Athlete Mindset

Bianca McCall. A story and a journey that transcends the AAU courts and professional basketball in Italy. Her story on the Athlete Mindset podcast touches on valuable lessons learned both on and off the court. Witnessing the limitations of access to youth sports, Bianca champions efforts to make it more inclusive. Her transition from athlete to advocate highlights the challenges and triumphs of a life beyond the game. Reach-In Now, Bianca's platform connecting athletes through mental health resources exemplifies her passion for building a supportive community.

Topics discussed on Hoops and Healing with Bianca McCall, Reach-In Now:
  • Playing basketball professionally in Italy
  • Traveling with AAU teams was a big learning experience
  • Keeping AAU cost-efficient and accessible for families
  • Bianca's battle with mental health issues is what led her to pursue a career in mental health
  • Athletes aren’t trained to connect with the world around them when they aren’t playing their sport
  • Reach in now, Bianca's app, allows people to utilize anonymous text chat where people can share their stories and build a community
About Bianca McCall:
  • Athletic Trailblazer: Former women’s basketball pro excelling in sports, healthcare, and education.
  • Overcoming Odds: Battled a career-threatening knee injury, rising to prominence in the Pacific 10 Conference, earning All-American honors.
  • Trauma Advocate: Devoted Second Act to helping others heal from trauma, crises, and preventing violence, contributing to mental health education.
  • Educational Milestones: First-gen master’s degree earner, licensed clinical psychotherapist specializing in trauma and crisis management.
  • Influential Speaker & Author: TED Speaker and mental health expert with board seats on national committees, authoring courses at the University of Reno.
Production Team for Hoops and Healing with Bianca McCall:
  • Athlete Mindset is part of the podcast network, QuietLoud Studios
  • Presented by SportsE Media: a digital sports media brand for entrepreneurs engaged in sports
Social Media:
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Music credit:
Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW | CEO & Founder of AthMindset® 
Lisa brings a high level of expertise to the athlete mental health space, from both a clinical and performance focus. She works with elite youth athletes, collegiate student-athletes, Olympians/Olympic hopefuls, professional athletes, coaches, teams, and the entire sport ecosystem.  
Lisa is the first-ever Mental Performance Coach for the Oakland Roots Sports Club, a men’s professional soccer team, in the USL, working alongside other coaches on the Technical Team, as well as the Sports Medicine staff.  

Lisa is listed in the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Mental Health Registry, the NFL Player Association’s Clinician Directory, and the Major League Rugby Mental Health and Wellness Directory. 

As a direct response to need, Lisa founded AthMindset® – a diverse team of athlete-centered, licensed mental health clinicians and mental performance consultants, serving across several states.   

Lisa is a professional podcast host and podcast guest. She hosts the Athlete Mindset Podcast and co-hosts Roots Radio. She is a keynote speaker, an accomplished TEDx Speaker, speaks nationally and internationally, and is often invited to speak at conferences and contribute to expert panels. 

Lisa has been quoted in Time Magazine, Teen Vogue, Women’s Health Magazine, as well as being interviewed on the BBC World News and Radio Bliss, in Jordan. Her first book, The AthMindset® Workbook: Training your mind for optimal mental health in sport and in life is now available. 

Lisa received her Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara as an undergraduate. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Creators & Guests

Host
Lisa Bonta Sumii
Athlete Mental Health & Performance| Oakland Roots SC|CEO & Founder of AthMindset®|Published Author|Pro Podcaster & Guest|Speaker: Tedx, Keynote, International|Listed -NFLPA Directory, USOPC Registry, MLR Directory
Producer
SportsEpreneur
SportsE Media is a digital sports media brand & production co for executives & entrepreneurs engaged in sports.

What is Athlete Mindset?

This is the Athlete Mindset podcast. Presented and produced by SportsEpreneur. Part of the KazSource Podcast Network.
And this podcast is all about mental health in sports.

This podcast series is a space for conversations with athletes, coaches, practitioners, and stakeholders in sports. And it’s where those individuals share their perspectives, experiences, and thoughts on mental health in sports.

Hosted by Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW

Eric Kasimov, Founder of KazSource and the creator of SportsE Media, is generously hosting the Athlete Mindset podcast on his platform as he deeply believes these conversations are essential and deserve to be prioritized.

If you are looking to start a podcast or create original content, you have to talk with the team at SportsE Media. I work with them and I vouch for them. It’s that simple.

About Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW

Lisa is a mental health therapist with over 21 years of clinical experience, licensed in both CA and NV. She is a private practice clinician and the CEO and Founder of AthMindset, LLC.

Lisa supports the elite athlete to achieve optimal mental health and peak mental sport performance. She works with adolescent sport teams, collegiate student-athletes, Olympians/Olympic hopefuls, as well as professional athletes and teams.

Lisa is the first-ever Mental Health & Sport Performance Specialist for the Oakland Roots Sports Club. The Roots are a men’s professional soccer team and purpose-driven club. Seeing the elite athlete as a multidimensional human, navigating various roles and identities, is integral to Lisa’s approach. Focusing on the role that interpersonal trauma, culture, race, gender, and sexual orientation play as the athlete navigates life on and off the field, is at the center of her work.

Lisa is listed in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s Mental Health Registry and the National Football League Player Association’s Clinician Directory.

Lisa is often an invited podcast guest and conference speaker. Besides hosting the Athlete Mindset podcast on the SportsE+ podcast platform. She spoke at TEDxWilmington on the intersection of race, mental health, and sport.

She has been featured in Time Magazine, Teen Vogue, BBC World News, and Women’s Health Magazine.
AthMindset, LLC, supports the mental health of the elite athlete and their ecosystem. This includes serving the spouses/partners, family members, coaches, teams, referees/umpires, agents, and athletic trainers, with clinical services and sport performance consultation.

To get more content like this check out https://sportsepreneur.com and https://kazsource.com/podcasts