What It’s REALLY Like To Be An Athlete With OCD
Get to know OCD23 Okt 2025

What It’s REALLY Like To Be An Athlete With OCD

Tom Smalley grew up chasing athletic success, but behind his drive was a constant mental battle he didn’t yet understand. At sixteen, he was diagnosed with OCD, a condition that turned every game, practice, and routine into a fight against his own mind. What started as private suffering became a lifelong mission to change how athletes and the world see mental health.


Today, Tom is the founder of Struggle into Strength Performance and the recipient of the IOCDF Hero Award. Through his work with the Anxiety in Athletes initiative, co-founded with the IOCDF, he’s helping break the silence around OCD and anxiety in sports. In this conversation, Tom shares how he turned stigma into strength — and why no athlete should have to face their mental health alone.


NOCD specializes in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy. Want to explore your treatment options? Book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT


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