The Mental Matchup

This week, Emily Boyle shares how a concussion during her freshman year forced her to medically redshirt and completely reshaped her experience as a student-athlete. In this episode, we discuss: 1. Recovering from a season-ending concussion 2. The mental toll of being sidelined and losing your athletic identity 3. Balancing recovery, school, and life away from home 4. Finding purpose and staying c...

This week on The Mental Matchup, we sit down with Caitlin Walsh, a former Saint Anselm College lacrosse player whose athletic journey was shaped by multiple knee injuries, surgeries, and ultimately the difficult decision to medically retire from the sport she loved. Caitlin opens up about the mental health challenges that accompanied her recovery, including anxiety, uncertainty, and the loss of an...

This week on The Mental Matchup, we sit down with Hannah De Groot, licensed therapist and founder of Stride Counseling, to discuss the intersection of sport, eating disorders, OCD, and mental health. In this episode, we explore: * The unique pressures within sport that can impact an athlete's mental health * Hannah's personal recovery journey and how it inspired her to pursue this work * How she s...

In this episode, Kat is joined by Tiffany Yvonne Gratton, who dives into the mental side of performance and what it really takes to thrive under pressure. Athletes are often told to "be tough" or "stay locked in," but few are given practical tools to navigate the realities of competition, social media, expectations, and comparison. Tiffany shares actionable strategies to help athletes perform at t...

In this powerful episode, Kat chats with Danny O’Connor to discuss the hidden reality of eating disorders in weight-class sports and the devastating impact they can have on athletes behind the scenes. Danny shares the story behind his memoir, WEIGHT CLASS — a raw and deeply personal account of battling an eating disorder throughout his wrestling, Olympic, and professional boxing career. In sports...

This week on The Mental Matchup , we’re joined by Matt Young — former professional footballer, endurance athlete, and performance coach focused on helping people create lasting mental and emotional change. Matt shares how the pressures of high performance, identity struggles, and emotional challenges shaped his journey from professional sports into helping others break free from anxiety, fear, and...

This week on The Mental Matchup, we’re joined by Trevor Ruhland — former Division I football player and national champion at University of Notre Dame. Trevor opens up about what was happening behind the scenes while competing at the highest level of college football, including his battle with an eating disorder, identity struggles tied to performance, and the pressure to always appear strong. In t...

This week on The Mental Matchup , we’re joined by Hania Taduran—former Division I beach volleyball athlete and founder of Breaking Barriers, an organization dedicated to advancing mental health support for athletes through education, peer connection, and advocacy. Hania brings a rare and powerful perspective to this conversation, blending her lived experience as a high-performing athlete with her...

This week on The Mental Matchup , we’re joined by Tyler Ingle — a former student-athlete and communications professional whose journey through mental health challenges is as raw as it is impactful. Tyler opens up about navigating anxiety, depression, and a severe eating disorder, while also processing deeply personal experiences like his father leaving at a young age. These are the kinds of strugg...

This week on The Mental Matchup , Lisa Fiore shares a deeply personal story about how her mental health journey has shaped the way she shows up — as a parent, leader, and advocate. Lisa opens up about struggling with disordered eating beginning in high school and navigating a path that spanned more than two decades. She reflects on how those experiences changed her relationship with herself and ho...

This week on The Mental Matchup , we sit down with Laura Ollinger, a Teen & Young Adult Well-Being Coach and Founder of Positively Healthy Coaching. Laura works 1:1 with teens to help them navigate stress, anxiety, and self-doubt while building the tools they need to thrive. With an extensive background — including being a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Elite Neuroencoding...

Ally Irish is back for Part 2 on The Mental Matchup —and this time, we’re diving deeper into her work in athlete mental health research. Building off her experience co-founding The Head Game Project, Ally shares insights from a qualitative research study conducted with NCAA Division III athletes, focused on understanding well-being through the lens of the whole person . From identity and time dema...

This week on The Mental Matchup , we’re joined by former Division II lacrosse player Allison Irish , who co-founded The Head Game Project , a peer-to-peer mental health advocacy group created to support student-athletes and spark more open conversations about well-being. What started as a senior-year initiative at Saint Anselm College became the foundation for Ally’s career in clinical psychology...

What if an athlete doesn’t quit because they stop loving their sport — but because they never learned how to handle the pressure? This week on The Mental Matchup , Coach Bre shares her journey as a former collegiate volleyball player who appeared successful on the outside while quietly struggling with the mental demands of high-level competition. Discovering mental performance training later in he...

This week, we’re joined by former Division III lacrosse player and mental health counselor Maddie Meadows. Maddie shares her journey with anxiety — and the pivotal conversation with her mom that led her to begin therapy. Just two years later, during her senior lacrosse season, her mom was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Maddie opens up about navigating anticipatory grief while ba...

In this episode of The Mental Matchup , Kat chats with Aubrey — a Division I field hockey player at Lehigh University and co-founder of the Live Like Liv Foundation — to talk about what it’s really like to navigate profound loss as a young adult and student-athlete. After losing her best friend, Liv, to leukemia, Aubrey found herself balancing the demands of Division I athletics while carrying a g...

This week on The Mental Matchup , Kat sits down with a true force of nature, Mallory Holloway. Mallory is a Division I runner at Marist University who’s redefining what’s possible while living with cystic fibrosis. From childhood days spent doing three breathing treatments a day to becoming a collegiate athlete, her story is all about resilience, perspective, and the power of hope. In this convers...

In this episode, Kat is joined by the team behind The Keep Going Podcast — a show born from the same mission that started Morgan’s Message: to destigmatize mental health in athletics and remind student-athletes that they are never alone. They share the story of how Morgan’s Message began, how The Keep Going Podcast continues that mission, and the impact of bringing real, raw mental health conversa...

In this deeply personal solo episode, Kat opens up about losing a close friend to suicide — and how grief reshaped every part of her life. She reflects on what it means to live through unimaginable loss, the ways grief shows up in the body and mind, and how healing isn’t about “getting over it,” but learning to carry it differently. Kat also shares insights from her own journey and the science beh...

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup , Kat sits down with Erin Devine, a current member of the Rutgers Women’s Lacrosse team, to talk about resilience, identity, and finding yourself beyond the setbacks. After enduring multiple knee injuries, Erin opens up about what it was like to shift into a new role on her team, the mental toll of recovery, and how she learned to listen when she stoppe...

This week, Kat sits down with Gabby Pelfrey to talk about the pressures of college athletics, the challenges of graduating, and the journey of rediscovering joy after sport. Gabby shares how she found healing in new routines, self-discovery, and building a life beyond competition by offering encouragement to anyone navigating the transition out of athletics. Connect with Gabby on IG here Learn mor...

This week on The Mental Matchup , Kat sits down with Lisa Isenman, a psychotherapist with the Wake Kendall Group in Washington, DC. Lisa’s career journey is anything but traditional—after decades in communications and education, she returned to school to become a psychotherapist, guided by her belief that “mental health care isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.” In this episode, Lisa shares how curio...

This week on The Mental Matchup , Kat sits down with Paula Widerlite, Co-Founder and Chair of Champions for Children, a nonprofit led by women dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive. With over 40 years of experience in nonprofit healthcare leadership, including 25 years as Chief Strategy Officer for a major DC-area health system,  Paula brings deep expertise and...

This week on The Mental Matchup, Kat chats with Kaylin Ricci. Kaylin is a Division I soccer player and fierce advocate for resilience. Just one day after her final season opening game, Kaylin’s world shifted unimaginably with the sudden loss of her mother. Through unimaginable grief, she made the courageous decision to return to the field, playing out her senior season in her mother’s honor. In th...

In this week's episode, Kat chats with Alec Ingold about identity, creating locker room culture, and leadership. Alec plays professional football for the Miami Dolphins. Alec grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he was adopted into a close-knit and supportive family. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. In 2019, he signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent, and...