Sports Psychologist Dr. Erin Ayala joins host Elizabeth Emery to discuss the struggles of being a woman involved in male-dominated sports, athlete identity, gravel racing, being prepared to compete, nerves, anxiety, racing with confidence, the pain cave, performance slumps, different types of goals and how they work, plus since it’s the new year, resolutions. With over a decade of research and clinical experience, Dr. Erin Ayala is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the founder of Skadi Sport Psychology, a mission driven sport psychology practice that specializes in working with girls, women, and non-binary endurance athletes. Dr. Ayala is a published author of over 20 research articles and book chapters, and has been featured in Trailrunner Magazine, the New York Times, and other media outlets. Beyond her professional achievements, she is an accomplished endurance athlete, a lover of spreadsheets, and is likely reading 12+ books at any given time. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Find Hear Her Sports on all social @hearhersports Find Skadi Sport Psychology at https://www.skadisportpsychology.com/ Find Skadi Sport Psychology on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/skadisportpsychology Find Erin Ayala on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinayala/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices