Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Molina Hidalgo
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I guess my whole life story is about overcoming. I started playing a European sport called Handball (balonmano), a team sport where players try to score goals by throwing a ball into the opposing team’s net using only their hands, similar to basketball but with more physical contact. I often found myself playing with teams older than me, and when I turned 12, I began competing in national championships and had the exciting opportunity to be part of both federal and national teams. However, life had something for me I wasn’t expecting. I was 14 years old when I tore my ACL for the first time… That led to 4 years of surgeries due to numerous complications, failed recoveries, and medical negligence. These years felt like a complete nightmare, and I learned how essential it is to have someone who guides and supports you emotionally and mentally through every injury and recovery. For that reason, I decided to become a psychologist. At the same time, I became a handball coach and a referee so I could be connected to my sport. Once I finished my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, my passion for learning and being able to give more to my athletes made me pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience. Long story short, I decided to move to the US once I got my international Ph.D. to keep developing my research career and expand the boundaries of knowledge in psychology, lifestyle behaviors, and neurocognitive function. Nowadays, I am a postdoctoral research scientist in the lab of my dreams, working for one of the most influential researchers in exercise and neuroscience. Moreover, in a bid to maintain my connection with handball, I chose to become a referee for the US Team Handball Federation. Life got another surprise! After a few months of representing the US in different tournaments, I was proposed (with my referee partner and friend, Anastasiia) to become an International Handball Referee and potentially represent the US in the Olympics 2028 in Los Angeles.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest obstacles has been overcoming injuries at a young age. As a young athlete, you truly feel yourself only when you’re engaging in the sport you love and excelling at it. However, that led me to pursue different paths that brought me to where I am today. Other big struggles have been to leave my life, family, and friends “behind” and to adjust to a new country. Moving from Europe to the US has been an eye-opening experience. Despite being the same species—humans—the social and cultural norms can make you feel as if you’re in an entirely different world. I’m still adapting to this country and its ways of operating. Finally, being a female in a sports setting is never easy, and acknowledging that men in a position of power may impact my career, harass, or threaten me has been a difficult realization. However, if I have learned something along the way, it is to overcome difficulties and keep fighting for my dreams.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a neuroscientist focused on three primary areas: exercise neuroscience, neurocognitive function across the lifespan, and stress biomarkers. I have spent most of my young research career investigating the individual variability in benefiting from lifestyle behaviors throughout the lifespan. My work on national and international studies has demonstrated that lifestyle interventions, such as dietary habits, physical activity, and different modalities of exercise, positively affect physical fitness, body composition, sleep quality, cognition, and brain and mental health in various populations. Specifically, these benefits have been observed in children and adolescents, young, middle-aged, and older adults. Additionally, my contributions have targeted populations often underrepresented in exercise research science. My ongoing research illustrates systematic comprehension of how exercise influences brain health, especially in relation to stress-related factors pathways. I am also a sports psychologist and have worked with many great Spanish athletes for the last 10 years.
I take great pride in my research endeavors, staying true to myself regardless of the setting and expressing my creativity through my individuality and multidimensionality as a person. In a world where everything is visible on social media, and all aspects are predefined and labeled, embracing our multifaceted nature and the richness it brings to our individuality is the most powerful skill.
How do you define success?
I think there are multiple ways to define success. First and foremost, I believe that the feeling of being successful comes from establishing your foundations as a person, such as having a place to live, food, a sense of fulfillment, and satisfying your basic desires. In summary, even if there are different ways to categorize success, I would say that achieving things is the closest definition.
I also believe that success reflects my self-perception, both personally and professionally. I need to be proud of who I am in all aspects of my life. For example, for me, it’s not just about making a lot of money; it’s about being proud of how I earn/make it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://psicohandball.blogspot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psicocristinamolina/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cristina-Molina/100063499063293/
- Twitter: https://x.com/ccrismh?mx=2
