In this episode of Project Unlaced, Mia Lerner interviews Christie Dondero Bettwy, the executive director of Rock Recovery, who shares her personal journey through eating disorders and recovery. Christie discusses the complexities of eating disorders, the importance of seeking help, and the mission of Rock Recovery to provide accessible treatment. The conversation also touches on leadership challenges in nonprofits, misconceptions about eating disorders, and practical advice for those struggling with recovery. Christie emphasizes the importance of community support and the need to redefine what recovery means.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Recovery Journeys

02:38 Understanding Eating Disorders

06:21 The Turning Point: Seeking Help

09:33 Rock Recovery: Mission and Impact

11:45 Leadership Challenges in Nonprofit Work

14:34 Defining Recovery and Freedom

20:05 Misconceptions About Eating Disorders

23:13 Advice for Overcoming Recovery Overwhelm

26:36 Supporting Loved Ones in Recovery

Find out more about Rock Recovery at rockrecoveryed.org

Stay updated on what we are doing or learn how to get involved!

Website: projectunlaced.org

Instagram: @project_unlaced

In this conversation, Diya Mankotia, founder of EDSA, shares her personal journey with eating disorders and how it inspired her to advocate for mental health awareness among youth. She discusses the challenges of starting a youth-led organization, the importance of outreach, and the need for more support in schools. Diya emphasizes the significance of relationships in recovery and offers valuable advice for aspiring advocates. She also shares her future plans for EDSA and her goals in public health, highlighting the need for prevention programs in mental health.

Learn more about Project Unlaced at projectunlaced.org

Follow us on Instagram at @project_unlaced

In this episode, Candace Lindenzweig shares her personal journey through eating disorders, perfectionism, and the path to recovery while exploring her work in counseling. She highlights the importance of self-validation, supportive relationships, and mindful engagement with social media for maintaining mental and emotional well-being.

Takeaways

• Safe spaces and supportive relationships are crucial for mental health and recovery.
• Eating disorders are complex and require empathy and individualized care.
• Self-validation is more sustainable than seeking external approval.
• Social media and perfectionism can impact body image and mental well-being.
• Exercise should be about health, balance, and enjoyment—not punishment.

In this episode, registered dietitian Alyssa Leib shares her journey into the world of nutrition and her discovery of the anti-diet philosophy. She discusses the dangers of diet culture, the misconceptions around processed foods, and how athletes can cultivate a more compassionate, intuitive relationship with food and their bodies.

Takeaways

• The anti-diet philosophy centers on holistic health and body acceptance rather than restriction.
• Diets often fail long-term and can create cycles of shame, guilt, and disordered eating.
• Yo-yo dieting poses serious physical and psychological risks.
• Exercise should serve as joyful movement, not punishment or control.
• Processed foods can be valid and helpful sources of energy for athletes.
• Learning to listen to your body improves both health and performance.
• Over-discipline in nutrition can mask disordered eating in athletes.
• Seeking support for eating disorders is valid even if you don’t “look” sick.
• Food connects us to culture, community, and experience — it’s not just fuel.

Alyssa Leib reminds us that nutrition isn’t about perfection. It’s about trust, compassion, and connection. Whether you’re an athlete or someone recovering from diet culture, this episode encourages you to listen inward, eat with intention, and redefine what health truly means.

You can follow Alyssa Leib on Instagram at @alyssaoutside_rd

Lynsie Gram, a registered dietitian specializing in sports medicine, shares her journey from college running to nutrition coaching. In this episode, she breaks down how proper fueling impacts performance and recovery, especially for young and female athletes.

Takeaways:

• Nutrition is essential for optimizing athletic performance and recovery.
• Common fueling mistakes include under-eating, skipping carbs, and neglecting post-workout meals.
• Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad” to build a healthy relationship with food.
• Consistent fueling schedules help meet daily energy demands.
• Iron deficiency is common among distance runners and requires regular monitoring.
• Proper nutrition supports not only physical health but also mental well-being.
• Keep it simple: balanced meals and snacks are the foundation of effective fueling.

You can follow Lynsie on Instagram @lynsiegramrd and her website https://www.enrgperformance.com/lynsie-gram

Dr. Megan Hellner, a clinician specializing in eating disorders and sports nutrition, unpacks the connection between fueling, mental health, and performance in athletes. She explains what REDs really is and why understanding it matters.

Key Takeaways:

• REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency) is a medical condition distinct from eating disorders.
• Regular, balanced eating supports performance and hormones.
• The menstrual cycle is a powerful sign of athlete health.
• Social media often distorts what “healthy” looks like.
• Coaches and teammates play a key role in athlete recovery.

Athletes often push their limits. But true performance comes from fueling the body, not depriving it. This episode helps athletes, parents, and coaches recognize early warning signs and create supportive environments where health comes first.

Molly Hurford, an endurance athlete, author, and founder of Strong Girl Publishing, shares her journey to becoming a voice for women in sports. She opens up about body image, nutrition, and the importance of storytelling and visibility in empowering young female athletes.

Takeaways

• Balancing multiple roles as an athlete, author, and advocate takes intention and self-awareness.
• Young female athletes need better education around nutrition and body image.
• Storytelling and visibility are powerful tools for empowering girls in sports.
• You don’t have to fit the traditional “athlete” mold to belong in athletics.
• Building a healthy relationship with food and your body is key to long-term success.

Follow Molly and her work on Instagram!

Molly's Instagram: @mollyjhurford

Strong Girl Publishing: @stronggirlpublishing

The Consummate Athlete Podcast: @consummateathlete

In this episode, collegiate runner Ellie Hanowski from the University of Minnesota Duluth opens up about her evolution from a young hockey player to a dedicated cross-country and track athlete. Ellie shares how her love for running developed, what the recruitment process was like, and how college competition reshaped her perspective on training and identity. She discusses the challenges of fueling, body image, and mental health, as well as the critical role that team dynamics and support systems play in thriving as a student-athlete. This conversation highlights the importance of rest, balance, and rediscovering joy in running beyond performance.

Key Takeaways

• Team culture shapes athlete wellbeing. The right environment can either support or harm mental health and performance.
• Fueling properly isn’t optional. Restriction and body image pressure can quietly erode both joy and longevity in sport.
• Rest is part of training. Pushing harder isn’t always better—recovery is essential for both physical and mental resilience.
• Identity beyond sport matters. Injuries and transitions remind athletes that their worth extends far beyond performance.
• Open conversations break stigma. Talking about mental health, food, and pressure helps create safer spaces for athletes to thrive.

Follow Ellie on Instagram: @ellie.ontherun

In this conversation, Emily Arthur, a registered dietitian, shares her journey from traditional dietetics to focusing on menstrual health. She discusses the pervasive shame and confusion surrounding women's health, particularly in relation to diet culture and social media. Emily emphasizes the importance of understanding conditions like PCOS and endometriosis, advocating for better education and awareness around menstrual health. The discussion highlights the need to celebrate periods as a source of power and insight into our bodies, encouraging women to reclaim their narratives and prioritize their health.

Takeaways

• Emily transitioned from a focus on dietetics to menstrual health.
• She noticed a lack of education around women's health issues.
• Many women experience shame and confusion about their bodies.
• Diet culture often overlooks the importance of holistic health.
• Social media can perpetuate harmful body image standards.
• PCOS and endometriosis are often misunderstood conditions.
• Menstrual health education is crucial for young women.
• Periods can be seen as a source of power and health insight.
• Weight stigma can negatively impact women's health care.
• It's important to reclaim conversations around menstrual health.

You can follow Emily on Instagram @emilytheperiodrd

In this conversation, Katie McNamee shares her personal journey with nutrition and sports, focusing on the challenges of REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). She discusses the importance of recovery, the misconceptions surrounding body image and menstruation in athletes, and the critical role of carbohydrates in fueling performance.

Takeaways

• Katie's journey with RED-S began after coming off the pill.
• She realized the importance of fueling her body adequately during training.
• Recovery is as crucial as training for athletes.
• Body image issues can arise from societal pressures on athletes.
• Not having a period is a sign of underlying health issues.
• Carbohydrates are essential for athletic performance and recovery.
• Athletes should not fear weight gain if it means better health.
• Clean eating can lead to under-fueling and health issues.
• Social media can distort perceptions of health and fitness.
• Finding balance in life outside of sports is important for overall well-being.

Follow Katie's Instagram at @fuel.with.katie

In this episode of Project Unlaced, Mia discusses the critical issues surrounding REDs and eating disorders in sports with dietitian Abby Olcott. They explore the red flags often missed by healthcare professionals, the myths perpetuated by diet culture, and the consequences of under-fueling in athletes. Abby emphasizes the importance of understanding energy needs, the role of processed foods, and strategies for preventing under-fueling. They also discuss the significance of fats in an athlete's diet, navigating injuries, and the impact of coaches and team culture on nutrition. The conversation concludes with advice for young athletes on maintaining a healthy relationship with food and debunking common myths about nutrition.

Takeaways

• Red flags in athletes often go unnoticed by doctors.
• Diet culture promotes harmful myths about weight and health.
• Under-fueling can lead to serious long-term health consequences.
• Athletes need to understand their energy needs for optimal performance.
• Processed foods can be beneficial for busy athletes.
• Consistency in fueling is crucial for athletes.
• Fats are essential for hormone health and energy.
• Injuries require adequate nutrition for recovery.
• Coaches play a significant role in shaping team culture around food.
• Carbs are vital for athletic performance and should not be demonized.

You can find more of Abby's work on Instagram @energysportsdietitian

Welcome to the very first episode of the Project Unlaced podcast. In this episode, I share my personal story: how athletics, COVID-19, and a search for control led me down the path of an eating disorder and REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).

I talk about:

• How my struggles with food and exercise began during the pandemic.
• The moment I realized something was wrong and entered treatment.
• What recovery has looked like: five years later, and still ongoing.
• Why these conversations about REDs and eating disorders are so often missing in sports.
• The mission behind Project Unlaced: to spread awareness, create dialogue, and change the culture around athletes’ health.

Thank you for listening and being part of this first step.

Follow along at projectunlaced.org or on Instagram @project_unlaced.

Together, we can start changing the conversation.

In this episode of Project Unlaced, we’re joined by Erica Mulholland, a certified speed, agility, and strength coach and former Hall of Fame soccer player. Erica shares how her journey from elite athlete to coach shaped her mission to help young female athletes train smarter, stay healthy, and build confidence.

Erica’s Athletic Journey

Erica reflects on her path from youth soccer to semi-professional play in the U.S. and Brazil, and how passion, discipline, and resilience shaped her approach to both sport and life.

Strength Training for Female Athletes

We dive into common myths around girls lifting weights, why strength training is essential for performance and injury prevention, and how consistency—not overtraining—makes the biggest difference.

Injury Prevention & ACL Rehab

Erica explains why ACL and meniscus injuries are so common in soccer, what traditional rehab often gets wrong, and how proper return-to-play training builds both physical readiness and mental confidence.

Coaching the Whole Athlete

From body awareness and movement fundamentals to confidence-building and fun, competitive training environments, Erica shares how she supports athletes through growth, setbacks, and success.

Advice for Young Athletes

Erica closes with a powerful reminder: trust the process, embrace the highs and lows, and know that every part of the journey is shaping who you’ll become.

In this episode of Project Unlaced, we sit down with Jason Wood, Director of Community Engagement at ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders), to talk about eating disorders, recovery, and breaking long-standing stigma—especially for men.

Jason shares his personal journey with orthorexia, including how weight-based bullying, perfectionism, and diet culture fueled over 20 years of disordered eating. He opens up about the pivotal moment in 2020 that led him to seek help and how recovery has reshaped his understanding of health, identity, and connection.

Together, we explore:

• What orthorexia is and how “healthy eating” can become harmful
• How eating disorders impact mental, social, and emotional health, not just food
• Why men’s eating disorder experiences are often overlooked
• The role of perfectionism, control, and routine in eating disorders
• How sharing your story can be a powerful part of healing
• Ways friends, family, and coaches can support someone without causing shame
• Why recovery is nonlinear and doesn’t have a “look”

Jason also talks about writing his book Starving for Survival, the importance of representation, and the work ANAD is doing to provide free, peer-led support to anyone struggling or supporting someone with an eating disorder.

If you or someone you love is navigating disordered eating, this conversation offers honesty, hope, and practical insight—along with a reminder that you are not alone.

Resources mentioned:

• National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD): anad.org
• ANAD Helpline, support groups, and peer mentorship programs (all free)

In this episode of Project Unlaced, we sit down with Maegha Ramanathan, founder of Girls for Sports, a youth-led nonprofit working to combat gender inequality in sports. Founded when Maegha was just 13 years old, Girls for Sports has since grown to over 25 chapters, mobilized 1,500+ youth volunteers, and donated 10,500+ pieces of sports equipment worldwide.

Maegha shares her journey as a multi-sport athlete and the moment she noticed girls dropping out of sports due to sexism and discouragement. From cold-emailing Olympians to hosting advocacy conferences, free sports camps, and international equipment drives, she walks us through how Girls for Sports grew from a local idea into a global movement.

We also talk about:

• Why girls are more likely to drop out of sports around age 14
• The power of community and mentorship in youth leadership
• Balancing academics, athletics, and running a nonprofit
• How small actions can grow into meaningful change

This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about sports equity, youth activism, or turning personal experiences into impact-driven movements.

In this episode of Project Unlaced, we’re joined by Hailey Goforth, a high school senior and the founder of the Crowded Minds Project. Hailey shares her personal journey with ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and emetophobia, and opens up about how therapy, medication, and a strong support system helped her through some of her lowest moments.

We dive into what inspired her to start the Crowded Minds Project, how sharing her story online became a tool for both healing and connection, and the impact her work has had on others in her community. Hailey also discusses the realities of stigma, comparison on social media, and the importance of setting boundaries while being vulnerable.

From practical self-care habits like “Self Love Sundays” to her hopes of expanding mental health advocacy into college, this conversation is an honest, encouraging look at how young people can turn lived experience into meaningful change.

In this episode, we're joined by Cami Merickel, a Division I runner for Nebraska Track & Field / Cross Country. Cami shares her journey from growing up in Phoenix and playing soccer to competing at the collegiate level and serving as a team captain.

We talk about navigating the recruiting process during COVID, adjusting to the demands of Division I training, and overcoming injuries and confidence setbacks. Cami also dives into how she discovered the 3K steeplechase, what makes it such a challenging (and painful) event, and why trusting your training is key.

Beyond racing, Cami discusses body image in distance running, her studies in Nutrition, Exercise & Health Sciences with a minor in Psychology, and how consistency, sleep, and mindset play a major role in performance. She also shares advice for young female athletes hoping to run in college and why your identity should never be defined by your sport alone.

Topics Covered:

• Soccer-to-running pipeline
• Recruiting during COVID
• Transitioning to college athletics
• Steeplechase & event specialization
• Injuries, burnout, and mental health
• Team culture & leadership
• Nutrition, psychology, and performance
• Advice for aspiring college athletes

Follow Cami on Instagram @camimerickel

Dr. Nicky Keay explains how the body conserves energy much like we do in daily life: slowing down with an empty petrol tank or using low-power mode on a phone. She connects these examples to metabolic rate, hormonal shifts, and how low energy availability can progress into REDs.

Key Takeaways

• The body reduces metabolic rate when energy is low, similar to low-power mode.
• Hormones act as signals, adjusting processes like thyroid function, reproduction, and recovery.
• Low energy availability can lead to REDs, affecting health and performance.
• Everyday behaviors around saving energy mirror biological energy-saving mechanisms.
• Understanding energy balance helps athletes make better training and fueling decisions.

Find out more about Dr. Keay's work here: https://nickykeayfitness.com/

Sports dietitian and endurance athlete Stevie Lyn Smith joins host Mia Lerner to share her journey into triathlon, her evolving philosophy on nutrition, and the inspiration behind her new book Power Up. She discusses how young women can build a healthier, more empowering relationship with food, body image, and performance.

Key Takeaways

• Athletes can easily under-fuel when training volume increases without a matching nutrition increase.
• Food should be flexible, realistic, and personal rather than being defined as “good” or “bad.”
• Performance often improves when athletes properly fuel before practices and workouts.
• Social media nutrition trends (especially “high-protein” everything) can mislead young athletes.
• Parents and coaches should avoid body comments and keep food language neutral.
• Power Up was created to give young female athletes accessible, evidence-based, real-life nutrition guidance.
• It’s healthy and normal for athletes to take breaks from structured training to avoid burnout.
• Recovery from disordered eating involves learning to move through intrusive thoughts instead of expecting them to disappear entirely.

Click here to learn more about Stevie Lyn Smith's new book: https://stronggirlpublishing.com/product/power-up-a-young-womans-guide-to-winning-with-sports-nutrition/

Follow Stevie Lyn Smith on Instagram @stevielynlyn

In this episode, sports dietitian and author Rebecca McConville joins us to break down the realities of eating disorder recovery, athlete underfueling, and the path toward a healthier relationship with food, movement, and performance. She shares practical, compassionate strategies for healing and for understanding the body’s true needs.

Takeaways:

• Many athletes underfuel without realizing it.
• Rest and self-care are key to sustainable performance.
• Coaches need better education on REDs.
• Intuitive eating takes patience and practice.
• Challenging food fears rebuilds trust with the body.
• Recovery works best when broken into small steps.

You can follow Rebecca McConville on Instagram at @rebeccaeddietitian.