Meet Griffin

Hi everyone! My name is Griffin Looney. I am from Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and in 2024, I founded Mindfuletes.

Mindfuletes was created from my personal experiences as a student-athlete. I played sports my entire life, including baseball, basketball, lacrosse, and most prominently football. Growing up in highly competitive sports environments, my sense of worth often became tied to performance and weight. During youth football weigh-ins, red tape was placed across my helmet if I did not meet the required number, signaling that I could not touch the ball until I made weight. This reinforced the idea that pushing through and staying silent mattered more than well-being, a belief I later learned was deeply harmful.

When I entered my freshman year of high school and transitioned to a more competitive private school, the pressure to succeed became overwhelming. I began to believe that improving athletic performance required sacrificing my physical and mental health. I became fixated on my body, my appearance, and the expectations surrounding athletic success. Over time, this mindset escalated into serious struggles, including an eating disorder, body dysmorphia, and severe anxiety. The weight of that pressure led to more than two years spent navigating hospitals and treatment centers before I began to truly reclaim my mental health.

When I returned to football during my junior year, being held back reignited many of the same mental and physical struggles, revealing how vulnerable athletes can be when progress and opportunity feel out of reach. It was during this period that I founded Mindfuletes, recognizing the urgent need for a space where student-athletes could openly share their experiences, access the right resources, and feel supported without fear of stigma or consequences.

I later committed to Division III football at Franklin & Marshall College, but ultimately made the decision to step away from the sport to prioritize my mental health, academics, and overall well-being. That decision led me to transfer to NYU, where I am now focused on expanding Mindfuletes to reach and support even more student-athletes.

Mindfuletes is built on the belief that student-athletes deserve support both on and off the field. Our mission is to bring together athletes from K–12, collegiate, and professional levels into a transparent and supportive community that encourages positive physical and mental health practices, shared experiences, and equal access to resources so athletes can live balanced, healthy lives.