My obsession with sports started young when my grandpa would teach me all about golf, football, boxing, and anything else we could see on TV. It was a means of connection for us - and is to this day as we regularly recount the week’s stories in a weekly call. As a coach and player, I have always loved being on a basketball court with four quarters to push the limits.

Now, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Senior faculty and Clinical Director in the Couples and Family Therapy graduate program at the University of Oregon. I have been a therapist for two decades split time between teaching, research, and my clinical practice. As the chief science officer with the Athletes Mental Health Foundation, I am dedicated to bringing evidence-based information to the conversation. The research data are dense and the solutions are tangible. My primary aim is to ensure that we take the available information and bring them to the AMHF community.

I have worked with athletes across my career and know how important it is to integrate mental health in sports. Mental health concerns for athletes are real and there are strategies to prevent athlete burn out. I am fiercely committed to supporting athletes by turning toward their own mental health during and after sport.

I am the co-author of The Price She Pays - we expose the mental health crisis in women’s sports.