What does it really take to keep women athletes healthy, performing, and in sport for the long haul?

Dr. Erin Ayala sits down with Dr. Margo Mountjoy, one of the world’s leading voices in sports medicine, female athlete health, injury prevention, and athlete advocacy. Dr. Mountjoy has contributed to more than 20 International Olympic Committee consensus statements and recently served on the steering committee for the FAIR (Female Athlete Injury Prevention) consensus statement — a major global effort to close the research and implementation gaps in women’s sports.

She explains why the old “shrink it and pink it” approach to female athlete science doesn't work and why injury prevention is about far more than doing a few extra exercises. It's about neuromuscular training, load management, REDs, recovery, menstrual cycle tracking, sociological barriers, pregnancy and postpartum athlete support, and the systemic-level changes needed to make sport safer for girls and women.

What you need to know as a female athlete:

• Neuromuscular training for ACL injury prevention, balance, landing mechanics, and performance
• Training load management and why rapid load changes increase injury risk
• Periodization, recovery, and the importance of long-term athlete development
• REDs, fueling, sleep, stress, and sustainable performance
• Why menstrual cycle-based training should be individualized
• Warning signs that an athlete may need more recovery
• And the gap in research and implementation when it comes to women's sports

Plus, some practical guidance for recreational athletes, who may not think they're "serious enough" to need coaching, strength training, or nutrition support. If you have a goal, then you deserve the tools to pursue it well. We need more than scaled-down male science!

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