Speaking Engagements
Speaking engagements include my journey as a college athlete dealing with mental health related issues, and how the silence I was forced to keep due to the stigma lead to me having to walk away from my sport. They also include a discussion about the current climate that surrounds mental health in college athletics, and how we can begin to promote change and alternate the narrative that surrounds it. Which further leads into a conversation about how we can begin to embark on a journey to better understand the culture of ourselves as individuals, separate from the labels we often feel we need to identity ourselves with!
If you would like for us to speak to your team or group, just contact us at the bottom of this page and we can will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
Wantagh HS Women's LAX
April 8, 2019 — Ryan Sliwak
I started this platform to connect with college athletes dealing with mental health issues, but tonight
I had the chance to try something new. I had the pleasure to speak with the @wantaghglax high
school girls lacrosse team. It was a tremendous opportunity to speak to the next generation of
college athletes about creating an identity through developing clarity, and that clarity comes from
understanding that being selfish is the ultimate form of being selfless. Because when you take the
time to be selfish, you begin to take a journey to find passion in who you are as an individual, not
based on what you do on the field. When you do that you encourage others to do the same, and
that is how you begin to create culture! (March 29, 2019, Wantagh High Schools Girls Lax)
A big thanks to @nyit_mlax and @nyitwlacrosse for having me today, and for allowing me to be
part of both yours and the @eccsports mental health week initiative to
end the stigma (NYIT Men's and Women's Lax, April 4, 2019)
Molloy Women's LAX
February 25, 2019 — Ryan Sliwak
Thank you @molloywomenslax for having me today! I truly appreciate the opportunity to share my path and journey with you, and spread the mission of Athlete Humanity to give athletes a voice they deserve. Best of luck in your season opener against Southern Connecticut State University!
UMBC Baseball
February 10, 2019 — Ryan Sliwak
Awesome to be back at UMBC this weekend. Huge shout out and thank you to @umbcbaseball for having me, and
allowing me to share my journey and athlete humanity with the team. We had a great conversation, and at the center
of everything we discussed was the idea of owning your story. It’s yours and it’s valid.
The things we go through are not your entire story, but are simply a necessary part of our journey as we move
forward and grow. You are the author of your own story, but remember that the next chapter of your book has no
meaning without the context of the previous pages!
Molloy Field Hockey
February 7, 2019 — Ryan Sliwak
Big thank you to coach @trishley11 and the @molloy_fieldhockey field hockey team for having me last night!
I appreciate the opportunity to share my story with you! We had an awesome discussion about culture and how
we can start to develop ourselves as human beings, separate from the labels and stigma!
Thank you for being such a great example, and helping create an atmosphere where it is ok to not be ok!!
Molloy Baseball
February 1, 2019 — Ryan Sliwak
Huge shout out and thank you to @molloybaseball for allowing me to share my story, and to discuss changing the
culture that surrounds mental health! Great group of guys who I’m not only confident will be tremendous this season
on the field, but will make a difference in breaking the silence that surrounds mental health by who they are as
individuals off the field!
We can’t change the current culture, before we create a positive culture for ourselves! And that is a culture that
understands that we are more than what we do on the field, and the experiences we go through! Best of luck in your
season opener in two weeks, and best of luck this season!
