Betsy A. Cutler, M.Ed.
President & Founder of Cutler Wellness Programs

MY BACKGROUND

My background is in social services. After I received my B.S. in Psychology, I managed a Crisis Shelter for several years before becoming a mom. My expertise is in creating and maintaining programming as well as reviewing program constructs to streamline policies & procedures, ultimately to improve client care.

My motivation

My passion has always been college sports. My family and I have supported several college athletic programs through season tickets, athletic board appointments, and through scholarships. 

In 2015, I had a medical diagnosis that challenged me to consider how I was living my life. I questioned myself.

Am I doing what I am called to do? 
Am I making a difference?
The short answer was NO.

During that time in my life, I had two of my own high school athletes in our local County School System - one in Football and the other in CREW. This time prompted me to dig into research on College Athlete Mental Health systems. I was highly alarmed at the lack of support structures and the education that wasn't happening.

Then something interesting happened, my Alma mater's basketball program had an incident that brought me clarity as to what I needed to be doing with my expertise. A player missed a few critical free-throws in the last minute of a game and we didn't win. Trending through the night was his roasting on social media, enough where he woke up earlier than normal the next few days to go to the gym and practice free-throws.

So alarmed by this and understanding the toll college sports can take on our young athletes, I knew I was called to do something.

I began the journey of graduate school and merging my skill set with my passion. I went back to school and got my Master's of Education from VCU's Center for Sport Leadership where I focused on Student Athlete mental health. The CSL at VCU along with my contacts in the college athletic landscape have given me access to dig deep into what our student athletes (SAs) need for better mental health support.

Although, my journey began focusing on college athletics it has quickly expanded beyond that level due to the tremendous need across all levels.

I am constantly synthesizing new research and analyzing my own research to create data-driven programming for all levels and all types of Sports entities; including Professional sport organizations and their players, College Athletic departments, and High School sports.

My College Athlete Mental Health research has been published by the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics. Check out the Homepage for the LINK to read it.

My advocacy lies in what I believe are the most central pieces of Athlete & Coach Mental Health:

1) we need to begin the Mental Health conversation in High School,
2) every college athletics program should have Mental Health services embedded within the Athletic Village. This may look differently based upon the size of the institution but the goal remains the same. Research shows there are many barriers to SAs seeking the help they need and I am committed to get that information out to College Administrators and Athletic Directors, and
3) we need to break athlete stigma and educate Athletes at ALL levels from AAU - Professional.

I am thrilled to be a part a national conversation about Athlete Mental Health. The focus of my business is Research - Advocacy - Education. I hope you find this website full of helpful information as well as a place to ask questions.

Please feel free to contact me with any question you may have.

 Max Clark
Product Manager

Who am I?

I am an ex-student athlete looking to help others. I was born and raised in Winter Park, Florida. I spent much of my life on the baseball diamond. I spent my first year in college playing baseball for Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. I then transferred to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida for my second year as a student athlete. I am now at the University of Central Florida studying Management and Entrepreneurship.

My Motivation!

During my time spent as a student athlete I experienced a battle with mental health conditions and saw little in the way of places to turn for help. The struggle with mental wellness would ultimately be the downfall of my athletic career. However, my story is not one of tragedy as it allowed me to pursue a new passion. My new-found purpose is to help others who have the same struggles that I had. I joined the Cutler Wellness Program team so that I can help provide resources to those who need them. I witnessed the need for better resources for athletes first-hand and I am excited by the opportunity to provide them for others!

Dr. Lana Loken
Educational Content Manger

Who am I?

I have been in the Athletic Training field for over 25 years. I have not only taught students going into the Athletic Training profession the tools of the trade, but I have also worked hands-on with hundreds of high school and college student-athletes over the years to prepare them for their respective sports seasons or help them return to play after injury.

I have a B.S. in Athletic Training from South Dakota State University, an M.S. in Sports Management from St. Cloud State University (MN) and an Ed.D. from the University of South Dakota in Educational Administration.  I am currently the Clinical Education Coordinator at Dakota Wesleyan University, in Mitchell, SD, where I also am a Professor of Athletic Training.

My Motivation!

While I have spent most of my professional life around the physical well-being of student-athletes, I have become more passionate about improving the emotional and mental state of student-athletes, whether it be the youth hockey player in my community or the college student-athletes I work with every day.  Our world is hard to navigate and the challenges of being an athlete compounds these issues. Some of the issues I have seen personally and professionally have me asking myself more and more, "What can I do to make this student's life better?"

Because of this, I am completing a Sport Social Work Certificate through the Alliance of Social Workers in Sport.  I have also completed countless hours of continuing education focusing on mental health and suicide prevention. As an educator I have spent countless hours creating educational content that appeals to high school and college students as well as coaches, parents, and professional peers. I hope to bring that expertise to CWP so I can help create content that will help reduce mental health stigma so we can begin openly talking about how mental health is a key component to athletic success. I would also enjoy working with you to give your students and coaches the tools necessary to succeed and get the most out of their time at your institution.   

Artis Gordon, M. Ed.
Educator

Who am I?

I have been a servant leader who has contributed to the success of college students for early 19 years. His development of student-centric approaches to building efficient practices that ensure a positive experience for transfer students and student-athletes has led to national recognition. Recently, I spent time as Director of Student-Athlete Development for a Division I athletics program. In that role, I provided professional and leadership development to student-athletes. I facilitated a Leadership Academy that helped student-athletes build self-efficacy as leaders in sport and in life. I have taught student success courses at the undergraduate level which has allowed me to teach principles of leadership theory, appreciative inquiry and emotional intelligence and how to use them on and off the field.

My Motivation!

I am a proud first-generation graduate; I credit my longevity in higher education to the love for empowering college students so they can make an intentional positive impact on their community and beyond. I partner with students to help them discover their purpose and develop a sustainable leadership acumen. My holistic approach to teaching leadership focuses on self-awareness, finding a unique core value system, emotional intelligence, and service.

“I truly believe that if a student views themselves as a leader, they will be on a path to success and high-level achievement in and out of the classroom.”- Artis Gordon

Mikalya Popham
Marketing and Social Media Intern

WHO AM I?

I am currently a student-athlete in my senior year at California State University, Bakersfield. I am from Queensland, Australia and came to America in August of 2019 to pursue both my athletic and academic goals through getting a degree and swimming on the CSUB swim team. I am currently studying Psychology with a minor in Kinesiology and hope to pursue my master’s degree after I graduate.

 MY MOTIVATION!

I was originally a Kinesiology major when I first came to CSUB, however, I took a few psychology classes and absolutely fell in love with them and was so interested by them that I switched my major to Psychology my sophomore year. I absolutely loved learning about the different aspects of the human mind and how it functions to ultimately influence our behaviors and attitudes. As a student athlete myself, I have both seen and experienced the different ways that athletes struggle with mental health. I think it so important for student athletes to not feel alone and know that they can reach out for help. I want to be able to make an impact and ensure that all athletes know that there are resources that they can turn to when in need. Dr. Robert Greim joins Cutler Wellness Program after 26 years of working in NCAA Division I and NAIA intercollegiate athletics.  A highly regarded thought-leader in national discussions of student-athlete health and wellness, Greim has written articles for Inside Higher Ed, the Journal of NCAA Compliance, and the College Sports Journal, as well as two book chapters.