Team Embrace 5k, 2023

(Hyde Park, IL) On June 10, the Good Athlete Project hosted its annual Team Embrace 5k. The event raises funds and awareness for out Mental Health initiatives; specifically, the team and professional development workshops we host, which are focused on embracing the conversation of mental health in athletics. The following is a transcript, with subtle…

Read More

Sport and Mental Health: a HUGE Opportunity!

Every human on the planet has at least one BIG things in common: we are embodied. And these bodies were built to move.

We are both body and brain, and we have been since the first squirm of our species. When we try to soothe concerns of the mind (especially in the context of mental health), we must consider the body as well.

Read More

3 Keys to Support Mental Health in the Weightroom

By Jim Davis, EdM, MA, RSCC*D The weight room can be one of the most powerful learning environments in all of athletics. For 9 months each year (an offseason), dedicated educators create cultures within a “classroom” full of novelty, goal-directed behavior, hard work and fun. Time after time, young people report learning valuable lessons in…

Read More

Diaper Need at the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago

The Angel Harvey Infant Welfare Society of Chicago has been serving communities in Chicago for more than 100 years. In 1908, the organization was founded in response to high rates of infant mortality in the Chicagoland area. It began as a “milk station,” where babies could be weighed and served clean, fresh, pasteurized milk. Since…

Read More

Book Review: “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man”

Acho ends the book by saying, “Ending racism is not a finish line that we will cross. It’s a road we’ll travel”. For those of us who want all of our fellow Americans to finally enjoy the fruits of freedom and justice, “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man” is the perfect guide to start that journey.  

Read More

Coaching for Mental Health During Lockdown

These are tough times. Without school and sports, the increase in sedentariness and decrease in peer connection has created a problematic psychological cocktail. A member of our neighboring community recently lost his life to suicide. To suggest that any one thing led to his tragic passing would be an insult to the complexity of this…

Read More

5 Essential Lessons Coaches Learned in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone. Fear, civic unrest, and professional uncertainty have made this a year to remember. On top of it all, one of the most tried-and-true ways to de-stress – sports – have been significantly interrupted. It has been a trying time for athletes, coaches, and parents. It…

Read More

Inconvenient Truths in U.S. Public Health

We should prioritize our health and wellness, which will give us the best shot at fending off the virus, and we should do our best to adhere to public health recommendations, which will give us the best shot at limiting the spread of the virus.

We have to frame COVID as an essential public health concern, but not the only public health concern. This is a moment to maintain thoughtful perspective, not entrench ourselves in one side of the discussion or other.

Read More

Bayless Skips the Modern Definition of ‘Leader’

Skip Bayless made headlines this week with his callous response to a professional athlete’s mental health concern. Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott admitted that when the quarantine first began he struggled with anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Bayless wasn’t having it. “I don’t have sympathy for him going public with, ‘I got depressed. I suffered depression early…

Read More