Meet the A4C Team

Levi Leipheimer is a two-time U.S. National Champion and Olympic bronze medalist who spent nearly two decades competing at the highest levels of professional cycling. Born and raised in Butte, Montana, Leipheimer’s career included victories at the Tour of California (2007, 2008, 2009), Tour de Suisse (2011), and USA Pro Cycling Challenge (2011), along with podium finishes at Grand Tours including second place at the 2008 Vuelta a España.

After retiring in 2013, Leipheimer faced the profound challenge that defines so many athletes’ post-competition lives: the loss of identity that comes when the thing that defined you for decades suddenly ends. For years, his life had been shaped by extreme physical endurance and the culture of toughness that comes with elite sport. The transition away from professional cycling revealed struggles he wasn’t prepared for - a reality he now knows is shared by countless athletes across every sport.

Today, Leipheimer channels that experience into advocacy. As an Ambassador for Athletes for Care, he’s committed to proving that vulnerability and asking for help aren’t weaknesses - they’re the ultimate markers of strength. He believes the “tough it out” mentality athletes are taught often becomes the very thing that prevents healing. Through his work with A4C, Leipheimer is helping build a movement that prioritizes athlete mental health and explores innovative pathways like psychedelic-assisted therapy for those dealing with concussions, TBI, PTSD, and mental health challenges. He currently resides in Santa Rosa, California, where he serves as patron of the Levi’s GranFondo.

Riley Cote grew up with one goal: to make it in professional hockey. Undrafted out of juniors, he earned his way into the NHL through sheer determination, eventually spending four seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers after working his way up through the minor leagues. Along the way he helped the Philadelphia Phantoms win the Calder Cup and built a reputation as one of the game’s most tenacious competitors.

When Cote retired from professional hockey in 2010, he carried with him the physical and emotional toll that comes with years of playing one of the world’s most demanding sports. Facing concussion related challenges and searching for a path forward, he chose to forge his own. Rather than following conventional approaches to recovery, Cote committed to a holistic healing journey that included plant medicines like cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms, integrating them mindfully into his wellness practice.

That personal transformation became a calling. Cote went on to study holistic theology, nutrition, exercise, recovery, and plant medicine, eventually building a mindfulness practice dedicated to helping others tap into their highest selves and live more purposeful lives. As an Ambassador for Athletes for Care, he brings the hard won wisdom of an athlete who refused to accept that suffering was simply part of the deal. His story is a testament to what becomes possible when athletes are given access to innovative tools for healing and growth.

Braden Smith was born in Olathe, Kansas and went on to become one of the most dependable offensive linemen in the NFL. Drafted 37th overall out of Auburn University in the 2018 NFL Draft, Smith spent eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts before signing with the Houston Texans in 2026, building a reputation as a durable and high performing right tackle known for his strength, consistency, and professionalism.

Behind the success, Smith was quietly fighting a battle that nearly cost him everything. Facing severe mental health challenges that pushed him to the edge, he exhausted conventional treatment options before making a courageous decision to pursue psychedelic assisted therapy. Through Ambio, a leading clinic specializing in this work, Smith underwent treatment that included ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT. The experience proved transformative. Smith credits it with saving his life and enabling his return to the game he loves.

As a current NFL player and Ambassador for Athletes for Care, Smith brings something rare to the movement: the voice of an active professional athlete willing to speak openly about mental health struggles and the healing potential of innovative therapies. His willingness to share his story while still competing at the highest level makes him a uniquely credible and courageous voice for change.

Ryan Horn grew up in Urbandale, Iowa, where sport was a constant. A three sport athlete in high school competing in football, basketball, and baseball, Horn went on to play college football before building a successful career in business development, earning his MBA from the University of Sioux Falls along the way.

Like so many athletes, the transition away from competitive sport left Horn searching for something he couldn’t quite name. Despite trying numerous approaches and medications to address his mental health, nothing seemed to work. It was a conversation with Robert Gallery and hearing firsthand how psychedelic assisted therapy had transformed Robert’s own life that opened a new door. Horn’s experience with ibogaine became a turning point, offering him what years of conventional treatment had not.

Today, Horn is a passionate advocate for expanding access to innovative mental health solutions for athletes at every level. As an Ambassador for Athletes for Care, he brings both the credibility of personal experience and the conviction that no athlete should have to struggle in silence. When he’s not championing athlete wellbeing, Ryan can be found on the golf course, spending time outdoors, or cheering on his two kids as they compete in cross country, volleyball, and track alongside his wife Kara.

Anna Symonds is a retired Women’s Premier League rugby player whose 20 year athletic career spans multiple sports and multiple championships. In rugby, she claimed a USA Rugby Division 1 National Championship and a Sydney Premiership Championship. In Touch Rugby, she represented the United States at the 2015 Touch World Cup and won four national championships with the Portland Hunters. She has also competed in amateur mixed martial arts, embodying the relentless competitive spirit that has defined her athletic life.

Like many athletes who have spent decades pushing their bodies and minds to the limit, Symonds found her most profound healing not through conventional means but through plant medicines and psychedelic therapies. Medicines including ayahuasca, psilocybin, and 5-MeO-DMT have been transformative for her, helping her move past painful stuck points and opening new possibilities for growth and recovery. That personal experience fuels her professional mission.

As Executive Director of the Etheridge Foundation, Symonds works to advance access to safe, legal, and effective plant medicine and psychedelic treatments for opioid use disorder and addiction. She holds a master’s degree in Communication, served on Oregon’s Cannabis Commission Research Leadership Subcommittee, and serves as an Ambassador for the Last Prisoner Project and the Concussion Legacy Foundation. As an Ambassador for Athletes for Care, she brings both lived experience and institutional expertise to a movement she believes can change lives.

Angelina Anderson grew up in Danville, California and went on to become one of the most decorated goalkeepers of her generation. At UC Berkeley, she earned Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in her first season, was named team captain in her sophomore year, and finished her college career with 242 saves across 72 appearances. Drafted by Angel City FC in the 2023 NWSL Draft, she made history as the first rookie goalkeeper to start in the NWSL playoffs since the league’s inaugural season. She has since earned a call up to the United States senior national team.

Behind the accolades, Anderson was navigating a deeply personal journey. From her early teens she faced ongoing struggles with depression, anxiety, and mental health challenges that followed her all the way through college. During her senior year at Berkeley she sustained a serious concussion that she chose not to report, pushing through for her team while her symptoms quietly intensified. It was only when her body finally forced her to stop that she found the support she needed. The path that followed, through therapy, brain healing, and psychiatric care, proved transformative and set her on a new course.

That course led her to the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, where her studies in psychology and her own lived experience converged into a deep passion for psychedelic assisted therapy as a tool for brain and mental health healing. As an Ambassador for Athletes for Care, Anderson brings a unique combination of academic grounding, personal experience, and a platform in women’s soccer that opens the door to audiences the movement has yet to fully reach. She is living proof that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but the beginning of something better.

Levi Horn was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, where he first made his mark as a first team All-State tight end at Rogers High School. He went on to play college football at the University of Oregon before transferring to the University of Montana, where he earned unanimous All-Big Sky Conference honors and was named an FCS All-American in 2009. Undrafted in 2010, Horn earned his way onto the Chicago Bears 53 man roster through sheer determination, later signing with the Minnesota Vikings and going on to play in the CFL with the BC Lions and the Arena Football League with the Spokane Shock and LA Kiss.

An enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe with Arikara, Siksika, and A’aninin affiliations, Horn has always carried a deep connection to Indigenous traditions and an openness to holistic approaches to healing. That openness proved essential when the last four years of his life brought him to his knees. Facing profound mental health challenges, Horn found his way to treatment through the support of his wife Tatum and a willingness to explore alternative pathways to healing.

Today, Horn travels the country sharing his story of resilience and recovery. He coaches at Rogers High School, mentors Native youth on addiction prevention and empowerment, and runs Dog Soldiers LLC, offering keynotes, mental performance coaching, workshops, and camps rooted in Indigenous wellness and the power of overcoming obstacles. As an Ambassador for Athletes for Care, Horn brings a perspective that is both deeply personal and culturally significant, helping to ensure that the conversation around athlete mental health reaches every community that needs it.

Beth Rex has spent her career at the intersection of athletics and athlete well-being, a journey that naturally led her to serve as Executive Director of Athletes For Care. In this role, she oversees the foundation’s daily operations and supports the board of directors as they work to spark a national conversation around traumatic brain injury in athletics and to find real solutions to help athletes.

Beth’s path to advocacy began in athletic training rooms, where she first witnessed the physical toll that sports can take on athletes. Her clinical background gave her an up-close understanding of injury, recovery, and the long-term challenges athletes face - insights that proved invaluable when she transitioned into program management roles.

She spent over a decade as chief of staff alongside coach Brian Kelly, first during 12 years at Notre Dame and most recently at LSU. In these roles, she managed the intricate daily operations of elite football programs while serving as a key liaison and problem-solver. The experience taught her how to navigate complex organizations, build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups, and keep mission-critical operations running smoothly.

Beth’s foundation in athletic training remains central to her perspective. During her time at Cincinnati, she worked with teams across multiple sports, managing everything from training room operations to medical claims while also teaching future athletic trainers and sports administrators. Earlier stops at Memphis, Wooster, and the National Athletic Trainers Association rounded out her clinical and educational experience.

She holds degrees from Cincinnati and Eastern Kentucky University, and completed her Executive MBA at Notre Dame while juggling her demanding role at LSU - a testament to her commitment to continuous learning and growth.

Originally from Tiffin, Ohio, Beth is married to Byron Rex and brings the same collaborative spirit that served her well in athletics to her work advocating for athlete safety and wellbeing.

Jeanine “Nini” Martin is 1st Generation German albeit born in Boston, MA, raised in San Francisco, CA and living in Brentwood, TN. She learned English at age 6 years old in Kindergarten when she wrote on a piece of paper that she would compete in the Olympics trials for tennis in 1984 in Los Angeles, CA at the age of only 15 years old.

Jeanine has been in the Health IT industry for the past 25+ years across both US/Global public health and private commercial health providers, health payers and life sciences companies in the areas of biotech, pharma and medical devices from the Fortune 500 companies to driving Health IT startups to Unicorns/IPOs/Exit.

She is a Founding Officer of the TN HIMSS Chapter, their CIO Advisory Council & National Health IT Summit, Founding President of Women in Technology of TN and the Past President of Women in Technology International, to name a few of the nonprofit organizations that she philanthropically supported.

She spent 10 of those years working under the leadership of Bill Gates & Steve Ballmer at Microsoft/Accenture/Avanade being 1 of only 5 GTM Strategists that built their 1st US/Global HLS Industry Business Unit to a $2.5B market. In order to place Microsoft on the HLS map, she landed the single largest HLS deal in the history of the company leading with a Team of 30 over 12 months to align a 5 year Global HIT strategy plan from the single largest health payer and medical group in US to close a $122M+ commercial deal.

She then entered into the SMB market space where she helped 3 HIT Startups grow to Unicorn IPOs/acquisition, in the areas of VBC/PHM/SDoH which she had done 3x’s prior to her tenure at Microsoft. For example, one of those startups was a M12 investment by Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO.

She has her undergraduate degree in Economics/Math/pre-med at UCSB and she was funded by the ONCHIT/US Dept of HHS to attend the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to study clinical informatics.

She now resides with her children and family in Brentwood, TN and loves all sports, travel and entertainment.

Kristopher Ray Bolleter is a multifaceted creative with over a decades experience crafting brands and conversion-focused online experiences across a number of industries from small businesses to Fortune 500 organizations and political campaigns local to presidential. Kristopher’s custom-tailored approach to developing personalized, data-driven strategies allows every client to standout and materialize their brand’s vision and goals.