The Body Collective

Founded in 2021 at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, the Body Collective is a community of athletes helping sportswomen everywhere honor their bodies for all they can do.

Co-founders Allison Grady and Dr. Carly Drake presenting their research at the 2022 American Marketing Association Summer Conference.

  • Social media advocacy: We post regular content on Instagram to help combat diet culture and remind sportswomen that they are more than their bodies

  • Research: We study topics related to gender, bodies and sport as a way of informing theory and practice in both marketing and psychology

  • Workshops: We teach sportswomen the key concepts and techniques they need to cultivate a healthy relationship with their body, social media, and sport culture

  • Community-building gatherings: We have fun! We are better together, so we like to connect over good food and good conversation.

What we do

Connect with us on Instagram!

@thebodycollective_ncc

Turning in your uniform indefinitely is no easy feat. We're determined to break the silence surrounding the dreaded "final season" of competitive athletics. For many athletes, sport is closely intertwined with identity, and the thought of l
Have you ever heard of body checking? 🤔 Someone may use body checking behaviors to cope with negative emotions, and not even realize it! These behaviors are compulsive, and include (but are not limited to) pinching different areas of your body, fi
🚨 Caution: Family time ahead 🚨 We know holidays - especially holidays focused around food - can be tough. During these times, you are allowed to do what you need to do to protect your peace of mind! 🥰 #TheBodyCollectiveNCC #EDrecovery
A common thing we hear in sports is that our teammates are like family. In Taylor and Madison’s case, this is quite literally true! Taylor and Madison are twins, meaning they’ve bonded through a lifelong love for athletics. Most recently,
A lot of the time, Collective, life isn't going to go our way. We can plan, we can prepare, we can pour our heart into something, and still come up short. When this happens, it can be tempting to give up. It's easy to take rejection personally, to fe
If you’re reading this, you’re a member of the Body Collective, and we are so honored to be on this journey of self discovery with you ❤️ #TheBodyCollectiveNCC #WomenInSport #EDrecovery #BodyNeutrality
Hi Collective! 👋 Today we’re sharing some important musings from our friend Katie. We love how Katie is always willing to go “deep” and think about the big questions. We hope this post helps you reflect on your own identity and rel
Today’s spotlight is on Nicole Metzler! Nicole is from Lemont, Illinois. A junior at North Central College, she is majoring in psychology and plans to work as a physical therapist with high-level athletes in the future. Nicole has been a compet
Today we’re sharing double the athlete spotlight fun with a post celebrating two bowlers who love their sport AND each other 🎳 Yvette and Talia are two North Central College students who met in 2019 through their team. Now seniors, their bon
Here’s to moving with our bodies, and not being afraid to talk about the quiet stuff, the private stuff, the “gross” stuff 🩸 #TheBodyCollectiveNCC #EndPeriodShame #EndPeriodStigma
It's International Women's Day, and here at the Body Collective we’re honoring the women in our lives while also acknowledging the inequities that are barring us from an even playing field, particularly in sport. We are so proud of the advance
North Central College students, we need your help! We’re looking for a volunteer to coordinate some awesome Body Collective merch. This is a short-term project that will have a big impact on our community. We’re not looking to make money,