This episode is meant to honor and amplify the voices of athletes in the LGBTQ+ community. Our guest, Amelia, gives their thoughts and extensive knowledge on current news regarding trans rights in sport at the moment, why pronouns are important, how people have acted poorly towards them due to society perceiving the LGBTQ+ community to “have a look”, and how this cruelty affects them mentally when they are disrespected. Amelia is a high school athlete who runs the 5k for XC and the 4x8, 800, 1600, and 3200 for track. They are a very good friend of mine’s partner and they are a very mature and wise beyond their years individual who cares deeply about the LGBTQ+ community and how we as a society can change to make those in the community feel safe when competing and going through daily life.

This episode is part of the “Athletes Making an Impact” series where the P.B.S podcast highlights athletes that are making an impact through hobbies and businesses they are passionate about. The second athlete being interviewed for this series is Jack Wyatt. Jack is making an impact through his music and his sports, as he swims on our high school’s varsity swim team in the winter and plays on it’s varsity tennis team in the spring. Through his songs like “lovely” and “Dance On,” Jack aims for relatability and a sense of connection that allows people to not feel alone when it comes to the human experience of relationships and life. Jack speaks about the vibe of his music, his upbringing in music, how music helps him cope with mental hardships, plans for the future, and he also reveals a huge announcement to listeners and fans. Hope you enjoy!!

This episode is all about the mental recovery and struggles that come with sitting out because of a physical injury and the affects it can have on an athlete once they are able to compete again. The athlete being interviewed is Ainsley Witte and throughout the episode Ainsley talks about how injury was more mental than physical at times and how she has found poetry as an outlet outside of sport to use when things get hard. Spring seasons are starting back up and it’s important for coaches, athletes, and parents to take care of mental injuries just as much as physical injuries, this episode is all about that and how sometimes physical injuries can then manifest into mental ones as well. Enjoy!

This episode is the first of a series of episodes that will highlight athletes that are making an impact through hobbies and businesses they are passionate about. Luis Martsolf is the first athlete being interview and he currently is a sprinter for track and past soccer player who is making an impact through his clothing brand, Disruptive. Through an interview with Luis, athletes, students, and any young/older person will learn about Disruptive, the origin story of the brand, and how running a business, playing a sport, and being a student is doable as long as you have discipline and passion. Luis talks about personal experiences, his upbringing, and his love for exploring new places. As a kind soul and a kind person, Luis is deserving of all his success and all the success that is to come for him and his brand.

Through an interview with Coach Koval, students and student-athletes will learn how to communicate with their coaches and teachers about mental health struggles. Teachers, coaches, and parents will also learn how to handle/address a student when a mental health concern is communicated with them. In opening up, we alleviate stress, by opening up communication on mental health, we can get the help we deserve:)

*trigger warning for talk about disordered eating and eating disorders* This episode is for NEDA week 2023 and is meant to raise awareness about eating disorders in sport. In the episode, our host, Julia talks about how the pressure to look a certain way for a sport can lead to excessive disordered eating and eating disorders in athletes. She brings in personal experiences and her own recovery journey. She also interviews 5 athletes from 5 different sports, which further showcases how the pressure to look a certain way affects all sports and genders in different ways. Coaches, parents, and social media are also addressed and given tips and practices that can hopefully lead to an atmosphere that prevents eating disorders in athletes and in the general population.

In this episode, our host (Julia) interviews D1 Collegiate Gymnast (Kennedy Griffin) on how to stay in a sport and deal with periods of burnout when you have been competing for so long. Kennedy also goes into the mental aspect of competing in gymnastics and how a mental slip could lead to a physical injury. While sports are highly physical, they are just as equally mental and Kennedy does a beautiful job highlighting this point. As a bonus to the episode, Kennedy takes full control of the podcast for the Black History Month segment where she talks of history on the sport of gymnastics, personal experiences, and a company that has made inclusivity a goal when designing sports’ wrap for gymnasts. This episode is not only meant to give motivation to athletes who are dealing with “burnout,” but it is mainly an episode meant to amplify Kennedy’s voice and help make the sports community a place where everyone feels welcome and safe.

In this episode, our host (Julia) interviews her cousin (Joey) on how he leads, as a captain, during a rough season and how he takes care of himself and the team mentally when an unfavorable outcome occurs. We also go into how he often needs to remember that, just like how he takes care of others, he needs to take care of himself too. Joey is a junior in High School with a caring heart, a passion for sports, and a man who loves skittles. If you want to follow Joey for his small business selling sports card, you can follow him @jj.cardz on Instagram

In this episode, our host (Julia) interviews father (Shawn) on his experience trying to walk on to a D1 College’s Soccer Program and facing rejection after not being given a spot on the team. Listeners will also hear about how the recruiting process has changed over time and how Julia’s recruitment went this past year and the rejection she faced through emails. Shawn and Julia explain how putting yourself out there is hard and when faced with rejection, we should not shut down but realize that life has different plans than the ones we originally intended, and how that is ok.

In this episode the host, Julia, interviews her younger brother, Nate, on his “why” for playing sports and how, as we grow up, our “why” should still be for the same reason, because playing and competing is fun and WE WANT to not WE feel PRESSURED to. They also go into the different sports Nate plays and Julia has played and of course some sibling bonding is seen throughout the episode. It’s short and sweet, but it helps you reflect on your “WHY.”