Amen, Athleta! Worth-reading Roundup

As I sit in an empty bedroom waiting for all of my belongings to arrive from California, I’m feeling grateful to have a post to share – thanks to a guest blogger! My cousin and friend Tiffany compiled an amazing Worth-reading Roundup list below. She is an excellent writer and a voracious reader. In fact, she’s sourced probably half of the articles I’ve shared in previous roundups. So, it’s about time you all get to hear directly from her. Thank you, Tiff!

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While Amy is in the midst of relocating, I offered to write a guest post. I was originally inspired by the newest Athleta catalog, but realized that I didn’t necessarily have an ENTIRE blog post worth of thoughts on it. But shortly after, I read some other awesome articles/books/posts that I think you all will appreciate, too.

1. I was FLOORED when I received the newest Athleta catalog in the mail. On the cover and throughout, they feature models of all different colors, sizes and ages. Usually with catalogs, I’ll briefly skim them before I toss in the recycling. But this one is sticking around. I want my kids to be able to look at it and see regular bodies being glamourized for what they can DO, not just how they look. These strong, athletic women SHOULD be highlighted and elevated for others. This makes me so happy… and at the same time… I still feel bummed that this feels new/important/revolutionary. Hopefully more companies will follow suit and continue to use a diverse (in every sense) cast of models to showcase their offerings.
2. Megan Rapinoe Publishes New Memoir ‘One Life’ – The New York Times (nytimes.com) I tore through Megan Rapinoe’s new memoir in about 48 hours – it was thoroughly engrossing. I love her – and her book – because she is unapologetic and proud about who she is. She doesn’t use false modesty about her athletic accomplishments – as she shouldn’t! She uses her platform and her privilege to promote political causes she believes in (Black Lives Matter, Pay Equity, LGBTQIA rights, etc). This book is way more than just your typical ghost-written star-athlete memoir – it’s inspiring and makes me want to do better.
3. Speaking of inspiring athletes – Alexi Pappas is really high on my list right now. This article in The Atlantic was so eye-opening and so great to read. Female Athletes Need to See Puberty as a Power, Not a Weakness – The Atlantic We hear a lot of stories about female athletes (especially, but not exclusively runners) who suffer from the Female Athlete Triad, which causes their careers to be squandered in a pursuit of staying thin to stay fast. Mary Cain’s story is a terrible example of this problem (Opinion | I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike – The New York Times (nytimes.com)) As a mother of young girls, I hope for them to lead happy, healthy, active lives and it feels SO important to learn about these things and do my very best to show them positive examples. 
4. It’s an Alexi Pappas two-fer! Her new memoir, Bravey, is next on my list to read. Alexi Pappas Bravey Excerpt: Depression (refinery29.com) In the book, she chronicles her battles with depression and mental illness. I appreciate her using her platform to help reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. I’ve also been super inspired by the poem she wrote that inspired the title (excerpted from her interview with WPR Olympic Athlete Alexi Pappas On Embracing Pain To Reach Your Dreams | Wisconsin Public Radio (wpr.org): Larry Meiller: The title of your book came from one of your poems, tell us where the word “bravey” comes from. Alexi Pappas: Bravey comes from a poem I wrote, “Run like a bravey, sleep like a baby, dream like a crazy, replace can’t with maybe.” Bravey fit into that poem well, but I think the reason why it stuck is because when I was growing up, I chased many outward facing words. I wanted to be strong, I wanted to be pretty, I wanted to be fast. And those are all words that I presented to the world. And what bravey I think provides is that it’s more inward facing and it’s a relationship we have with ourselves. And we can simply choose to be a bravey. 
5. Last but not least – a blog post from my 2^nd favorite blog, A Cup of Jo. I love her blog because she strikes the right balance of being candid and real… sharing real issues… and still having fun with typical blogs topics such as recipes, fashion, parenthood, etc. And this post from a few weeks ago struck a chord with me: What Do You Like About Yourself? | A Cup of Jo . So please tell us, in the comments: What Do You Like About Yourself? 

– Tiffany