155 | Volleyball Player and Dietitian Tatum Vedder on Nourishing Your Recovery

“  Surgeries one through three, there is still this fear around weight gain and therefore restriction. And I think part of me wants to know, is that a major factor in why I didn't heal well? I'm not going to dwell on that or guilt-trip myself over it; it's in the past. But it was also an opportunity for surgeries four and onward, to say: ‘Let's take a different approach. Let's nourish to heal. Let's not feed to skate by.’”

 

Tatum Vedder was heading into her last year of collegiate volleyball, playing in a co-ed tournament, when she took a rough landing and had to be carried off the court. What she thought might be a couple of seasons away turned into six surgeries and what she eventually came to see would be a lifelong change.

 

Tatum had already been studying nutrition, but it wasn’t until she began this ordeal that she had an aha moment about the impact of fueling on injury recovery. She learned to shift from a place of fear and restriction to one of compassion and nourishment. Not only did that improve her healing process, it shaped her career—now, she’s a registered dietitian who specializes in helping other injured athletes nourish their comebacks, too.

Her story touches on identity shifts, asking for help, managing shifting timelines, and ultimately finding equilibrium through life's ups and downs.

Resources/links:

• Tatum’s Instagram and website
• Olympic Beach Volleyball Player Casey Patterson: New Ways to Win
• Eating During Injury Recovery: Webinar Recording

 

A huge thank you to LEVER Movement, the exclusive sponsor of season 8 of The Injured Athletes Club podcast! The LEVER system is an innovative way to reduce your body weight, and the impact on your joints, while exercising on a treadmill. Use the code “TIAC20” to get 20% off your purchase. 

 

You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show.

 

To access more resources for injured athletes:

• Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!
• Buy Injured Athletes Club merchandise, including hoodies, .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}