The Golden Minds Mission:

Inspire Athletes to Openly Embrace Mental Health as a Priority Equal to Physical Health

Chalk Talk

Irish Football Captain Avery Davis

"There were days (after injury) I didn't want to get up...but you have to get your mental health right...and take proper steps to move forward..."

Irish Women's Basketball Guard Dara Mabrey

"I hear all the time 'what if they call me soft?' It's deeply saddening athletes hesitate to speak up. I'm here to tell athletes, you are not alone."

Perry Gregg, HCC Saints Tennis, Sophomore

“I’ve been overwhelmed this semester with school. It feels like it’s been too much to handle and I’ve had to go to my family.”

Solena Gallo, HHC Saints Soccer, Junior

“I wanted to quit. It was a very hard time for me. I turned to God. Something my mother taught me when she was going through chemo.”

Kelley Rourke, SMC Belles Softball, Freshman

“Hearing other people’s stories puts it in to perspective how real it (mental health) is...when you see professionals reaching out to athletes to make sure they are ok that’s really important because it’s not talked about enough.”

All videos created by BIG IDEA

Michaela Joyce, University of Notre Dame Fencing/Epee, Freshman, NCAA Division

“I think really what makes Golden Touch and Golden Minds so special is that you look at athletes holistically. It's not just about what the athletes can do for the brand or the marketing, but it's also how can we make athletes the best versions of themselves for the brand. Because at the end of the day, if we're not the best version of ourselves, then we can't give anything in return. So I think that ability to just look at athletes, like complete people from a holistic perspective is just something that is so needed in the NIL industry and just athletics in general. ”

Need Support Now?

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call the new national suicide and crisis number — 988 — or text HOME to 741-741 for a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor at any time. If the mental health crisis results in a medical emergency or if there is immediate danger of harm, call 911 and explain that you need support for a mental health crisis.

Want to sign up for anonymous texting? Contact us directly.

Notre Dame Students

24/7 crisis intervention services are available 24/7 by calling the UCC at 574-631-7336.

Saint Mary’s Students

574-284-4805
574-284-4833 (fax)
[email protected]
(Email is for NON-EMERGENCY communication

Holy Cross Students

574-286-0137
24/7 security

Like-minded Resources

Like-minded organizations are just a click away.

Wellness U

Wellness U

Wellness U is a mobile app that helps with the mental fitness & mental performance of student-athletes. Wellness U delivers personalized mental wellness resources where you can learn and practice life skills, learn coping techniques for handling stress and anxiety, measure your progress with mood journaling, and find a therapist or counselor if needed through our telehealth platform.
wellnessu.my.canva.site/wellness-u

AthMindset

AthMindset

Harnessing the power of your mind is key to peak performance in your sport and in life! The team at AthMindset is ready to create a customized plan for you to optimize your mental edge, so you can thrive in all aspects of your life.
athmindset.io

4D Athletes

4D Athletes

What every parent and coach want for their athlete and how to get it.
4dathletes.com


News To Use

There’s a Mental Health Crisis in College Sports. I Know It Firsthand.

“Increasingly, more former and current student-athletes like Harry Miller and Elijah Wade are speaking out about the intersections of mental health and their sports. Unfortunately, the recent deaths by suicide of female student-athletes — including Katie Meyer, Sarah Shulze and Lauren Bernett — have raised more urgent questions. Mostly, why? Is the pressure to perform too extreme? Is there insufficient access to mental health resources for student-athletes?”

Thomas Cole Left UCLA Football After a Suicide Attempt. He Hopes His Story Helps Others

The biggest thing that I’ve found is asking for help, it’s just being able to reach out to people closest to you,” Thomas said. “People want to help, people want to see you live, people want to see you have the best life you possibly can, and so if you can just reach out and ask them for help, like from your coaches or your teammates or like anyone at the school, it could save your life.”

Sarah Fuller’s Journey from Football Kicker to Mental Health Advocate

Another famous goalkeeper who has recently spoken out about mental illness, USWNT legend Briana Scurry, calls Fuller’s advocacy “an inspiration.” She adds: “We are not robots. We don’t just play the sport. We are people playing the sport and we have things that happen to us that we feel with our platform we can shed light on. And she understands that and she’s done a fantastic job with it.”

We Need Action. Right Now.

The Story of Golden Minds

“Peak Performance Starts With Strong Mental Health”
—Karen Phelps, Golden Minds

Director Karen Phelps, daughter of legendary Irish basketball coach Digger Phelps, has been around sports and the mental wellness movement her entire life. As the wife of a major league baseball pitcher for decades and the mother of six children who all played college sports, she is all too familiar with the high-pressure, intense spotlight and endless demands young people on campus endure.

For years, Karen built up her knowledge around mental health, leading her to launch her own foundation, now Eluna Network (elunanetwork.org) – a trailblazing endeavor establishing grief and addiction camps for children dealing with loss or drugs and alcohol. Her work has been honored countless times and the HBO documentary chronicling her humanitarian work with children in grief ("One Last Hug...") earned an Emmy Award.

As she continued to read about and hear about the alarming rise in rates of anxiety and depression in college sports – including the shocking tragic suicides of multiple players and the abrupt retirement of student-athletes over their mental health crisis, Phelps rolled up her sleeves to help create more solutions.

“We need to do more, and now – and we can,” says Phelps. “We created this one-stop online platform to make navigating mental health easier. There’s no reason every athlete shouldn’t put their mental wellness first because it’s everything. Any stigma about it must stop – we all need to be telling players, mental health goes hand in hand with physical health, that talking to others and seeking support is a sign of strength not weakness, and that they are surrounded by a community ready to lift them up and connect them to the right resource. We passionately believe Golden Minds can be a part of these necessary conversations.”


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Karen Phelps

Board of Directors

Are You In?

Golden Minds is a one-of-a-kind and valiant aspiration and vision. Creating this new kind of open, responsive space is an innovative endeavor and timely, necessary work.

The scale of our impact depends on extraordinary goodness and generosity of bold big thinkers, who feel our passion and share our drive to make a mental health difference for young student-athletes.

If you want to be a Golden Minds marketing partner, Golden Minds donor or philanthropist, Golden Minds foundation grantor, or any other Golden Minds investor, we’ve got an idea and way to make your support meaningful.

Get in Touch

Our Team

Karen Phelps, CEO

Sean Collins, Director of Partnerships Golden Touch

Sofia Dolan, Executive Assistant to CEO

Kelley Rourke, Social Media Manager and Special Events

Sara Bastian, Website Manager

Pedrera, Web Designer


Student athlete internships are always available - Reach out to [email protected]