In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with college athlete and mental health advocate Arla Davis. Arla is a two sport NCAA student-athlete, competing for Ithaca College’s lacrosse and track and field teams. She holds multiple roles outside of her own athletics, including being a Campus Captain with The Hidden Opponent, and co-chair of Ithaca College's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), as well as being involved in research about women in sports. We introduce listeners to the amazing work of The Hidden Opponent, pioneering student-athlete mental health awareness. Arla shares her passion for addressing student-athlete mental health on her college campus, and we give listeners tips for self-care and prioritizing mental health even without a diagnosed condition.

Arla and I discuss high school and collegiate athletics, the transition between the two, and opportunities to explore more than one sport. Arla highlights the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on both sports and mental health, and we talk about skills for balancing a busy life with wellbeing. We touch on the topic of intimate relationships in college and on mental health, both the good and bad, and Arla’s experience being in a long-term relationship. Linking all these discussion points is the importance of prioritizing mental health in college, a time of rapid change and novelty, and we direct listeners to available resources like The Hidden Opponent.

Follow Arla on Instagram @arladavis_43 and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition

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In this episode we talk about:

3:00 What is The Hidden Opponent? The role of The Hidden Opponent Campus Captains.

5:45 Arla’s passion for supporting student-athlete mental health

11:00 The impact of Covid-19 on college spurts and student-athletes

14:15 Being a multi sport athlete in high school and college

19:00 Division III athletics

25:00 De-stigmatizing mental health and attending to it even without a clinical diagnosis

29:30 Self-care tips

34:00 Balancing a busy life and learning about yourself

39:15 Seasonal depression and coping with changing climates

45:20 Relationship challenges: break ups; long distance; teammates

51:20 The importance of mental health resources at college when everything is new

52:50 How to get involved with The Hidden Opponent

54:55 End of the podcast questions