Episode #168 - Alex Heishman

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 this episode, Kaylin shares her journey of loss, strength, and what it truly means to keep going when everything feels like it’s falling apart.Connect with Morgan’s Message or submit your story hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG here

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 in 2021 signed with the Miami Dolphins. He is a gifted motivational speaker, and while his accomplishments are remarkable on their own, it’s Alec’s story of overcoming adversity that has inspired thousands. Through his Ingold Family Foundation, Alec works to empower underserved youth through accessible and impactful learning experiences. Learn more about the Ingold Family Foundation hereLearn more about Alec hereLearn more about Morgan's Message hereFollow Morgan's Message here

Hannah Conner is a licensed clinical professional counselor based in Chicago, IL, with a Master of Arts in Counseling and a specialization in Sport and Health Psychology from Adler University. She specializes in supporting athletes, particularly those navigating the transition out of collegiate or elite sports.In this episode, Hannah joins Kat to explore emotionally unsafe environments in athletics: how to identify them, their impact on mental health, and how athletes can begin to heal.Learn more about Hannah hereGet in touch with Hannah hereLearn more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG here

This week on The Mental Matchup, we’re joined by Lysander Rehnstrom, a former walk-on at George Mason to Navy Men's Basketball Captain, and U.S. Marine Corps Ground Officer in training. Lysander shares his deeply personal journey with mental health: from growing up under pressure, navigating a life-threatening injury in high school, walking on at George Mason, and ultimately transferring to the Naval Academy.He opens up about the mental toll of early expectations, the value of vulnerability, and the moments that nearly made him quit the sport he loves. Now a trained Peer Advisor and advocate, Lysander uses his platform to share that athletes are more than their stats — and that asking for help is a sign of strength.We talk about:Mental health challenges in high-performance environmentsImpact of coaching and injury on athlete identityThe power of peer support in recoveryConnect with Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG here

#168: In this episode of The Mental Matchup, we’re joined by Alex Heishman, a former DIII women’s lacrosse player, campus liaison for Morgan’s Message, and now a licensed social worker. Alex opens up about her 4+ year journey with Morgan’s Message and her own experience navigating mental health challenges as a student-athlete.From battling self-criticism and panic attacks to a difficult coaching relationship that made her fall out of love with lacrosse, Alex shares her path to rediscovering joy, purpose, and identity — both on and off the field. Now working as a middle school counselor, she reflects on the importance of vulnerability, mental health advocacy, and the ongoing impact of Morgan’s Message.Topics covered:Mental health and sport performanceNavigating negative coaching relationshipsAthlete burnout & recoveryFinding identity post-graduationThe power of sharing your storyFollow Morgan’s Message on IG hereLearn more about Morgan’s Message here

Catie-Reagan King, Ed.D., is the Director of Mental Health Education at the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation. She joins The Mental Matchup to discuss the foundation and its resources, including free digital toolkits designed to support individuals and organizations focused on mental health. These toolkits offer practical strategies for starting conversations, coping with challenges, and creating supportive environments for those who are struggling.Find out more about the CKG Foundation hereFind out more about the digital toolkits hereFollow the CKG Foundation on IG hereFind out more about Morgan's Message and submit your story hereFollow Morgan's Message on IG here

This week's guest is Lindsey Wilson, a mindset and mental performance coach best known as The Sports Hypnotist. With a professional basketball career spanning close to a decade, Lindsey took her knowledge of the mental game to work with collegiate athletes, professional athletes from Olympians and players in the NFL and WNBA all the way to youth athletes. She is the founder of Positive Performance and The Mindset Coach Academy where she helps aspiring mental performance coaches start their dream business and impact lives.  She’s also the author of the upcoming book Think Like an Athlete which teaches the critical and undertrained skill of belief and how to build it to be successful on the playing field and off.Lindsey believes in the transformative power of sports and that coaches and athletes need simple, effective mental performance training tools that don’t take a lot of time. Her mission is to teach these tools so that coaches can have a massive impact on athletes performance, enjoyment of competing and life. On today's episode we discuss the power of the brain, visualization, goal setting and Lindsey's passion for helping athletes succeed. Listen to Episode 166 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now!Connect with Lindsey on IG hereLearn more about Positive Performance Training hereConnect with Morgan’s Message on IG hereLearn more about Morgan’s Message here

Redefining Strength: Megan Shaver on Recovery, Rowing & Changing the CultureIn this episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat chats with Megan Shawver, a former collegiate rower and current graduate student studying Nutrition and Dietetics. Megan shares her personal journey with disordered eating, her experience navigating mental health challenges as a student-athlete, and how finding supportive communities like Morgan’s Message helped shape her recovery.From rowing at Franklin Pierce to pursuing a career in nutrition, Megan opens up about the realities athletes face, the connection between sport and disordered eating, and why it’s so important to challenge outdated cultural norms in athletics. Find out more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message here

Catholic University field hockey player Mary Rojack joins us to talk about her journey with mental health, being part of the Morgan’s Message community, and the impact of building support both on and off campus. 💙From New Jersey to Catholic U, Mary’s passion for advocacy and connection shines through. Tune in to hear her story!Find out more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message here

In this episode, Kat chats with Clare Kehoe, the Director of Education and one of the co-founders of Morgan’s Message. Clare opens up about her friendship with Morgan Rodgers—the memories they shared, the support she tried to offer, and the heartbreak of losing someone you love to suicide. She shares what drove her to help launch Morgan’s Message and how that loss forever changed the direction of her life.Through grief, Clare has built something deeply meaningful: a movement that empowers student-athletes to speak up, support one another, and normalize conversations around mental health. We dive into how the Ambassador Program was created, how it’s grown to over 1,500 campuses, and the role it plays in changing culture—one conversation at a time.Learn more about Morgan’s Message here Follow @morgansmessage on IG hereApply to join or start an Ambassador Program at your school here