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Celebrating National Great Outdoors Month, Pride Month and athlete mental health, co-hosts Jeremy Fallis and Will Heininger usher in June with a new episode of the Mental Minute podcast.

They begin by sharing their plans for the summer holidays. Will is eager to spend time with his family in upstate New York, while Jeremy plans to take a vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains.   

In the usual Sports Minute, Will shares his excitement for the UEFA Euro 2020  tournament, while Jeremy dedicates his half to Naomi Osaka and Christian Eriksen, two athletes who have proven the importance of recognizing and supporting players’ mental health. Both Jeremy and Will discuss the lack of concern and empathy shown by officials from the French Open and UEFA, as well as the courage that players like Osaka have in sharing their mental health stories.

In the second half of the episode, Jeremy and Will have a conversation with Barb Hansen, a former athlete and athletic counselor at the University of Michigan Athletic Department. Barb has had experience with a variety of clientele in the mental health field throughout her career. She is especially grateful for her mentors who taught her the importance of maximizing self-awareness in order to help drive others’ success.

Being among the first group of women playing professional basketball, Barb is a trailblazer who recognizes the great challenges that have been overcome in the fight for women’s equality in sports. In honor of Pride Month, Barb also touches on the intersectionality of being a member of the LGBTQ community and a female athlete in this fight. She is proud of the fact that people’s identities are much more accepted but agrees that there is much more work to be done, including “recognition and conversation regarding inequality” and “continuing effort to make changes.”

For more information about The Mental Minute with Michigan Medicine as well as the full catalog of episodes, visit the main Mental Minute page.