LIFE BEYOND SPORTS: SHEDDING OUR ATHLETIC ARMOR

Mindfulness & MeditationAthlete & Veteran WellnessTools for HealingIdentity LossEmotional Wellness
Written By Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie

This is me accepting my NCAA championship all-around title in 1999 at the University of Utah.

A few years back, I wrote an article for Sidelined USA. Sidelined USA is dedicated to supporting athletes forced to sit on the sidelines or retire due to injury or circumstances beyond their control.

In this article, I discuss how difficult the transition to life beyond sports can be and what we can do to honor the challenge and also stay open the infinite possibilities of growth and transformation available to us because of our time as athletes.

Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie, PA-C

Theresa is a functional medicine physician assistant, mindfulness meditation teacher, author, and owner / founder of My Mindful Medicine. Theresa is also an army veteran, military spouse, mother, and former elite & collegiate gymnast.

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Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie

Theresa Kulikowski-Gillespie is a functional medicine physician assistant, mindfulness meditation teacher, author, Army veteran, mother, military spouse, and former elite gymnast. As a gymnast, she was a member of the 1995 World Championship Team, the 1996 Olympic alternate, a 14-time All-American and an all-around and 2xNCAA champion at the University of Utah. After her gymnastics career, she became a physician assistant and served in the Army, deploying to Tikrit, Iraq, before leaving service in 2012.

Her own decade-long healing journey through complex health challenges led her to functional medicine and mindfulness. She completed the ADAPT Functional Medicine Practitioner Program, has completed all required trainings with the Institute for Functional Medicine, and earned a mindfulness teacher certification through Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield’s program in 2021.

Theresa has authored Beyond the Battlefield and Beyond the Chalk Box. 

She is dedicated to empowering retired athletes, veterans, and chronic illness warriors on their path of self-discovery, health, and optimal performance through functional medicine, introspective practices, nurturing community, and fierce compassion. 

https://www.mymindfulmedicine.com
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