On episode 26 of the Mental Dive podcast, I have the honour of being joined by Noora Räty. Noora is a very decorated athlete, winning multiple NCAA, Russian and Finnish ice hockey championships. On this of this, she also has multiple bronze Olympic and World Championship finishes, as well as a World Championships silver. Needless to say, Noora has found herself in many situations that would make the faint of heart fold from the pressure. But for Noora, these pressures were a privilege.
Being the second ever woman to play in the Mestis (D2 Finnish Men's pro), Noora brings incredible insight into the experiences and challenges she faced as she drove to prove her worth in a male dominated league. Whether is was pressure from herself, the media, or the fans, she strived to maintain her focus and be able to use her net as a safe space for her. A space that she knows all too well!
Throughout the course of the podcast, myself and Noora also dive into her elite level mindset, what she's seen helping doing to help establish a sustainable professional women's ice hockey league in North America, and a ton more!
Episode Art Creds: Timo Savela
