Mental Training Room

In this episode, Haley Herdman is joined by Tal Sahar to discuss Tal's mindfulness journey and how it played a pivotal role in navigating the pressures of her Division I basketball career and her professional athletic journey. Tal shares valuable insights into how mindfulness practices helped her manage stress, enhance focus, and improve mental resilience on and off the court. The conversatio...

We're back and kicking off Spring Sessions of Mental Training Room by sharing some of our life updates with you all! In today's session you'll learn about our full-time jobs, how we are trying to navigate adulthood, and what we are doing to manage the lingering effects of being DI athletes ( cough cough ADHD!!!!!!). We hope you enjoy listening as we work to close the gap from mental...

Haley sits down with her former head coach from LMU, Aarika Hughes, to chat about the pressures student-athletes face, how coaches' awareness on mental health are changing, and some of Coach A's personal self-care techniques.  Support the show Follow us on Instagram @mtr.pod For Mental Performance Coaching visit haleyherdman.com

Juliana Friedman is a recent graduate from the University of Miami. Juli was a four year member of the Hurricanes Spirit squad. In this episode, she gives us an inside scoop on dance culture and its effect on her development as a young woman. She also shares with us  what it was like for her to be a Sunsations dancer!  Follow us on @mhtrpod for more!  Support the show Follow us on Instagram @mtr.p...

Lisa Bonta Sumii is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She founded AthMindset to work specifically with Athlete's on their mental training and she is the Mental Health and Sports Performance Specialist for the Oakland Roots SC. In this episode, Lisa and Haley talk about what it is like to be a clinician for athletes as well as discussing a wide range of other mental health topics like grief a...

In this episode, University of Maine swimmer, Isabelle Irani, opens up about the eating disorder she struggled with in high school. Although this was an extremely difficult time for her, she is able to speak about it now and reflect on important lessons she learned during this tough  time in her life.  Swimming at a very elite level now, Isabelle knows how to engage in appropriate self-care and mo...

In this episode, Haley and Naomi sit down with NFL Draft Prospect and University of Wyoming alumni, JaKorey Hawkins. Hawkins  begins by inviting us into the formative years of his life, emphasizing how his childhood experiences shaped his attitude toward sports and the messaging he received around maintaining a healthy mindset. Central to the episode is the theme of perseverance; Hawkins shares ho...

In this episode, we feature two very special guest, Kaylee Byon and Anthony Yu. Both of these athletes share their experience as an Asian American athlete, the struggles they have faced due to their race in sports, and how they are currently using their platforms to inspire younger generations and break the stereotypes placed on the AAPI community.  Kaylee Byon @kayleebyon Anthony Yu @anthonyyu_ @...

On this special episode, Elise Garcia (@Elisegarcia_13)  opens up about her time as a swimmer at the University of California Berkley. Elise speaks on  the struggles she faced with her coach and how the affected her mental health. There is so much power in being vulnerable and we are so grateful Elise took the time to sit down with us and tell her story. To all student-athletes, we see you, we hea...

Dr. Theo Burnes is a licensed psychologist, LPCC, and one of Haley's grad school professors at USC! In this episode, Dr. Burnes sat down with us to discuss resiliency, growth mindset, and grit. Throughout our conversation we de-bunk some myths about these three concepts while Haley and Naomi also share some personal struggles they face trying to be resilient student athletes. This episode is...

This is an emotional and authentic solo episode with host, Haley Herdman. In this episode, Haley shares updates about life after hanging up her jersey. "It is not as glamorous as I thought it would be", Haley says. Listen to hear more about the anxious thoughts and major transitions she has been facing as she tries to navigate life without her athlete identity. This is a must listen for...

Nikki Kett is a former Division I swim coach and current athlete life and mindset coach who works with ambitious, athlete minded women to create success and fulfillment in their individual lives.  In this episode, Nikki touches on her transition out of coaching college athletics and the struggles female athletes face within sports and life after sports, her perspective on how the patriarchy sucks...

Da Rulk is a Certified strength and condition specialist. He is also a functional training expert who has taught his Raw Functional Training (RFT) method to military and first responders, Olympic gold medalists, MMA fighters, and pro athletes, along with the famous actor, Chris Hemsworth. In this episode, Da Rulk talks about the benefits of RFT, how it helps with the mental side of sports, his thr...

Taylor Hall is a basketball player at Biola University. She has over 10,000 followers on Instagram and has used her platform to advocate for mental health while also giving people an inside scoop of what it’s like to be a student athlete. Recently, Taylor published her story through a platform called Hope for Athletes. On this episode, we gaveTaylor the space to talk about her experience and give...

Dani Iwami (@daniiwami) is a former collegiate basketball player who suffered three season ending injuries throughout her career at Hawaii Pacific University and Western Washington University. As she navigated her way through the injury/recovery process, she found a new love for art. Dani is now a successful ceramicist (@danikawaiistudios) who gained a large following through Tik Tok. In this epis...

This week's guest is mindset coach, Cindy Mosley. Cindy owns "Empowering Athlete's Mindset" where she coaches and specializes in guiding female athletes to harness confidence in their sport and life. Throughout this episode, we talk about unlocking athlete's potential through mental work and the importance of empathy when coaching/raising athletes. Such an important episod...

In the 2020 NCAA Championship bubble, Ali Kershner, the Sports Performance Coach for the Stanford Women’s Basketball team, exposed the inequities present within the men's and women's tournament. Although this is nothing new to female athletes, this is the first time the higher ups have listened.  In this episode we talk about the effects of inequities on our mental health, what Ali has b...

For this episode we had the pleasure of sitting down with Sports Psychologist, Dr. William Parharm. Dr. P shared some amazing insight regarding all things confidence. This is a MUST listen for EVERYONE! The things Dr. P touched on are truly life changing... Follow us on Instagram / Tik Tok @mhtrpod & Like/subscribe to our YouTube channel! Support the show Follow us on Instagram @mtr.pod For Me...

In this episode we sat down with Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Jennifer Smith. Jennifer talked about the transition from high school to college, pressures that student-athletes face, and how to manage high stress environments. Jennifer is the CEO of Smith Psychotherapy Group, a group private practice located in Newport Beach, CA. They offer in person and virtual therapy sessions and are...

In this episode, Collin Bishop,  freshman safety at Trinity University, shares his battle with mental health and what he learned from that struggle that allows him to inspire others through their own journey. And be sure to read his article to learn more about Collin! https://thotrinityu.wixsite.com/the-hidden-opponent/post/collin-bishop-the-war-within   Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagra...

Although ex-professional basketball player, Gabby Green, earned all the accolades any athlete could dream of, there is a lot that these awards do not show us. On this episode, Green opens up about the mental struggles she experienced throughout her collegiate career and how she was able to turn to others for support which helped her preserve through the tough times. Follow us on instagram @mhtrpod...

Devon Brookshire, a professional basketball player and mindset coach to young athletes, shared her tips and tricks on how she lives a mindful lifestyle as an athlete. She also opened up about her own struggles with mental health and how she was able to manage with the stressors that come along with playing her sport at such a high level. This episode is a MUST LISTEN for every athlete, parent, coa...

Our first episode is finally here!! We wanted to start off with sharing a little bit more about ourselves, Haley Herdman and Naomi Yim, and why we wanted to start this journey. We have a passion for student athlete's mental health and our goal is to create a platform to amplify stories surrounding this issue. Be sure to follow us on Instagram (@mhtrpod)! Hope you enjoy...  Support the show Fo...