Matthias Kiwanuka, Super Bowl Mindset, and the Fight for the Player Within
- Dr. Natanya Wachtel
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Some people win trophies.
Some people change the entire game.
Matthias Kiwanuka has done both.
You probably know him as the New York Giants defensive powerhouse—the man with two Super Bowl rings and a highlight reel that still rattles through ESPN’s archives.
But the story you haven’t heard is the one that matters more:
The one about what happens after the confetti falls.
The one about who you become when the world stops cheering.
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We met through a friend—a connector of worlds—the inimitable Jason Savino, who practically built Miami and Boca Raton’s entertainment pulse from the ground up.
Jason doesn’t just introduce people.
He realigns destinies.
And that day, when he connected me to Matthias, something clicked immediately.
I wasn’t looking for another sports story.
I was looking for something real.
Someone willing to talk about the part of the playbook nobody sees—the one that covers mental health, financial literacy, identity beyond the uniform, and the battle to stay whole after the crowd goes home.
Matthias didn’t just meet the moment.
He expanded it.
When I first started sketching the idea for a new platform—#GameMindset—I didn’t have a marketing budget or a fancy rollout plan.
All I had was a fire in my chest and a question:
“What if we stopped pretending athletes are superheroes—and started helping them be human?”
It was Matthias who answered first.
Before the cameras.
Before the press releases.
He said yes.
He said yes to telling the truth.
Yes to talking about the pressure.
Yes to naming the mental health struggles most players are forced to face alone, behind closed locker room doors.
Because he’s lived it.
From Boston College stardom to NFL glory, Matthias saw how fast the ride can turn.
The physical injuries.
The quiet panic about what comes next.
The identity collapse when the pads come off and the silence kicks in.
And instead of running from it, he ran into it.
He trained as an NFL Transition Coach.
He speaks about financial literacy, mental wellness, life after football—the things that don’t make the highlight reels but determine who actually thrives when the game is over.
#GameMindset was born from that same spirit.
It’s not just a podcast.
It’s not just a hashtag.
It’s a rebellion against the toxic myths that say your value ends when the stadium lights do.
It’s about winning from within—before the contract, after the jersey, no matter what number’s on your back.
Matthias didn’t just inspire #GameMindset.
He helped architect it.
Because he knows firsthand:
Winning a championship is hard.
But winning your soul back after the world moves on—that’s the real Super Bowl.
We need more stories like his.
Stories that tell the truth about the cost of greatness.
Stories that honor resilience without romanticizing the wreckage.
Stories that remind athletes—and the world—that mental wellness is not a luxury. It’s survival.
Because fame fades.
But the brain, the body, the heart—they’re yours for life.
And they deserve protection.
They deserve celebration.
Just like Matthias deserves his flowers—not just for what he did on the field, but for what he’s building off of it.
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This column is just the beginning.
#GameMindset is growing.
The mission is expanding.
And voices like Matthias Kiwanuka’s are leading the charge.
If you have a story—of resilience, reinvention, or redefining your worth—I want to hear it.
This space is for the unpolished.
The unheard.
The people behind the personas.
Email me. DM me. Tell me what’s behind your mirror.
You just might be next.