Therese Haiss is a coach, runner, and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and mental health. She has recently joined the University of Toledo coaching roster, and the OUTrun community. She is a former professional middle-distance runner (Golden Coast Track Club) and collegiate athlete (University of Arkansas). By sharing her journey with depression, body image, and sexuality she hopes to help her peers navigate their own struggles and destigmatize issues that continue to reside at the core of the running community.

Discussed in this episode:

• The term pansexual and why Therese uses this label
• Sports psychology as a necessary resource for athletes
• University of Toledo Cross Country/Track and Field
• OUTrun
• Taking time off from sport to focus on mental health and find joy
• Authenticity and openness
• Body image and distance running (Therese talks more about her journey with this on the Convos Over Cold Brew podcast)
• Therapy!!! It’s awesome!!!

Additional resources:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Human Rights Campaign
• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
• LGBT National Help Center (includes hotlines and chat rooms)
• Athlete Ally

Follow Therese:

• Instagram: @therese_haiss , @coach_haiss
• Twitter: @therese_haiss

Follow OUTRun:

• Instagram: @_out_run

Follow Social Sport:

• Instagram: @socialsportpod
• Facebook: @socialsportpod
• Twitter: @emmamzimm

Quote:

“𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁.”