Breathing New Life into Athletic Recovery: My Journey with the Green Bay Blizzard and Beyond

from Guest Blogger, Ana Kat

In our latest guest blog, Renew director and energy worker Ana Kat takes us inside the world of athletic recovery. She shares her unique journey—from how football shaped her adolescent years to her current work with the Green Bay Blizzard—and explains why recovery is essential for athletes at every level. You’ll also hear firsthand from Blizzard players who have experienced the impact of her methods this season.

Working with football players isn’t exactly natural or easy for me. Rejection happens daily, especially considering how different my demeanor is from the high-energy environment on the field. I can’t even throw a football (maybe they should teach me). There’s nothing about me that screams “athlete.” I stay active, but there was a time I wouldn’t even wear Nike because I didn’t feel powerful enough. This year, I put on the Nikes.

Football was one of the few consistent constants in my life. When my Dad became sick, his recovery made headlines. Packer players visited him and our family in the hospital, and that’s something I will never forget. Watching football was what we looked forward to—whether we were at the hospital, a doctor’s office, or at home. We couldn’t travel or go on vacations, so football it was.

I don’t claim to understand the game fully. My perspective is shaped by my experience with my Dad’s paralysis and how we managed it. My Dad couldn’t communicate his pain, so I learned to listen in a different way. And that changed how I watched football, too. I studied every move, every demeanor, every injury, every emotion. I learned to listen silently, understanding the human being behind the game. My Dad was not a football player, but when a player had an injury and was rehabbing with my Dad, they sure had a lot in common, and I was there watching, making friends, and learning. Taking it all in year after year after year.

I love the field, the energy, and the environment, but I don’t bring the same intensity as the players. That’s not my role. I see the game—and the athletes—through a different lens. I know there is a need in the athletic world for the work that I do. Convincing the athletes and coaches…that may take a little extra legwork.

I’m no stranger to rejection. The work I do can be highly scrutinized, and skeptics and those on the fence often aren’t sure of what to make of things like breathwork and energy healing. But when I see the physical and mental changes in the clients I work with, I know what I do has a place in the world of health and wellness. 

First and foremost, I teach breathwork. Try telling a group of rough-and-tumble professional football players that the first part of their recovery starts with breathing. There is often rejection initially because they are here to play football, not waste time meditating or trying to breathe like a zen master (their words, not mine, haha). But luckily that’s not what breathwork is all about and that’s why I set out to change the narrative.

Breathwork is just as vital as training a quarterback’s arm, because without breath, you lose all momentum and focus. Breathing is like a muscle (hint: your diaphragm) and can be trained, in fact has to be trained to strengthen every other part of the body. It’s truly a secret weapon, hidden but powerful. Control over the breath means control over oneself, and ultimately control of the game. Breathwork is active, it’s a workout, it’s meditation, and it will gut punch you if you're not ready for it.

Over my years of work, I’ve developed my own methods, building on each training experience and working quietly but impactfully. Before Western and Renew, I had the privilege of working with the Blizzard team, providing subtle energy movement for overall balance and injury recovery. I’ve worked with NFL players and other clientele going through knee replacements, trauma, surgery, or other injuries. When these athletes approach these recovery methods with an open mind, they witness the transformation their bodies can make.

Injuries often start mentally—30 seconds after impact, actually—the healing is a layered process. It’s not a one-and-done solution. Injury is where a lot of them start to trust me because they have no other options and have nothing else to lose. I see the forward momentum that breathwork creates. If we learn how to breathe, mentally check in, and use recovery in a way that is unique to the athlete, we can recover faster and manage injury better.

Once I began working with Western in Renew, I was able to integrate everything I do with breathwork and energy healing, elevating the recovery options for the athletes I work with to the next level. Each player who comes through our doors receives an assessment and a unique recovery program built to benefit their body.  There are several great recovery tools in Renew that we can utilize.

First—Vibragenix.This sound wave therapy and whole body vibration accelerate athletic performance. Sound travels extensively through the body non-invasively to increase cell voltage, relieve pain, release toxins, increase circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid, increase endorphins and so much more. The sooner I see someone after an injury, the more days we work together, the faster they’re back on the field.

PEMF therapy is my other go-to for athletes, as it has been shown to help with muscle soreness, with some players saying they can return to training quicker after using it.

Blizzard quarterback Max Meylor says, “I have seen my game recovery go from 5-6 days to getting back to normal to 2-3 days. I have also personally noticed that my play on the field has improved, and Western’s services play a major role in that.”

And defensive back Momodou Mby says, “These services at Western have helped me recover much faster and feel good throughout our practices during the week, leading into our games.”

We will also incorporate red light therapy and cryotherapy from time to time—creating a full state-of-the-art athletic recovery suite. I coordinate with their doctors, trainers, and therapists, utilizing all available tools to support and enhance recovery.

It’s been a long journey—many rejections, many setbacks—but also many positive turnarounds. I can’t believe how far we’ve come. This is the future of recovery, and I’m here for it. If only my Dad could see this now. Everything I do bears his signature, and I am forever grateful for his influence and inspiration.

Working with the team this year has been especially meaningful—they became like family. You get to know the stories, the journeys. It’s exciting to say hello when they first arrive, but sad, as there will be a goodbye when the season ends. It’s been so powerful to hear how these practices have impacted their mental and physical well-being during this current season, and especially rewarding to hear how their opinions about recovery work have changed.

From Defensive back Momodou Mby: “My mentality on recovery definitely has shifted in great ways. We do so much as athletes, and we don’t always realize how much toll it has on our bodies til it becomes pain rather than just soreness. Working with Ana has helped me see how much more we have to do to ensure our bodies are at peak performance.

And from quarterback Max Meylor, “Ana has a unique approach to recovery, and what I enjoy the most is that she explains and shares her knowledge with me. There’s a reason behind everything she does for me, and I truly thank her for that.”

Next in my journey, I am traveling to Milwaukee to work with 50 girls on the TOSA East Cross Country Team. The coach, a supporter of this approach, is empowering the girls to grow not just as athletes but also as confident and empowered individuals.

As I look to the future, I am more and more excited about expanding these programs and showing athletes across the Green Bay area and the state how these recovery techniques can impact their health and performance. 

Want to learn more about breathwork and recovery? I’m here to answer your questions! I’m passionate about these modalities and would love to share more with you. Join me for my monthly Q&A session, Coffee with Ana, every first Friday of the month at 9:00am. Bring a coffee, a friend or two, and sip, chat, and learn about the world of holistic wellness. 

Interested in finding out how the services in Renew can help you? Book your free consultation! We’ll talk about your goals, your struggles, and put together a recovery plan tailored to you. Learn more at westernracquet.com/renew-at-western.