• Home
  • Podcast
  • Eating Disorders In Sport

    • Eating Disorders in Sport with Dr. Riley Nickols & Becca McConville

    Guests: Dr. Riley Nickols & Becca McConville, Sport Psychologist & Sports Dietitian at MindBodyEndurance

    Hosts: Dr. Mark Allen & Dr. Tommy Horn

    Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.).

    Share this episode

    Share this episode

    Listen on your favorite platform

    Subscribe & Never Miss an Episode

    Follow the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast to get notified the moment a new episode drops.

    AI SUMMARY

    Discover why the very traits that make athletes great—like discipline and grit—can often mask the warning signs of eating disorders and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Join Dr. Riley Nickols and Becca McConville as they explore how to navigate the modern pressures of NIL and social media to build a high-performance culture where health and fueling are never sacrificed for the win.

    Episode Overview

    Eating disorders in athletes are uniquely tied to the traits sport celebrates - discipline, drive, pain tolerance, and the relentless pursuit of improvement. In this episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, Drs. Mark Allen and Tommy Horn are joined by two leaders in the field of eating disorders in sport: Dr. Riley Nickols, sport and counseling psychologist and founder of MindBodyEndurance, and Becca McConville, sports dietitian, eating disorder specialist, and REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) expert. Together, they explore how sport culture, social media, and NIL pressures intersect with athlete mental health, why coaches and providers often miss the warning signs of disordered eating in athletes, and what multidisciplinary, performance-aware recovery actually looks like.

    Key Takeaways

  • • Athlete Vulnerability: Athletes are uniquely vulnerable to eating disorders due to sport culture's emphasis on discipline, body composition, and performance.
  • • Social Media & NIL Impact: Social media and NIL culture are creating new pressures around athlete body image and identity.
  • • REDs Explained: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) is a serious condition where insufficient fueling undermines health and performance.
  • • Multidisciplinary Treatment: Effective treatment requires a multidisciplinary team including psychiatry, psychology, dietetics, and athletic training.
  • • Safe Return-to-Sport: Return-to-sport decisions for athletes in recovery must prioritize long-term health over short-term performance.
  • • Warning Signs: Coaches and providers often miss warning signs-understanding the role of fueling, culture, and language is critical.
  • • High Performance & Health: High performance should never require self-destruction. Performance and health must coexist.

    • Show Notes

    About the Guests

    Dr. Riley Nickols & Becca McConville is Sport Psychologist & Sports Dietitian at MindBodyEndurance.

    Topics Discussed

  • • Why athletes are uniquely vulnerable to eating disorders
  • • The impact of social media and NIL culture on athlete body image
  • • REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) explained
  • • The role of multidisciplinary treatment teams
  • • Safe return-to-sport decisions for athletes in recovery
  • • Warning signs coaches and providers often miss
  • • The role of fueling, culture, and language in athlete wellbeing
  • • Sport culture as a driver of disordered eating

    • Resources Mentioned

  • • 5th Annual Eating Disorders in Sport Conference (July 31, 2026) - Use code Peak20 for 20% off
  • • Dr. Riley Nickols - LinkedIn
  • • Becca McConville - LinkedIn

    • Scan to Register

    Use code Peak20 for 20% off registration

    You May Also Enjoy

    Behind the Championship with Dr. Derek Suite

    with Dr. Derek Suite

    Finding Your Wolf with Dr. Heather Larkin

    with Dr. Heather Larkin

    Hilinski's Hope & Mental Health in College Sports

    with Kym and Mark Hilinski

    PREVIOUS EPISODE

    Sports Media & Athlete Mental Health with Celia Kohl

    NEXT EPISODE

    Breaking Barriers in Athlete Mental Health (Part 1) ft. All Points North

    PeakSportsPsychiatry

    Elevating athlete mental health by providing proactive, evidence-based psychiatric care tailored to the unique demands of collegiate and professional athletics.

    Quick Links

  • For Athletes
  • For Teams
  • Why Peak
  • Our Team
  • Resources
  • Contact

    • Contact

  • tim@peaksportspsychiatry.com
  • (720) 808-1285
  • Email Us to Schedule a Call

    • © 2026 Peak Sports Psychiatry. All rights reserved.