PODCAST

The Mental Matchup

Presented by Morgan’s Message, The Mental Matchup is a podcast focused on opening up dialogue about athlete mental health. Co-hosts Kat Zempolich and Schuyler DeBree are both former division one athletes who attended Duke University, and are passionate about making sure no one feels alone in their mental health challenges.

health & fitness mental health

All Episodes

Episode 139 - Rohan Piple

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/07/16

This week, Kat sits down with Rohan Piple on The Mental Matchup. Rohan grew up in Maryland and played varsity basketball at Southern Vermont College. He then went on to become a Behavioral Health Specialist with a Master's in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University. During the episode, he discusses the performance wellness company, AŠVA, he created and why he decided to focus on this aspect of an athlete’s overall health. Rohan has so much knowledge and we are excited to share it with

Episode 140 - Vanessa Kara

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/07/16

This week, Vanessa Kara joins Kat on the podcast. Vanessa is from Burlington, New Jersey and went on to play college soccer at Drexel University then the University of Florida as a grad transfer. After college, she competed professionally in Finland and walks us through creating a career in the NWSL. She also touches on achieving her dream of playing for the Dominican Republic women's national soccer team! During her time as a student-athlete, Vanessa experienced 3 ACL tears and opens up about her

Episode 138 - Bill Kvalheim

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/07/04

This week, Bill Kvalheim, joins us on The Mental Matchup. Bill is a a former varsity football player at Kean University who has since become an educator and has also served as a college football coach. Bill is the founder of Tackle Depression, a non-profit organization providing knowledge, insight and resources for anyone battling mental illness. In the episode, he shares how his own struggles with mental health inspired him to create something to help others and highlights the importance of a

Episode 137 - Sarah Spaeth

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/07/02

This week, Sarah Spaeth joins The Mental Matchup. Sarah is from Bel Air, Maryland and went to the Catholic University of America where she played softball. Sarah notes that she listened to her first TMM podcast episode during the fall of 2023 and was immediately impacted by other’s sharing their story. Now in her very own episode, Sarah is opening up about her own experience moving from being a student-athlete to existing in the working world, the journey of getting to college and the importance of

Episde 136 - Riley Walker

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/06/25

In this episode of The Mental Matchup, we sit down with Riley Walker, an At-Large Ambassador and mental health advocate. Struggling with anxiety and witnessing her sister's battle with depression, Riley made it a point to advocate for mental health and through seven years of dedication, including therapy and mindset shifts, she emerged stronger than ever. Now, she advocates for mental health, inspiring others through her speaking engagements and community initiatives. Thank you to Riley who shares

Episode 135 - Bella Raymond

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/06/18

During this episode, Bella Raymond, a rising sophomore on Nazareth University's field hockey team, shares her inspiring journey of resilience. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 10 and hypothyroidism on her second day of college, Bella walks us through how she was able to continue her goal of playing a collegiate sport. She also discusses the impact of hypothyroidism on her physical and mental well-being, shedding light on its often-overlooked symptoms. Through her story, she advocates for athletes

Episode 134 - Brooke Lynch

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/06/11

This week, Kat is joined by Brooke Lynch. Brooke plays college lacrosse at Scranton University and started playing at a young age. During the episode, she touches on her relationship with lacrosse and how it has changed over the years as well as her experience navigating COVID during her senior year of high school. Brooke is a great resource for talking about mental health, how sport can play an important role in your life, and sharing advice that has helped her get through difficult times!Find out

Episode 133 - MJ Renaud

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/05/29

In today's episode MJ Renaud sits down with Kat to discuss her experience with mental health as a student-athlete. MJ plays lacrosse for Canisius University, and is majoring in both Criminal Justice and Philosophy, and minoring in Forensic Psychology. MJ lives with OCD interlaced with social and generalized anxiety, along with bipolar depressive disorder and ADHD. She speaks about her tools she uses to help manage her mental health, utilizing her sport as an outlet and how important her support

Episode 132 - Erica Curry

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/05/21

Kat is joined by Erica Curry, LMFT. A former student-athlete who suffered a career ending injury at a young age and shifted her focus to diving. This led to a collegiate career in diving at Wagner College. Her athletic experience is what drove her into her work with mental health. This coupled with watching a family member struggle with multiple suicide attempts strengthened her passion to support athletes and others struggling to build a life they want to live. In the episode, we chat about her

Episode 131 - Bunny Nazari

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/05/14

This week, Bunny Nazari joins Kat on The Mental Matchup. Bunny is from Aldie, VA and currently in school at the College of Charleston where she plays soccer. Bunny opens up about this decision to stop playing collegiate athletics, her story of recovering from an injury and her goal of helping break the stigma that athletes must be “tough” in all aspects of life at all times. Bunny hopes to get her Masters in Sport Psychology after graduating this May and we can’t wait to see what she does in the

Episode 130 - Vanessa Scaringi

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/05/10

This week, Vanessa Scaringi joins The Mental Matchup. Vanessa is a licensed psychologist and mental health professional who currently co-owns a group therapy practice in Austin, TX called CALM Counseling. She was also a collegiate athlete in swimming and water polo. During the episode, Vanessa talks about how there is space for growth for talking about nutrition and eating disorders specially in student-athletes. She also touches on seeing higher levels of anxiety in the current student-athlete

Episode 129 - Josh Carlson

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/05/07

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Josh Carlson joins the podcast. Josh is a former student-athlete and college coach at McKendree University for the water polo team. As an athlete, he opens up about experiencing anxiety and the pressures that he put on himself to do well. Josh touches on the importance of having transparency between coaches and athletes when it comes to mental health and the battles we are all fighting.

Episode #128 - Sophia Dzwonkowski

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/04/25

This week, Kat sits down with Sophia Dzwonkowski. Sophia is a junior at Middletown High School North in New Jersey and opens up about her story battling performance anxiety in sport as she became older. She also touches on experiencing burnout, perfectionism, and how her mental health shifted after quitting basketball.

Episode 127 - Emily Cumberland

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/04/16

#127: On this episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat is joined by Emily Cumberland. Emily is a junior at Rollins College and a member of the Women’s Lacrosse team. Throughout the episode, Emily talks about her experience with a major knee injury and how impactful it can be to have a positive mindset. She also touches on the recruiting process and we know this episode will be helpful for anyone going through a difficult time as an athlete!

Episode 126 - Mary Beth Hurley

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/04/09

Episode #126: Mary Beth Hurley joins The Mental Matchup this week! Mary Beth went to undergrad at Ohio State and played tennis all four years. As someone who has struggled with mental health in the past, she wanted to come on the podcast to share her story with other student-athletes. Mary Beth touches on topics such as the ongoing pressure to perform in all aspects of life and overcoming injury. She also discusses the importance of breathwork and journaling to help manage her anxiety. Mary Beth is

Episode 125 - Collette Herring

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/04/02

On today's episode, we welcome Collette Herring to The Mental Matchup! Collette is a senior at Kennett High School in Kennett Square, PA. She shares her unique story of dealing with complications with her brain health and how social isolation can contribute to depression and anxiety. Collette grew up playing field hockey and lacrosse and is also helping to coach younger girls while also spreading the message that being an athlete does not make up your entire identity. Additionally, she is an active

Episode 124 - Professor Glenn Osten Anderson

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/03/26

On today’s episode, we are joined by Glenn Østen Anderson. Glenn has been a professional media producer for over 20 years and is now an Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies at Catholic University. He grew up as an athlete and competed at some of the highest levels for race walking. He saw firsthand how the experience of mental health can alter an athlete’s performance and how identity can be tied to your sport. Glenn is working on a documentary that focuses on mental health in

Episode 123 - Jerry Dorneker

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/03/19

In this week’s episode of The Mental Matchup, Kat sits down with Jerry Dorneker. Jerry lost his daughter to suicide in 2020 and speaks candidly about the grief you experience as a parent after losing a child. He also opens up about finding strength through faith and how he has found purpose in pain. In addition to him sharing his own side of the story as a parent, he shares what he would tell someone having suicidal thoughts to express that they are not alone.You can find more about Jerry here

Episode 122 - Emily Monahan-Morang, M.Ed., LPCC

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/03/12

#122: In our second episode of Season 7, Emily Monahan-Morang, M.Ed., LPCC joins The Mental Matchup. Emily shares her journey working with athletes and performers and helps talk through the difference between mental health services and sport and performance. She also helps talk through how student-athletes can help others who are struggling and how to find a therapist that is best for you.

Episode 121 - Alexa Beyer

The Mental Matchup ·

2024/03/05

Welcome back to Season 7 of The Mental Matchup! To kick off the new season, we are joined by Alexa Beyer. Alexa plays Division I lacrosse at Youngstown State and got inspired to start playing after watching her brothers pick up the sport. During the episode, Alexa and Kat talk about her experiences handling an injury and the mental health struggles that come with recovery. She also touches on how academic challenges can also impact your overall mental wellbeing and the importance of approaching each

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The Mental Matchup

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