Mika Mierzwa is a former collegiate volleyball player from Coastal Carolina, where she competed in both indoor and beach volleyball while pursuing a biology degree. Graduating early, Mika stepped away from sport sooner than expected — a transition that pushed her to confront how deeply her identity was tied to being an athlete. After college, she spent time living abroad in Thailand and later in Charleston, using that space to disconnect, reset, and rediscover who she was outside of volleyball.

Now a veterinary student at the University of Arizona, Mika shares how her experience as a college athlete prepared her for the intensity of vet school – from discipline and time management to resilience under pressure. She reflects on the challenge of no longer receiving external validation through sports, learning to build her own internal feedback loop, and embracing uncertainty in the seasons where there is no clear plan. This episode explores identity, transition, and trusting that sometimes not having a plan is exactly what you need.

Dr. Maddy Brill-Edwards is a former collegiate soccer player at the College of Charleston and a current general surgery resident navigating one of the most demanding training paths in medicine. In this episode, Maddy shares how a childhood plan to become a doctor, shaped by a family of physicians, evolved alongside a deep love for soccer that followed her from youth competition, to playing at a Division 1 level collegiately, and finally to playing professionally in Scotland after college.

Maddy reflects on choosing general surgery over more “glamorous” specialties, the realities of residency life, and why the intensity that once fueled her as an athlete eventually became unsustainable. She explores how stepping away from soccer during the pandemic helped her understand its role as an emotional outlet, and how returning to the game now serves as both joy and therapy. This conversation weaves together identity, discipline, mental health, and the value of having multiple dimensions beyond a single pursuit — in sport, medicine, and life.

Sarah is a former Division III basketball player whose college experience looked and felt much bigger than the label — intense time commitments, deep preparation, and three conference championships that shaped her identity and routine. After graduating, Sarah faced the familiar but often unspoken challenge of leaving sport, structure, and community all at once, while also navigating personal and family changes.

In this episode, Sarah opens up about the messy transition into the “real world,” the struggle to rebuild a sense of purpose, and the surprising role fitness played in her healing. After years of programmed training with teammates and a shared mission, she had to relearn how to move for herself — eventually finding spin, community, and joy again in Denver. Her journey led her to becoming a spin instructor, a vulnerable leap that restored routine, confidence, and a deeper focus on mental health.

Sarah reflects on redefining success beyond sport, making decisions for herself even when they’re uncomfortable, and trusting that purpose can evolve. This conversation is an honest look at life after athletics, the power of community, and learning to give yourself grace while your path unfolds.