A Connection Between Perimenopause, Disordered Eating, and REDs with researcher and clinician Meghan Vogt

"We are not done [as athletes], by a certain age. And we should be able to push for what we want," shares athlete, advocate, and clinician, Meghan Vogt.  Meghan is part of the Lane 9 Clinician Membership and Directory, and posted to the Lane 9 Project Substack a few months ago, as she began to collect data for her dissertation project. She's studying "The Overlooked Connection Between Perimenopause, Disordered Eating, and REDs", as both a clinician, and someone with lived experience as an athlete navigating perimenopause, through a system that wasn't, and still isn't fully, designed to support her.  Listen to hear Meghan's story, why she's passionate about researching this growing percentage of people navigating perimenopause and athletics, and where we are seeing gaps in care for this season of life.  Connect with Meghan Vogt via her Lane 9 Directory profile, at lane9project.org/directory, or by going to athletealigned.com.  Follow Lane 9 on Instagram @Lane9Project, and subscribe to our Lane 9 newsletter for weekly updates.  Lane9Project.org  

"Injury is part of the athletic experience. Burnout, setbacks, losses...all of these things are part of being an athlete. There's nothing you can do to eliminate ALL risk of that," shares licensed therapist and sport psychology consultant, Olivia Papakyrikos. She is part of our Lane 9 Membership and Directory. Olivia was a collegiate athlete, and now supports athletes navigating things like injuries, body image struggles, and life transitions. We talk about the stages of grief an athlete may experience when navigating an injury, why it's actually so disruptive to our sense of identity, and what to do about that.  Connect with Olivia Papakyrikos through Lane 9's Directory, or visit her site here. Follow Lane 9 on Instagram @Lane9Project, and subscribe to our Lane 9 newsletter for weekly updates.  Lane9Project.org  

"Over the years, clients have shown me that recovery begins in spaces where they feel safe enough to tell the truth." It's Eating Disorder Awareness Week and this year's theme is "Every Body Belongs". We wrote a little something about that on our newsletter, and shared here as well. We appreciated how eating disorder dietitian Marci Evans wrote the quote above in her newsletter this week, and have seen the same play out, here in Lane 9. We shared our stories, and it opened the door for other athletes to see what they could do the same, whether that's with us, or with someone they feel safe talking to. We hope to continue to nurture this space where your stories, and any and every body, are welcomed and held.  We're also here to help you take the next step toward eating disorder care, if you want/need it, with our Directory of Women's Health & Sport Clinicians. These are are clinicians vetted by Lane 9's team, and uniquely trained to support athletes with eating disorders and disordered eating. Go to Lane9project.org/directory to find a care team, or contact us.  Follow Lane 9 on Instagram @Lane9Project, and go to Lane9Project.org for more resources.

"The first time [younger female athletes] work with a barbell or trap bar or something, you can see it. They're like, 'this is bada**, this is awesome," shares physical therapist and ultra-endurance athlete, Hannah DePaul, on this episode about building bone density and weight lifting for female athletes (from highschool and up!).  Hannah DePaul is a former D1 Swimmer, who held multiple records at the University of Michigan, and has gone on to run ultra-marathons. She's currently training for The Huron 100, a point-to-point independent event based outside of Ann Arbor, MI. We have a few scholarship spots to give to Lane 9 athltes, for The Huron 50 or 100 mile distances! If this is something you're interested in, please reach out to us via Lane9Project @ gmail dot com.  Tune into this episode to hear Hannah bust some myths about strength training for high school female athletes, share how she addresses the WHOLE athlete not just the injury, how she screens for REDs and underfueling as a physical therapist (DPT), and how to actually incorporate strength training into your weekly routine even if your preferred form of movement is running, cycling, or swimming.  Hannah DePaul DPT is part of the Lane 9 Directory. You can find her and her clinic via Lane9project.org/directory or going to hannahdepaulpt.com If you're looking for sports nutriton, mental health, or injury support for your next training cycle, and/or a coach informed in REDs and women's health, go to our Lane 9 Women's Sport and Health Directory at lane9project.org/directory.  Follow Lane 9 on IG @Lane9Project, and contact us anytime via Lane9project.org  

"I had girls come up to me and say, 'I haven't had my period in X amount of time, how do I get it back?'" Gracen Key, head coach for the Women's Distance program at Fort Lewis College (FLC) in Durango CO joins us to talk about creating a team culture where athletes feel comfortable asking questions like that.  Key joined FLC about two years ago, and is working hard to create a team cuture that celebrates fueling, regular periods, and self expression. After struggling with injuries, and eventually having surgery for a severe hip labrum tear, her personal athletic career seemed over but she was drawn to coaching by mentors in the sport. She's been at three programs so far, and feels strongly about her athletes having regular periods, eating enough, and performing in a way that feels best for them.  We got to bring a Lane 9 workshop to her team last year, and wanted to reconnect with Key to learn more about her coaching philosophies and approach. We hope it's helpful for you, too!  If you're looking for sports nutriton and marathon fueling support for your next training cycle, and/or a coach informed in REDs and women's health, go to our Lane 9 Women's Sport and Health Directory at lane9project.org/directory.  Follow Lane 9 on IG @Lane9Project, and contact us anytime via Lane9project.org

"That really was the biggest thing during my marathon build is like, wow. Reminding myself to get back into those [fueling] habits, but also remembering I shouldn't need to train for a marathon to have these healthy habits," shares Melissa Berry, a former D1 Cross Country and Track runner for the University of Oregon. Berry ran her debut marathon at CIM 2025, in 2:35:57, getting her first OTQ in the marathon. Berry grew up in Eugene OR and was excited to find herself at her hometown university as a collegiate athlete. She fueled well in highschool and saw big improvements, but struggled through injuries, inadequate fueling, and comparison to other athletes in college. It wasn't until Coach Shalane Flanagan joined the program, in Berry's penultimate season, that things started to turn around.  Berry shares her story with Lane 9, including how she joined the Tracksmith Stamata team to go for a marathon OTQ, thinking it would take a few years. But actually, it just took one try! Stay for the race recap and fueling lessons learned.  If you're looking for sports nutriton and marathon fueling support for your next training cycle, and/or a coach informed in REDs and women's health, go to our Lane 9 Women's Sport and Health Directory at lane9project.org/directory.  Follow Lane 9 on IG @Lane9Project, and contact us anytime via Lane9project.org

"There are a lot of outside influences that challenge the way we experience our body, which accumulates to our own personal body image," shares Dr. Krissy Ladner, a sports dietitian in the Lane 9 Women's Sport & Health Directory.  Dr. Ladner joins us to talk about how body image dissatisfaction may impact our fueling and nutrition, our mental health, and our performance in sport. It's a very common thing for people socialized as women to struggle with, and of course athletes and people of all genders may struggle with body image concerns. She speaks to the importance of coaches (and athletic staff that frequently interact with athletes at various levels) being able to recognize behaviors and changes in an athlete's demeanor, or fueling habits, and how it may be tied to body image dissatisfaction. We also cover some ways to balance body image dissatisfaction with building positive body experiences.  We share some resources for learning more about this topic, including books, podcasts, and social media accounts (or general tips for shifting your algorithm!), and also acknowledge that we come to this conversation with our own body and societal privileges. So, maybe this is a place to start, but there are many more resources out there to continue learning! Connect with Dr. Krissy Ladner via Lane9project.org/directory.   If you're looking for sports nutriton and marathon fueling support for your next training cycle, and/or a coach informed in REDs and women's health, go to our Lane 9 Women's Sport and Health Directory at lane9project.org/directory.  Follow Lane 9 on IG @Lane9Project, and contact us anytime via Lane9project.org

We are coming up on Lane 9's 9th birthday!! This episode gives you a big update on a new thing in Lane 9, for our athletes. Listen first, then go to Lane9project.org to join us!  If you're looking for sports nutriton and marathon fueling support for your next training cycle, and/or a coach informed in REDs and women's health, go to our Lane 9 Women's Sport and Health Directory at lane9project.org/directory.  Follow Lane 9 on IG @Lane9Project, and contact us anytime via Lane9project.org

" It's interesting looking back because I normalized being hungry, normalized being super tired... and when you don't know that that's not normal, you're also not necessarily open to hearing otherwise because it sounds like somebody wants to hold you back from your performance." Justine Fédronic immigrated to the US from Europe in elementary school. Before she learned English, she found a way to connect with her classmates at recess—through running. She showed talent on the run early, and a coach suggested she try for an athletic scholarship to college. She competed at Stanford, but not without some highs and lows.  Fédronic signed a professional running contract before graduating college, but her running career before and after this point was riddled with chronic bone stress and soft tissue injuries. She struggled with underfueling, irregular periods, and constantly having to take time off.  " A lot of college and high school, I really struggled with my mental health. And there was definitely a correlation between my stress injuries and my depression," she shares.  In this conversation with Lane 9, she shares how her running story didn't go as planned, and how she's found her way back to the sport without the pressures of performance and outcomes. She has worked with some of the brands you know and love, and is now working with the nonprofit For All Mothers+.  Connect with her on Instagram @jfedronic.  If you're looking for sports nutriton and marathon fueling support for your next training cycle, and/or a coach informed in REDs and women's health, go to our Lane 9 Women's Sport and Health Directory at lane9project.org/directory.  Follow Lane 9 on IG @Lane9Project, and contact us anytime via Lane9project.org  

"I was prioritizing the general trend toward a carb load, but it really kind of stressed me out in a way that I was a little bit surprised by. But also, we talk about this in the REDs space all the time—having energy is better than having no energy," shares REDs researcher Melissa (Mel) Lodge, whom you may know from following @FED_Collaborative on Instagram.  Lodge was an elite track and field athlete who competed collegiately, but hasn't tackled longer distances until now. (She's done some 10Ks, but never raced a half-marathon!) Her REDs and female athlete health reserach, along with the coursework she has completed for both her PhD and her dietetics cirruculum, certainly set her up with an immense fueling and health knowledge base going into this experience.  She ran her first marathon at the Wineglass Marathon in October 2025, crossing the finish line in 2:51:45, 3rd female overall and 1st in her age group (25-29).  But it wasn't easy! She shares how she structured her training plan while also finishing her dissertation (which she successfuly defeneded just last week), how she fueled, what worked and didn't work for her, what surprised her about the whole process, and why she's not sure she'll do another one...at least not for a while!  We wrap things up by exploring a few of the 10 things she wishes more people knew about REDs. So, come for a marathon recap, stay for some hot takes! Follow Mel on IG at @FED_Collaborative.  If you're looking for sports nutriton and marathon fueling support for your next training cycle, and/or a coach informed in REDs and women's health, go to our Lane 9 Women's Sport and Health Directory at lane9project.org/directory.  Follow Lane 9 on IG @Lane9Project, and contact us anytime via Lane9project.org