In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with the captain of the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team, Sierra Brooks. Sierra is an NCAA Champion, 13x All-American, and 2022 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. Beginning at the age of 3, Sierra shares her gymnastics journey, including why she chose to pursue collegiate gymnastics over the Olympics. We hear about how she cultivates a healthy team culture as captain, as well as tips for navigating social media attention, other people's opinions and competing in a judged sport. Sierra and I talk about the drive for perfection, handling failures, and managing perfectionism in a healthy way. We discuss Sierra’s nutrition journey and how she fuels her gymnastics: hint, this includes lots of chocolate milk! She shares how she has maintained a positive relationship with food and her body through a strong support system and good nutrition education and coaching. Transitioning to college can make fueling extra challenging, and I give listeners advice for eating in college with dining halls and meal plans. Follow Sierra on Instagram and TikTok @sierrabbrooks and on Twitter @sierrabbrooks_  Follow me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition  We have a huge announcement! We are launching patreon! Female Athlete Nutrition podcast patreon is now LIVE and we are excited to offer our community unique perks. Join today and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition  Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation?  Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com/riseup for 20% off the entire store for a limited time only! THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY: Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders. Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp  Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order In this episode we talk about: 1:00 Exciting announcement! We are on patreon! 6:00 Sierra’s gymnastics journey, from aged 3 to elite high schooler then collegiate gymnast  11:00 The team side of gymnastics 13:30 Leadership as the captain of a college team  16:00 Learn more about patreon! 21:00 The mental side of gymnastics 23:45 Perfectionism and coping with failures 27:15 Handling judgment, social media attention and other peoples’ opinions   32:00 Sierra’s nutrition journey 36:00 The importance of nutrition education 40:30 Eating in college: dining halls, meal plans and prep  44:00 Sierra’s fueling approach   48:30 End of the podcast questions