The Thinking Out Loud Lab

Why We Ask What We Ask: Notes from an Ongoing Survey

This isn’t a final report. It’s the thinking in progress. In this behind-the-scenes entry, I share the questions that shaped our latest mental health survey, what I’m still unsure about, and why embracing uncertainty is part of doing research with soul.

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Laura Matos Melo

5 Jun 2025 · 2 min read

The Quiet Work

A Writing Exercise for When Everything Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

This isn’t about fixing yourself — it’s about making space to feel. This guided journaling prompt is for the moments when you’ve hit emotional ground zero. A gentle, structured way to listen inward and begin piecing yourself back together, page by page.

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Laura Matos Melo

5 Jun 2025 · 2 min read

The Body Remembers

When the Body Speaks for the Mind: Trauma in Motion

What if your fatigue, pain, or tension was speaking what your mouth couldn’t? In this reflection grounded in somatic psychology, we explore how the body stores trauma, carries emotional narratives, and reveals truths that often go unheard — especially in athletes.

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Laura Matos Melo

5 Jun 2025 · 2 min read

Signal in the Noise

Emotional Burnout or Identity Crisis? A Hypothesis in Progress

In the high-performance world, what looks like burnout might actually be something deeper. This piece shares early reflections from ongoing research — questioning where exhaustion ends and existential confusion begins. Imperfect, emotional, and still unfolding.

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Laura Matos Melo

5 Jun 2025 · 2 min read

Inner Echoes

What I Learned from a Champion’s Fear

She’s won medals and broken records — but what stayed with me most was how she spoke about fear. In this honest, human conversation, a high-performance athlete shares the invisible struggles behind her success, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up.

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Laura Matos Melo

5 Jun 2025 · 2 min read