Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.)Sports shape culture — and culture shapes how we talk about mental health.

In Part 2 of our conversation with the team at All Points North, we take a deeper look at one of the most powerful—and often overlooked—tools in athlete mental health: group therapy.

Why does it work so well for athletes? It starts with one simple realization: you’re not alone.

This episode explores how shared experience, vulnerability, and accountability can break through isolation and help athletes rediscover connection, identity, and purpose. We also discuss how group therapy complements individual and family work, and why creating psychologically safe environments is essential for performance.

You’ll hear practical insights on:

• Building trust and communication within teams
• The role of coaches in shaping mental health culture
• Tools like daily emotional check-ins and “name it to tame it”
• Why mental health support should be seen as performance optimization

We close with powerful advice for athletes who may be struggling in silence—and the message that help is not weakness, but strength.

🎙️ Featuring voices from All Points North and Peak Sports Psychiatry

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.)Sports shape culture — and culture shapes how we talk about mental health.

In this special episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, we’re joined by an incredible team from All Points North (APN)—Courtney Messina, Ros Wilson, and former NFL player and coach Michael Wilhoite.

This conversation also marks the beginning of an exciting partnership between Peak Sports Psychiatry and APN, as we collaborate to support athletes and high-performing individuals transitioning from higher levels of care into outpatient settings.

In Part 1, we explore the often-unspoken challenges surrounding mental health in sport, including:

• The structural and cultural barriers that prevent athletes from seeking care
• The role of stigma, time demands, and confidentiality concerns

• Why trust is central to effective mental health support
• The impact of identity, performance pressure, and athletic culture

• How peer support and shared experience can unlock meaningful engagement in care

Drawing from lived experience, clinical expertise, and work with elite athletes across professional and collegiate levels, this episode offers an honest look at what’s working—and what still needs to change.

Part 2 will dive deeper into group therapy, practical strategies, and how to better engage athletes in mental health care.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.)Sports shape culture — and culture shapes how we talk about mental health.

In sport, the same traits we celebrate such as discipline, drive, pain tolerance, and relentless pursuit of improvement can also increase vulnerability to disordered eating.

In this episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, Dr. Mark Allen and Dr. Tommy Horn are joined by two leading experts in eating disorders in sport: Dr. Riley Nickols and Becca McConville.

Dr. Nickols is a sport and counseling psychologist, founder of MindBody Endurance, former director of the Victory Program, and a member of the USOPC REDs expert panel.
Becca McConville is a sports dietitian, eating disorder specialist, REDs expert, and consultant to professional, collegiate, and endurance athletes.

Together they explore the complex intersection of sport culture, performance pressure, and athlete mental health, and discuss how clinicians, coaches, and athletic departments can build environments where high performance and health coexist rather than compete.

Topics covered include:

• Why athletes are uniquely vulnerable to eating disorders• The role of perfectionism, sport culture, and social media• REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) explained• Multidisciplinary treatment teams for athlete care• Safe return-to-sport decisions during recovery• Early warning signs coaches and clinicians often miss• How language and team culture influence athlete wellbeing

As Dr. Allen notes during the episode:

“High performance should never require self-destruction.”

Dr. Riley Nickols and Becca McConville host the 5th Annual Eating Disorders in Sport Conference: A Treatment Playbook for Providers.

📅 July 31, 2026🎯 Theme: Treating the Adolescent and Young Adult Athlete📍 Virtual conference with continuing education available

Peak Sports Psychiatry listeners receive 20% off registration.

Use promo code: Peak20

Register here:
https://mindbodyendurance.com/sport-psychology/eating-disorders-in-sport-annual-workshop-26/

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.)Sports shape culture — and culture shapes how we talk about mental health.

In this episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, Dr. Mark Allen is joined by co-host Tim Maher for a thoughtful conversation with Celia Kohl, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Versant and former NBC Sports executive.

Celia brings a rare dual lens to the discussion: she’s both a media leader shaping how millions of fans experience sports — and a former elite athlete (Harvard rowing, Junior National Team) who understands firsthand the mental demands of high performance.

Together, they explore:

• What rowing taught her about pressure, resilience, and shared responsibility

• The emotional adjustment many college athletes experience — especially during freshman year

• How sports storytelling influences public perception of athletes

• The behind-the-scenes role media rights and platform strategy play in shaping narratives

• Why golf may be one of the purest laboratories for understanding self-talk, frustration, and expectations

• How sports media can move from crisis-driven coverage to proactive normalization of mental health

This episode dives into leadership, culture, performance, and the evolving role of media in shaping how we understand athlete well-being.

Whether you're an athlete, clinician, executive, or fan, this conversation highlights where sports, strategy, and mental health intersect.

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This episode is brought to you by 43 Degree Sports, creators of a temperature-controlled hockey bag that kills up to 96% of harmful bacteria — helping athletes recover cleaner and perform better.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.)

If you want better outcomes in mental health, you don’t start in crisis — you start upstream.

In this episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Anthony Lyssy, a concierge and functional primary care physician who has built his practice around proactive, preventative, and performance-oriented care for high performers, including elite athletes and executives.

We explore why primary care is where mental health conversations actually turn into action — and how process, personalization, and purpose (“the why”) matter far more than reactive, box-checking medicine.

Topics we cover include:

• Why primary care is the true front line of mental and performance health

• The “knowing vs doing” gap — and how to bridge it

• Process-oriented care vs outcome-only thinking

• Using data and wearables wisely (and when to step back)

• Healthspan, longevity, and getting 1% better over time

• How primary care, psychiatry, psychology, and performance teams work best together

• Lessons from elite golfers on discomfort, resilience, and grace

This conversation is for athletes, clinicians, leaders, and anyone interested in what healthcare should look like when it’s done well — upstream, relational, and human.

Sponsored by 43 Degree Sports
Changing the game in athlete hygiene with temperature-controlled gear technology trusted by pros and parents across North America.

🎧 Subscribe, rate, and share if this episode resonates.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.)

In this episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, we’re joined by Rob Thorson, Executive Director of Shoulder Check and the #HT40 Foundation, for a moving conversation about turning loss into action — and why prevention starts with everyday human connection.

After losing his son Hayden in 2022, Rob helped launch Shoulder Check, a movement built on a simple but powerful idea:

Reach out. Check in. Make contact.

Rather than focusing only on awareness, Shoulder Check emphasizes behavior change — empowering teammates, peers, students, coaches, and communities to connect early, often, and authentically.

• The origin of Shoulder Check and the meaning behind HT40

• Why peer-to-peer connection is critical in suicide prevention

• How teams and schools can bring this message to life on the ground

• The story behind the powerful “Lean On Me” arena moment

• Why everyone is qualified to help — not just professionals

🔗 Learn more: shouldercheck.org
📅 July 30 — Shoulder Check Showcase (Sacred Heart University)

🎧 Episode sponsor: 43 Degree Sports — creators of a temperature-controlled hockey bag designed to keep gear clean and game-ready.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.).

Rise. Fall. Recovery. Purpose After Sport.

In this powerful episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, Dr. Mark Allen and Dr. Tommy Horn sit down with Montee Ball — former Denver Bronco, Wisconsin Badgers legend, Heisman finalist, and College Football Hall of Fame inductee — for one of the most honest conversations we’ve ever had on the show.

Montee shares his full story, including the parts rarely discussed publicly:

• The pressure and flow state of elite performance

• Identity loss when the game ends

• Alcohol use, denial, and hitting rock bottom

• Legal consequences, accountability, and treatment

• Recovery, fatherhood, and rebuilding a life rooted in service

This episode goes far beyond football. It’s about what happens after the cheering stops — and how athletes, especially young athletes, can be supported before they reach a breaking point.

Montee also discusses:

• His recovery journey and 10+ years of sobriety

• Fatherhood and how becoming a dad changed everything

• His work in mental health advocacy and community service

• Launching the Game Plan Life Foundation to bridge athletes with mental health resources

Dr. Allen and Dr. Horn explore the mental health landscape in college and professional sports, stigma in locker rooms, why performance and mental health are inseparable, and how earlier intervention could change outcomes for countless athletes.

This is a conversation about accountability, resilience, second chances — and turning pain into purpose.
📌 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of sports, mental health, and performance

Presented by 43 Degree Sports
Changing the game in athlete hygiene with temperature-controlled technology trusted by pros and parents across North America.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (U.S.).

Sports betting is everywhere — and for athletes, teams, and clinicians, the mental health implications are only just beginning to surface.

In this episode of the Peak Sports Psychiatry Podcast, Dr. Mark Allen and Dr. Tommy Horn sit down with Dr. Timothy Fong, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, and one of the nation’s leading experts in addiction psychiatry and gambling disorder. Dr. Fong also serves as the team psychiatrist for the Los Angeles Lakers, offering a unique perspective on how gambling intersects with elite performance, integrity, and athlete well-being.

Together, they explore:

• Why sports betting expanded so rapidly after 2018 and how increased access changes behavior

• Why gambling disorder is more common than many realize — and often mistaken for a “money problem”

• The three ways gambling impacts athletes: addiction, integrity, and online abuse

• How prop bets can dehumanize athletes and increase harassment tied to performance

• Why young athletes are particularly vulnerable in a culture where gambling is normalized

• What effective treatment for gambling disorder looks like, including why you don’t have to hit “rock bottom” to seek help

• How language matters: the difference between “losing” money and “spending” money

This episode is not about banning gambling. It’s about education, prevention, and protecting athletes in a rapidly changing sports landscape.

Resources mentioned in this episode:• 1-800-GAMBLER (24/7 support)• e-VIVE gambling education app• UCLA Gambling Studies Program

If this conversation resonates with you — whether you’re an athlete, coach, clinician, or parent — consider sharing it with someone who might benefit.

Presented By:

Peak Sports Psychiatry and 43 Degree Sports — celebrating the athletes, mindset, and stories that move sports forward.