St. Thomas Aquinas' graduate, Kendall Ellis, shares her journey on how she became confident while embracing her body's changes.
Ellis shares her journey with mental health from high school through her professional career:
00:17 -- What were some of the pressures you had to endure as a female high school athlete?
1:07 -- Did you focus on different sports growing up or just solely on track?
1:24 -- In high school, was there anything in particular that you struggled with the most as a female athlete?
1:58 -- What about being "mentally tough" was a challenge for you?
2:51 -- Do you feel like it was more of a challenge when you were at practice or at track meets?
3:30 -- Did you feel like you had teammates that you could share these feelings with or did you know of anyone on your team that was going through this too?
4:47 -- Kendall, how did you go about gaining confidence?
6:27 -- Is there anything in particular that you would tell yourself at practice or at meets that encouraged you?
7:22 -- What advice do you have for high school athletes who might be experiencing these challenges so they can be strong mentally?
9:09 -- At what point did you feel that you had to go outside your comfort zone, face this challenge head on and take this seriously?
10:51 -- From a professional's point of view, how important is it to be mentally tough?
12:08 -- Was there any else that you felt like was hindering you from being a successful athlete?
Ellis shares her story about her weight as a professional athlete and how she embraces her body as it develops into a "strong, beautiful woman":
14:15 -- What do you recommend for that athlete to do? Talk to a nutritionist and/or a coach?
15:13 -- Do you feel like this way of thinking impacted your athletic career in how you were training on the track or in the weight room?
16:15 -- Can you take us through your journey of how you viewed yourself in high school and how your body changed throughout your collegiate and professional career?
18:17 -- When do you feel like you started appreciating your body and how it looks?
19:43 -- Did you ever have the feelings of "looking like a guy" in high school?
