Talking about mental illness is never easy.

It’s even more difficult when you are in the spotlight. 

For Nadia Popov that spotlight was being one of the players competing for a spot on the women’s rugby sevens team for the Rio Summer Olympics

It was the biggest challenge of her life. 

She was on the verge of competing on sport’s grandest stage yet she was struggling with depression, beating herself up, constantly telling herself she wasn’t worthy of playing and practicing alongside the others.

Yet she found the strength to reach out and talk. 

Now Ms. Popov, having returned to Queen’s to continue her studies in Life Sciences, is sharing her story in the hope of helping others who find themselves in a similar situation. Recently she wrote a blog that was published by CBC Sports. In it she says that she was inspired by Clara Hughes, Canada’s greatest female Olympian who has shared her mental health story and is a spokesperson for Bell Let’s Talk Day Jan. 25.

“Mental illness is something that I feel really strongly about and obviously it has impacted my life but it has impacted people in my family as well, and I have had quite a few friends who have struggled with mental illness,” she says. “That was a big thing for me, I know how many people struggle with it and I know how valuable it was for me to be able to read Clara Hughes’ book and listen to her speak. I know that when I was struggling that was kind of a resource to see that I can relate to someone else who is also high-performance and high-functioning and that helped me a lot when I needed it. I think that was the goal of my article, just to use my voice and use that platform that I had been given to hopefully reach someone who might be struggling with the same thing and might not understand what’s going on.”

After completing her first year at Queen’s, where she would be named OUA women’s rugby top rookie, Ms. Popov would join the national program full-time with an eye on competing at Rio. She would win a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto but would not make the Olympic squad.

For Ms. Popov, she first had a bridge of her own to cross. It was around Christmas 2015 that she finally confided in a teammate, telling her of her struggles with depression. It was the toughest decision she has ever made she says, but one that has changed her life.

Since writing the article, the response has been overwhelming she says. It’s shown her that while it may have been a difficult decision, it definitely was the right one.

“When I was writing the article I don’t think I considered what the response would be, it was just focus on writing it, sending it out,” she explains. “As soon as it was published I was getting messages from friends from high school, people I haven’t talked to in a while, I was getting messages from strangers saying they were dealing with the same thing and they could relate with it. I don’t know if I was being naïve but I wasn’t expecting that kind of response. It was definitely overwhelming but it made me feel very positive about my decision to write it.”

Now back at Queen’s in her third year of Life Sciences, Ms. Popov has a new set of goals. Rugby remains a big part, with another outstanding season in the books for the Gaels. After getting her degree she hopes to attend medical school and she also isn’t ruling out another try for the Olympics in 2020.

But first, it’s time to study, get healthy and help others.