#86: Today we’re sitting down with Katie Kuzma. Katie is currently a freshman at a community college in Warrenton, VA, and will be attending Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA in the fall of 2023 to play soccer. In the episode, Katie talks about her experience with her recruiting process and how she struggled throughout the process. She also touches on how she came to the decision to step away from soccer and take time for herself to work through her mental health.

#85: Today we’re sitting down with former Division 1 baseball student-athlete and professional baseball player, Dario Pizzano. Dario joins us today to discuss his experience playing professional baseball, how his transition from professional sports to a “desk job” has impacted his mental health, his ability to ask for help, and his passion project, Mission Stadiums for Multiple Sclerosis a non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness of MS while raising funds and hoping to find a cure for MS.

In today’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat is joined by Lexi Guerin. Lexi is based out of Minnesota and plays lacrosse at Arizona State University. Throughout the episode, Lexi walks us through transferring to boarding school in high school, why she decided to play collegiate lacrosse, and her recruiting process. It’s a jam-packed, can’t miss episode!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat speaks with Jenna Mango. Jenna is a certified personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist and the author of the book Choose to R1se. The book focuses on striving to become the best version of yourself and ultimately getting 1% better every day. Throughout the episode, Jenna touches on her experience with bullying, therapy, and dealing with an invisible illness. Her book and the story that she shares with us on the podcast is a great reminder to rise up and tackle whatever may be in front of you with confidence!

In today’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat connects with Emily Markley. Emily is a player on the Washington College women’s lacrosse team and grew up in Fauquier County, VA. During the episode Emily talks about her recruiting process, the importance of teammates and coaches having candid conversations about mental health, and being a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Emily also shared a beautiful story titled “Those Two Words'' so don’t forget to check that out after listening to this episode on The Mental Matchup site!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat speaks with Kelsey Thoensen. Kelsey is from New Holland, Pennsylvania, and played collegiate lacrosse at Slippery Rock University. During her senior year of school, she was diagnosed with Melanoma and also developed a stress fracture in her hip that prohibited her from playing lacrosse. During the episode, Kelsey shares how each difficult event in her life initially seemed like the worst thing in the world, but how she managed to get through each setback and ultimately discover her love of coaching.

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat and Schuyler speak with Ky Lane. Ky grew up in Maryland and fell in love with the sport of lacrosse. During the episode, Ky opens up about his intrusive thoughts, the importance of prioritizing your own happiness, and his efforts to get his friends to open up about their feelings. Ky is currently a social media influencer and pursuing his acting career. We are so grateful to have him on the podcast to share his experience and wisdom with our audience!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat is joined by Kayla Mitchell. Kayla grew up in Long Island surrounded by an Italian family that sparked her interest in food. During the episode, Kayla opens up about how her knowledge of food turned into a fear of food and how diet culture impacted her early in high school. She also talks about her experience in a residential eating disorder program and starting intensive outpatient treatment. Kayla is extremely open and honest throughout the episode and we are so appreciative to have her join us and share her story. After listening to Kayla’s episode, go check out her 3 stories posted to The Mental Matchup stories site titled “Life Map”, “Avoidance” and “Writing”!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat and Schuyler are joined by Jarett LoRusso. Jarett grew up in Purcellville, VA, and is currently getting his Master’s degree at the University of Richmond. Throughout the episode, Jarett walks us through his recruiting process, being injured for the majority of his career, and how his relationships benefitted when he opened up about his feelings.

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, we are kicking off Season 5 with Alex Concannon. Alex grew up in Long Island playing multiple different sports before deciding to ultimately pursue his lacrosse career. He committed to play college lacrosse at Johns Hopkins for four years and finished out his career playing at Hofstra. As a player, he dealt with having to navigate injuries and handling his emotions that were being affected by things on and off the field. Alex opens up about his life after college. We are so lucky to have Alex on the podcast this week!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat is joined by Kaitlyn Coffman. Kaitlyn is from California and a senior on The Ohio State University softball team. Growing up, she dealt with softball being her entire identity, focusing on her performance over different relationships within her life. During the episode, Kaitlyn discusses her experience of finding a friend attempting suicide and also her own mental health struggles. She is also open about her therapy and medication and we are lucky to have her as a guest this week to share her story!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat connects with Maxwell Nagle. Max grew up in Northern Virginia and always had a love for sports. His love for basketball drew him to try out for the Hollins University basketball team where he earned a walk-on position to the team. Throughout the episode, Max opens up about his experience starting to use he/him pronouns at an all girls college. He also discusses the differences between having small and big feelings and how you can find a strong support system to help manage these feelings. Max is extremely open during the episode and we are lucky to have him join us this week!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat sits down with Casey Kroll. Casey played football at James Madison University in Virginia and is currently the CEO and co-founder of The Big Man Foundation. The organization was founded in 2021 after the passing of his former coach to help provide social, emotional, and financial support for coaches and their families who are dealing with difficult times due to illness or other unexpected circumstances. Throughout the episode, Casey opens about his experience with college football, the importance of having a supportive coach, and the impact that coaches can have on players.

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat sits down with Audrey Stringer. Audrey played college volleyball at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania and graduated in 2016. Throughout the episode, Audrey opens up about different coping mechanisms that she dealt with while dealing with anxiety and how hypnosis and meditation can be amazing tools to start healing. She is extremely open about her journey and we are lucky to have her on the podcast!

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat talks with Chuck Thuss. Chuck is a Canadian native who played professional ice hockey and is currently a public speaker. Chuck played collegiate ice hockey at Miami University in Ohio before continuing his career as a professional hockey player for many seasons. After playing and coaching, he became a Certified Professional Coach and started Compassionate Connection, a platform that helps individuals live up to their full potential and achieve their goals. Throughout the episode, Kat and Chuck go over his own hockey experience, the importance of a strong support system and how his own journey has shaped his job now of helping others.