Hillary is back from her recent travels, Corrine shares some upcoming race decisions, and then they dive into the topic of the day: Why some athletes are “clutch” on the world’s biggest stages, while others “choke”—and what the rest of us can learn from those moments.

Corrine and Hillary explore the science of performance under pressure—from Olympic heartbreak to gold-medal breakthroughs.

They break down the neuroscience of choking, why overthinking sabotages performance, and the psychological tools athletes can use to re-set mid-race. They also highlight Olympic champion Alysa Liu’s joy-first approach to sport and what endurance athletes can learn from it.

You'll hear:

1. What “choking” actually means in sports psychology
2. Why pressure can disrupt automatic skills
3. The neuroscience behind overthinking during competition
4. The role of embarrassment and identity in athletic performance
5. Why “just treat it like another race” rarely works
6. Practical tools to re-set your brain mid-race
7. Self-determination theory: autonomy, competence, and community
8. Why joy and intrinsic motivation can unlock peak performance

From the pointy end of performance to mid-pack athletes, If you’ve ever panicked under pressure or struggled with self-doubt, you'll understand.

This episode is sponsored by:

rabbit: If you're looking to treat yourself after the holidays or upgrade your winter running kit, head to www.runinrabbit.com and use code TSMARCH in March for 10% off.

ProBio: Use code Trail20 for 20%-off orders (30%-off + free shipping w/ subscriptions) at probionutrition.com

Injinji: use code trailsociety15 to get 15% off at https://www.injinji.com/

@feisty_media

@trail.society

What does it take to become a Paralympian in a sport you just learned?

This week, Corrine sits down with Team USA Paralympian Dani Aravich — a Nordic skier and biathlete (that's skiing and shooting) heading into her third Paralympic Games right now. How did she go from DI runner to professional sports executive to discovering the Paralympic movement and jumping headfirst into a brand new sport?

Dani learned how to cross-country ski as an adult — and now she's in Milan competing at the Paralympics.

But, she says, Paralympic storytelling also needs to move away from inspiration narratives and recognize these athletes as elite athletes. That's partially why she's a co-founder of Culxtured, an athlete-led media collective aiming to elevate Paralympic stories and coverage beyond the Games.

Watch the Paralympics and Dani compete on Peacock & NBC in the U.S., CBC in Canada, and see the full list of global broadcasters here.

@feisty_media

@trail.society

Injinji: use code trailsociety15 to get 15% off at https://www.injinji.com/

Corrine and Keely recap Winter Olympics highlights and the latest Western States Golden Ticket qualifiers before diving into the research on injuries in female athletes.

They explore whether women are actually more injury-prone, what role hormones and the menstrual cycle may play, and how factors like training load, strength work, and energy availability influence injury risk and recovery.

They cover:

1. Olympic highlights and women’s sport momentum
2. Western States Golden Ticket updates
3. Are female athletes more injury-prone?
4. How hormones affect injury risk
5. Menstrual cycle research (what we know and what we don’t)
6. Managing and returning from injury

It's a practical and science-informed discussion for female athletes navigating injury, training stress, and long-term performance.

This episode is brought to you by:

rabbit: If you're looking to treat yourself after the holidays or upgrade your winter running kit, head to www.runinrabbit.com and use code TSMARCH in March for 10% off.

ProBio: Use code Trail20 for 20%-off orders (30%-off + free shipping w/ subscriptions) at probionutrition.com

Injinji: use code trailsociety15 to get 15% off at https://www.injinji.com/

@feisty_media

@trail.society