a good one, um, or even like Gatorade I like some of the Gatorades when you're doing a really intense workout, um, so so, yeah, so those were some of my really, um, yeah, so those are just some like quick options that are helpful.

Speaker 1:

Again. I wish I could go back and shake a B of college. I wish I could go back. The biggest mistake that I made in. Okay, this is my experience, right? So I played NAIA and everyone laughs at NAIA, but I loved my experience playing I.

Speaker 1:

I thought that I wanted to play division one, but playing NAIA although it didn't have the glamor and perks you know, division one athletes have catered meals and everything's provided.

Speaker 1:

Um, this is embarrassing to admit, but, brooke, I used to wait and see what was available at the concessions, and in college we constantly played double headers and I mean we played at some really small schools that you know, the, the women's sports probably didn't get as much attention and so sometimes there wouldn't even be a concession available, and so I would be fueling with, like a contraband Snickers that you know somebody would sneak into the dugout and it's like if I could go back and have kind of those go-tos.

Speaker 1:

I think I finally figured that out my senior year of yeah, I I think we need to take matters and empower athletes of if you know what you need to fuel and you're hungry, that like please don't let a coach talk you out of fueling. I think I got a lot of and again like this, is generational changes in coaching changes. But there were times that we got yelled at for eating in between games, you know, like hurry up, warm up. But knowing what we know now, I wish I could go back and, you know, make a priority on some of those proteins and carbs, cause I I really do think it would have made a difference.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I think you know teaching athletes is so important. Just the basics, just so they they understand, like, oh, before I come to practice, I could eat this on the way to practice or during practice or right after practice. I can have something like this available and, you know, obviously depends on, like, the level and coaching staff, but even coaches, you know, being able to provide, just like we always have these type of bars on hand in the dugout so that if some athlete is like, I mean, if your blood sugar starts crashing, and then you're trying to like get up to bat and you're lightheaded, like you're not, you're going to strike out. You know it's not going to go well, um, and so it's really important that all athletes keep their blood sugar regulated, especially, and so that's why we don't want to go too long without eating, especially athletes Like we really shouldn't be going longer than three to four hours without eating anything.

Speaker 2:

And then, um, you know, before an intense workout, or, you know, depending on what position you're playing, obviously like pitchers and catchers are touching the ball like every play, and so they're moving more than somebody playing in the outfield, but that doesn't mean that somebody in outfield shouldn't be fueling their bodies, you know, before the game. So it is really important to be eating something before practice or before playing, and then you know if it practices an hour it's not like you need to be eating like throughout practice or anything like that Um, but even like protein shakes can be really helpful on the drive home, so that's a really convenient way just to get some protein in on your drive home. You know you can have water and protein, um with that post game or post, uh, post-workout snack.

Speaker 1:

I've been amazed at how much now that I've been and everyone kind of knows this I've kind of been on a health journey after having three kids and coming back to this and this is literally who you coach and all the things that you're saying I have found that gas stations have been a great resource where I think sometimes we look to oh we, you know, we're on the way to practice, or we got done with practice at nine o'clock at night, oh, nothing's open, or what are we going to go through? Well, you don't have a whole lot of options that are healthy, but I get made fun of in my family. I'll go to the gas station and get a chunk of cheese and those gas station hard boiled eggs or like a pack of pickles, like there's a lot more options those um, core power, core power, uh, protein milks.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I love those. Yeah, something like that is like a really convenient thing to have after a game or after practice, especially for the athletes. You know, the really important time to do that too is like if athletes are doing any intense strength workouts. So if you're like, hey, we are, um, we're doing an hour long strength workout in the gym, like we really need to be fueling effectively after, especially those workouts when we're building muscle.

Speaker 1:

So, parents, if you're listening to this podcast airs, summer is coming. I know all of you are doing summer workouts at your high school Send your daughter. I know they're on summer break, but send them with something. I know that there's refrigerators at the school. Our strength coach did a really great job of that and made a fridge available where your exit had to be chocolate, milk or a piece of fruit.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Chocolate milk is seriously chocolate milk. Or a piece of fruit, yeah, Chocolate milk is seriously. Chocolate milk is still a great option. You know. It's like if that's all you have on hand when your kid gets home from practice or a game, it is still better than nothing. Actually, my parents, my parents, like we're always really into nutrition, especially my dad, and so he would be like, okay, let let's, you know, have some chocolate milk or whatever, or you know, you need protein. Like he was very like pro protein, so it was. It was kind of nice that like, um, my parents at least like really understood the importance of food is fuel, and so when I was living at home as an athlete in high school, I was well-fueled. But again, when you go to college and now you're responsible, like we're not always making the best decisions at 18 on our own in the college cafeteria, Well, I love that we're not always making the best decisions at 18 on our own in the college cafeteria.

Speaker 1:

Well, I love that we're having this conversation. Here's a more specific question. Can you talk about the difference between different time periods? You've kind of touched on this a little bit. After like a lifting or a strength workout, what would you recommend to an athlete and part of this is tricky because it's club right we play tournaments, so some of these kids may be playing five, six, seven games in a day. So what would you recommend for like a, a pregame? You know, you kind of touched on in-game. What would you recommend for like a tournament setting?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is, you know, if you're in a tournament setting and you're playing four or five, six games, really it's just you need to be fueling every, you know, three hours at least, um during that setting. And we always, again, in an ideal world for a meal, we want to get a source of protein, a source of healthy fats and a source of fiber, um, throughout. So, like pregame, we want to get some sort of carbohydrate. So that's why I love those fruit and veggie little pouches, because it's a quick carb. You know, if you have something like a banana or an apple in your bag, like something like, that's great too.

Speaker 2:

Um, so some sort of quick energy, um, if you, you know if it's a quick drive to, from your house to to the game or whatever you could do, like a piece of peanut butter toast or something like that. So, really thinking like quick carbs, fruits are really great sources. And then, uh, after the game, that's where we want to get in protein. So, again, a protein shake is just convenient, but we can also do things like beef jerky huge fan of beef jerky Um, and then you know healthy fats we just want sprinkled in throughout the day. So, again, trail mix nuts. Those are really great sources of healthy fats for you. And then throughout the game, yeah, it depends on, like, if it's just an hour and a half game and you fueled right before and right after, you know you might be okay without anything, um, but if you're feeling like dizzy, lightheaded, that's where we definitely then want to get in a quick carb. So, again, a fruit or vegetable pouch.

Speaker 2:

But sometimes that can happen with dehydration. So if we were playing like I remember playing summer ball and it's so hot, like you'd be playing in 90 or a hundred degree weather, like those tournaments, the biggest thing is hydration and electrolytes. So Gatorade is a great option, just because, again, they're going to have it there. But I personally love, like, the Relight electrolyte brand, the LMNT electrolyte brand. So I would highly encourage something, you know making sure that they're getting electrolytes in on the hot days, because the heat yeah, you do not want to mess with the heat, you do not want to get like heat exhaustion or dehydration. It's just going to impact, you know, can cause headaches and obviously impact performance as well.

Speaker 1:

So good, we're just going to keep rolling. I have some rapid fire questions, but before we get to that, uh, now that we're interviewing more experts, I would love to hear your take on this. You could give us this take as an athlete. You could give us this take as a mom, or even in your career. Everyone talks about successes, but we rarely talk about behind the scenes of our failures. Is there a time that maybe you failed and you learned a really great lesson from it?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think you know I'll just pull out the most recent one. So, with business, you know I started a business in 2020 with a business partner. We ended up shutting it down together. We're still best friends, but it just like wasn't making money. You know it was.

Speaker 2:

We were working for free for three years as moms and it was taking so much of our time and energy and I felt like I had failed. You know, it was just like my husband was like when's this thing going to take off? And everyone's kind of asking how's that, how's that little business going? And when we broke up our business together, we each finally pursued like how we wanted to help people. And when we were able to do that, my business took off.

Speaker 2:

And I think the biggest reason it took off was because a I truly believed that my success was inevitable. And you know that's important. With any skill, you know a sport if you don't believe that your success is inevitable and that you will figure it out, you're not going to be successful. And so you know, with this business, for instance, and with my career, I was like I know at some point I will be successful. I know I just need to keep going and keep forging forward and really look inward and see how I want to help people forging forward and really look inward and see how I want to help people and in the last year we've been able to help, you know, 1500 moms, which is absolutely insane.

Speaker 2:

I have hired a team. I have people working under me. It's just grown and scaled like way past what I thought was possible and, yeah, it's just been. It's, it's been a beautiful journey. And, as you know, and yeah, it's just been, it's, it's been a beautiful journey and, as you know, entrepreneurship will teach you the craziest lessons, like personal development on steroids. If I knew what I knew now, like and could be an athlete, I would be so much more successful.

Speaker 1:

Amazing, I would. We would love to relive our glory days. Oh yes, we just have amazing careers all over. Does, does, uh, does COVID year count for us? I feel like we should get a fifth year.

Speaker 2:

I know for real.

Speaker 1:

Hey, you have some years left. You could go back.

Speaker 2:

Uh, yeah, I'm third, 36 year old me.

Speaker 1:

No, I'm good, I tell you, getting back into shape after having kids. Woof, okay, are you ready for some rapid fire? These are going to be fun, yeah, all right. Favorite place to eat Cava. Favorite Gatorade flavor the purple, zero sugar. Favorite seed flavor Ranch Ooh. Coffee of choice. Iced coffee.

Speaker 2:

Current fixation meal current fixation meal oh gosh, Um, uh. I feel like my most convenient meal that I eat all the time are eggs like an omelet every morning. I love it, it's my favorite.

Speaker 1:

Also, you, you, uh, you were hating on the tuna. That's my current fixation meal right now. Literally the meal you described is like tuna with mayo and cucumbers on crackers. That's so I mean you described is like tuna with mayo and cucumbers on crackers.

Speaker 2:

That's so I mean. It's yeah, it's good, my favorite go-to like veggie, veggie, meat cheese omelet first thing in the morning with berries, like every day for the rest of my life, yes.

Speaker 1:

So good Okay. Last one Favorite dessert Custard or ice cream. So good Okay. Final question you are a time traveler and you could go back in time and give your past self one message. What would you tell yourself?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think, just really, truly, like, your success isn't inevitable but it might look different than you anticipated. So your, your success with a sport might not be the exact way that you pictured it. You know turning out like again, it might be moving schools or your career. You know you, you will have success. If you believe that your success is inevitable, you can have success with that. But it might be a different career than you envisioned. Your family might look different than you envisioned. Um, and that's okay, and just like being okay with rolling with the punches of whatever life gives you, just rolling with it, you know, and and having control over what you can have control over, but truly believing that will change your life. If, if you are an athlete and you don't believe your success is inevitable, like you're not going to, you're not going to get where you want to go.

Speaker 1:

Mic drop, thank you for sharing your expertise. This has been eyeopening for me and I've learned a lot just by following you and seeing your journey, both on the nutrition side but also the entrepreneurship side, so it's been so fun. This is a fun conversation and I know we'll continue to talk about softball and business and all the things. Where is the best place to follow you? Is it Instagram?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, instagram nutrition for mamas Okay.

Speaker 1:

We'll. We'll post that in the show notes below. Um and Brooke just so much love for you and so much awesome conversations today. And um, I'm excited for everyone to listen to this and if you have a takeaway that you loved from hearing this um, send us a DM. Let us know what you thought of today's episode. And, as always, if you have any questions, we have our Facebook group for our members. Um, it's a free Facebook group. If you have questions about this or you want more information, shoot us a DM. Shoot Brooke a DM. We're here to help. We love to help. That's what we do yeah.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much.

People on this episode

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Amanda Schaefer

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