#282 Dr. Catherine Saenz- Ep.2 R2RR

In part two of our conversation with Dr. Catherine Saenz, we pick up by discussing how professionals can work within different team cultures and bring their expertise into an environment without immediately trying to take over. Catherine, Ted, Ernie, and I discuss collaboration, consulting, and why sometimes one of the smartest things you can do is give people space, learn how the organization operates, and understand what the athletes and staff actually need before offering solutions. We also get into the role of health and performance teams and how a multidisciplinary structure can help protect athletes when coaching practices cross the line from demanding to potentially harmful.

From there, we spend much of the episode discussing female athlete physiology, menstrual cycles, performance, and the major gaps that still exist in the research. Dr. Saenz explains why we need more than simple conclusions about what should happen during a textbook 28-day cycle, because real athletes and real menstrual cycles are far more variable than that. We discuss ACL injury questions, athlete-reported experiences, the need for better research funding, and the importance of creating environments where female athletes can openly communicate what they are experiencing. We also look at the bigger opportunity for exercise physiology in collegiate and professional sport and why bringing more physiology expertise into the performance team could help us ask better questions, collect better information, and ultimately serve athletes better.

Shout out to our podcast sponsors, Sorinex and EliteForm, for making these episodes possible