Athlete Mindset

Welcome to the Athlete Mindset podcast, hosted by Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW, CMPC. In this episode, Lisa sits down with Courtney Messina, MA, LPC-S, LCDC, a former Ole Miss soccer athlete, and Senior Director for Outpatient Clinical Operations at All Points North (APN). Courtney shares insights from her work with elite athletes, including her role at APN’s Elite Athletes Program and as a visiting therapist at TCU. They explore why athletes seek therapy—sports injuries, identity struggles, mental performance, and more—while unpacking the unique challenges of transitioning out of sport. From practical tips like prioritizing sleep to society’s need to destigmatize mental health, this coffee-chat-style conversation offers hope and actionable insights.

Key Takeaways from "Mental Health Realities for Elite Athletes with Courtney Messina"
  • Common struggles: Injuries, identity loss, and the relentless pressure to perform flawlessly.
  • APN’s Elite Athletes Program: Residential care to virtual IOP, serving NFL players and expanding to other sports.
  • Strategies: Reframing identity beyond sport, building resilience, and normalizing help-seeking behaviors.
  • Society’s role: Prioritizing mental health as integral to overall health and reducing stigma.
  • Sleep matters: How rest boosts focus, mood, and emotional regulation for peak performance.
  • Injury impact: The loneliness and body image shifts that amplify mental health challenges.
More about Courtney Messina:
Courtney Messina, MA, LPC-S, LCDC, is the Senior Director for Outpatient Clinical Operations at All Points North, leveraging extensive experience in clinical leadership and behavioral health services.
After earning a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Mississippi and a master's in clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas at Tyler, Courtney has had the opportunity to work in various settings including community mental health, corrections and inpatient and outpatient facilities treating clients with co-occurring disorders.
Beyond her pursuits at All Points North and as a former Division I athlete at Ole Miss, Courtney is very passionate about working with the Athlete population. She is a visiting senior therapist for the Athletics Department at Texas Christian University and is listed in The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Mental Health Registry.
Courtney has been featured in several media outlets, including Treatment Magazine, the Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Learning Network, The Dallas Morning News, and Genesis the Podcast.

Credits: Athlete Mindset is part of the SportsE Media platform.
Produced by KazCM and featured on the QuietLoud Studios podcast network.
Support the Athlete Mindset Community: Click Here to contribute to the Athlete Mindset Community.
By supporting the Athlete Mindset community, you will contribute directly to the mental health of athletes. With your amplification, we can ensure more voices are heard and more individuals are impacted. Thank You for making a difference!

Connect with the guest, host, and podcast production team:
Related episodes to “Mental Health Realities for Elite Athletes with Courtney Messina”:
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Creators and 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 QuietLoud Studios 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, CMPC

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, CMPC

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://quietloudstudios.com/