Wellness expert Heather Grzych interviews fellow author and Mission Fellow of Athletics Mary Volmer about the role of spirituality and religion in sports and the role of sports and religion in spirituality. They discuss what artists and athletes have in common with each other, and even have a quick chat about Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of the 2024 championship Boston Celtics team, and how other coaches use faith to drive missions forward. They also address what success looks like in sports, and if the concept of the dumb jock is really fair one.
Mary Volmer is the author of two novels (Reliance, Illinois and Crown of Dust) and is the Mission Fellow for Athletics at Saint Mary’s College of California. In this interfaith, lay chaplaincy position, she counsels and attends to the spiritual well-being of NCAA D-I athletes and coaches. She specializes in meditation, deep listening, and centering prayer techniques and teaches athletes and coaches to manage and alleviate anxiety, rediscover joy, and develop their gifts in a balanced and healthy way. In private practice, Mary works with artists, especially writers. She utilizes “talk story” to help artists discover the voice and the underlying emotional (and dramatic) structure of their work. As a former D-I women’s basketball player and a working novelist, Mary shares unique insights into the emotional and spiritual challenges experienced by athletes and artists. She understands the rigors and joys of discipline, the quiet rush of the flow state, the pain of failure, and the courage it takes to try and to try again. It is her mission to help artists and athletes of all spiritual and religious traditions to grow gracefully into their many gifts and to share those gifts with the world. www.maryvolmer.com
Heather Grzych, AD is an American author and expert in Ayurvedic medicine who was formerly the head of product development for a multi-billion-dollar health insurance company. She is a board-certified Ayurvedic practitioner at the Ayurvedic Doctor level, serving on the faculty at Mount Madonna Institute College of Ayurveda and on the Board of Directors for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. Heather’s first book, , has sold thousands of copies worldwide, and her writing has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Yoga Journal, and the Sunday Independent. Her podcast, , holds an average rating of 5 stars on Apple Podcasts. In addition to creating, supporting her clients, and leading an organization, she’s often helping out at her son’s baseball practices. Visit her online at
