Unit3d Hilinski's Hope

Bill Kvalheim played football in college, but his biggest challenge would hit him once he graduated. Bill had experienced some anxiety and depression before, but without his purpose (which had been playing football), he felt lost and aimless. His depression worsened, his anxiety ramped up, and he finally asked for help to get better. Now he has a new purpose – a mission – to decrease stigma and let young athletes know that it’s ok to ask for help and that they are not alone. Bill has now started the nonprofit, Tackle Depression, which is designed to provide education, mentorship, and resources (including scholarships) for young people struggling with their own mental illness. He shares about his journey on this episode of Unit3d.

Athletes are often hard on themselves, particularly when it comes to past performances. Overly critical post-performance analyses are often inaccurate and unhelpful. Constantly berating ourselves for mistakes or missed opportunities can rob us of joy and create a relationship with our performance that is rife with fear. On this episode of Unit3d, Dr. Rachel Webb talks about the disadvantage of being hypercritical and not having a more accurate review of our past performances both athletically and emotionally.

The awareness around student-athlete mental health has come so far in the last couple of decades, although we still have a long way to go. Walt Norley was a quarterback at Ohio State and University of Georgia. Although he had success in his athletic career, he was struggling with an undiagnosed mental illness. Later in life he was diagnosed and treatment helped him thrive. He started and developed several tech companies and decided to use his personal experience to raise awareness and help other athletes improve their mental health. Through his data analytics company, OnBalance he is helping athletic departments deliver better mental health services to athletes. Through the podcast Athletes Onbalance he is raising awareness, having dialogue, and supporting the mental health of student-athletes everywhere.

Music is universal; just about everyone has a type of music they love, a favorite song, or soothing sound they prefer. Music and sound has been used in many ways to improve or maintain mental health as well as boost performance. On this episode of Unit3d, Dr. Derek Vigon talks about ways in which music, vibration and sound can enhance mood, soothe anxiety, improve performance and more.

On March 31, 2020 the first episode of Unit3d was released. That could not have happened without the work and guidance of Graham Doty, Unit3d’s producer. For this special anniversary, Graham is the guest on Unit3d, sharing his perspective on the beginnings, growth, and impact of the podcast over the last 4 years of nearly 300 episodes.

We all have our ups and downs, but sometimes we can wonder if our ups or downs are “normal”. It can be hard to know when nervousness is actually anxiety or sadness is actually depression. Dr. Marlon Bailey, psychologist in the athletic department at Vanderbilt University shares valuable insight helping one know when to seek help and encourages listeners that if you aren’t having the experience you want, you can get support in making it better.