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I went for a walk with my kids the other day, and on our way home, our neighbor was outside. We stopped to say hello, and the conversation led to sports, his kids, my kids, and our hopefulness that our kids find success. He made a comment that his kids, unfortunately, got the short gene. And, because of their size they are at such a disadvantage. Then, he asked, “What sport do you think would be best for short boys?” Answering his own question before I was able to respond, he said, “I suppose their determination and desire to succeed is more indicative of successRead More →

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Upon returning home from Los Angeles, California, and presenting at the largest annual gathering of soccer coaches in the world, I couldn’t help but reflect on this incredible opportunity. It was the second highest attended Convention in the organizations 76-year history. There was an estimated 12,000 people in attendance. For the first time ever, they provided a session on my proposed topic: Pressures of Athletics Can Lead To Eating Disorders. While I had a respectable turnout, I was disappointed that more coaches didn’t prioritize this session on their schedules.  According to National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), one-third of all Division 1 NCAA athletes have anRead More →

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I’m on the airplane headed to Los Angeles, California on this Tuesday morning. I was offered the opportunity to present at the largest annual gathering of soccer coaches in the world. When I first was put in contact with the operations coordinator about the possibility of speaking at this NSCAA convention in January 2017, he responded back with two comments: 1) To please send an outline of the topic in which I’d like to speak on; and 2) To date, they have never had a presenter speak on eating disorders.  I paused for a minute after reading the latter of his comments. In a studyRead More →

Erin Konheim Mandras Blog

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After developing, battling, and overcoming an eating disorder as a collegiate athlete, I learned an incredible amount not only about myself, but of the prevalent issue that so many of us struggle. I believed my success in recovering was possible because of the incredible support system I had within the Michigan State athletic department; stemming from the administration, to the medical staff, to strength and conditioning personnel, and then to my very own coaches. After such a tumultuous event in my life, my dreams became clear, and I knew there was only one career I desired to pursue: and that was coaching. My coaches setRead More →

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My sport was soccer: where we got physical and dirty; wore over-sized uniform shirts and shorts; and wore shin-guards, covered to our knees with sock. Besides emphasizing needing strength and power in our bodies, nothing was ever discussed as far as body weight or shape–at least in my experiences. In fact, it was a style in my day to wear larger clothes to compete in. I used to stare at other athletes in various sports who needed to wear and compete in either a leotard, spandex, or even a swimsuit, and wondered how they felt comfortable competing in front of such a large crowd withRead More →

Pregnant and Told Not to Exercise

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Let me preface this piece with a story that I will never forget. In fact, it’s the reason I struggle to write about pregnancy, knowing the issues many encounter throughout the entire experience. I was only dying to conceive; to test positive when taking a pregnancy test; to have a third child. And, though it’s an extremely personal part of our lives, it finally happened. And, then, it failed. I miscarried. To try to take my mind off of it for even a minute, I scheduled a manicure for the following day. As I sat in the chair struggling to catch my breath from sadness,Read More →

Jewish and an Athlete - How it led to my downfall

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My last post about being an athlete and being Jewish may not have discussed body image or eating issues directly, but the challenges I faced related to being different from my peers were added stresses in my younger years. Eating disorders can develop as a result of many different causes, whether psychological, environmental, or biological factors. In my case, my eating disorder began when the pressures in my life became so overwhelming, and unbearable, that I clearly wasn’t able to cope, other than turning to food and exercise. As I reflect on specific scenarios in my childhood, I am able to identify experiences that caused immenseRead More →

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I had the amazing opportunity to visit my old stomping grounds, alma mater, and meet with the critical people who played a major role in my maturation process, provided support, and guided me to become the best person I could possibly be at the time I walked across the stage to receive my college diploma from Michigan State University. I expressed to these leaders, administrators, and, now, colleagues that by the end of my college journey and enduring the most challenging obstacle I had ever faced, I was forced to quickly acquire qualities that I had been lacking. Prior to that experience, I had beenRead More →

Kids and Food Allergies

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Originally published at Kveller.com At the time my first son was born, I was confronted with the most challenging decision of my entire life: continuing to pursue my career, or becoming a stay-at-home mom. It suddenly seemed like for my entire life, I was on autopilot. I went from preschool, to elementary school, to middle school, to high school, to college, and then onto my first job. I had an identity in each of these phases. In middle school, I was a soccer player, on the track and field team, and an honor student. In high school, I was recognized as a star athlete, honorRead More →

Day 1 of Preseason: August 12, 2002

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I woke up in a frenzy. Sweating and breathing heavily, I frantically surveyed the eleven foot by twelve foot room my family had just moved me in. My surroundings were drastically unfamiliar and foreign, but once I realized I was in a loft next to my best friend, I instantly noted it was day one of preseason my freshman year at Michigan State University. Women’s soccer, a fall sport, required athletes to report to school earlier than the normal student population. Campus was quiet and desolate. My heart pounding was not. It was 8:00 a.m., and we were instructed to eat and enjoy our breakfast before reporting to the team lockerRead More →