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The Science of Your Nervous System and How to Respond to Stress, Trauma, and the State of the World - The Feist

·1 hr 12 min·4 clips

Tess says there is no perfect way to do activism, and “starting somewhere” matters more than waiting.

1. Feisty Triathlon uses this special episode to discuss collective trauma, compound stress, and nervous-system responses to the news in Minneapolis and across the U.S. 2. Sarah Gross, founder and CEO of Feisty Media, introduces the episode; Dr. Erin Ayala hosts; Dr. Tess Kilwine, Dr. Quincy Guinati, and Christine Bright bring sports psychology, trauma, immigrant-experience, and healing-through-sport expertise. 3. The episode asks what athletes and coaches can do when the world feels unsafe, and whether “stick to sport” advice matches basic neurobiology. 4. Sarah connects the conversation to Minneapolis immigration enforcement, protests, and the strain felt by people who are not able to be “in the thick of things.” 5. Quincy defines collective trauma as a group of people going through the same traumatic experience and uses the COVID-19 pandemic, with “more than a million Americans died,” as the example. 6. Christine explains the brain in three parts: brainstem, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex, then ties safety and belonging to access to clear thinking. 7. The guests describe compound trauma as layered stress on top of existing stress, especially for immigrant and Native communities in Minneapolis. 8. Christine says stress can show up like “almost getting in a car accident,” with heart-rate changes, sweating, sharper speech, and trouble focusing. 9. Tess describes athlete activism as messy and argues that waiting to feel fully ready is what keeps people stuck. 10. She lays out a risk framework that includes high-risk civil disobedience, medium-risk amplification and logistics, and low-risk one-on-one conversations. 11. Erin quotes Dr. Bill Parham from the NBA and his line to “put the person before the performer.” 12. The conversation treats athletic wellness as inseparable from sociopolitical events, identity, and community conditions. 13. Tess and Christine push back on the idea that people can “leave it on the field” or “shut up and dribble.” 14. Christine says athletes often learn to compartmentalize for performance, then forget to turn themselves back on outside sport. 15. Quincy argues that oppressive systems try to make people feel powerless and ashamed of rest, which turns rest into a guilt problem. 16. Quincy uses the airplane oxygen-mask idea to stress that athletes need food, hydration, pain management, and realistic expectations for workouts. 17. Christine says rhythm and community are especially healing because the survival brain loves “patterned, repetitive, rhythmic activity.” 18. She describes Minneapolis examples like the Big March, the Singing Resistance, the Stone Arch Bridge drums, and neighborhood vigils as moments of shared regulation. 19. The format is a roundtable conversation with practical examples, personal stories, and repeated turns back to the nervous system. 20. People dealing with stress, activism decisions, or athlete identity will get the most value, while listeners wanting a light sports conversation may skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation about stress, rest, and collective trauma in a difficult news cycle.

This episode follows a timely conversation about stress and collective trauma, with Dr. Erin Ayala adding mental health expertise and Minneapolis context.

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Why you'd press play

If your training feels different this week, this conversation gives it language.

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