In this episode of the True to Life Podcast, I’m joined by Ivy Watts, a former Division II All-American track and field athlete turned mental health speaker, for a grounded conversation on mental health in sport.

Ivy shares practical insight from her own experience navigating elite competition while struggling internally, and how she now helps student-athletes build healthier relationships with performance, pressure, and identity.

• Why mental health is essential to performance, not separate from it

• Common mental health challenges student-athletes face

• How to recognize the difference between discipline and burnout

• Why asking for help feels difficult in competitive environments

• Tools student-athletes can use to check in with themselves during the season

• How identity shifts when sport no longer defines you

• You don’t need to be at a breaking point to care for your mental health

• Your worth extends beyond results and stats

Ivy Watts is a former DII All-American and mental health speaker who works with athletes and organizations to reduce stigma and promote well-being.

Website: ivywattsspeaks.com
Instagram: @ivywattsspeaks
X: @IvyWattsSpeaks

Host: Nanik Tagore

Pepperdine’s own Mia Skuraton, a track and field athlete, a campus leader, and a future sports psychology professional who wants to help student-athletes understand who they are when their sport is no longer the center of their identity.

In this conversation, Mia unpacks something most athletes never learn early enough:

Passion can fade, but purpose doesn’t.
And when you build your life around purpose — not performance, not results, not outside approval — you set yourself up for real stability and meaning.

We dive into:

• How athletes can rediscover identity beyond the sport

• The difference between chasing passion and building purpose

• How belonging shapes confidence and mental health

• Mia’s own journey with leadership and community at Pepperdine

• Her vision for helping athletes transition with clarity and confidence

This episode is for anyone navigating identity, change, or the question of who they are without what they do.

Mia's Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miaskuraton/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-skuraton-335851284/

Roster: https://pepperdinewaves.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/mia-skuraton/5697

Nanik Tagore:

https://linktr.ee/Naniktagore48

Profile: Nanik Tagore

In this episode, I sit down with Aubrey Wieser, a standout beach volleyball athlete at Florida Southern and a 2025 SSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll honoree. Aubrey has competed across high-level pairs challenges, posted wins at the AVCA, and built her game through years of club experience with TMP Beach Volleyball and Minnesota Select.

We dive into the real difference between indoor and beach volleyball — the mental game. Aubrey breaks down how beach forces athletes to think faster, adjust constantly, communicate under pressure, and stay locked in without the safety net of a big roster behind you. She opens up about confidence, composure, and the mindset required to survive a sport where conditions, momentum, and adversity change by the minute.

We also talk about her academic discipline, her competitive background, what drives her off the court, and how she balances being a student-athlete with life, identity, and purpose.

If you’re into the mental side of performance, this episode gives you a sharp look at an athlete who lives it every day.

Links Mentioned

https://www.instagram.com/aubreywieser/

Roster: https://fscmocs.com/sports/womens-beach-volleyball/roster/aubrey-wieser/7247

Linktree
https://linktr.ee/naniktagore

https://linktr.ee/truetolifepodcast

Some athletes are recruited.
Some athletes are stars from the jump.
And some athletes — like Daryana Hall — make it because they simply refuse to be denied.

Daryana is a standout sprinter and relay athlete at Long Beach State who built her entire college career off a walk-on mindset. No promises, no guarantees, no shortcuts. She literally went to campus, found the coaches, introduced herself, and earned her spot through pure competitiveness and intention.

Now she’s an All-Big West performer with multiple Top-10 relay marks in school history — and she did it in one of the deepest sprint conferences on the West Coast.

Daryana’s story is proof that opportunity favors the ones who show up, speak up, and keep showing up. This episode is for anyone who’s earning things the hard way — athletes, walk-ons, grinders, late bloomers, and anyone who’s ever bet on themselves when no one else did.

Daryana Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daryanahall/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryana-hall/
Long Beach State Bio: https://longbeachstate.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/daryana-hall/9628

Nanik Links:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Naniktagore48

In this episode, I sit down with Brayden Concepcion, one of the strongest leaders on the SF State campus and a standout NCAA Division II wrestler. Brayden currently serves as the 2025–26 SAAC President (after roles as VP and Social Media Chair) and has built a reputation for being the kind of leader who actually follows through — on the mat, in the classroom, and across his campus community.

Brayden shares what it takes to balance high-level wrestling with real leadership responsibilities, the discipline behind competing in one of the mentally hardest sports in college athletics, and how he’s built his identity around integrity, service, and consistency. We talk about his journey from Rancho Bernardo to SF State, the academic honors he’s earned along the way, and why the habits he’s built in wrestling carry into every part of his life.

This episode dives into what it really means to be a scholar-athlete leader: showing up for people, leading with purpose, and staying committed even when the grind hits back.

If you’re a student-athlete looking to grow as a leader — this one will hit home.

Brayden’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brayden-concepcion-014619253/

https://sfstategators.com/sports/wrestling/roster/brayden-concepcion/6002

My Linktree
https://linktr.ee/naniktagore

https://linktr.ee/truetolifepodcast

Episode Notes (Kenson Tate – Track & Field, Long Jump)

In this episode, I sit down with Kenson Tate, one of the most explosive long jumpers in the college track world and a rising name in the sport. Kenson has won multiple conference titles, competed at the NCAA Championships, and even stepped onto one of the biggest stages you can hit as a college athlete — the U.S. Olympic Trials.

We talk about his journey at Lamar University, the mentality behind elite performance, the pressure and excitement of chasing bigger stages, and how he uses discipline, routine, and confidence to keep leveling up.
Kenson also gets real about the mindset required to win, the role of community in track culture, and what it takes to keep showing up when the stakes get higher.

This one’s for anyone who wants a deeper look at what separates good athletes from great ones — and what it really takes to bet on yourself.

Kenson’s Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/kensont8/

My Linktree
https://linktr.ee/naniktagore

This episode breaks down my biggest takeaways from the NCAA SALF Conference—leadership, strengths assessments, core values, growth mindset, and what it really takes to level up as a student-athlete today.

I also highlight LaceUPNetwork, the new platform helping student-athletes connect with each other and with employers. It’s designed to give athletes a real network outside their sport—community, opportunity, and a place to grow.

We also dig into baseball, personal development, and the mindset shifts that separate athletes who stay stuck from athletes who level up.

LaceUP Network

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laceupnetwork/?igsh=MXJ1YTE1OGY2MzI3Yg%3D%3D#

• Waitlist: https://laceupnetwork.carrd.co/

Hudson’s Links

• Baseball Profile: https://hardingsports.com/sports/baseball/roster/hudson-vaughn/17823

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hudsonvaughn/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hudsonvaughn

My Linktree

• https://linktr.ee/naniktagore

Message from-- "His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama"

🎧 Listen & Connect:

🎙️ True to Life Podcast –⁠⁠ Linktree⁠⁠

📸 Instagram –⁠⁠ @naniktagore⁠⁠

🎥 YouTube –⁠⁠ True to Life Podcast⁠⁠

📲 Podcast Instagram –⁠⁠ @truetolifepodcast

In this solo episode, Nanik breaks down how our phones quietly drain our focus, peace, and sense of purpose. He shares real strategies to reclaim your attention, find contentment in stillness, and build a healthier relationship with technology. Tune in for a quick reality check and mindset reset.

🎧 Listen & Connect:

🎙️ True to Life Podcast –⁠ Linktree⁠

📸 Instagram –⁠ @naniktagore⁠

🎥 YouTube –⁠ True to Life Podcast⁠

📲 Podcast Instagram –⁠ @truetolifepodcast