LET’S…
Improve performance.
Enhance recovery.
Reduce risk of injury.
FROM A MENTAL AND PHYSICAL STANDPOINT.
My story is not unlike that of many young athletes. I grew up in a small community as a four-sport athlete, where nutrition was an inherent part of daily life. After landing a DI track and cross-country scholarship to Mizzou, I expected to achieve the same success I attained in high school.
Like so many athletes, the struggles I experienced in college had nothing to do with lack of commitment. I dedicated myself to every strenuous workout and everything asked of me by the coaching staff—including losing weight to compete. As someone who was only taught calories in versus calories out, I downloaded MyFitnessPal—and my entire body broke.
Being chronically overtrained and underfueled took a mental and physical toll, one that made me question my future as an athlete. Just four weeks into my freshman year, I was diagnosed with my first stress fracture—the first of five over my career. I skipped breakfast daily, worked out with nothing but half a PB&J and banana in my system, and exhausted all mental energy in practice. For the first half of my collegiate career, I spent more time in the training room than actually training.
When I switched my major to dietetics, I found the missing piece of my training regimen: performance nutrition. Suddenly, my body composition changed, I recovered faster, and everything began to fall into place.
To every athlete who’s had their confidence shaken or felt as though their body was working against them, know this: I have been in your shoes. My goal is to help you navigate the same challenges I once faced.
Today, I work with developing athletes to fill in the vital gaps many training regimens leave out: recovery, nutrition, and injury prevention. This is not just about becoming a better athlete—it’s about feeling good about yourself when you step up to the start line. And we do this through something we all need and love: food.
— Ellen Davis, RD, CSSD, LD
A note from our founder:
Say hello to our team:
Kara Wiggins, REGISTERED DIETITIAN
Kara Wiggins is a registered dietitian and certified athletic trainer. Kara believes athletes can edge out their competition by establishing attainable nutrition routines and transforming them into life-long habits.
Kara entered undergrad with every intention of studying athletic training. After taking an evidence-based practice course—and choosing “nutrition in adolescent athletes” as her topic of choice—she stumbled upon the sports nutrition industry. Intrigued by how nutrition could best serve athletes, Kara chose to pursue credentials in athletic training and dietetics, with a focus on health and performance.
Today, Kara strives to bring practicality to each client relationship, helping athletes develop confidence to fuel health and performance. Prior to the Performance Collective, Kara dedicated four years of her career to working with dynamic populations in professional baseball, helping players implement sustainable routines to boost performance and ultimately achieve their goals.
Kara holds a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Saginaw Valley State University and a Masters of Science in Nutrition from Auburn University. A Michigan native that’s lived in five states, Kara now resides in Des Moines. An avid traveler, Kara’s traveled to 26 states, with a goal to hit all 50.
As featured in
OUR BELIEF SYSTEM
We’re here to flip the script on food.
We write fueling plans, not meal plans.
Training at an energy deficit has disastrous effects on young athletes, leading to RED-S, bone mineral deficiency, and amenorrhea. We preach that fuel and recovery are as vital as the actual workout.
Bad foods does not exist in our vocabulary.
There are fun foods and fueling foods, and there is a time and place for both. And yes, we received resounding gasps when we said fruit snacks—as a simple carbohydrate—were perfectly acceptable pre-competition.
We are not the food police.
So much of burnout is related to restricting foods and daily joy. We’re here to enhance the longevity of your athletic career—not slap a donut out of your hand.
“Diet” is a four letter word.
Restriction and deprivation does not meet the energy needs of a growing adolescent. Proper fueling is so much more than calories in versus calories out (yet another concept we don’t preach).