The interconnectedness of the mind and the body is important to note within sports and daily life. When there is a disconnect between the body and the mind, there can be problematic consequences. It is important to recognize when an athlete, or any human for that matter, is struggling with their mental health. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness and it should not be portrayed in a negative light. Mental health concerns are real and addressing these concerns should include a holistic approach, prioritizing both the mind and body. Let’s make sport a positive vessel for implementing a beautiful change within society to support athletes and their mental health, alongside their physical health.

Resources:

Crisis hotlines, alternatives to 911 for mental health emergencies, and help in creating a safety plan can be found here: https://www.csueastbay.edu/shcs/counseling/options/crisis-support.html

Online mental health screenings can be accessed here: https://www.helpyourselfhelpothers.org/

Skate Like a Girl is the organization that Kim Woozy, the host, is involved in. Read up on this organization here: https://www.skatelikeagirl.com/about.html

You can get involved with the organization that backs this podcast, by visiting the Center for Sport and Social Justice’s website: https://www.csueastbay.edu/cssj

The Oakland Roots is special and one key aspect in creating their enriched environment is Nurtured Roots, in supporting and developing athletes on and off the field: https://www.oaklandrootssc.com/nurtured-roots/

Led by Lisa Bonta Sumii, AthMindset was created to balance an athlete's physical and mental health, to balance the whole ecosystem that supports the whole athlete: https://athmindset.io/about/

Trauma-Sensitive Youth Development Focused Coaches training can be located here: https://www.up2us.org/

Naomi Osaka talks about mental health: https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/

Simone Biles speaks out about mental health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjHQ5TgyPuc&t=171s

Kevin Love addresses his own mental health journey: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/kevin-love-mental-health

The Black Panther Party originated in Oakland and set the stage for many other activist movements in the future: https://www.visitoakland.com/blog/post/black-panther-party/

Authors that influenced Dania to express herself include: Grace Lee Boggs, Bell Hooks, James Baldwin, and Paolo Freire. She suggests athletes read books on liberatory theory to have agency on their general health.

Battle Cry by Jason Wilson is a suggested book, particularly for colored athletes to find healing.

A documentary that serves as a resource to witness the creativity and redirection of athletes who are dealing with significant mental and community health crises: https://futbolistas4lifefilm.com/

Lisa’s AthMindset podcast on the SportsEpreneur podcast platform: https://sportsepreneur.com/se-podcast/

Guided meditations: https://plumvillage.app/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAybaRBhDtARIsAIEG3kn9ERoee2jzvWj6c5z2v-l2hYOYgMEUcRaGLSaDkZOgBmGjeTqPLGEaAj7VEALw_wcB

Inner Engineering is a technology for well-being derived from the science of Yoga: https://www.innerengineering.com/sadhguru?gclid=Cj0KCQiAybaRBhDtARIsAIEG3klSSAbllzAsALF9HVnF4XLNh0m0g8QZNs2fhtFD5mBbS-V1xwTNhOQaAoQJEALw_wcB