Closer Mentality

Episode 84 features Team USA bobsled pilot Maddy Cohen. Cohen, who was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder, worked through her entrance to the sliding sports, getting on the radar of Team USA while in high school, her diagnosis and its implications, and what the public misunderstands about functioning with BPD. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhel...

Team USA Paralympic swimmer Taylor Winnett joined Closer Mentality for Episode 83. Winnett sustained a serious spinal injury during high school that changed the entire scope of her relationship with swimming. She spoke to her disability experience, getting diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder, pushback from teammates, mental anguish, and the process of getting classified by the Internationa...

Episode 82 brought on softball coaches Diego Ibarra and Lindsay Mayer. They worked through the difficulties of coaching team dynamics, Alphas Alliance, love languages as means of communication, and how to foster healthy confrontation among teammates. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Libro.fm: https://tidd.ly/3JIHA3m KT T...

Episode 81 brought on "I'm Changing the Narrative" founder Rachel Baribeau. She spoke about the impact of re-writing your legacy, separating your worth from sports, and the ways individuals can create a culture of acceptance and positivity. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UNCENSORED: www.youtube.com/cha...

Welcome back to Closer Mentality! In the words of the queen, Taylor Swift, "It's been a long time coming!" This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UNCENSORED: www.youtube.com/channel/UCJuZfwIP9ny-WIqpcUaQnWA

Episode 79 welcomed Sports Illustrated copy chief Julie Kliegman! Kliegman's beat at SI covers athlete mental health; her take on how media outlets can go about telling stories of vulnerability is one I think fans, coaches, athletes, and journalists can all find useful. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality U...

Episode 78 brought on Adelphi University Men's Basketball's Andrew Delaney. Delaney talked about the distribution of psychological resources on college campuses, the impact of resources like Morgan's Message, picking friends, and redefining "mental toughness". This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UNCENSORED:...

Episode 77 brought on Team USA coxswain Jenny Sichel. Sichel, a graduate of Bryn Mawr University, spoke of her time transitioning into coxing, the adaptations she has to make for her Para Rowing boats, and what it takes to coach visually and physically-impaired rowers to international success. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closerment...

Episode 76 brought former Cal Golden Bears defender Maggie Bell on. She spoke of the tumultuous coaching environment within the Cal Women's Soccer team, how her athletic department handled scandal, and the student-athlete advocacy work she currently does. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality CACE: https://caceanswers.com/ NC...

Episode 75 brought forth a story of physical adversity and how a sport found at 21 years old can impact the rest of your life. Meet Beth Gardner. Former Drexel University Crew member and Stage 3 Breast Cancer survivor. Her story is incredible. Thanks to everyone for helping bring SEVENTY-FIVE WEEKS of stories to Closer Mentality! I love you all. - Julia This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get...

Episode 74 brought on Wisconsin Women's Soccer midfielder Emma Jaskaniec. Jaskaniec detailed the anxiety she had in high school, how it manifested once she arrived in Madison, finding meditation, speaking candidly about her mental health, and leading her team to a Big 10 Championship berth for the first time since 2014. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at ww...

Episode 73 brought on former Xavier University cross-country athlete Devi Jagadesan. She worked through the pressure to conform to early sport specialization, getting to a Division I school, sexual assault, developing an eating disorder, feeling threatened on campus, Title IX, and how she used writing as an outlet to help heal her trauma. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of you...

LeTourneau University's Hattie Mills joined Closer Mentality for Episode 72! Mills, a sophomore volleyball player at the Texas DIII school, talked through her recruiting experience, choosing LeTourneau, adjusting to college life, and a season-ending injury that shouldn't have been. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Let's...

Episode 71 brought on representatives from the non-profit "Morgan's Message". Named for Duke University women's lacrosse player Morgan Rodgers, who passed in 2019, the initiative aims to debunk athlete mental health stories and share experiences, peer-to-peer. Today's guests help give context to the nationwide work that Morgan's Message now does. Morgan's twin sister, Aberle, and East Carolina wom...

For the 70th episode of Closer Mentality, I welcomed Dr. Stephen Harvey to the podcast. He's a sport pedagogist and helps teach coaches how to be more effective in their practices. He spoke about coach decision-making, open streams of communication between player and coach, self-aware evaluations, and how to approach mental skills with athletes ranging from elementary school to professional. This...

Episode 69 highlighted the 13-year professional baseball career of catcher Michael McKenry. McKenry spoke of his journey to Major League lineups, piecing together additional opportunities, the pain and confusion of being traded, how he became "The Fort", the post-sport grieving process, and how through all of the adversity, he maintained his composure. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get...

Team USA swimmer Zach Harting joined Closer Mentality to tell his story on Episode 68. Harting detailed his journey to the University of Louisville swim program, finding his sweet spot in the 200m fly, capturing a litany of Cardinal program records, racing Michael Phelps for a spot on Team USA, winning gold medals all over the world, and his trip to Tokyo 2020. This episode is sponsored by BetterH...

Happy Mental Health Action Day! Closer Mentality's National Mental Health Awareness Month programming continues with a story straight from College Station, Texas. Texas A&M 800 m track athlete Jean Jenkins joined Closer Mentality this week to tell the story of getting to Texas A&M University, finding a place in the middle distances, the beginning of her self-image difficulties, being diagnosed wit...

Team New Zealand pole vaulter Olivia McTaggart joined Closer Mentality this week to talk about the gymnast to pole vaulter pipeline, breaking the U-17 national record, snapping four poles and the psychological ramifications, missing out on Tokyo 2020, and representing New Zealand at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championship in Serbia. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your...

Bowling Green State University's women's soccer player Rachel Muller joined Closer Mentality this week. She worked through both of her ACL tears, moving across the country in pursuit of an opportunity to play soccer collegiately, regulating her emotions toward returning to play, and how she took control of her shifting roles within BGSU WSOC's hierarchy. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Ge...

Episode 64 welcomed MindReady and More Than Baseball founder Jeremy Wolf. He detailed his journey to DIII baseball, winning a College World Series, getting drafted to the New York Mets and playing for Team Israel, why More Than Baseball is important, and mental skills training. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentali...

Episode 63's Matt Woodtke introduced the concept of working through mental wellness basics with student-athletes as early as middle school. He also detailed the basics of coaching dynamics, why some coaches seem more approachable, and how adults can create a positive team culture surrounding mental health-related dialogues. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month a...

Episode 62 welcomed three representatives from the University of Michigan's Sack the Stigma initiative, which is aimed at engaging college students and student-athletes in mental health advocacy. Sack The Stigma is a collaborative effort between the University of Michigan’s athletic department, specifically football players, Soho Youth Club, a advocacy-through-apparel brand, and Valiant, a sports...

Brendan Griffiths joined Closer Mentality to talk about his experience with the transfer portal, finding a Division II school, playing professional soccer in Germany and Denmark, and his experiences with resource discrepancies. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality In The 11 Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-11-wi...

To conclude Women's History Month, Closer Mentality brought on Team Australia freestyle skier Madii Himbury. We talked through the gymnastics to freestyle ski pipeline, competing for Team Australia, qualifying for the Olympics, Australian mental health resources, and the physical and mental strains of three ACL tears. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at bett...