Athletes Beyond the Game

Jordan Morency: Collegiate Basketball & Mental Health

On this week’s episode, Julia and Sara sit down with current D3 basketball player, Jordan Morency, to discuss a variety of mental health topics that many athletes–current and former–have experienced. During their conversation, Jordan opens up about his own experiences, how to separate your athletic performance from your identity, and finding community for vulnerable conversations. 
 
Stigma around mental health has decreased in recent years, but for high level athletes where “strength” is often measured by how much a person can withstand, it can be hard to have open and honest conversations about mental health.

Finding Purpose, Playing your Sport after Retiring, & Listener Questions

We are solo today!  We recap and give our perspectives on some of our guests we’ve had on the show so far. Stick around for some listener questions and comments that were written in.

Holden Koons, College Tennis All-American and #1 Ranked Doubles Player: Using Your Sport to Build Connections Off the Court

This week Julia and Sara talk with D1 tennis all-american and former #1 college doubles player, Holden Koons. During the episode, they discuss many of the life transitions Holden has experienced since graduating from Wake Forest University in 2024, including his experience transitioning from playing college tennis to pro tournaments, his decision to take a full-time job as a risk analyst and move across the country, and the ways tennis is still a big part of his life post-retirement.

Collegiate Swimmer Lilly Larsen: How to Make Friends in a New City

Former University of Wisconsin La Crosse D3 collegiate swimmer, Lilly Larsen, joins Julia and Sara on this week’s episode of Athletes Beyond the Game. The conversation kicks off with some fun rapid-fire questions for Lilly before getting into her experience with athlete burnout, falling back in love with the sport, and her decision to go to college close to home after her mom’s cancer diagnosis. They also discuss how to find a job you love and ways to create a new community for yourself after college-even when moving across the country.

Kirby Retzer, D1 Baseball Player: From College Athlete to Professional Trainer

On this week’s episode, Julia and Sara sit down with former Division 1 baseball player, Kirby Retzer. They discuss his decision to end his collegiate baseball career early to pursue a career in exercise science, working in the MLB, elements of sports retirement he struggled with, and practical tips for helping make the transition to life after sports a little easier. 
As a freshman, Kirby walked on to Florida Gulf Coast University’s baseball team (Julia and Sara’s alma mater!), where he worked to earn an athletic scholarship before making the tough decision to end his collegiate career early to pursue his exercise science degree.
After stepping away from college baseball, he interned his senior year on the sports medicine staff for the Boston Red Sox, which was the start to a 10 year sports medicine career in professional baseball. Kirby has helped prolong the careers of present major league players, and now currently works as a Certified Muscle Systems Specialist in Southwest Florida.

Christina McHale: Tennis Olympian & Dealing With Success From an Early Age

Professional tennis Olympian, Christina McHale, joins Julia and Sara on this week’s episode of Athletes Beyond the Game, where she reflects on having success early on in her career as a teenager, being an Olympian, and her decision to give professional tennis another shot after two years away from the game.

Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Two Sport Athlete Matt Striebel

Professional Lacrosse Hall of Famer and two-sport athlete, Matt Striebel, joins Julia and Sara on this week’s episode of Athletes Beyond the Game, where he reflects on his collegiate and professional lacrosse and soccer careers, from telling his best sports story to explaining how his athlete mindset impacts his life after sports retirement. Matt, considered one of the best lacrosse players of all time, was inducted into the US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2022 after a decorated 14 year pro career in Major League Lacrosse.

Top Tips for Graduating Student-Athletes

We have a fun game at the end! We're flying solo today! We'll be getting into our careers and ways we used our athletic experience and skills we learned in sports to land and do our jobs. Later in the episode, we will discuss our tips for Junior's and Senior's, and things we wish we did before graduating.

From the Pool to the Office: Navigating Self Image and Using Athletic Skills Beyond Sports with Rebecca Ensing

Retired swimmer and current Athletic Director of the 3C2A, Rebecca Ensing, opens up about how she dealt with a shifting identity after college no longer being an athlete or a student, how to combat comparison and body image insecurities after retiring, and skills she learned as an athlete that help her succeed in her current career. 

Finding Your New Balance

Former D1 Tennis player, Juli Ascua, joins us on this week's episode to talk about her experience as an international student-athlete and creating a life in Florida after college as an accountant. Juli recounts how she decided to move from Argentina to attend college at FGCU, her most memorable moments as a college athlete, and how she combated the loneliness of graduating college and retiring from tennis by focusing on fitness and friends.