This is the final episode of Ninjababes. I’ve been so honored and grateful to be a part of this community for the last 4 years. Ninjababes has been my passion project and a truly life-changing experience. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into this community, but everything has a beginning, middle, and end. 

In this episode, I’m going to share with you everything on my heart and mind, give my thanks, and look forward to the future.

Thank you listeners for all your support over the years. If you’ve been inspired by this community and this message, bring it to your own gyms and your own spaces, whether it’s creating a girls group or being a supportive and inspiring friend and teammate to the girls around you, I want to keep the core message of Ninjababes alive. It’s never been about me. Ninjababes has always been a collaborative, inspiring community. You are what makes Ninjababes awesome, and this community will stay alive because of you.

Be...

I’m back with Amy Harski to continue our discussion about pregnancy and post-partum training. We’re going to talk more about what’s actually going on during your pregnancy and what you need to know when you’re training while pregnant. Amy’s also going to answer some listener questions related to this topic!

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Neighborhood Ninjas is a nonprofit organization and community outreach program. Their mission is to “increase access to ninja warrior training for low income and underrepresented groups while fostering community and connection.” Neighborhood ninjas partners with ninja training facilities nationwide to spread community, connection, and compassion, one kid at a time.

In this episode, Cara talks with Alex Katz and Whitney Miller about their mentorship program, their partners in prevention, and more.

For more information, visit NeighborhoodNinjas.org

Use code NINJABABES for 10% off at Propello Life!

Sarah Avery is a physical therapist who specializes in women’s health and pelvic floor rehabilitation. In this episode, we’re going to talk about the female athlete triad, how hormones can affect your performance, and how to properly fuel your body and work with your menstrual cycle to maximize your performance.

Visit Moon Cycle Seed Co.: www.mooncycleseedco.com

Chances are, you know someone in the Ninja community who is currently pregnant or has been pregnant during their career.

My guest this week is Amy Harski, a pregnancy and postpartum coach. She works with athletes looking to stay fit during their pregnancy and helps them get back into their sport postpartum. Amy’s career as a Ninja didn’t start until she was postpartum herself, and that experience navigating Ninja after her own pregnancies helped inspire her to help other ninja athletes.

Pregnancy does not have to be the end of your athletic career. There is a lot you can safely do, both during pregnancy and postpartum. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how athletes can navigate their training throughout and after their pregnancy, common postpartum issues, and how we can unravel the stigma of pregnancy in sports.

Alex Katz is a Certified Personal Trainer with a Master’s Degree in Psychology and she’s super active in the ninja world as a competitor and coach, which gives her a unique, multidimensional insight and perspective in the Ninja world. Often in this sport, we want to go full steam ahead, 100% of the time and we tend to fall into some unhealthy habits.

In this episode, Alex and I are going to talk about the habits and warning signs of overtraining and how to step into a healthier training mindset, how to properly recover from injuries, and how we as a Ninja community should reevaluate what it means to have a supportive training environment.

Resources:

Life and Limb: Navigating Life After Sports Injury

Emerson’s first exposure to ninja was when she had her 11th birthday party at a ninja gym, and she was instantly hooked. Inspired by the likes of Jessie Labreck and Kacy Catanzaro, she’s been training consistently for the last two years and was selected for ANW junior this year. 

Her ninja name is Food is Fuel: which has been her motto since her struggle with anorexia. Emerson battled her eating disorder for a year. She felt alone. She felt that nobody understood. She had no energy, which made training increasingly difficult. She started her recovery process in January of 2021, and in February, ANW Junior announced another season, and she used that as motivation to get healthy so she could compete and share her story. Once she got the call, she was even more motivated. Without ANW, Emerson would not have felt the push to recover, and that, coupled with support from her coaches, has helped her through her recovery journey. 

Eating disorders are still taboo,...

Megan Budway shares her insights and practice for getting her mind ready for the ninja season! Megan describes what she has learned from “With Winning In Mind” by Lanny Bassham.  She journals and mentally prepares for each competition by following the Mental Management System; today Cara and Megan discuss how to follow this technique and how it has helped Megan compete at her best.  Cara and Megan also discuss the upcoming National Ninja League season. 

Read "With Winning In Mind" for yourself! Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3gx6SDd

My guest this week is New Jersey’s Rachel DeGutz! Rachel discovered Ninja while she was in college studying to be a teacher. She followed a lot of ninjas on social media, listened to this podcast, decided to sign up for a class, and the rest is history! Now Rachel is a guest on the show she has always listened to- talk about full circle! 

In this episode, we’re going to talk about how Rachel prepared for ANW and what it was like competing on the course, the Jersey Girls origin story, whether or not obstacles should be different for males and females, NNL rule changes, and more!

Head over to Patreon for bonus content with Rachel! www.patreon.com/ninjababes

We have a full house in the Ninjababes Studio today! I’m pleased to welcome Michelle Warnky Buurma, Chris Wilczewski, and Mary Leighton on the show today to discuss the National Ninja League and the changes made for NNL season 7. We discuss what the changes are and the need for standards and parameters, making it a sport for both amateurs and professional athletes, how we can work to design courses that work for both men and women, and how we can grow our sport.