Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Mundy points to the sidelines against the Denver Broncos during an … [+]
When Ryan Mundy retired from the NFL in 2016, he found himself in the same situation as many other former professional athletes.
He didn’t know what to do.
Mundy had spent 24 years of his life playing football. He starred in high school at Woodland Hills in the Pittsburgh area then at the University of Michigan and West Virginia University.
After that was a six-year NFL career as a safety with his hometown Steelers, the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.
It would not be entirely fair to say football was Mundy’s entire life. It was a very big part of it, though.
“I found myself in a depressed state, dealing with a bunch of anxiety and identity issues,” Mundy said. “I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with the next chapter in my life.”
Mundy knew he had reached a point where he needed some help in dealing with his mental state. Though he had made a good living as a professional football player, Mundy quickly learned that mental health services are lacking for Black people and other minorities.
“I looked into the market to try to get resources to try to help navigate my thoughts, emotions and current mental state at the time, but completely fell flat,” Mundy said. “It was not a money thing but it was just more about a cultural intelligence and an accessibility that, quite frankly, I couldn’t find my way to help.”
Making matters worse were that many members of Mundy’s family were facing health challenges.
“It was a laundry list of chronic disease and illness — Alzheimer’s and dementia, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, you name it – and I was kind of seeing it all in a very short period of time,” Mundy said. “I just asked a really simple question. I was like, ‘who’s focused on promoting and inspiring hospitals and caring for folks who look like me and are from my community? And the answer came back, not many people.”
In the long run, light did emerge from Mundy’s dark period. He realized he could use his football experience and MBA to do something to help provide more mental health resources to the Black community.
Mundy recently launched Alkeme after contemplating the idea for nearly three years. It is an internet-based health and wellness platform dedicated to Black individuals.
The company also launched the Alkeme Athlete Coalition, a group and hub on the Alkeme platform that is focused on mental health awareness, education and providing resources to athletes on all levels. Alkeme offers culturally centered therapist-led courses and expert-guided mindfulness and meditation practices.
Mundy says he is striving for Alkeme to become a universal health and wellness provider for the Black community. The company has activated a partnership with the National Football League Players Association this week as part of the Super Bowl festivities in the Phoenix area.
Among the founding members of Alkeme are Dr. Candace Williams, the director of mind health and wellness for the Boston Celtics; Dr. Victor Kidd, the senior director of clinical services and player well-being for Major League Soccer and retired NFL players Brandon Coleman, Dennis Dixon and Jelani Jenkins.
“What I realized during this time when I started the company was people need entry points,” Mundy said of putting together the AAC. “They need to find the environment, the right friends who are trying to create generational wealth. It all made sense to kind of go back to our roots and serve a community that is very near and dear to my heart.”
Mundy admits it was daunting to transition from football player to entrepreneur. However, just as he did in football, Mundy attacked his new world with intelligence and persistence.
Now, he is proudly in a position where he can help other people who were once in his situation.
“I’d never had a corporate job and I didn’t have any experience but I did have an MBA,” Mundy said. “So I knew I was smart enough and capable of figuring everything that I needed to figure it out. There are so many things to do, so many considerations, etc. So, it was extremely challenging, generally, because I didn’t have the experience. But what really helped me was I had the disposition to go figure it out.
“I think there’s a long way to go as it relates to the services and our products in the marketplace when it comes to mental health in the Black community. However, I do think the conversations are happening a lot more right now. There’s a heightened awareness.”
