We said what we said. 💥
May is Mental Health Awareness month, but here at The Hidden Opponent, we’re taking mental health action all year long.
The Hidden Opponent develops mental health leadership in student-athletes through education, advocacy, and support.
Awareness is an important first step. But mental health leadership goes deeper — it converts awareness into sustained, credible action.
Our approach combines education, peer support, media influence, and direct resources to provide student-athletes with the tangible tools needed to create change on their campuses.
This month, we invite you to go deeper than the social media messages — become a true mental health leader, take action, and make a difference in your community. 💚🤝
#togetherweface #thehiddenopponent #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #mentalhealthleadership
Mental Health + the NFL, we love to see it!! My non-profit @thehiddenopponent teamed up with the @rams as a partner for their mental-health awareness game and it was amazing! 💚🏈
We started with two powerful pre-game panels alongside 200+ advocates, and then watched the Rams win while @c.lamp3 repped THO on the field for “My Cause My Cleats.” It was truly surreal to see our organization highlighted on the field and big screen. Who could’ve predicted that our passionate group of former/current athletes who fought our own battles with anxiety & depression would be here - I’m so proud of our THO team & community!
Big thanks to our sponsor @adidas for their unwavering belief in our work, and to our Board Members and Clinical Advisory Team who came out to support! And thank you to the amazing @brookchouletmd who helped put all this together and is writing the stories that matter! 🫂
🚨 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: We are thrilled to officially introduce you to The Hidden Opponent’s Board of Directors!
This incredible group of leaders brings passion, expertise, and a shared commitment to mental health advocacy in sports culture. With this dynamic, engaged, and diverse group of leaders, the THO Board of Directors will help advise and shape our continued expansion. We are so grateful for their dedication to our mission, and excited for all that’s ahead! 💪
@ilonamaher@isaacrochell@jordanhanson92@natashahastings@nicolemdavis6@sydelcurrylee@tsmithanoai@victoriagarrickbrowne
The Washington Huskies had a special guest appearance at their mental health awareness soccer game last week! “Dubs” the husky showed out in green to support The Hidden Opponent and cheer on his team. 🤗💚 Thank you to UW women’s soccer for hosting this game in honor of our mission. Campus Captains Program intern, Kaia Simpson, and Campus Captain, Natalie Eklund, from Seattle Pacific University enjoyed handing out mental health resources and spending time with Dubs! 🐶
#mentalhealth #soccer #athletementalhealth
Savannah Bananas’ Jackson Olson recently opened up about his battle with panic attacks, anxiety, and mental health challenges.
Known for his fun, goofy, energetic presence, Olson quickly rose to fame through his social media presence and talent on the baseball field. It was these attributes that made him feel like he had to hide his struggles when things got dark.
Olson describes one experience in particular when he felt like he was having a stroke mid game, which was actually a panic attack. That moment caused a spiral of mental health battles that disrupted his baseball career and day to day life.
After seeking help and learning how to manage his anxiety, Olson used it to speak up and remind others that no one is exempt from mental health challenges. A smiling face does not always mean everything is okay internally. Regardless of your personality, athletic talent, or social status, asking for help is always okay.💚
#savannahbananas #baseball #mentalhealth
This Mental Health Awareness month, The Hidden Opponent is honored to be the official round up partner in every adidas store nationwide‼️ At checkout, customers will have the option to donate directly towards our mission of building student-athletes into mental health leaders. 💚
Shop at an adidas store before the month ends and support our game-changing work!
#togetherweface #thehiddenopponent #adidas
At the end of each school year, college communities often recognize student leadership in their own ceremonies. This spring, several of our Campus Captains and THO chapters received recognition for outstanding commitment to bettering their community. 👏
Amongst those honored were Endicott College, Lebanon Valley College, Roberts Wesleyan University, Brevard College, and Allegheny College. A special shoutout to Campus Captain Maddie Manes, who was awarded the Award of Valor at Brandeis!
We are so proud of all of our Campus Captains and the amazing leadership they have shown all year long! Their work clearly makes an important impact in their communities. 💚
#campuscaptains #thehiddenopponent #mentalhealth
5 things injury has quietly taken away from me ⬇️
1. Time
I honestly felt like the whole world was moving on without me. As I sat at home managing extended periods of pain, recovery, appointments and uncertainty, it genuinely seemed like everyone else seemed to keep living normally around me.
The injury didn’t just become something I was dealing with physically, it took over my entire outlook on life.
2. Feeling like I’m invisible
One of the hardest parts of injury is how invisible it can make you feel.
When you stop exercising, playing, competing, or even showing up as the version of yourself people recognised, it can slowly start to feel like you disappear a little bit too. That change in your ability to do even the most basic of things can be so hard to manage.
3. Feeling in control
Injury can make life feel incredibly unpredictable.
Timelines change, setbacks happen unexpectedly, and after a while you stop trusting your body in the same way you once did.
You begin second guessing everything, constantly unsure whether you’re helping your body recovery or making things worse.
4. Energy
Not just physical energy - mental energy too.
The exhaustion of constantly thinking about the pain is incredibly hard, and the cost-benefit that goes on in your head when deciding whether to go out and do things is so draining. The injury doesn’t stay in the gym or at the coffee shop, it follows us wherever we go.
5. Losing the very thing that used to help my mental health
Sport, exercise, routine, movement - these weren’t just hobbies to me. They were the things that helped me cope, clear my head, manage stress, and feel like myself.
So when injury took those things away, it wasn’t just physical. It felt like losing one of the main ways I understood and regulated my own mental health. ❤️
If you are feeling any of these emotions you are not weak, you are human. AND you are not alone 🙏
“I felt like I was fighting a battle I could never fully win and grieving the player I knew I could have been.”
Julian Bell was only 12 years old when she started to struggle with chronic shin splints and stress reactions — pain that would only worsen with time, and eventually force her to medically retire early from her role on the Clemson Lacrosse team.
The unending, extreme physical and mental pain that Julian experienced every day ultimately lead her to experiencing suicidal ideation and a desire to escape everything she was going through. She describes what felt like “living as a zombie” and “viewing her body from an aerial view,” without actually being present. These thoughts and feelings resulted in placement to a psychiatric facility, with the support of her sports psychologist and athletic trainer.
Two years later, Julian finds herself wanting to share her story as a reminder that letting people into your experience matters. What doctors have described as a one in a million experience once left Julian feeling isolated, but she now knows that people can connect with the vulnerability of her story.
We are so proud of Julian and thankful for her bravery. 💚 To read more about Julian’s journey, visit the 🔗 in our bio and head over to our blog.
#mentalhealth #clemsonlacrosse #athletementalhealth
11x Olympic gymnast Simone Biles sparked conversation about mental health at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she withdrew from multiple events after experiencing a mental block known as “the twisties.” Over five years later, she reflects on that moment and how it changed her life.
Biles says, “it got me the therapy I deserved, and I’m still currently in therapy… I look back at it as being courageous and not so much a weakness.”
Now a support figure for other Olympic athletes, like Ilia Malinin and Lindsey Vonn, Biles continues to speak about mental health challenges to normalize these conversations in sport.
🎥: @khou11
“Why don’t we take the awareness, and turn it into action.”
Happy #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth from Dr. T and the entire THO team.💚 Keep showing up for yourself and those you love!
#mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #advocate
