Mental Training Room
Mental Training Room is a podcast hosted by former Division I athletes, Haley Herdman and Naomi Yim. Haley is a current Mental Health Therapist who works with athletes on their mental game and Naomi is a real estate investor with a passion for spreading awareness around mental health in sports. Designed as a community and safe space for athletes, our goal is to foster honest conversations about the mental health challenges that athletes face within their sport while also advocating for more mental skills coaching imbedded into overall training programs, in hopes to close the gap from mental unprepared to MENTALLY ELITE!
Through insightful discussions with a diverse range of guests—including mental health professionals, current and former athletes, coaches, and much more—we aim to provide comfort, relatability, and practical takeaways for our listeners. In our episodes, we talk mindset, performance pressure, recovery, identity, and other authentic stories. While this podcast is not a substitute for professional help, we hope each episode reminds you that you’re not alone in this journey.
If you are in crisis, please reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
Mental Training Room
Athlete Body Image Struggles: Our Mental Take on Food, Movement, and Self-Acceptance
In this week’s episode, we introduce our very first Mental Take—a segment where we break down the mental side of sport, life, and everything in between. We kick things off by reflecting on why we created this segment: to give athletes and former athletes a space to feel seen, validated, and mentally equipped for the challenges that don’t always show up on box scores.
From there, we shift into a raw and honest conversation about body image—both as athletes and now in life after college sports. We open up about the pressures we felt in our playing days and how those expectations shaped (and sometimes distorted) the way we viewed our bodies. We talk about the identity shift that happens when sport ends, the loss of structure, and how confusing it can be to build a new relationship with food, movement, and our bodies without the constant demands of competition.
This episode is a deep dive into the messy, nonlinear journey toward self-acceptance. We share the challenges, the unlearning, and the small wins as we work to create healthier, more compassionate relationships with ourselves. Whether you’re an athlete, a former athlete, or someone navigating your own body image story, this conversation is for you.
Follow us on Instagram @mtr.pod
For Mental Performance Coaching visit haleyherdman.com