“Your Athlete Maybe Struggling Even If They Haven’t Told You Yet”
From Ivan Tchatchouwo, CEO of The Zone
As a former athlete and now someone working every day to support athletes behind the scenes I can tell you firsthand: a lot of them are struggling. And many of their parents have no idea until it’s too late. We’ve built The Zone to give athletes real tools to manage stress, confidence, and emotional fatigue before things spiral. Because mental health in sports doesn’t just look like a breakdown it often looks like nothing at all.
The Signs Are Often Invisible
You might think:
“He’s performing well.”
“She’s still showing up to practice.”
“They’re posting like everything’s normal.”
But behind that can be a mix of anxiety, pressure, and disconnection that most athletes don’t know how to name let alone talk about. One story that’s stayed with me is from the parents of Katie Meyer, the Stanford soccer player who died by suicide in 2022. Her mom said:
"She was excited and she had a lot on her plate, and she had a lot going on, but she was happy. She was in great spirits … There is anxiety and there is stress to be perfect, to be the best, to be No. 1.”
— Gina Meyer, Katie’s mother
Katie was a champion. She was smiling. She was engaging. Her family didn’t see it coming. Neither do most.
Athletes Aren’t Weak—They’re Overwhelmed
At The Zone, we work with over 200 teams across college and youth sports. What we hear again and again is:
“I didn’t know what I was feeling, I just knew something wasn’t right.”
“I didn’t want to talk to anyone yet, I just wanted help managing the pressure.”
“It felt like I was alone in it.”
That’s the space we step into.We’re not waiting for athletes to raise their hand. We’re giving them daily tools to regulate, reflect, and reset before they hit a breaking point.
What Can You Do as a Parent?
Check in on more than performance. Ask how they feel, not just how they played.
Make space for silence. Don’t pressure them to talk—just show them you're there.
Give them tools. If they’re not ready for a counselor, give them something they can use on their own terms.
You don’t need to fix everything. You just need to open the door and walk with them.
Let’s Build the Future of Athlete Wellness
This moment is bigger than just another app. At The Zone, we’re on a mission to shift the culture so mental wellness becomes as common as hydration, recovery, and film study. We can’t keep waiting until things fall apart.
We can’t assume they’re okay just because they’re still performing. Mental health isn’t separate from sport. It’s part of it.
And it’s time we support athletes like it is.
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