By Bryce Trail Hello everyone and welcome to Life After the Jersey: Navigating the Athlete Transition blog series. My name is Bryce Trail, the owner of Trail of Potential Mental Performance Consulting (TOPMPC), and I have partnered with Resilience Rally to provide tools to navigate the challenges of being a collegiate athlete. This blog will tackle one of the biggest challenges athletes face in their careers: experiencing sudden injury and going through rehabilitation. We wil

From the Resilience Rally Team For college students and student-athletes Remember that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. You do not have to navigate college, athletics, or life on your own. When things feel overwhelming, reach out to your teammates, friends, family, coaches, or someone you trust. Support is all around you, and there is no shame in leaning on it when you need it. Therapy is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. College is a time of

By Madison Johnston From 2019–2022, I struggled deeply with my mental health. I found myself abusing alcohol and drugs, which is an awful mix for someone whose mental health was already fragile. I ended up in the ER more than once in crisis, and truthfully, I didn’t always get the care or support I needed there. But, it led me to the person who did. The #1 thing that changed everything for me was finding a therapist. Finding the right fit can be so hard, but when you do, it c

For many athletes, the end of a season, graduation, retirement, or injury is more than just the end of competition. It can feel like losing a part of yourself. For years, your schedule was built around practices, games, teammates, coaches, and constant goals. Your identity may have been closely connected to your sport. When that chapter ends, many athletes experience uncertainty, grief, loneliness, or a loss of purpose. These feelings are incredibly common, yet they are often

Common Myths and Facts Starting therapy can feel intimidating, especially when there are so many misconceptions surrounding mental health support. Many people delay seeking help because they believe they need to have everything figured out before reaching out. We want to help break down the myths around therapy and make mental health support feel more approachable, accessible, and empowering. Myth: You Need a “Clear” Problem to Start Therapy Fact: Therapy Can Help You Better

Let’s Not Wait Until Another Person Dies By Julian Bell My name is Julian Bell, and I am a medically retired student athlete at Clemson University. I played lacrosse from first grade through my sophomore year of college, until I medically retired due to chronic stress reactions and chronic shin splints in both legs. I tried every treatment imaginable, but nothing worked. Eventually, we resorted to surgery: 8 inch plates and 6 screws in each shin during my freshman year of co

The ominous “post-grad transition” is approaching. It’s been on your mind for a while. Jaded adults warn you of its mighty force. Countless self-help books have been written on the subject. You can prepare… but this time will look different for everyone. The cliché is true: the only constant is change. Three years after graduating, I’m still in the transition. It’s been messy, unexpected and beautiful. I’d compare it to a butterfly's metamorphosis set against the scenery of a

1. Ask yourself what gives YOU purpose. Build a post-grad lifestyle around what is important to you. Find a job or career path that moves you in a direction you find worthwhile. Locate yourself in a city with the things that mean most to you whether that's family, the outdoors, networking opportunities, etc. Find friends that lift you up and allow you to be vulnerable. 2. Find a mentor. It should be someone who is on the other side of their twenties and can give you honest ad

My name is Sophia Denison-Johnston and I’ve been rowing for the past dozen years. As a young adult post-college, navigating my sport and pursuing a rowing career without the support network that college provided has been an incredible growth experience— It’s been rewarding, devastating, and anything but easy. A few days ago USRowing made an announcement about changing the structure of high performance rowing to better support athletes. To be honest, it had me a little emotio

The last couple years have been a roller coaster of intense highs and some shocking lows. A couple weeks after graduating from UCLA (in...

https://www.fliqueeditorial.com/opinionpieces/the-quarter-life-crisis-of-a-college-athlete @christina_chenault wrote an incredible article called “The Quarter Life Crisis of a College Athlete” which discusses how student athletes transfer into a different time of their lives. She talks about her personal experiences as an elite Track & Field athlete and the important topics of the cyclical lifestyle of an athlete, ego depletion, and identity foreclosure during the transition

To say the least, for me, being a student athlete at Duke was amazing. My four years on Duke Women’s Rowing Team (DWR) were something special. DWR got a bid to NCAAs twice, I had the honour of being captain for 2 years, and DWR got its first ever gold medal at ACCs my senior year. Accolades aside, DWR has my heart; my team means the world to me, I’ve made friends for life, I have incredible mentors, and the lessons I’ve learned and the memories I have will always be with me a