When injury sidelines an athlete—or performance outcomes fall short—it has a way of revealing growth edges within us. Tune in to The Appetite as Opal Co-Founder and Director of the Exercise + Sport Program, Kara Bazzi, LMFT, sits down with high school distance runner and podcaster Nicholas Macha. In this powerful conversation, Nicholas shares how his injuries and performance disappointments led him to a deeper exploration of identity, relationships, faith, and the constant balancing act between sports, school, and social life. His honesty and insight as a young male athlete offer a refreshing and inspiring look at navigating challenges while maintaining a perspective of growth, clarity and hope.
Connect with Opal:
Thank you to our team…
Editing by David Bazzi
Music by Aaron Davidson: https://soundcloud.com/diet75/
Sound engineering by Ayesha Ubayatilaka at Jack Straw Studios
Transcription summary provided by Rev.com
Kara Bazzi interviewed Nicholas Macha, a high school junior, long-distance runner, and podcast host. Nicholas discussed his athletic journey, beginning with baseball and transitioning to running. He detailed the significant mental and emotional impact of a major knee dislocation, which triggered an identity crisis and forced him to confront his self-worth being tied to his sport. He spoke vulnerably about a subsequent difficult cross-country season that left him feeling defeated and lonely. The turning point in his perspective came from a school retreat called Kairos, which helped him process his pain, value human connection over achievement, and learn the importance of letting go. He reflected on how this experience shaped his approach to a recent ankle injury and his overall outlook on running, relationships, and life.
Interviewee Background
Nicholas Macha was a 17-year-old high school junior at Seattle Prep. He was a long-distance runner on the cross country and track teams. He was also the host of his own podcast, “The Sunday Shakeout,” where he interviewed athletes and shared his own reflections in solo episodes. He previously played baseball before dedicating himself to running.
Key Points
- Nicholas experienced a significant identity crisis after a freak knee dislocation, as his identity had become completely intertwined with being a runner.
- He found that his podcast became a crucial outlet for self-reflection and processing his emotions during his injury recovery, serving as a form of public journaling.
- He struggled immensely after a disappointing cross-country season, where he felt he had failed himself and his team, leading to a period of loneliness and questioning his purpose in the sport.
- A school retreat called Kairos was a transformative experience, allowing him to connect deeply with his peers, process his emotional pain, and realize the importance of being loved for who he is, not what he does.
- He learned the value of surrendering control, taking perspective, and embracing life’s experiences beyond the narrow focus of athletic achievement.
- This new mindset helped him navigate a subsequent ankle injury with more maturity and less catastrophizing.
Notable Quotes
- “Running is something you do, not who you are.” (10:46) Nicholas shared this quote from coach Mike Smith, explaining how it applied to the identity crisis he faced after his knee injury.
- “When you have such a freak accident like that, that isn’t even related to really a training decision, it feels different. It feels like you don’t have control. And for especially like a sport like distance running where it’s so control oriented, not having that control was a big… a really hard thing for me to overcome.” (09:27) He said this while describing the mental difficulty of recovering from his knee dislocation.
- “Do the people in your life love you for who you are or what you do? Now, do you love yourself for who you are and what you do?” (29:17) He posed this question when reflecting on his realization from Kairos that his self-worth was based on his actions, while others loved him for his character.
- “Maybe if I open up first, then they’ll have the space and they’ll have the comfort to be able to do that as well.” (33:49) He stated this after realizing on Kairos that many of his peers were also silently struggling with their own problems.
Kicker Quotes
- “I would regret winning the state title but not enjoying cross country more than I would not winning state, but knowing that I had fun.” (39:30)
- “Don’t take yourself too seriously… we’re all living life for the first time and the only time.” (37:31)
- “We’re all just a footnote in history and you only get to live life once for 80 years if you’re lucky. So might as well just enjoy what you’re doing.” (38:20)
