44- My mom, Ann Johnson- On parenting a female athlete, supporting your child’s obsession, and feeding the team

In today’s episode, I interview my mother, Ann Johnson.

I often get asked by parents about what their kid needs to do to make it to the next level. I believe the driving force must come from the kid, but parents can have a huge impact on a child’s well-being. My mom is one of my biggest supporters and is a big reason I am where I am today. She’s also a freak of nature athlete and can kick my butt in workouts.

In our conversation we talk about
-her favorite type of workouts, including one that can easily be done at home
-why she didn’t get involved with coaches decisions, even if she disagreed
-the most challenging aspect of parenting a female athlete
-her stance on kids playing multiple sports vs specializing on one
-why parenting athletes is like being a full time chauffeur
-the delicious meals she cooked for my teammates and the crazy games she had us play while w/ the Portland Pilots, Sky Blue FC, and the Portland Thorns

And more.

Enjoy my conversation with my favorite mother in the whole wide world

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Follow Ann Johnson:

On Instagram:   @annclairej

If you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

1. Click HERE

2. Click “view in itunes”

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4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

Resources

Click HERE to become a part of Friday Feelz

Click HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.

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43- Elli Reed- On using her sport to give back, veganism, and dancing with the mayor of Vicos, Peru

In today’s episode, I interview former professional soccer player and humanitarian Elli Reed. Throughout her career, Elli played seasons in Boston, Seattle, Sweden, Germany and Australia. Over the years, Elli’s passion for giving back to her community has strengthened. She continues to use her platform to support causes she believes in.

Elli and I recently partook in a trip with the nonprofit Crooked Trails to help construct a soccer field in the remote village of Vicos, Peru.

In our conversation talk about:

-how this Peru trip changed her outlook on life and her future aspirations
-why she thinks Vicos, Peru completely curbed her anxiety about everyday worries
-Schooling little boys in pick-up soccer on the street
-Dealing with the ups and downs of athletics and her ever-changing relationship with soccer
-The documentary she watched that influenced her decision to go vegan
-Her go-to artists that get her to drop it low on the dance floor

And more.

Enjoy my conversation with the nature-loving, traveler Elli Reed

Shownotes:

:46              Who is Elli Reed?

2:42             Crooked Trails

7:21              Miraflores, Lima Peru and playing soccer in the town square

14:23            Experience of building a soccer field in Vicos, Peru

15:37             expectations of non-profit trip

17:15              Typical day for Crooked Trails trip

18:57              First experience of playing on manure high altitude field

23:23              Pachamama ceremonial dinner

26:24              Elli’s feeling about retirement

27:39               What contributed to her peace about retirement

28:09               Has Elli always been involved in volunteering?

29:50                Elli’s vegan restaurant searching skills and why she chooses the vegan lifestyle

32:45                Racing Extinction

33:36                 Did Elli always have a connection with nature?

35:05                  How soccer obsessed was Elli as a child?

36:07                  How has Elli’s relationship with soccer changed over her career?

38:15                   Has the volunteering in Peru changed her perspective on her future?

42:45                   Elli’s morning routine

43:47                    The best advice Elli’s ever been given.

45:45                     Elli’s favorite song

45:54                    One belief other’s think is crazy

46:12                     Elli’s favorite app

46:33                     Her favorite failure

47:49                      One tip for female athletes

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Follow Elli Reed 

On Twitter:  @ellireed

On Instagram:  @ellireed

If you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

1. Click HERE

2. Click “view in itunes”

3. Click the “ratings and reviews” tab

4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

Resources

Click HERE to become a part of Friday Feelz

Click HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.

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True Life: I spilled sardine juice all over my hair on my 5 hour 49 minute flight yesterday

Fun fact: Sardines are an excellent source of vitamin b12, selenium, and Omega 3 fatty acids. They also have a low ecological and environmental impact because they are close to the bottom of the food chain and feed off of plankton.

I often pack them on away trips for a nutritious snack.

My teammates think I’m weird. I am, and am not sorry about it. But I am sorry about yesterday’s sardine incident:

Two hours into our plane ride home from New Jersey, my stomach started rumbling. I rummaged through my backpack for a snack. All I had left was one can of sardines. I was faced with a tough decision. Do I starve myself for the remaining three hours of the flight, or do I open the can and expose my neighbor, 15a,  to a very unpleasant sensory experience. The decision was a no-brainer. I’m an athlete. I needed to feed the beast.

I peered over at 15a, and he was napping. Perfect. My plan was to pry open the container,  devour the fish quickly, then immediately seal the lid to entrap the odor, before 15a could bat an eye. I pried open the lid, and as I went to slurp up a sardine, we hit turbulence, and the sardine juice spewed all over my jacket, shirt, and hair. Like all over. I’m convinced 15a either had some sort of nostril defect or was an angel sent from heaven, because when he awoke, he was unfazed. I sat in my sardine-perfumed clothing for the remaining two hours of the flight.

When we de-boarded, I forced my teammates to take a whiff of me and asked what I smelt like; “Oh my godddd, you smell like a fish.” Nailed it.  I opened up my arms to give Amandine a hug goodbye. She squealed away from me at first, but like the ever-so-kind teammate she is, she held her breath and squeezed me back. Bless her.

I’d like to make a public apology to 15A, my teammates, and all those aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 279 on 6/4/17. I promise to never open a can of sardines on a plane ever again (unless I’m hungry and it’s the only snack I have in my backpack and we have 3 hours left of our flight).

EP 34- The Day I Met Ryan Gosling and Decided to Quit Soccer and Travel the World

In today’s episode, I tell the story of the time I was over facing numerous setbacks throughout my soccer career. I contemplated giving up soccer and opening up a frozen coconut yogurt shop, or an earthy chill-vibed cafe, or a surf and soccer school in South America. I also kinda met Ryan Gosling ….

“There comes a point, when these things start to pile up and you inevitably begin to question your trajectory. It’s like if you were to play a continuous game of Jenga for a year straight with friends. And every round, you are the one who pulls out the wood block that makes the entire tower come crashing down. The first few times you may attribute your defeat to luck, or lack thereof, but then after the 12th time you start to wonder if the game is rigged. Or maybe it’s just not your game. Maybe you should just accept that it’s not your game, and go to the cupboard to pick a new one.

“Is soccer just not my game?”

Full written article with pictures HERE

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If you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

1. Click HERE

2. Click “view in itunes”

3. Click the “ratings and reviews” tab

4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

Resources

Click HERE to become a part of Friday Feelz

Click HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.

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EP 06-The Day I Single Handedly Delayed My Flight to Australia

Am I the only one who feels like the airport causes you to be 8 times more emotional than in any other setting?  For instance, when something goes wrong at the grocery store, we are able to compose ourselves, but if that same thing happens at the airport, one of two things occur: we either burst into tears or rip somebodies head off in frustration.

Ya traveling can be stressful, but I feel like there’s gotta be something in the air that causes these emotional allergies.

On that note, I had a wildly eventful travel day, when I was heading over to Australia to play my first professional season overseas. My first leg to LA went smooth as butter, but when I was about to board my second flight, I realized I was in the wrong terminal with 15 minutes until departure.

I surprisingly didn’t cry. Instead, I turned straight beast mode, with unreal determination to make my flight. It was by far the most thrilling and sweaty, airport experience of my life.

As with all my challenges, I learned a lot, met an angel whom I am still indebted to, and it made for a great story.

Full written article: The Day I Single Handedly Delayed My Flight to Australia 

Share the love

If you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

1. Click HERE

2. Click “view in itunes”

3. Click the “ratings and reviews” tab

4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

Resources

Click HERE to become a part of Friday Feelz

Click HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.

Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content