Trailblazing Wellness: Shelly Mullenix and Holistic Health at LSU (Ep 53)

In this episode of the podcast, host Kelly Jackson sits down with Shelly Mullenix, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Health and Wellness at LSU. Shelly brings her decades-long experience in sports medicine and athletic training to discuss her pioneering work in integrating mental health and wellness programs within collegiate sports. As the first female athletic trainer in the SEC and a recent inductee to the Louisiana Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame, Shelly shares invaluable insights into the holistic approach to athlete development. From navigating high-pressure transitions to supporting student-athletes through mental health challenges, Shelly’s unique perspective is both inspiring and educational. Tune in to learn more about the dynamic initiatives at LSU and how they set a new standard in athletic care.

From the Episode:

• "...they just don't show up here at 18 years old and we assume that they're an elite, five star athlete, and we treat 'em as such. They're children, and they're children with parents, and they're children with parents who just lost their parents. So they've got a lot of baggage that they bring with them."
• " ...every day that you can keep someone alive is a day that they can learn more about themselves."
• "  I wanna know when you're smoking weed, what does it make you feel? You know, that's not a question you typically ask someone who's 18 or 19 'cause they're not used to talking about that."
• "Everyone's just not brave enough to talk about it."
•  " ... we all can say something and we may not say the right thing, and it doesn't matter; because in the absence of what you say, they're isolated."
• " They don't care if you never step on the field. They'd love to see that, but they don't care if you do or not. They're here to really basically help mold you, help you grow, help you kind of not feel so alone when you are in fact alone."
• " It's amazing when you ask these people, what do you love about yourself? The pause. They can't even think, they can't even come up with the words. 'Cause they don't know themselves in any other way other than being an athlete."
• " If you were to ask an old player what they miss most, they miss the locker room, they miss the training room, they miss those things, 'cause that's where life happens."
• "  If you haven't seen the mental health professional, you've not reached your capacity. You have not reached your peak."
• " Mental health is not a taboo topic here. No. And, for anyone who is still living in that old, outdated paradigm that this is hush hush and that you don't talk about this, guys, wake up because this is what we're talking about now." 

 

Notes and Considerations:

• Click here for more information about Rain Will Bring Flowers Foundation & the Planting Seeds of Hope event on February 24, 2026 at 6:00pm at Pete Maravich Assembly Center

 

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