In this week’s episode, Abbey Sallila joins Kat on The Mental Matchup. Abbey is a junior at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY, majoring in psychology and is also a member of the women’s lacrosse team. During her sophomore year of college, Abbey faced multiple injury setbacks and talks us through how she dealt with each experience and overcame them. She highlights the importance of a strong support system and you can also go check out her story featured on The Mental Matchup Stories site titled “Progress Isn’t Linear”!

A special episode this week, Emily Weible joins The Mental Matchup to chat about brain health and mental health. Emily graduated from Washington State University in 2019 and is currently in grad school at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, teaching an undergraduate course and a lab each semester. Emily recently started a coaching business called Brain+Body Foundations where she offers strength and conditioning and mentorship platforms.

This week, Emily Weible joins The Mental Matchup. Emily graduated from Washington State University in 2019 and is currently in grad school at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, teaching an undergraduate course and a lab each semester. Emily rowed in college at WSU and opens up about the importance of finding a community outside of sport, educating others about suicidality and self advocating for yourself. Emily recently started a coaching business called Brain+Body Foundations where she offers strength and conditioning and mentorship platforms.

This week on The Mental Matchup, Brooke Kelly joins the podcast. Brooke is on the women’s lacrosse team at Lander University. She opens up about how her love of lacrosse started, how she learned that it’s ok when things don't go perfectly, and what drew her to the school she eventually transferred to. Brooke emphasizes the importance of being grateful and we are so grateful that she is on The Mental Matchup!

#115: This week, Dan Maigler and Mags Roemer join Kat on The Mental Matchup. Dan and Mags both work for Paws for Patrick, a non-profit organization connecting young people with Emotional Support Animals and therapy dogs to help with their mental health. They discuss why the organization was founded, the benefits of having an emotional support animal and how Paws for Patrick works!

This week, Cami Nelsen joins The Mental Matchup. Cami grew up in Lancaster, CA and attends Antelope Valley College, where she plays volleyball. Cami has had her share of ups and downs, both mentally and physically, and we get into everything during this episode. She shares her chronic kidney disease diagnosis, anemia episodes, and struggles with disordered eating. This past September, Cami spoke in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill  with the Eating Disorders Coalition. We are so grateful to have Cami on the podcast! TW: disordered eating

#113 - This week on The Mental Matchup, we are joined by a mother-daughter duo, Kirsten and Joey Early. Kirsten, an Ambassador for Morgan’s Message, and her family moved from the US to England and throughout the episode, discusses the differences in culture, making new friends, and adapting to life across the Atlantic Ocean. The pair also shares both of their unique experiences when it came to Joey’s disordered eating. They talk about everything from the fear and concern of a parent to Joey’s inpatient care to what their life living in Malvern, PA looks like now. You can read even more about Kirsten’s side of the story in her beautifully written piece titled “A Parent’s Story” on The Mental Matchup Stories site. We are so grateful that they were both willing to come on and share such an open and honest conversation with everyone.

In this week’s episode, Paul Macrina joins The Mental Matchup. Paul is from Wrentham, Massachusetts. Growing up, he was on the football and lacrosse team as well as a member of student council. Paul started his own podcast called Smoove Talk Podcast after learning more about young athletes taking their own life. His mission is closely aligned with The Mental Matchup and we are honored to have Paul come on the show this week!

This week, we are excited to welcome Chibuike “ChiChi” Odo to the podcast. ChiChi is a first generation Nigerian-American, his parents being originally from Nigeria and eventually settling in McKinney, TX. After growing up in Texas, ChiChi went on to play football and was pre-med at Davidson College in North Carolina. He talks about the struggle to balance academics and athletics in addition to experiencing multiple injuries throughout his 4 years in college. ChiChi was also honored as a 2022 Thomas J. Watson Fellow, a one-year grant awarded to seniors to take time abroad for independent exploration surrounding a topic of interest. ChiChi traveled for a year and visited 14 different countries, focusing on mental health in sport. If you'd like to learn more about his experience with the Watson Foundation, go check out his story on The Mental Matchup site linked below!

#110: This week, we are joined by Andrew Mackiewicz on the podcast. Andrew is a fencer who went to Penn State and graduated in 2018. Growing up, Andrew’s family bounced around between the US and Canada after immigrating from Poland. Andrew opens up about his own mental health struggles as a collegiate athlete and how important talking to others is when you're going through a darker period. Andrew also opens up even more about his story in a written piece featured on our Mental Matchup Stories site, titled “Navigating the Unconventional: Our Struggles”. TW: suicideFollow Morgan’s Message: @morgansmessageVisit: Morgan’s MessageSubmit a story: The Mental MatchupConnect with Andrew here!Learn more about December 12th Studios here