ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Olivia Mehaffey has been chasing golf for most of her life.
She represented Ireland at 12, moved to America to play college golf at Arizona State, won three times in one semester, and looked ready to take the next step into professional golf.
Then her dad was diagnosed with cancer.
Before he died, he made her promise she would go to Q School.
He passed away on the Friday. His funeral was on the Sunday. Olivia flew to Q School on the Monday.
And then she kept going.
Golf. Gym. Practice. Flights. Tournaments. Anything that kept her busy enough not to really stop and process what had happened.
At the time, Olivia thought that was how she was coping.
Looking back, she now sees it very differently.
We talk about:
⛳ Growing up obsessed with golf and representing Ireland at 12.
🇺🇸 Moving to Arizona State and learning to stand on her own two feet.
❤️ Her relationship with her dad and the promise that took her to Q School.
🧠 Burying herself in golf rather than dealing with what had happened.
💬 Why keeping everything in became one of her biggest regrets.
🏌️ Learning that if Olivia the person wasn’t okay, Olivia the golfer probably wasn’t going to be either.
We also talk about anxiety, social media, identity, sports psychology, taking time away from the game, and trying to build a healthier relationship with golf.
It’s a very open conversation about what happens when “just keep going” stops being useful.
Watch more stories like Olivia's on Healthy Minds GC.
📲 Follow Olivia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviamehaffey/
📲 Follow Florio Golf on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florio_golf/
