Athlete Mindset Podcast
This is the Athlete Mindset podcast. And it’s all about mental health in sports. Presented and produced as part of the podcast network by SportsE Media.
Hosted by: Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW, CMPC – Mental Performance Coach at Bay FC and CEO & Founder of AthMindset®
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.
Eric Kasimov, Founder of KazSource and the creator of SportsEpreneur, 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. I work with them and I vouch for them. It’s that simple.
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 – Mental Performance Coach at Bay FC and CEO & Founder of AthMindset®
Eric Kasimov, Founder of KazSource and the creator of SportsEpreneur, 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 SportsEpreneur. 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 Mental Performance Coach at Bay FC and CEO & Founder of AthMindset®
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/
Julie Shiller, MS, CSCS, CMPC Candidate, who is also pursuing her clinical licensure. She is an AthMindset® Mental Performance Practitioner and sport and performance therapist with Align Bay Area Sport Psychology. A former youth athlete who left sport without the body-confidence and mental-health support she needed, Julie now channels that lived experience into helping athletes and coaches thrive as whole people.
With more than 15 years in coaching and human performance—including extensive work as a strength and conditioning coach—Julie guides growth across the physical, mental, and emotional domains. She is also a trainer for Positive Coaching Alliance and the founder of The Other 23 Hours Coaching, where she supports athletes in the transformational moments that happen outside of practice and competition.
Whether she’s working with youth competitors, collegiate teams, or coaches seeking to build healthy, high-performing environments, Julie brings empathy, evidence-based practice, and a holistic perspective to her work.
Chapters
0:00 — Athlete Mindset & SportsEpreneur
0:17 — Cold open + energy check
1:09 — Welcome & introduction to Julie Shiller
2:00 — Julie’s background: coaching, performance, and lived experience
4:10 — Leaving sport without support & why it matters
6:45 — Athlete identity and body confidence
9:30 — Eating disorder awareness in athletics
12:10 — Why the “other 23 hours” matter most
15:05 — Coaches as culture-setters
18:40 — Starting with the coach before the athlete
22:15 — Building team-wide support systems
26:30 — Youth and collegiate athlete considerations
30:05 — Integrating physical, mental, and emotional performance
34:10 — What healthy sport environments actually look like
38:20 — Advice for coaches and practitioners
41:31 — Closing reflections & appreciation
Information and short-form content on athletes and eating disorders
Go here for resources and education
A note on body confidence: The sense of comfort, acceptance, and positive attitude a person has toward their own body. It’s not just about appearance—it’s about how you feel in your own skin, respecting and appreciating your body’s abilities, and being less influenced by societal pressures or unrealistic ideals.
For athletes, body confidence is particularly important because it affects performance, recovery, and mental health. Athletes with strong body confidence are more likely to trust their bodies, maintain healthy habits, and enjoy their sport without being hindered by anxiety or shame about their appearance.
More content by SportsEpreneur on athlete mental health:
Why players are taking control of their health | The pressure placed on college athletes | Teaching resilience in youth sports
Connect with Julie Shiller:
Connect with the host & podcast production team:
Credits: Athlete Mindset is part of SportsEpreneur
Produced by KazCM and also featured on the QuietLoud Studios podcast network.
Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io | Produced By White Hot
If you or someone you know is struggling
If you’re experiencing thoughts of suicide or emotional distress, please reach out for support:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): Call or text 988
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
International resources:https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
You’re not alone, and support is available.
