Three weeks ago, we started with a number: 48%.

Nearly half of female student-athletes are dealing with overwhelming anxiety. And the support systems built around them — the ones they were supposed to be able to trust — weren’t built for them.

We talked about the pressure to “suck it up.” The barriers. The schedules that leave no room. The faith that keeps getting squeezed out by the grind.

And then we talked about what the research actually points toward: a community that sees your whole self. Mind, body, and spirit. At the same time.

That’s The Girls Anthem Locker Room.

Six weeks. Discipleship. Mental wellness tools. Community with athletes who get it. Faith as the foundation, not a footnote.

This is your last call for the August cohort.

💛 Investment: $199

📅 Starts: August

👟 Who it’s for: All athletes. Seriously — all of you.

If you’ve been reading along these past four weeks and something keeps pulling at you, that’s not a coincidence. You were made for community. You were made to be held up, not just pushed forward.

Enroll now by clicking below.

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Not ready for the cohort yet? That’s okay too.

Starting in September, our Girls Anthem membership launches — and if you sign up, you get two weeks free, then just $27/month after that. It’s the ongoing community, the resources, the space — without the intensive commitment. Join our email list by subscribing below to stay up to date when it’s live.

More details coming soon. Just know: there’s a way in for everyone.

🎙️ The Locker Room Podcast is on all platforms. Come hang with us between now and August — we’ve got episodes dropping that will speak right to where you are.

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Thank you for being here. This whole series was built on real research, real data, and a real conviction that you deserve more than what the system has been offering. We’re building something different. Come be a part of it.

— Based on original research by Mya K. Douglas, Liberty University, 2026. Adapted for editorial use by Girls Anthem Magazine.

To read the full blog post from all four weeks in one flow, click here:

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Here’s something that showed up in the research that stopped me in my tracks.

The pressure of college athletics was so intense that it was directly affecting students’ ability to maintain their religious commitments. The grind was pulling athletes away from one of their most powerful sources of support.

Not because they stopped believing. Because there was no structure holding space for both.

That’s the problem. And it’s exactly what needs to change.

Research on courage, attachment to God, and mental well-being found meaningful connections between a student-athlete’s relationship with God and their ability to manage difficult mental health moments. This isn’t just a feel-good spiritual take — it’s in the data.

But knowing that faith matters and having a program that actually delivers it are two very different things.

Scripture gives us the blueprint:

That’s not just Sunday morning language. That is exactly how athletic communities and faith communities should function for you. Tenderhearted. Courteous. Of one mind. Showing up — not just when you’re winning, but when you’re in the training room with no words left.

The Girls Anthem Locker Room is built on this. Six weeks of discipleship, community, and practical mental wellness tools — woven together because we believe your spiritual health and your mental health are the same conversation.

Enrollment for the August cohort is now open. Spots are limited.

Investment: $199 Duration: 6 weeks Who it’s for: All female athletes. All backgrounds.

Register Today!

Don’t wait until you’re running on empty to decide you deserve support. Check out what Maleah and Avery from our first cohort had to say.

Based on original research by Mya K. Douglas, Liberty University, 2026.

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As female athletes, we’re taught to push through pain, manage pressure, bounce back from setbacks, and keep moving no matter what. While resilience is important, there comes a point where every athlete encounters something that training alone cannot fix. Anxiety. Loneliness. Identity struggles. Burnout. Fear of failure. The pressure to perform. The pressure to look a certain way.

And while sport psychology has made tremendous strides in helping athletes navigate these challenges, research suggests another resource that deserves attention: faith.

Across multiple studies, researchers found connections between religiosity, lower anxiety levels, greater life satisfaction, stronger support systems, improved mental well-being, and gratitude. While faith is often viewed as something athletes turn to before competition, the research suggests it may influence much more than game-day performance.

Faith Can Carry What Performance Cannot

Every athlete eventually experiences a season where hard work isn’t enough.

Maybe it’s an injury.

Maybe it’s losing a starting position.

Maybe it’s realizing your best effort didn’t produce the outcome you hoped for.

Researchers found that athletes with higher levels of religiosity reported lower anxiety levels and greater life satisfaction. They also found that female athletes reported higher anxiety levels than their male counterparts, highlighting some of the unique pressures women face in sport.

This doesn’t mean female athletes who have faith never struggle with anxiety. It means they may have another place to turn when pressure begins to mount.

For many athletes, faith provides a foundation that remains steady regardless of wins, losses, scholarships, statistics, or playing time. Prayer becomes more than a pregame routine. Scripture becomes more than something quoted on social media. Faith becomes a source of stability when circumstances feel uncertain.

Because sometimes the thing carrying you through the season isn’t your confidence. It’s your trust in God.

You Weren’t Created to Do This Alone

Athletics can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be isolating.

Many female athletes carry burdens that few people ever see. The pressure to perform. Academic responsibilities. Social expectations. Body image concerns. Family obligations. Future career decisions.

The research repeatedly highlighted the importance of support systems.

One study found that religiosity and peer support were both connected to athlete anxiety levels. Researchers even suggested that athlete development should include support that extends beyond physical training and skill development.

That’s important because female athletes need spaces where they can simply be human.

Faith communities, mentors, teammates, coaches, and trusted friends often provide encouragement during difficult seasons. They remind athletes that their value isn’t tied to a scoreboard, a scholarship, or a performance review.

Healthy support systems don’t just help athletes perform better.

They help them live better.

Gratitude Changes Your Perspective

Female athletes spend a lot of time focusing on what still needs improvement.

A faster time.

More playing time.

A stronger body.

A better performance.

A bigger opportunity.

While growth is important, constantly focusing on what is missing can become exhausting.

Researchers studying collegiate athletes found that gratitude toward God was associated with improved mental well-being and lower levels of loneliness.

Think about that for a moment.

Gratitude doesn’t change your circumstances overnight. It changes how you view them.

Instead of obsessing over what hasn’t happened yet, gratitude allows athletes to recognize what God is already doing. It creates space to appreciate growth, relationships, opportunities, and lessons that often get overlooked while chasing the next achievement.

That’s especially important during seasons when life doesn’t go according to plan.

Your Identity Has to Survive the Final Whistle

At some point, every athlete faces the same reality.

The season ends.

The game ends.

The scholarship ends.

The career ends.

And when that happens, one question remains:

Who are you without your sport?

Researchers found that religion influenced athletes’ emotional experiences before competition and contributed to their overall well-being. They also noted that athletic demands sometimes created tension with religious commitments, revealing how important faith was in many athletes’ lives.

For female athletes, this matters because identity can become deeply attached to performance.

When your identity is rooted entirely in your sport, every setback feels personal. Every mistake feels permanent. Every loss feels devastating.

Faith offers a different foundation.

It reminds us that we were daughters before we were athletes.

Before the awards.

Before the championships.

Before the recruiting process.

Before anyone knew our names.

God already knew who we were.

And that identity doesn’t disappear when the season does.

A Final Thought

Research continues to suggest that faith may play a meaningful role in an athlete's well-being. From anxiety management and emotional support to gratitude, community, and identity, spirituality appears to influence much more than performance.

Faith is not simply something female athletes turn to when things go wrong.

For many athletes, it becomes the foundation that helps them navigate pressure, setbacks, success, and everything in between.

Because long after the final whistle blows, your relationship with God will still matter.

Enjoyed this article?

Download the companion report, She Runs with Endurance — and Faith, a research-based resource exploring what studies reveal about faith, anxiety, gratitude, support systems, and athlete well-being.

She Runs with Endurance - And Faith

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Full Report for Religion & Athlete Study by Mya K. Douglas

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The Locker Room Podcast launches Friday, July 3rd. Check out the trailer below.

Join us as we explore faith, identity, mental health, performance, and what it means to thrive as a female athlete beyond the game.

The Locker Room Podcast

Based on original research by Mya K. Douglas, Liberty University, 2025. Adapted for editorial use by The Locker Room.

Can we talk about something that nobody in the athletic world wants to admit?

A female rugby player in a recent study described what happened when she was having anxiety attacks before games. Her coaches’ response? “Suck it up or sit out.”

If that hits close to home, I need you to know: you did not deserve that. And you are not alone.

Here’s what researchers actually found when they studied the barriers female athletes face when seeking mental health support:

The real list looks like this:

• Nobody taught you what burnout vs. depression actually looks like

• Asking for help feels like showing weakness — especially when you’re supposed to be the strong one

• The resources available weren’t designed with your experience in mind

• Your schedule leaves zero room for weekly therapy appointments

• You worry about who else will find out

And when institutional support falls short? Athletes are building their own informal networks just to survive. That burden should not be on you.

Here’s what I love about what scripture says in the middle of all this:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

That rest isn’t passive. It’s the kind of deep, soul-level exhale that no performance bonus or championship ring can give you. And it’s available right now — not after the season. Now.

The Girls Anthem Locker Room exists to create the space the system hasn’t built yet. Six weeks. Community. Faith. Tools you can actually use.

The August cohort registration is open. Investment: $199. All athletes welcome. All backgrounds welcome. All you need is a willingness to show up.

Register Today

Check out our promo video that includes testimonials from our first cohort!

Based on original research by Mya K. Douglas, Liberty University, 2026.

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Nearly half of female college athletes are dealing with overwhelming anxiety right now.

Let that sink in. Not “some.” Not “a few.” 48%.

And 28% are struggling with depression. These aren’t just statistics — these are your teammates. Your training partners. Maybe you.

For too long, the research on athlete mental health barely included women who look like many of us. Most studies before 2021 focused primarily on white athletes. The experiences of Black female athletes, and honestly, the real, lived experiences of all female athletes navigating pressure, identity, and faith, were missing from the conversation.

That’s changing. I’ve been in the research, and what’s coming out of it is something a lot of us already knew in our gut:

Studies show that a student-athlete’s relationship with God has meaningful, measurable connections to their ability to manage anxiety and depression. But here’s the gap: almost no athletic programs offer anything structured around this. A chapel service once a semester is not a program. A passing mention of prayer in a wellness meeting is not support.

That’s exactly why I built The Girls Anthem Locker Room — a 6-week faith-intensive designed specifically for athletes who are ready to stop grinding alone and start building from the inside out.

Over the next few weeks, I’m breaking down what the research actually says — about the pressure you’re under, the barriers in your way, and why faith belongs at the center of your mental health strategy.

And if you’re already ready to go? Enrollment for the August cohort is now open. You can register below. Spots are limited. This is where grit meets grace…

Register Now

🎙️ ALSO — The Locker Room Podcast drops July 3rd on all platforms. The trailer is live now. Go find us wherever you listen and hit subscribe so you don’t miss episode one.

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Based on original research by Mya K. Douglas, Liberty University, 2026.

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