This is a fun one! Julia and Sara talk with retired All-American Division 1 gymnast, Nevaeh DeSouza. They start off with some quick-question games to get to know Nevaeh before getting into her training schedule as a gymnast and how staying involved in her sport as a coach after retirement—and now working on a career path completely unrelated to her sport—have both impacted her mindset as she retired from gymnastics. In the second half of the episode, they discuss what fitness looks like after sports retirement, and some of the challenges of finding new workout routines when you’re no longer competing. Nevaeh competed in all around throughout her collegiate career at Cal Berekely. After graduating in 2023, Nevaeh became an assistant coach at her alma mater as well as coaching youth club gymnastics. She’s currently back in school studying to become a dental hygienist.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.