In this special episode, your Feisty Women's Performance podcast host Dr. Erin Ayala brings together a group of experts on mental health to talk about the science and psychology of stress and collective trauma.

Along with being a sports psychologist & therapist in her own right, Erin also lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota — which has been at the center of the news over the last month since it became the target of the largest immigration enforcement action to date in the U.S. Thousands of federal agents have patrolled the streets and detained residents, and, over this past weekend, shot and killed a second bystander — leading to hundreds of thousands of people protesting in Minneapolis and around the country.

In this tense environment, how do we show up as athletes, as members of our community, as our best and healthiest selves?

Join Dr. Tess Kilwein, Dr. Quincy Guinadi, and Christine Bright as they discuss how these experiences shape mental health and performance, and how you can respond to stress and trauma — whether you're going through it right now with the news or you're dealing with your challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• What is collective trauma? Learn how collective trauma impacts communities and individuals, and why this understanding is crucial for athletes and coaches.

• Recognize that intentional rest in times of stress can be essential for long-term sustainability.

• Know that movement and sport can be powerful tools in community healing.

• Get tips on how to navigate the complexities of wanting to help without feeling performative or overwhelmed, and how to effectively engage in difficult conversations without shame or guilt.

Don't be perfect. Be brave.

Guest Introductions:

• Dr. Tess Kilwein: A board-certified clinical, health, and sport psychologist with expertise in mental performance and athlete wellness.

• Dr. Quincy Guinadi: A postdoctoral resident specializing in identity, mental health, and the experiences of marginalized communities.

• Christine Bright: Lead consultant at the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, focusing on trauma-informed coaching and community support.

Resources Mentioned:

• Center for Healing and Justice through Sport

• Nothing Heals like Sport Playbook

• "What Happened to You" by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah

• Beyond Ally by Dr. Maysa Akbar

• Find ways to help at standwithminnesota.com

It's the last episode of the year! And Kelly and Sara are closing out the season with a full-on countdown of the best races, records, performances, and picks in women’s sports this year.

From #16 all the way down to our #1 women's sports moment of 2025!

What did we miss? What was your moment of the year? Send us a voice memo at podcasts@livefeisty.com and we'll be back in the new year.

Subscribe to The Feist, our Free Weekly Newsletter covering Women's Sports: https://feisty.co/feistnews/

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To get you in the cozy holiday spirit, Kelly and Sara are throwing down some of their best women's sports book and movie recommendations.

But, first, this week's women's sports highlights:

• 55 women hit the Olympic Trials qualifying standard at CIM — even though the standard (2:37) is faster than ever! And a shoutout to Molly Born, who won the race in her first marathon, despite a fall in the final straightaway.
• And you should be following SkiMo (ski mountaineering)! Where it all came down to the U.S. vs. Canada for the final Olympic spot. Enter Anna Gibson, world-class trail runner, who was recruited and secretly turned out to be amazing! (It's Kelly's dream.)
• Bonus shoutout to Alysa Liu, who won the Grand Prix in figure skating in her comeback-to-the-Olympics tour.

…like we were saying — a few follow-ups:

• The highest-paid women athletes in 2025. Why are 10 of the top 15 tennis players? Thank you, Billie Jean King.
• The NWSL rejected Trinity Rodman’s contract deal, which is not a good look for the league.
• And the WNBA is still hashing out CBA issues. What's the latest?

Then: Our full list of women's sports book & movie recs

Kelly and Sara are deep in movies-and-books season, which prompted us to pull together some of our Feisty favs. Some of the ones mentioned in the episode:

• A League of Their Own
• Love & Basketball
• Bend It Like Beckham
• Bring It On
• The Cutting Edge
• Personal Best
• Challengers

Sara isn't much of a movie-watcher, but she does love books!

• Good for a Girl, Lauren Fleshman
• Better Faster Farther, Maggie Mertens
• The Longest Race, Kara Goucher
• Money, Power, Respect: How Women in Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism, Macaela MacKenzie
• Tough Broad, Caroline Paul
• Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, Joan Ryan
• In These Girls Hope Is a Muscle, Madeleine Blais
• We Loved to Run, Stephanie Reents
• Carrie Soto Is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The Favorites, Layne Fargo
• As Good as Gold, Kathryn Bertine
• Stand, Kathryn Bertine
• Tough Broad, Caroline Paul
• Up to Speed, Christine Yu
• Endure, Alex Hutchinson
• Shoe Dog, Phil Knight
• For kids: Anything from Strong Girl Publishing, plus Molly Hurford's Shred Girls series

What are your recs? What did we miss? Send us a voice memo to podcasts@livefeisty.com

Plus, our Feisty Picks of the week!

Chapters:

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