For Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, we honour the voices of athletes who remind us that behind every performance is a human story — and that no one thrives alone.
Community Matters
When Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes stood on the podium — not once, but six times — the world saw a champion. What it didn’t see was the pain she carried beneath the medals.
“I thought if I went home with shiny Olympic medals, everything was going to be OK,” she said. “But nothing material can fix what’s broken inside. It was community that brought me back.”
In high-performance sport, athletes are expected to be strong, resilient, unshakable. But behind the podiums and highlight reels are people navigating relentless physical, emotional, and mental demands — often in silence. For many, community is not optional. It’s survival.
For Clara, it wasn’t fame or accolades that helped her heal. It was the people who showed up during her lowest moments: teammates, coaches, medical staff, and strangers who simply listened.
“Those Olympic dreams have led me to so many beautiful moments of human connection. It was always more than just about sport… it was about community.”
Healing Through Shared Struggle
For Utah Royals FC athlete Imani Dorsey, community took shape through identity and solidarity. As a Black woman in a predominantly white sport, she faced feelings of otherness from a young age — being “the only one” in many rooms.
“When you know you’re one of a few,” Dorsey reflected, “you also know that inadvertently there is a spotlight on you.”
These shared experiences — of visibility, pressure, and isolation — formed the foundation of their connection. Ream credits her twin brother for giving her strength when they were often the only Black players on the pitch. Dorsey helped launch the Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC), creating a space where others could feel seen and supported.
“Representation matters. And being one of the few is a challenge in and of itself. That’s why we created the BWPC — so we don’t feel so alone.”
Healing Starts with Being Heard
Despite international success, Clara Hughes described the hidden emotional wounds she carried:
“There was a deep wound inside me I felt every day. What I’ll never forget is being supported unconditionally.”
During Clara’s Big Ride, a cross-Canada cycling campaign for mental health, she rode 11,000 km in 110 days — not just to raise awareness, but to connect. Conversations with Canadians changed her life.
“People taught me how to listen. And through them, I learned how to listen to myself.”
Similarly, Imani Dorsey made the powerful decision to step away from the sport in 2023 to prioritise her mental health — a courageous act made possible through the community she built and supported.
Their stories reveal a powerful truth: success doesn’t protect us from suffering, but community helps us carry the weight.
Building Safer, Stronger Communities in Sport
Research shows that community doesn’t just feel good — it works. Studies link strong social support to:
- Faster recovery from injury and illness
- Lower rates of anxiety and depression
- Greater resilience under pressure
- Increased performance longevity
The Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies on happiness, found that strong relationships are the single most important predictor of long-term health and well-being—more than money, fame, or even genetics.
Community transforms isolation into strength. Whether it’s racial identity, injury, burnout, or the weight of expectations, being seen and heard by someone who shares similar struggles is often the first step toward healing. Fortunately, many current and retired athletes are keen to share their stories, which is healing in itself. Building a community doesn’t require huge gestures. It starts with:
- Checking in on a teammate
- Listening without judgment
- Creating space for honest conversation
- Letting someone know they’re not alone
That’s why at Prorizon, we’re proud to launch our new anonymised peer community feature—a secure in-app space where athletes and performers can connect, share experiences, and learn from each other without fear or judgment. No performance pressure. Just real talk, from people who get it.
Because when we feel alone, stress becomes overwhelming. But when we’re connected, supported, and understood, we don’t just survive—we thrive.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 is a reminder that healing doesn’t always start in the clinic. Sometimes, it starts with sharing and listening.