Hurdle with Emily Abbate 380. Sticking To The Plan: Kate Martin Talks Her First 2 Years In The WNBA, Best-Practice Recovery Tactics & Seeing Injury As An Opportunity
Welcome Kate Martin to Hurdle! This week on the show, the WNBA player for the Golden State Valkyries and Unrivaled competitor takes us on a deep dive into what it takes to thrive in the professional game, sharing how she's constantly evolving both on and off the court. Kate opens up about the major adjustments she’s made since leaving college—not just to the rigorous WNBA schedule, but to her own mindset. She discusses the chaotic travel and the importance of finding those small windows to optimize her body, sharing the hydration and mobility hacks that are her non-negotiable recovery tools.
Martin gets honest about her struggles with negative self-talk and how the identity of being the "glue" teammate actually helps her play better. Plus, Kate talks about the mental and physical comeback from a devastating ACL tear, explaining why that difficult experience taught her how to be a cheerleader first—a skill that has shaped her entire career.
IN THIS EPISODE
- The Post-College Grind: How she manages the WNBA travel schedule by prioritizing mobility work and drip-drop hydration (electrolyte packets) on every flight to combat dehydration and stay ready for immediate workouts.
- The Power of NIL: Her personal experience navigating the NIL landscape in college, and the hilarious story of how she was completely blindsided by her own draft pick while expecting to be fully focused on supporting Caitlin Clark.
- The Best Version of an Athlete: Why she is focused on becoming a more well-rounded player by working on attacking the rim and being consistent when shooting under fatigue.
- Adversity as Fuel: Why she views her major ACL injury in college as the "best thing that ever happened to me" because it taught her empathy and the importance of showing up as a great teammate.
- Personal Identity: Why being labeled an "underdog" doesn't bother her, and why she is okay with the balance of being a great athlete and a great person who prioritizes her family.
- Simple Wellness: Her simple, non-negotiable wellness routine, which includes chicken, rice, and cold tubs for physical and mental reset.
QUOTABLE MOMENTS
On self-talk:
"I would definitely say that [negative self-talk] is still a work in progress for sure. I would sit here and tell every single one of my teammates, 'Don't be so hard on yourself, negative self-talk is terrible, it benefits nothing.'"
On what she sees in the mirror:
"I want people to see a good person who cares about her teammates and who is a lot more than just a basketball player."
On coming back from injury:
"If you have a bad day, that's okay, too. Because you're going to have bad days... and you're going to eventually start trending upwards if you continue to do the right things."
On coming back after a loss:
“You cannot linger in the past, you really just got to keep pushing and looking forward. You have to have that goldfish mentality."
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