In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat speaks with Matt Graham and Taylor Mead. Matt is a Special Olympics athlete, health messenger and athlete leader and Taylor is the Director of Health programs for Special Olympics New York who oversees health programming across the state. Special Olympics New York is a sports organization that provides inclusive opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities while also focusing on their overall health and wellness. Throughout the episode, they discuss the implications of living with intellectual disabilities and how that can impact an individual’s mental health. A huge thank you to Matt and Taylor for joining us this week!

#94: In this week’s episode, Leah Jantzen joins The Mental Matchup. Leah is the creator of Train Your Brain, a program that she uses to help athletes achieve their goals by focusing on their mental fitness. She works with high school students and helps them work through an array of differing realities - finding their identity outside of athletics, performance and more. During the episode, she talks about her experience as a triathlete and competing in Ironmans! Leah is such a great resource to highlight the importance of mental health specifically in athletes and we are so lucky to have her on the podcast!

#93: This week we are joined by Betsy Brenner on The Mental Matchup. Betsy grew up in western NY and currently resides outside of Providence, RI. She is an author, speaker, and mentor who opens up about her journey with an eating disorder and ultimately helps others with their recovery process by sharing her own story. Betsy’s memoir, The Longest Match: Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Mid-Life, is an incredible message and her openness helps normalize the idea that eating disorders can happen to anyone at any time and that it’s never too late to begin the journey to recovery. Throughout the episode, Betsy also talks with Kat about dealing with her parents’ challenging divorce, the pressures of being a student-athlete and her identity being tied to a sport. We are so grateful to have Betsy join us this week!

TW: This episode talks about disordered eating, anxiety, and depression

#92: In this week’s episode, Caitlin Beacom joins The Mental Matchup. Caitlin grew up in Naperville, IL and graduated from Wofford College this past May. She started playing lacrosse in third grade and medically retired from collegiate lacrosse at the beginning of her senior year. Throughout the episode, Caitlin walks us through her mental health journey and how she has learned how being compassionate towards herself ultimately helps her understand her mental wellness even better. She also expresses how important it is to look back on hard times and consider how far you’ve come, whether that be mentally or physically!

#91: In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat speaks with Anna Beth Baker who is a rising senior on the Lander University Women’s Lacrosse team and also studies nursing. Throughout the episode, Anna Beth talks about the performance anxiety she experienced once getting to college, trying to overcome the overwhelming fear of perfectionism, and the importance of getting support from coaches. She is a great resource for others to show how affirmative self-talk and positive visualization can impact confidence both on and off the field!

This week we are welcoming Kyle Taylor to the podcast. Kyle is a Tampa native and went to The University of Tampa for undergrad and grad school. Growing up, sports played a huge role in his life and he ultimately got into Cross Country to stay in shape for soccer season. During the episode, Kyle opens up about his experience with anxiety and disordered eating, what it's like participating in an individual sport like running versus a team sport, and the highs and lows of being a collegiate athlete.

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat speaks with Jennifer Hammel. Jenn grew up in Mountaintop, PA and attended Crestwood High School before graduating with an undergraduate degree from UConn in 1994 and a Masters of Education in Athletic Administration from Endicott College in 2018. Jenn played softball and field hockey growing up and continued her field hockey career at UConn. Throughout the episode, Jenn opens up about her struggle with the transition from being a student-athlete to life after athletics while also getting married at a young age and raising a family. She is currently the director of athletics and activities at West Bridgewater High School and emphasizes the importance of having a strong support system to help navigate each individual’s journey!

#87: In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat connects with John Hutchins. John is on the football team at St. Lawrence University and grew up in Yardley, PA. John dealt with multiple setbacks including a broken leg in high school, COVID affecting his football season, and being diagnosed with a rare condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in college. Despite all of these complications, John opens up about seeking help and ultimately working on his mental and physical health. Thank you John for coming on to share your story and breaking the stigma surrounding phrases like “fake it till you make it” or “man up” since asking for help is truly a sign of courage!

This week we have a special holiday podcast episode! Kat is joined by a close friend and mental health advocate Leeann Passaro. Leeann is the COO of The Hidden Opponent, a non-profit focused on breaking the stigma of mental health in athletics. During the episode, Kat and Leeann sit down to chat about different lessons they’ve learned throughout the past year and things they will take with them into 2023. Don’t forget to check out The Hidden Opponent’s instagram @thehiddenopponent. Thank you to everyone for your support this past year and cheers to the New Year!