Student athletes from Perryville and St. Vincent High School met Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Robinson Construction Event Center for the annual High Tops and Hoodies program sponsored by Mercy Hospital Perry to promote mental wellness.
The athletes received a copy of Misty Buck's Athlete Mental Health Playbook. Buck, who resides in Miami, Fla., was also present to lead a 45-minute workshop, in which she offered the students tips on managing stress to enhance performance in sports, academics, at home, and in their daily lives.
Introducing Ms. Buck was Glenda Gremaud, the outreach relations manager for Mercy Hospital Perry.
“For several years, mental and behavioral health has been identified as a concern for our community, and we were looking for ways to bring mental wellness discussions to the forefront and allow individuals to find support, rather than hiding behind the stigma of mental health concerns,” Gremaud said. “We soon realized that our local athletes may be among some of these individuals. We sometimes fail to recognize the pressures that our student athletes are under to perform successfully in the classroom and on the court or field. And if they happen to sustain an injury or have a personal crisis along the way, these added pressures can have devastating consequences if we fail to address their mental wellness.
“For two years, Mercy Health Foundation Perry has hosted the Festival of Treats, with proceeds benefiting mental and behavioral awareness opportunities in our community, which include providing mental wellness books for basketball athletes participating in High Tops and Hoodies, better known as the Mayor's Cup. Last year, we provided athletes with the book, ‘Mind You,’ and this year, we provided the athletes with the book, ‘Athletes Mental Health Playbook.’ We wanted to expand our outreach and felt that bringing the information found in the book to life would be best accomplished by bringing the author to you. One last thing before Misty shares her experience with you. On behalf of Mercy Perry, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your commitment to your school, your sport, and your community. Thank you for providing fans like me with hours of entertainment, and thank you for continuing to show up every day, even during the tough times.”
Buck, 43, who didn’t come off as overly polished like some professional speakers sometimes do, used a relaxed and conversational approach while speaking to the athletes.
In 2008, she opened her first business—a social media and digital marketing agency — which she still owns today. In 2015, Buck went on to pursue her passion for coaching when she became certified as a Professional Life Coach (CPC) and Spiritual Life Coach (CSC) through the World Coach Institute. In 2020, she published the “Athlete Mental Health Playbook,” and in 2021, she signed on as an athlete mental health coach and contributor to the Hall of Fame Health (HOFH), an affiliate of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In addition to her coaching credentials, Buck also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication (Public Relations) and English (Creative Writing) from Florida State University.
“When I first set out to teach athletes about mental health, I did so because I noticed that this population, in particular, had unspoken rules about mental toughness and emotions that needed to be addressed,” she said. “I grew up around sports and athletes. As the coach’s daughter and the sister of an athlete, I was often in the middle of the action on the sidelines during practices and games. I was also a cheerleader and later a cheerleader coach. I bring this up because this is where I learned to love sports, but it’s also where I learned to be tough, walk it off, and never show ‘weak’ or ‘soft’ emotions.”
When Buck was a teenager, she began to experience depression and anxiety.
“My mental health felt like an ongoing whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions,” she said. “I didn’t feel strong on the inside, but I knew I was supposed to act strongly on the outside. I had no idea what was going on with me or how to make it stop, but deep within my soul, I had a drive to heal and be healed.
“As I would come to learn, I wasn’t the only one struggling who felt like they couldn’t show it or talk about it. It took me many years to learn that I’m not crazy or weak and that managing mental wellness truly takes an ongoing holistic plan for the mind, body, and soul, which is why I’m so passionate about sharing that now.”
As an intuitive coach, Buck’s holistic approach includes her passion for guiding athletes to enjoy inner stillness and transformational clarity.
“I focus on four key areas,” she said. Developing trust to let go of anything that doesn’t serve you, confidence to listen to your instinct, permission to acknowledge and share your feelings, and resiliency to navigate difficulties.”
Undoubtedly, the part of Buck’s presentation that made the biggest impact on the student athletes was when she spoke about a time while in school that she felt suicidal.
“When I was in high school, and I was suffering with depression — which was bad, guys, like I was on medicine and the whole thing — I had to go on quite a journey to overcome this. I did not like myself. At all. I didn't recognize who I was. I felt completely out of control. I just thought, this is not gonna get any better. Why am I so sad all the time? What is wrong with me? And I didn't see a way out. I was planning to end my life. I had a real plan. A whole plan.
“But one day, I was in my room, and my mom came in. I don't even know why. Maybe by mother's intuition, I don't know. She comes in and asks me what's going on, and I told her.
so she got me help. I was already in family therapy and therapy because of my parents' divorce, but now I was gonna go see a psychiatrist because it was determined I actually needed a higher level of care. That was very scary for me. It was very tough for me. I didn't know I was gonna get out of it. I didn't recognize myself. I just wanted to be happy like I was when I was a kid. And so, it took a lot."
Buck recalled that it took a lot of people to help her get through this difficult period of her life.
“But I'm here today, right? So that's why this is so important. Because statistically, there are at least a few people in this room that are dealing with depression or another type of mental illness. It's like one out of four in their lifetime. So, statistically, in this room right now, I would bet all of my savings that there's somebody in this room dealing with something serious. This is why we treat each other with respect. This is why we educate ourselves, because if it's not you, it's somebody else.”
