“Strong and healthy is better than skinny and hungry.” For Wendi Irlbeck, this is not a convenient slogan. It grew from her own experience of under-fuelling as a young athlete and now guides the work she does with athletes, families, and coaches.

“Strong and healthy is better than skinny and hungry.”
— Wendi Irlbeck

Wendi Irlbeck

• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Sports Nutritionist
• Founder of Nutrition With Wendi
• Works with youth, collegiate, elite, and professional athletes
• International speaker and former collegiate athlete
• Ten-year attendee of the ISSN annual conference

Righting the Mistakes She Once Made

Wendi learned early that what she put into her body affected how she thought and performed. Exercise was also an important outlet for stress. Yet, like many athletes, she did not always eat enough to support what she was asking her body to do.

That experience now shapes her professional purpose. She wants young people to avoid normalising hunger, fatigue, poor recovery, or a relentless pursuit of leanness as the price of athletic success. Adequate fuelling is not a lack of discipline. It is part of training.

The challenge is rarely solved by telling an athlete simply to “eat more.” Practitioners must understand the athlete’s schedule, sport culture, body concerns, access to food, family environment, and beliefs about performance. Sustainable change depends on practical solutions that fit real life.

Evidence Must Survive Contact with Practice

Wendi values research, but she judges professional education by whether it helps her make better decisions with clients. A presentation can be scientifically impressive and still be difficult to apply if practitioners cannot understand the methods, limitations, or relevance.

That is what distinguishes ISSN for her. Researchers and practitioners take time to answer questions, explain findings, and discuss how evidence might translate into practice. Instead of leaving with a “fire hose” of disconnected information, she leaves with ideas she can examine and use responsibly.

Translation does not mean simplifying science until every caveat disappears. It means understanding the evidence well enough to decide what applies, to whom, and under which conditions.

Ten Years of Returning to the Same Community

Wendi has attended ISSN for a decade. New research keeps her current, but community keeps her returning. Conversations happen during presentations, in the gym, on the beach, and between sessions. Those informal exchanges reveal how other professionals think through difficult cases and where new research may be heading.

For students, this exposure can clarify which part of exercise science, sports nutrition, or supplementation genuinely interests them. A conference allows them to test a possible career against real people and real work.

Invest in Education—and in Judgement

Wendi’s advice is to invest in yourself. Education is worth the cost when it develops more than recall. The aim is better judgement: knowing what to ask, how to assess evidence, when to refer, and how to adapt a recommendation without losing its scientific basis.

Lifelong learning is especially important in athlete nutrition because the evidence changes and the people never fit neatly into a template. The practitioner’s responsibility is to keep sharpening both knowledge and application.

A Question for You

Where do you see under-fuelling most often, and what helps athletes understand that eating enough is part of performance?

Follow Wendi Irlbeck

Website: https://www.nutritionwithwendi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutrition_with_wendi/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NutritionwithWendi/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendiirlbeck/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC175hiZ66wZCSKZe2itN95g

From Learning to the Profession

GPNi® and ISSN-aligned education can support careers beyond direct athlete practice. Understanding evidence, mechanisms, dosage, safety, and application also strengthens work in ingredients, product development, technical sales, and customer education.

Explore the pathways: 

PNE Level-1 + ISSN-SNS

PNE Level-2 Masters + CISSN