Reagan Rust on Battling her Desire for Death and Choosing the Mindset to be Calm, Confident and Aggressive

Reagan Rust’s story includes an abusive father, a family history of mental illness, transitioning through five different high schools and leaving home at age 15 to pursue dreams of playing D1 Ice Hockey. Her story also includes recurrent thoughts and plans to end her own life only to ask herself, “What if I keep going?” Her ability to look for opportunities in front of her, advocate for mental health support and appreciate her mother’s sacrifices helped create the resilience to grow the confidence to achieve her goals. She is the first player from Mississippi to play D1 Ice Hockey, 2019 Beanpot Tournament Champion, 2020 Beanpot Hall of Fame Inductee and member of the Metropolitan Riveters Professional Ice Hockey Team. As founder of the Female Athlete Society, she uses her experience to empower female athletes to take control and create tribes of support.

WARNING: This episode contains emotionally sensitive material including discussion surrounding suicide that may be triggering or disturbing to some listeners. If any of the content in this podcast has brought anything up for you, please reach out or speak to someone you trust.

@rea.rust, @femaleathletesociety