Amy LeClair grew up as a Junior Olympic Gymnast. At 11 she had her first interaction with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder while on a trip with her class. Suddenly she was bombarded by intrusive thoughts that made her wonder if she would hurt them even though she had no desire to do so. 

She was able to find tools to help with her OCD until Amy went to college. As a Division 1 gymnast at San Jose State, she experienced extreme verbal and emotional abuse from her coaches and was sexually assaulted by her head trainer. The trauma from that was buried, but came out in the form of anxiety which she treated with copious amounts of Ativan, eventually becoming addicted while pregnant with her daughter. 

Amy experienced a severe depressive episode just before giving birth and delivered her child while hospitalized on a psych hold. Things had hit a complete bottom and she eventually sought help in the form of an Intensive Outpatient Program that led to an OCD recovery program that changed her life. 

After finally finding help that worked, she went on to participate in an FBI investigation of San Jose State and entered into litigation against the Cal State University system eventually reaching a settlement agreement this past July. 

Amy now publicly advocates for athlete safety while focusing on the adverse effects of verbal abuse and sexual assault on mental health. Currently, she works with a nonprofit advocacy association who has assisted over a dozen states in adopting laws to protect the basic freedoms and protections of NCAA athletes.

Episode Resources

• NOCD | treatmyocd.com

Connect with Amy

• Instagram | @amyleclair_

Connect with The Courage to Change

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