Episode #202 - Scott Roussell

When an injury or hardship changes your ability to compete, it can also change your identity, confidence, and sense of purpose. Professional track and field athlete and TBI survivor Kiana Imani-Davis joins The Mental Matchup to talk about navigating exactly that. Kiana is originally from Longview, WA, and competed in track and field at Washington State University. She now runs professionally for Team LSKD and Spike Town: Runners Plus. She has competed at multiple US Championships and Olympic Trials while managing the lasting impacts of a TBI and CSF leaks, and rebuilding her life and identity in the process. In this episode, Kiana shares what she has learned, what she’s still learning, and the parts of an athlete’s journey that aren’t always visible. She talks about recovery, resisting the pressure to return to a former version of yourself, and finding a way forward when the path changes. In this episode, we discuss: * How injury and hardship reshape identity, confidence, and purpose * Overcoming the pressure to “get back” to who you used to be * Navigating the “in-between” seasons that test us, shape us, and develop who we’re becoming * Life as a current professional athlete still learning and growing through recovery * Advice for athletes facing the unseen parts of their journey About Our Guest: Kiana Imani-Davis is a professional track and field athlete for Team LSKD and Spike Town: Runners Plus, a TBI survivor, and a speaker at the intersection of elite sport, resilience, recovery, and identity. Connect with Kiana on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here

Eating disorders in athletes are easy to miss because disordered eating can look like discipline. Eating disorders dietitian Adee Levinstein, MS, RD, LD, CEDS-C, joins The Mental Matchup to explain the red flags in student-athletes, the myths she hears most, and why the “I’m not sick enough” mindset keeps so many athletes from getting help. We also cover healthy fueling for high-level athletes, handling travel and schedule changes without rigid routines, and how under-fueling affects anxiety, mood, sleep, and hormones. Parents, coaches, and athletes will leave with practical ways to support athlete mental health. Topics Covered * Why athletes tell themselves “it’s not that bad” and how to support them * Red flags: disciplined athlete vs. disordered eating * How food and body image struggles show up in sleep, relationships, and performance * Healthy fueling for practice and competition, and what diet culture gets wrong * How under-fueling affects brain chemistry, mood, and hormones * How parents and coaches can protect an athlete’s mental health Adee Levinstein, MS, RD, LD, CEDS-C, is an eating disorders dietitian at Eating Recovery Center with extensive experience supporting student-athletes on college campuses. She trains campus staff, presents at national conferences, and is active in iaedp, IFEDD, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Connect with Adee on Instagram here Learn more about Adee here Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here

Athletes are often taught that toughness means pushing through, staying quiet, and never showing weakness. This week, Olivia Papakyrikos, M.Ed, LMHC, LPC, joins us to challenge that idea. Olivia is a Boston-based therapist and mental performance consultant, and a former collegiate field hockey player at Wheaton College. She shares two personal stories that shaped her work: a coach who asked “How are you?” a second time, and a moment on a grocery store floor when her friends chose to sit down beside her instead of telling her to get up. We talk about why relationships matter as much as resilience, what perfectionism and pressure do to athletes behind the scenes, and how asking for help is part of sustained success rather than a sign of failure. In this episode, we talk about: * Why athletes get so good at saying “I’m fine” * Balancing school, sport, leadership, and social life while trying to be perfect * What real support looks like (hint: it’s not always fixing the problem) * Redefining mental toughness and resilience * Practical tools for navigating pressure and adversity * Supporting the person behind the athlete Connect with Olivia on her website here Connect with Olivia on IG here Email with Olivia here Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here

In this episode, we’re joined by Mike O’Connor, Chief Relationship Officer at New Hope Treatment Centers, a family owned and operated behavioral healthcare company serving adolescents with complex trauma and other psychiatric and behavioral challenges. Since 2008, he has helped New Hope connect kids and families with the services they need, and built relationships with the systems, providers, state agencies, payers, and professionals around them. Mike talks about New Hope’s mission-driven work, why open conversations about mental health and suicide matter, and how his family shaped his path. Both his mother and grandmother worked in the mental health field. In this episode, we talk about: * Mike’s journey from wilderness-based juvenile justice work to behavioral healthcare leadership * How New Hope supports adolescents facing psychiatric illness and complex trauma * Why normalizing conversations around mental health and suicide is so important * The role of families, systems, and community partners in getting kids the right care * Growing up around the mental health field and how it shaped Mike’s career Connect with Mike on LinkedIn here Learn more about New Hope here Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here

Michelle Hammer is a mental health advocate, speaker, designer, and founder of Schizophrenic.NYC. A four-year NCAA lacrosse player at SUNY Oneonta, All-Conference honoree, and senior-year team captain, she was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder in college and later diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 22. Michelle shares how the structure, teammates, and a supportive coach helped her get through college, and why she believes athletes need open conversations about mental health. We Talk About: * Playing college lacrosse while living with a misdiagnosis * How structure and a supportive coach made a difference * Lessons in discipline and resilience that carry into mental health * Breaking the stigma around schizophrenia Connect with Michelle: * Connect with Michelle and learn more here * Follow Michelle on IG here * Follow Michele on YouTube here Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here If this episode resonates with you or someone you know, Morgan's Message resources are available — you don't have to navigate this alone.

Rebecca Smith, MA, is a recovering perfectionist, former gymnast, coach, and parent of athletes. She has spent more than 20 years helping high achievers thrive under pressure. In this episode, she shares how mental blocks derailed her own gymnastics career, and how that experience shaped her mission to help fearful young athletes trust themselves again. Rebecca talks about teaching athletes to use their voice, make good choices, and advocate for others, and about what it takes to push back on the toxic culture that has long existed in youth sports. In This Episode, We Talk About: * Rebecca's journey as a gymnast and how mental blocks ended her career * Living as a "recovering perfectionist" * Why an evidence-based approach to mental performance matters * Helping fearful athletes rebuild self-trust * Empowering athletes to find their voice and stand up to toxic youth sports culture * Navigating sports as a parent of an athlete * Building a positive athletic culture that supports mental health and resilience Connect with Rebecca on IG here Connect with Rebecca on her site here Listen to Rebecca on PerformHappy with Rebecca Smith Podcast Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here

In this episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat sits down with Angelique Cauterucci — a former competitive gymnast turned collegiate acrobatics and tumbling captain — to talk about the pressures athletes face around body image, perfectionism, and identity. Angelique opens up about her journey through competitive gymnastics, where messages about her body eventually contributed to an eating disorder and a loss of identity outside of sport. She shares how stepping into a healthier team environment helped her rebuild her sense of self — and how that experience led her to found You Define Beauty, a nonprofit that has since reached over 9,000 students nationwide through school presentations, affirmation campaigns, and community events. We dig into: * The pressure athletes place on themselves to look and perform a certain way * How body image struggles show up in sport — and often go unspoken * Finding identity beyond competition * Turning a difficult chapter into purpose and advocacy * Why mental health deserves the same attention as physical health * The mission behind You Define Beauty and its growth into a national movement Angelique's message is simple but powerful: setbacks don't define you, and every athlete has the power to write their own story. Connect with Angelique: * Connect with Angelique on IG here * Connect with Angelique's non-profit on IG here * Learn more about You Define Beauty here * Listen to Angelique's Podcast You Define Beauty here Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here If this episode resonates with you or someone you know, Morgan's Message resources are available — you don't have to navigate this alone.

In this episode, Kat sits down with Patrick Devenny — former football player at the University of Colorado Boulder — for a raw conversation about what happens when the sport that defines you disappears. In this episode: * How deeply his identity — and his parents' identities — were wrapped up in football * Going undrafted to the Seahawks, a career-ending wrist injury, and the jarring transition to working as a restaurant host with a cast on his hand * The unexpected loss of his mother and how it accelerated a downward spiral * How disordered eating became a way to reclaim control — and how it nearly cost him his life * The random podcast episode that became his lifeline * Why he decided to speak publicly about an issue so stigmatized in men's sports * His take on disordered eating rates among athletes and why so few talk about it * A broader conversation on college athletics, coaching turnover, and what support for student-athletes should actually look like A note on this episode: This conversation includes discussion of eating disorders and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) are both available 24/7 Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here

Scott Roussell was a Division I soccer player at UVA until two knee surgeries ended his career — and, unknowingly, took his only sense of identity with it. Years of quiet unraveling followed, masked by outward success, until alcohol became his coping mechanism. It led him for years until the moment he finally admitted he couldn't do this alone. In this episode, Scott shares his recovery, the questions it raised about how athletes are prepared for the game but not for life after it, and how that led him to found After We Play, a mental performance platform for competitive youth and college athletes. Learn more about After We Play here Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here

This week on The Mental Matchup, Kat's joined by Suzanne Potts, the new Executive Director of Morgan's Message. Suzanne brings a career built at the intersection of sports, mental health, and nonprofit leadership. She's a licensed social worker with a master's in both social work and public health, a former soccer player and has spent nearly a decade in non-profit leadership. She's also taught in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin and previously served as Executive Director of the Autism Society of Texas. In this conversation, we cover how Suzanne got here, what drew her to Morgan's Message, and where she sees the organization headed under her leadership. If you or someone you know is struggling, please know that Morgan's Message and resources like it exist for exactly this reason. You don't have to go through it alone. Connect with Morgan’s Message on IG here Connect with Morgan’s Message here