Why "Push Through It" Is the Worst Advice for Autoimmune Athletes with Mireille Siné, MPH — Feisty Women's Performance

In this episode, Dr. Erin Ayala sits down with Mireille Siné, MPH — a certified running coach, lupus endurance athlete, and advocate for athletes living with autoimmune and chronic conditions.

Mireille has lived with lupus for 13 years and now coaches athletes who are navigating autoimmune disease, chronic illness, flares, fatigue, and identity shifts — while doing endurance sports.

Together, Erin and Mireille discuss:

Why autoimmune athletes carry a “double load”
How training stress can interact with immune dysregulation
How to distinguish overtraining from a possible flare
Why “push through it” can be harmful advice
The importance of symptom tracking and medical self-advocacy
What coaches should ask athletes with autoimmune conditions
How to build flexible training plans
Why performance is not just pace, PRs, and finish lines
How to stop chasing the athlete you used to be and build toward who you can still become

Mireille Siné is a USATF and 80/20 Endurance-certified run coach, 14-time marathoner, and ultramarathoner based in Los Angeles. She is the founder of Coached by Mireille LLC, a virtual coaching practice specializing in runners and endurance athletes managing autoimmune conditions and chronic illness. Mireille coaches with the philosophy "train with compassion" — building training plans that account for the full reality of her athletes' lives, not just their race goals. She has been featured in Runner's World and has spoken at the AIP Summit and Skadi Sports Psychology Athlete Summit. Living with lupus herself, Mireille brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work, helping athletes redefine what strength and performance can look like with a chronic illness diagnosis.

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Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

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