Episode #185 - Laura Ollinger

This week on The Mental Matchup, Lisa Fiore shares a deeply personal story about how her mental health journey has shaped the way she shows up — as a parent, leader, and advocate.Lisa opens up about struggling with disordered eating beginning in high school and navigating a path that spanned more than two decades. She reflects on how those experiences changed her relationship with herself and how they now inform the way she talks about mental health with her children and supports others in her community.Today, Lisa channels her experiences into leadership and service. A former Executive Director of Girls on the Run and current Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges, she is passionate about creating supportive environments for young people to grow and thrive.We talk about healing, resilience, parenting with openness, and the hope that comes from sharing your story.Connect with Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG here

This week on The Mental Matchup, we sit down with Laura Ollinger, a Teen & Young Adult Well-Being Coach and Founder of Positively Healthy Coaching. Laura works 1:1 with teens to help them navigate stress, anxiety, and self-doubt while building the tools they need to thrive.With an extensive background — including being a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Elite Neuroencoding Specialist, and clinically certified in stress and self-regulation through HeartMath — Laura brings both science and strategy to her work with young people.In this episode, we explore:The biggest challenges teens and young adults are facing todayHow stress and anxiety show up — and what to do about itThe difference between confidence that’s built vs. confidence that’s performedPractical tools to help young people regulate emotions and build resilienceHow parents, coaches, and mentors can better support the athletes and teens in their livesLaura’s approach focuses on developing both mindset and skill set — empowering young people to feel more confident, connected, and clear in who they are and where they’re going.This conversation is a must-listen for anyone invested in the well-being and development of the next generation.Connect with Laura here Follow Morgan's Message on IG here Connect with Morgan's Message here

Ally Irish is back for Part 2 on The Mental Matchup—and this time, we’re diving deeper into her work in athlete mental health research.Building off her experience co-founding The Head Game Project, Ally shares insights from a qualitative research study conducted with NCAA Division III athletes, focused on understanding well-being through the lens of the whole person. From identity and time demands to team culture, relationships, and external pressures, this conversation explores the many factors that shape a student-athlete’s experience beyond performance.We unpack what athletes are really navigating day-to-day—and why shifting the conversation to support the full human behind the athlete is critical for long-term well-being and success.Find Morgan’s Message hereConnect with Morgan’s Message on IG here

This week on The Mental Matchup, we’re joined by former Division II lacrosse player Allison Irish, who co-founded The Head Game Project, a peer-to-peer mental health advocacy group created to support student-athletes and spark more open conversations about well-being.What started as a senior-year initiative at Saint Anselm College became the foundation for Ally’s career in clinical psychology and athlete mental health. We talk about athlete-led advocacy, shifting sport culture, and how empowering teammates to support one another can transform well-being and performance.Find Morgan’s Message hereConnect with Morgan’s Message on IG here

What if an athlete doesn’t quit because they stop loving their sport — but because they never learned how to handle the pressure?This week on The Mental Matchup, Coach Bre shares her journey as a former collegiate volleyball player who appeared successful on the outside while quietly struggling with the mental demands of high-level competition. Discovering mental performance training later in her career transformed her relationship with sport and inspired her life’s work.Now a Certified Mental Performance Coach and Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, Coach Bre helps athletes, coaches, and parents build practical mental skills so athletes can handle pressure, grow through adversity, and enjoy their sport — before burnout or setbacks hit.A 4× state champion head volleyball coach, Coach Bre brings 13+ years of experience and a background in education to redefining how mental training shows up in sports.Find the Coach Her Game Podcast hereFind the Coach Her Game YouTube hereConnect with Coach Bre on IG hereFind Morgan’s Message hereConnect with Morgan’s Message on IG here

This week, we’re joined by former Division III lacrosse player and mental health counselor Maddie Meadows.Maddie shares her journey with anxiety — and the pivotal conversation with her mom that led her to begin therapy. Just two years later, during her senior lacrosse season, her mom was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Maddie opens up about navigating anticipatory grief while balancing athletics, academics, and life after sport.Now working in the mental health field, she reflects on the gaps in support at the Division III level and challenges the idea that “mental toughness” should come before mental health.This episode is a powerful reminder that athletes are human first — and that support systems matter.Learn more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG here

In this episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat chats with Aubrey — a Division I field hockey player at Lehigh University and co-founder of the Live Like Liv Foundation — to talk about what it’s really like to navigate profound loss as a young adult and student-athlete.After losing her best friend, Liv, to leukemia, Aubrey found herself balancing the demands of Division I athletics while carrying a grief that felt impossible to put into words. In this conversation, she shares how loss reshaped her identity, her relationship with sport, and the way she shows up for others.Aubrey opens up about:What grief looked like behind the scenes of being a “high-functioning” athleteThe silent pressure student-athletes feel to keep performing while struggling internallyHow vulnerability became a source of strengthBuilding the Live Like Liv Foundation to honor her best friend’s legacyThis episode is a reminder that student-athletes are navigating more than practices, games, and exams — they’re navigating life. And sometimes, that life includes unimaginable loss.Learn more about Live Like Live hereLearn more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG here

This week on The Mental Matchup, Kat sits down with a true force of nature, Mallory Holloway. Mallory is a Division I runner at Marist University who’s redefining what’s possible while living with cystic fibrosis. From childhood days spent doing three breathing treatments a day to becoming a collegiate athlete, her story is all about resilience, perspective, and the power of hope.In this conversation, she opens up about growing up with a rare lung disease, the mental health challenges that came with it, and how one life-changing medication gave her the chance to chase her dreams. It’s a story of grit, gratitude, and what it means to keep showing up — breath by breath, mile by mile.Connect with Mallory on IG hereLearn more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG hereFollow The Mental Matchup on IG here

In this episode, Kat is joined by the team behind The Keep Going Podcast — a show born from the same mission that started Morgan’s Message: to destigmatize mental health in athletics and remind student-athletes that they are never alone.They share the story of how Morgan’s Message began, how The Keep Going Podcast continues that mission, and the impact of bringing real, raw mental health conversations into the athletic world. From navigating grief and identity to building community through storytelling, this episode is a reminder that sharing your story can inspire others to keep going.Listen to The Keep Going Podcast to hear more powerful stories from athletes and advocates who are changing the conversation around mental health.Connect with The Keep Going Podcast on IG hereListen to The Keep Going Podcast here Learn more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG hereFollow The Mental Matchup on IG here

In this deeply personal solo episode, Kat opens up about losing a close friend to suicide — and how grief reshaped every part of her life. She reflects on what it means to live through unimaginable loss, the ways grief shows up in the body and mind, and how healing isn’t about “getting over it,” but learning to carry it differently.Kat also shares insights from her own journey and the science behind grief — how it impacts the brain, why it changes us, and what helps along the way. This conversation is raw, real, and a reminder that grief is both deeply human and deeply personal. Whether you’ve experienced loss or are supporting someone who has, this episode offers space, compassion, and hope.Learn more about Morgan’s Message hereFollow Morgan’s Message on IG hereFollow The Mental Matchup on IG here