THE ATHLETE CONFIDENTIAL
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SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: LIFE AFTER SPORT & FINDING FREEDOM IN RETIREMENT MY NAME IS WILL BUSH & THIS IS MY STORY DI Track & Field | TAC Ambassador  Sometimes you don’t have control over your last game, your last race, the last rep, the last drill, or the last shot of your collegiate career. It just sneaks up on you and then boom it’s over. For me, I had full control and expectation. I knew when the all too literal finish line was coming, eight years of running, just finishe

SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: How Breaking Down Helped Me Finally Break Through MY NAME IS aspen garrison & THIS IS MY STORY DII Basketball Player | TAC Ambassador  For as long as I can remember, I believed success meant one thing: pushing myself past my limits. Grinding harder. Ignoring the pain. Tuning out the noise. Winning at any cost. That mindset fueled me as an athlete. It made me a successful player for a while but eventually became my biggest downfall as an athlete and a

SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: Invisible struggles & rebuilding with purpose MY NAME IS Kelsey O’Connor & THIS IS MY STORY DI Softball Player | TAC Ambassador  I started playing softball at seven years old, and very quickly it became completely connected to who I was. As I grew and deepened my love for the sport, I dreamed of playing in college and committed to that dream early. I would wake up at 4 a.m. to train before school, spend weekends traveling the country for tournaments,

SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: WORKING THROUGH INJURY AND MAKING HARD DECISIONS MY NAME IS Makenna Chokelal & THIS IS MY STORY DI Hockey Player | TAC Ambassador  To me, my freshman year of university as a D1 athlete felt like a series of unfortunate events. It began with moving away from home for the first time, jumping headfirst into university after finishing my senior year online, and taking a sabbatical year where I only took three courses in the spring of 2021. On top of that,

I always thought basketball would be everything. That was the goal. The identity. The plan. But life had other ideas. There was a moment I'll never forget when I realized I couldn’t play anymore. I couldn’t bounce a ball, couldn’t suit up, couldn’t compete like I used to. And just like that, everything I thought defined me… vanished. It hit hard. Being an athlete was more than just a schedule or a title it was how I measured my worth. Without it, I felt lost. Disconnected. No

SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: A journey through three knee surgeries, KNOWING WHEN TO LEAN ON OTHERS, AND COMING BACK STRONGER MY NAME IS RUBY...

Not just for athletes, but for the humans behind the game. As athletes, we’re trained to be tough. To push through. To keep going no...

Share Your Story Series: Navigating life after sport and the uncertainty that comes with life’s transitions. MY NAME IS EMMA KRAMER &...

SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: The cutthroat world of Division I athletics, the depth of a coaches influence on an experience, the journey to...

SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: The pressure of athletic perfectionism, identity crisis, resilience through reinvention, & redefining success...

SHARE YOUR STORY SERIES: When things aren't always as they seem, and your routine feels like a fight for your life, and the big impact...

The silent struggle athletes face after retiring & entering the work force When Alia Guagni, the captain of FC Como Women and a stalwart...

How the conversations around athlete mental health have shifted in the last 20 years Not long ago, if an athlete admitted to struggling...

Share Your Story Series: Keeping a grip on reality, changing perspective, and prioritizing yourself– getting the help and taking the time...

The psychology of bouncing back after injury “It’s not just about coming back physically—it’s about trusting yourself again. The hardest...

Understanding the Difference, Why Both Matter for Athletes & avoiding the victim mindset At the heart of every athlete’s journey, there...

The trickle down effect & concerns for athlete mental health The NCAA is making major changes to scholarship rules and roster limits in...

Share your story series: Braving and navigating the ‘post grad experience’, drowning in job applications, and my biggest lesson through...

Share Your Story Series: Supporting yourself, supporting your coaches, & transitioning from student athlete to just student My name is...

Share your story series: Discovering oneself outside of sport, learning emotions are okay MY NAME IS TORUN MCGILLIS & THIS IS MY STORY DI...