159. Eating Disorders in College Athletes: Megan’s Story with Bulimia, D1 Rowing, + Recovery

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with NCAA DI college athlete Megan O’Connor. After taking to social media to share her eating disorder recovery story, Megan wanted to come on the show to continue raising awareness for eating disorders. Megan candidly details her struggles with bulimia and how it intersected with sport, she speaks out about the harms to health and performance of eating disorders and the importance of getting help. We discuss mental health resources for college athletes and tips for telling someone you’re struggling and having the courage to ask for help. Megan shines a light on the support she found at Ohio State University, how she advocated for treatment, and her path from rock bottom to recovery and returning to sport. We cover relapse and recovery timelines, different levels of treatment, the importance of a support team, and life and sport after recovery. If you have a story to share or any suggestions for guests on this show, reach out at  ⁠[email protected]⁠ In this episode we talk about: 6:00 How Megan came to be on the show  10:30 Megan’s eating disorder story 21:10 The power of speaking out  24:30 Mental health resources for college athletes  29:30 Realities of rock bottom; trigger warnings and sharing with sensitivity  33:10 Bulimia: stigma, dangers, impact on health and performance     39:00 How to tell someone you’re struggling and ask for help  46:30 Recovery timelines and relapse 49:30 Megan’s treatment and recovery journey  53:00 Advocacy and accountability during ED recovery   59:40 Sport after recovery 1:03:10 End of the podcast questions  Follow Megan on Instagram @megannnoconnor and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition  If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today ⁠patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition⁠ Your support means a lot! Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation?  Head to ⁠www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com⁠ to learn more & book a call! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Previnex:⁠ https://www.previnex.com/⁠ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout InsideTracker:⁠ www.insidetracker.com⁠ use code RISEUPNUTRITION for 20% off the entire store  THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY: Orgain, head to⁠ www.orgain.com⁠ and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders. Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months:⁠ https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp⁠ Jen & Keri:⁠ https://jenandkeri.com/⁠ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order