SPORT WASN’T EVERYTHING. IT WAS THE VEHICLE

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. Not just from sport, but from myself. That’s when my perspective on mental health shifted completely.

Before that, I was always “fine.” I pushed through. I stayed quiet. But when the one thing I

leaned on basketball, competition, that structure was gone, all the emotions I’d been holding

back came rushing in. The pressure. The fear. The sadness. The silence.

And in that silence, I had to face something real: Sport wasn’t everything. It was just the

vehicle. The vehicle that taught me discipline, passion, resilience. But not the destination. I had to

rediscover who I was without it. And part of that journey meant finally being honest—with myself

and others—about what I was going through.

That’s what drew me to The Athlete Confidential.

TAC isn’t just a brand it’s a space for the conversations most of us were never taught how to

have. It’s raw. It’s vulnerable. And for once, it’s okay to not have it all together. Through this

community, I saw athletes share their stories that mirrored parts of mine. Stories that said:

You’re not alone.

That kind of openness? It changes you.

There’s this quiet, powerful thing that happens when you finally stop pretending. When you say

out loud, “This is hard.” When someone looks at you and says, “Yeah, me too.”

It's a connection. It’s healing. It’s the start of a new kind of strength, the kind you build from the

inside.

So here I am, telling you honestly: I’ve had to redefine who I am beyond sport. I’ve had to sit in

the discomfort of change. I’ve had to ask for help. And I’ve learned that doing so doesn’t make

me less of an athlete, it makes me more of a human.

If you’re reading this and you’re in that space the in-between, the injury, the identity crisis I see

you. You’re not broken. You’re not alone. And you don’t have to figure it all out in silence.

Talk to someone.

Let people in.

You’re more than your sport. And your story doesn’t end when the games do, it just begins in a

new way.

I’m proud to be part of The Athlete Confidential because it gives us the freedom to tell the whole

story, not just the highlight reel. And if my story helps even one person feel a little more seen, a

little more safe, or a little more willing to speak up then it’s worth every word.

— Dr. Tiffani Michel

Former Collegiate Basketball Player

Performance Physical Therapist

TAC Ambassador