More Than My Stats

By More Than My Stats

Brought to you by a former University of North Carolina Volleyball player, More Than My Stats brings on current and former players, along with various industry experts to share issues that aren't talked about enough in athletics and life after sport.

This podcast was called ViragoPod during season one.

Formerly the podcast ViragoPod.

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Sport Spotlight: Volleyball with Ashleigh Wilson

More Than My StatsAug 05, 2021

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26:42

Sport Spotlight: Volleyball with Ashleigh Wilson

In this 7th episode of Sport Spotlight Ashleigh Wilson (on IG @hersportsconvo) joins us to answer commonly asked questions for beginners who want to start watching volleyball in the Olympics! Ever wonder why that one athlete is wearing a different jersey? Or why sometimes 4 hits are allowed? We've got you covered! She discusses various volleyball terminology, rules, and what to look for at the 2020 Olympics!

You can keep listening here on our podcast, or watch the video live on our instagram at @morethanmystats in our IGTVs. To get your sport featured DM us on instagram! After this, don't forget to listen to our first parts already released on judo, golf, swimming, rugby, field hockey, and more!

Aug 05, 202126:42

Sport Spotlight: Field Hockey with Rachel Bullis

In this sixth episode of Sport Spotlight Taylor Bullis (on IG @taylormbullis) joins us to answer commonly asked questions for beginners who want to start watching Field Hockey in the Olympics! One super interesting thing is where in the US, only women's field hockey is an option- the rest of the world has field hockey as a male dominated sport. I'm super glad Taylor joined us to explain the rules so we could better understand as we watch Field Hockey this year! She discusses various field hockey terminology, rules, and what to look for at the 2020 Olympics!

Questions Asked In This Episode:

How would you describe the basic objectives of field hockey if someone had never seen it before?
What are some of the main terms you may hear an announcer say that you should know if you're new?
Describe the various positions and their roles on the team?
What are illegal moves in field hockey and what happens if one is called by a ref?
What's the format for this years olympics?
Is there a historic favorite that is expected to win this year?
Any athletes to watch that are your favorites?

Aug 03, 202122:56

Sport Spotlight: Rifle with Rachel Sprague

In this fifth episode of Sport Spotlight Rachel Sprague (on IG @spraggot) joins us to answer commonly asked questions for beginners who want to start watching shooting in the Olympics- specifically Rifle! Rachel is a current athlete at UT Martin! This is a sport that definitely isn't as mainstream in collegiate athletics, and I'm sure grateful Rachel took the time to breakdown rifle terminology, rules, and what to look for at the 2020 Olympics!

Questions Asked In This Episode:

1. Can you explain what Shooting as an Olympic Sport looks like and touch on the different categories within that?

2. Can you explain how scoring works for Rifle at Olympics?

3. As someone who competes in the sport- why do you think it's such a compelling sport to compete in and also to spectate?

4. What are some of the terminology we should know or expect to hear if we will be watching shooting for the first time in this olympics?

5. What events or athletes are you looking forward most to watching in Shooting as the Olympics progress and why?

Aug 02, 202122:23

Sport Spotlight: Rugby with Leeann Passaro

In this fourth episode of Sport Spotlight, COO of @thehiddenopponent Leeann Passaro (find her on instagram @leeannp27) joins us to answer commonly asked questions for beginners who want to start watching or playing rugby! Leeann is actually a former collegiate soccer player who picked up playing rugby recently, and her passion and knowledge about the sport is super helpful! She breaks down rugby terminology, specializations, and what to look for at the 2020 Olympics!

Links from today's instagram:

The Rugby Seven Series

Ilona Maher's Tik Tok

Jul 31, 202131:00

Sport Spotlight: Swimming with Maggie Werba

In this third episode 2016 Olympic Trial swimmer Maggie Werba (IG @maggiebakesgrace ) joins us to answer commonly asked questions for beginners who want to start watching Swimming. She breaks down swimming terminology, specializations, and what to look for at the 2020 Olympics!

You can keep listening here on our podcast, or watch the video live on our instagram at @morethanmystats in our IGTVs. To get your sport featured DM us on instagram! After this, don't forget to listen to our first part just released on Judo and Golf, and stay tuned for our next episode being on Rifle Shooting!

Jul 29, 202123:53

Sport Spotlight: Golf with Jordan Koller

The Sport Spotlight Series is where we highlight different sports and teach you the basics to make them more enjoyable and engaging to watch this Olympics and in the future before Season 2 of our podcast! In this second episode Jordan Koller (@_jordanstar_ on IG) joins us to answer commonly asked questions for beginners who want to start watching Golf. She breaks down Golf terminology, rules, and what to look for at the 2020 Olympics!

You can keep listening here on our podcast, or watch the video live on our instagram at @morethanmystats in our IGTVs. To get your sport featured DM us on instagram! After this, don't forget to listen to our first part just released on Judo, and stay tuned for our next episode being released tomorrow morning on swimming!

Jul 29, 202130:03

Sport Spotlight: Judo with Alex Gagnon

Our off-season project is here! Before we come back with our weekly podcast episodes for Season 2, we will be releasing frequent Bonus Episodes during the Tokyo Olympics! "Sport Spotlight" is where we highlight different sports and teach you the basics to make them more enjoyable and engaging to watch this Olympics and in the future! In our first episode Alex Gagnon (@alexhgagnon on IG) joins us to answer commonly asked questions for new spectators for the sport of Judo! She breaks down Judo terminology, rules, and what to look for at the 2020 Olympics!

You can keep listening here on our podcast, or watch the video live on our instagram at @morethanmystats in our IGTVs. To get your sport featured DM us on instagram! Our next episode will feature golf.

Jul 28, 202121:45

Bonus: NCAA vs Alston Supreme Court Ruling

You may have seen the Supreme Court ruled on a case that impacts NCAA today, and you also may have been left thinking "Okay... but what does this mean?" This is a bonus episode during our rebranding period with a lawyer that breaks down more examples of what went into this ruling, and the impact is has for student athletes and the future.

Jun 22, 202122:32

Ep. 33 | Tips from Anti-Diet Dietitians | Rachel Manor and Linda Steinhardt

We’re ending with a great one! Rachel Manor and Linda Steinhardt, two Sport Dietitians formerly with UNC Athletics, who take a more therapeutic approach with their athletes than many in their field. This is because they are anti-diet dietitians, and since we have found such a small percentage of dietitians follow this approach (and because many athletes don’t have access to a dietitian at all) I wanted to bring them on to discuss what they do and how they help fight diet-culture! They also shared resources they like for you to check-out.

Recommendations Mentioned in today's podcast:

Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach

ANTI-DIET: RECLAIM YOUR TIME, MONEY, WELL-BEING, AND HAPPINESS THROUGH INTUITIVE EATING

Podcasts: Food Psych Podcast , Train Happy , & Maintenance Phase

Voice in Sport offers expert sessions and Linda is one of those experts!

Check out Rachel's interviews on The Benched Podcast and Nail Your Nutrition Podcast!)

UNC Sports Nutrition Instagram

Guest Bios:

Rachel Manor, Sports Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, former college athlete and 10 years working in collegiate sports, most recently the Director of Olympic Sports Nutrition at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and currently seeing private clients in the Lutz and Alexander nutrition practice.

Linda Steinhardt, Sports Dietitian, former college athlete, previous Sports Dietitian Fellow at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and currently seeing private clients at WellSport sports medicine clinic in Austin and through Voice In Sport.

Jun 15, 202144:46

Ep. 32 | New Era of Recruiting and Coaching in College Athletics | Arielle Wilson

Arielle Wilson, four time National Champion at Penn State University volleyball, former professional volleyball player, and now current Georgia Tech recruiting coordinator joins Emily to discuss how recruiting and coaching has changed over the years in collegiate sports. Arielle talks social media, her experience being recruited and now recruiting, and what she wishes she knew as a player looking back.

Follow Arielle on Instagram

Follow Georgia Tech Volleyball on instagram

Jun 08, 202142:43

Ep. 31 | The Mind Body Connection in Athletics | Katie Steele

On today’s podcast we have Katie Steele of Thrive Mental Health joining us to talk mental health prevention and connectivity to self. Katie competed for the University of Oregon and Florida State University in Cross Country and Track, and she now works with women athletes to break down barriers they encounter in both sport and life. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher as well.

I loved Katie's perspective on how we have to learn how to notice feelings, link what those feelings are and what our bodies' feedback is, to better understand and work with our emotions, especially as women athletes. Hopefully this podcast helps give you some tips on checking-in on your emotions to become more grounded athletes and humans in general.

Thrive Mental Health Website

Thrive Mental Health Therapy on Instagram

Jun 01, 202151:04

Ep. 30 | More Than An Athlete: Sportswomen Create Art Exhibition

Sportswomen Create is a community initiative and fundraising event (created and hosted by us here at The Virago Project) to integrate art into the daily lives of women athletes and to highlight art as an accessible therapeutical resource. We believe athletes are more than just athletes, and loved showcasing artists in our community this past weekend. This semi-annual fundraiser was a HUGE success, and we wanted to share it with our podcast community also! Be sure to check out these two helpful links so you can view the art as you listen! Thank you to all the artists in our community who took part in this event, and we look forward to hosting similar events in the future!

Click here to view the art from Sunday's event

Click here to shop/view the auction

Click here to donate as part of our semi-annual fundraiser. All donations are tax deductible.

Speakers/Artists in Order of Appearance: Megan Marshall, Ariana Broerman, Eleanor Cardozo, Dr. Sara Erdner, Hannah Hemmerly, Katie Schofield, Hailey Bianco, Halley Glier, Natalie Macdonald, Alice Chen Taylor, Allyson Nied, Lea Graham, Maryn Schellenberg

May 25, 202101:32:29

Ep. 29 | Imposter Syndrome in the Workplace | Her Sports Convo

Ashleigh Wilson (of Her Sports Convo) joins us to discuss working in the sport industry without playing in college or professionally. She discusses why she feels like she doesn't always belong and how she overcomes it, and also gives some tips to those who are struggling to land a job in the sport industry. Ashleigh also gives advice on how to talk sports if you feel like you don't know enough to join in the conversations.

Check out @hersportsconvo on Instagram and Her Sports Convo on youtube for more!

May 18, 202145:17

Ep. 28 | Team USA Field Hockey Athlete on Boundaries and Communication | Linnea Gonzales

Linnea Gonzales of Team USA Field Hockey joins us to talk about adversities she's overcome throughout her career, setting boundaries for her physical and mental health, and tips on defining those boundaries with friends, teammates and family members. She also gives some advice on how to approach a situation when you and your teammate may have differences in opinions, and also some tips for introverts who feel like they have difficulty making connections with teammates.

You can find Linnea on instagram at @linneagonzales_ or her wellness page @holistic_nay
You can watch Team USA Field Hockey on the Watch Hockey app.

May 11, 202131:59

Ep. 27 | Share Your Story: You're One Of A Kind | Lyneé Belton

We are kicking off Mental Health Awareness Month by discussing the impact of sharing your story with Lyneé Belton. Lyneé played basketball at Duke University and faced injury after injury and struggled with depression and anxiety during her career. Graduating just three years ago, she gives some great perspectives on what she would have done differently in terms of her mental health and dealing with injuries. Since graduating she has started the One of a Kind Foundation where she shares stories of those struggling with mental illness to help bring awareness and end the stigma.

You can find her on instagram at @lynee_be and her website for One of a Kind Foundation here: www.oneofakindfoundation.com/

To share your story with Virago Project you can do that here: https://viragoproject.org/getinvolved/

May 04, 202138:16

Apr 06, 202156:39

Ep. 22 | Loving Your Body and Health Journey After Sport | Emily Coffman

Today we have Emily Coffman, a former NCAA Division I Athlete who focuses on athlete wellness in life after sport. We re-define what "healthy" looks like, and we share some traps we've fallen into in our own health journeys and share what helped us. We discuss setting health goals that aren't number based, and why it's so important to find balance in your life as an athlete.

Emily has a podcast called Girls Gone Healthy, and you can find her on instagram at @girlsgonehealthypodcast and her website emilycoffman.org/.

Taylor and Emily will be on one of her upcoming episodes so be sure to check her out! Make sure you're following The Virago Project and ViragoPod on instagram also @theviragoproject @viragopod .

Mar 30, 202131:12

Ep. 21 | Overtraining Syndrome in Athletes | Jessica and Katelynn of Gameday Physios

When it comes to elite athletes, there's a fine line between giving it your all, and giving it too much. On this week's episode we've got two Doctors of Physical Therapy joining us, Katelynn and Jessica, who also are both previous collegiate athletes and know the complex nature of elite training environments. Learn about the language athletes can use to be their own advocate when it comes to their rest time, along with what risks athletes face returning to exercising after taking a break during Covid.
Jessica and Katelynn are the women behind Gameday Physios- a phone app where you can find a program specific for your sport, season, and experience level. Check out Jessica and Katelynn's program at www.thegamedayphysios.com/ and on instagram at @gamedayphysios
For our upcoming giveaway, look for more information coming soon on @theviragoproject on instagram, and be sure to follow @viragopod as well!

Mar 23, 202139:36

Ep. 20 | Problems with Perfectionism & Diet Culture | Cindi Miller

Cindi Miller, a Licenced Mental Health Counselor and an Eating Disorder and Body-Image Therapist, joins us to talk about the dangers of diet culture and perfectionism in sportswomen. As a previous athlete, coach, and now therapist- Cindi knows what she's talking about. She talks about what the anti-diet culture ACTUALLY means, and how perfectionism is harming current and former athletes.

You can find Cindi on Instagram at @sportsfoodandmentalhealth - give her a follow for positive and educational content.

Mar 16, 202139:21

Ep. 19 | NFL Star Brandon Marshall on Mental Health | LRT Sports and The Hidden Opponent

The Virago Project was invited to speak at a mental health webinar where Brandon Marshall shared his mental health journey. We are hoping that hearing an NFL player talk about his difficulty coping with his mental health will help you feel comfortable validating your own struggles and getting help. After Brandon shares his story, Hannah Lee (LRT Sports), Taylor Treacy (CEO of The Virago Project) and Leeann Passaro (CFO of The Hidden Opponent) share their stories and tips on how to handle your mental health as a student-athlete.

Thanks to LRT Sports who invited us to speak at this webinar on ending the stigma of mental health. They are a website who rates coaches and provides important recruiting information and updates for current athletes.

Mar 09, 202149:33

Ep. 18 | Dating/Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault | Zainab Shah (a Victim Advocate)

Zainab Shah, Program Coordinator for Victim Advocacy at University of Delaware, joins us to discuss Sexual Misconduct (which involves dating and domestic violence). She shares why college campuses are at such risk for relationship violence and gives some important takeaways for proper language to use, and a message for anyone who's dealt with relationship violence.
For support for sexual assault we recommend RAINN's resources, and this page on The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (or NCADV) has a list of resources for you to check out as well.
The University of Instagram page can be found at @ud_sos and here is the the One Love Foundation website.

Mar 02, 202101:01:18

Ep. 17 | The Mental Health Story of an Olympian | Karsta Lowe

Karsta Lowe, member of the United States women's national team (bronze medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics), joins us to discuss her mental health journey. Karsta opens up about having OCD and the struggles that come along with it. One in five adults in the United States will have a mental health disorder, and we want to make sure you know that even athletes who seem like they "have it all" have struggles you may not see.

You can find Karsta on instagram at @KarstaLowe and follow her journey as she participates in the current United States volleyball league of Athletes Unlimited

Feb 23, 202137:21

Ep. 16 | Sexual Misconduct | Rachel

A female rower on a predominantly male sports team joins Emily to discuss the issue of sexual misconduct in the sports community. We talk about what is consent and how the conversation around sex needs to change. This episode contains information about sexual assault. RAINN has great resources to learn more about the issues surrounding sexual assault and for support- call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.

Feb 16, 202157:15

Ep. 15 | How to Find the Right Therapist | Leah Howard

Sports Counselor, Leah Howard, talks to us about finding the right therapist for you and your needs. On almost every episode we encourage listeners to reach out to a therapist, and this episode is fantastic to get your search started on the right foot. Leah gives some GREAT advice for the different options that are available to you, and how to sort through the differences that you may find important! You can find Leah on Instagram at @thesportscounselor and her website is www.thesportscounselor.com

Feb 09, 202135:37

Ep. 14 | Disordered Eating in Current and Former Athletes (IG Live) | Katie Spada

Katie Spada, Register Dietitian, joined us to answer some FAQs on on our Instagram Live this week. We get into why former athletes are so suseptible to disordered eating, and how to get away from the dangerous "All or Nothing" mindset. This is a great listen for not only athletes, but also parents and coaches to better understand the female athlete mindset.
You can find Katie on instagram at @fueling.former.athletes and on her website at www.spadastrongnutrition.com
Don't forget to follow us on @ViragoPod

Feb 02, 202137:30

Ep. 13 | Dating and Relationships | Blair Puleo

Former athlete and current PhD Candidate in Counseling Psychology, Blair Puleo, joins us to discuss some struggles athletes go through while dating. We get into what healthy and unhealthy relationship looks like, and all three of us share some of our not so great dating history. Check us out on Instagram @ViragoPod

Jan 26, 202101:09:11

Ep. 12 | Goal Setting for Current & Former Athletes| Taylor & Emily

Emily and Taylor break down goal setting for current and former athletes. They introduce their new Team Talk Workshops where they worked with industry experts to help college athletes which is LIVE now on Virago Project's "Team Talk" page. Link to the PDF worksheets mentioned on today's episode: viragoproject.org/goal-setting-tips-for-student-athletes-summer-2020/

Jan 19, 202143:37

Ep. 11 | More Than An Athlete: Let's Get To Work | Linda McGee

This is the first part of a series "More Than An Athlete" where ViragoPod will discuss topics that sportswomen face off the court. Emily speaks with a woman with 20+ years of HR experience in discussing tips for getting, keeping, and leaving a job. Linda is a consultant for companies in their HR needs, including hiring new employees. This guest also has 30+ years in dealing with the struggles elite athletes face as she's mom to Virago Project founder and host of ViragoPod, Emily. The book Linda mentioned in today's podcast is Patrick Lencioni's "The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues"

Jan 12, 202135:47

Ep.10 | The Road Less Cycled | Leah Thomas

Team USA cyclist Leah Thomas joins us to discuss the unconventional path many cyclists take to becoming professional cyclists due to not a strong presence of youth cycling. We learn about Leah's journey and talk about how to get involved in cycling. A note for today's episode that we forgot to mention, when Leah refers to "the peleton" it's NOT the stationary bike you see on tv, the peloton is what you call the group of cyclists that are riding together in a pack in a race.

Jan 05, 202139:38

Ep. 09 | Title IX and Name, Image & Likeness | Mercedes Townsend

Mercedes joins The Virago Project in explaining what Title IX is and who it impacts, and the possible upcoming changes to the NCAA NIL bilaws. You can find her on Friends of the Court at @FOTC_sports The website Mercedes talks about to check a school's allocation of money is here: ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/institution/search

Dec 29, 202044:39

Ep. 08 | This is Our Why | The Unspoken Arena

We join to talk with the women behind The Unspoken Arena (Sondra and Kassie) to share why we created our podcasts, and why Taylor started The Virago Project. All of us felt really alone, and put on similar strong exteriors- so even if you can't relate to our stories I hope this is a reminder in empathy for not only stranger but people close to you that also aren't sharing everything in their lives. Thanks for your support, and catch us on The Unspoken Arena's podcast in January! Instagram: @theunspokenarena

Dec 22, 202044:44

Ep. 07 | A Collegiate Coach's Perspective | Kristen Kelsay

Kristen Kelsay, former Michigan State university player and coach & current Northwestern coach, joins us to discuss the previous podcast topics from a coach's perspective. She talks about the importance of having conversations on body image and mental health with her athletes, and also defining her athletes by more than their statistics. We also get some behind the scene recruiting tips for prospective athletes. Kristen is on Instagram at @kriskels12

Dec 15, 202054:08

Ep. 06 | Overcoming Injury or Illness | Amanda Peterson

Amanda, a professional volleyball player, joins Emily and Taylor to discuss how to best control the things you can control when it comes to an injury or illness. If you're an athlete or coach this is a "must listen" episode on how to be your own advocate and continue to improve even if you aren't playing.

Amanda's instagram is @amandapeterson75

GutsyAndGlobal.com for her blog about UC and life with a j-pouch

Dec 08, 202035:15

Ep. 5.5 | The Dos and Don'ts of Freshman Year | Bonus Episode with Emily and Taylor

Learn from our mistakes by listening to what we would have done differently our freshman year of college. Emily and Taylor decided to record a bonus episode to touch on some takeaways from their Freshman year after our episode 3 and 5 both touched on how tough of a year it was for both of us. Freshman year has so many unique challenges and we want you to know that is NORMAL and if you feel unhappy or that you may have made the wrong decision, we give a lot of advice on how you can stay grounded and make the best of this year.

Dec 01, 202027:41