Florida stars KN’isha Godfrey and Me’Arah O’Neal are taking their voices beyond the court with “Free Game,” a new podcast powered by EssentiallySports. In episode one, the duo opened up about legacy pressure, mental health, and the real-life challenges of college hoops, so let’s dive in.

 KN’isha Godfrey: I was so excited to meet you all. I just didn’t know what to expect. When I met you, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s so loving, so caring, so compassionate.’ Then we sat down and had a conversation, and you mentioned that a lot of people misunderstand you and feel like you come across as stuck-up or dismissive. But when I first met you, I didn’t experience that at all.

[To Me’Arah] So I guess my question is just like, growing up in the limelight and people kind of putting that persona on you, like, how did that make you feel, and just tell me kind of how that was growing up?

Me’Arah O’Neal: Growing up, I think it was a certain time in my life where I didn’t really understand it, you know what I’m saying? Because I was young, I was a kid. The only thing I was really worried about was going to school and playing at recess, for real, so that was really the only thing I was worried about. But once I started to actually understand it, that’s when I got into the AAU scenery. You know how that is.

Everybody’s there. So you get to experience trash talk, you get to experience crazy parents, like everything. It was a whole different world. You had people saying all types of crazy stuff. It was insane, but my mom really helped me with that, though, because one thing that my family has always talked about is staying humble.

You know, just because I had the last name of an All-Star Hall of Famer doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean you’re better than anybody. So I’ve just stuck with that pretty much, just always thought about it that way. And I didn’t want, I’ve never ever wanted to come off as stuck up or dismissive or better than anybody.

KN’isha Godfrey: And you also kind of mentioned to me that you were homeschooled for a bit? Didn’t you mention that? Yeah, you were homeschooled, how was that? Cause’ I didn’t even expect that.

Me’Arah O’Neal: Yeah. Homeschool was low-key lit, though. I’m not gonna lie because I’m gonna be totally honest with you, I don’t really like school. I don’t like going to class, I don’t like doing any of that. So just being able to wake up, do homework, go hoop, come back, do more homework, it was way easier for me. And I get to spend time with my family.

But the only downside of it is the social part of it. You don’t really get to experience a lot with a lot of people, so when I got to college, that’s really when I started to branch out a little bit.

[To KN’isha] What about you, man? You branched out to about three different colleges, and you finally got here. You finally got here.

KN’isha Godfrey: Yeah, I mean, growing up, originally from Columbus, Ohio, and then I moved to Florida, you know that. So I played for two different AAU teams. I played for Ohio, and then I played for Essence. So I got to experience two sides of things, and then I ended up committing to Mississippi State and playing there under Nikki McCray, and playing with a lot of great players like Rickea Jackson, Aaliyah Matharu, Jessika Carter, a lot of great players with big and different personalities.

And then my coach kind of got sick and eventually had to step down, and I ended up having to leave mid-year and transfer to TCU. Later on, I found out that my coach had passed away. So that was really a lot for me, just trying to, you know, I’m still growing up as well. And then I went to TCU and got coached by an amazing coach, and then she stepped down, so I went through that as well. And then having another coach come in who didn’t recruit me was a whole different dynamic.

Me’Arah O’Neal: How’d you deal with that though?

KN’isha Godfrey: I would just say I dealt with it by surrounding myself with my family and support, and people who could just love on me. And I think it’s also part of my testimony, with developing a stronger relationship with God. I think He was just trying to teach me a lot of things, like how strong I really am, how strong I can really be. He’ll put you through those tests and stuff like that to let you know how strong you are. And if you have faith as a mustard seed, He’ll move mountains for you and stuff like that.

Yeah, so that year came around, and then I got injured that same year and got a new coach. So I went through that, and that was the season where I had to learn how to pick myself up and continue to have faith. And then the following season, I didn’t play as much as you, so you know how that goes. But we also won a lot. And then I decided to transfer, and now I’m here at Florida, where I feel like I’m thriving and growing.

I’m meeting amazing people like you, and we’re sitting here thinking about a podcast and creating names. It’s just like life takes you through so many ups and downs, but now that I’m here, I feel like I’m really aligned with the people that I’m supposed to be around. And it makes me feel like those moments where I felt like, you know, God, where are you at?

KN’isha Godfrey: But tell me about your college experience with basketball. You’re a sophomore now, so how are you feeling this year?

Me’Arah O’Neal: I’m having to step into bigger roles, bigger shoes, doing bigger things. It’s a huge jump from freshman season. But I mean, I’m blessed, I’m grateful, just like you are, when I’m around amazing people, just doing amazing things. You see, we’re so good, like we have the potential to accomplish. So it’s just been great.

KN’isha Godfrey: We’re very versatile. I feel like we have so many different weapons. And when we talk about the people we’re surrounded by, we’re surrounded by such great teammates and people who have amazing stories from different backgrounds and everything. And it’s just crazy.

[To Me’Arah] Tell me about how you kind of balance having your own clothing brand, basketball, and classes. How do you manage all of those things while staying grounded in who you are?

Me’Arah O’Neal: I think it goes back to just having people around you who have your best interest at heart, basically. Like my family, they know that I love clothes and basketball isn’t my only passion, so they’re generous enough to help me when we have to travel or go to practice, stuff like that. My agent helps me out with things like that because I’m not good with numbers and all that. He handles all the extra stuff.

KN’isha Godfrey: Yeah, I do feel like that circle, those main people that you communicate with every day and who really have your best interest, like you said, are so important. And sometimes I feel like we’d be so busy that we forget to even let those people know we’re truly grateful for them. Like, you might call and say, ‘Hey, I need this, I need that, help me out,’ and then they’re like, ‘Can I get a good morning? Can I get a…’ And I’m like, you know what, hold on.

Me’Arah O’Neal: No, seriously, I actually thought about that recently. You never know what they’re going through. But we also gotta give us grace, too, though. Because this is hard, like, we do the same thing every day.

KN’isha Godfrey: What advice would you give to your younger self or someone who is aspiring to be in your position?

Me’Arah O’Neal: I’m not gonna lie, I have two totally different answers. From my younger self, I just know that I was super duper hard on myself. Imagine you have people basically telling you your whole life, like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re gonna be the best in the family. You’re that good,’ right? So when you go out, and you don’t see those results, it’s easy for a kid to get in their head and just be like, ‘Nah, this isn’t my zone.’

But I think for my younger self, just to give myself grace, like, you’re doing everything that you’re supposed to be doing and it’s all gonna work out because God already has it all planned out. And younger me didn’t know that, so if she knew that, I feel like I would have been a little bit better.

But somebody that’s aspiring to be in this position, I think, whatever you put your mind and your heart to, you can do. And just give your full effort, even if it doesn’t come out as you expect it to. As long as you give your full effort, you’re bound to get the reward. It’s all in the process. You just gotta go through it.

[To KN’isha] What about your younger self? What was younger KG like?

KN’isha Godfrey: For me, I feel like now that I know being who I am can help me grow, I would just tell my younger self to focus on being who you are. Just be you. And me now, I know that I’m KG. I know what KG stands for. It stands for keep going. So I would say that, it stands for keep glowing, and it stands for keep growing. I would just consistently tell myself those things to, you know, help me to get to where I am today.

Me’Arah O’Neal: That’s fire. Imagine having a nickname that could abbreviate anything. You could make it anything. That’s crazy. That’s fire. That’s fire, though.

KN’isha Godfrey: Okay, so now on the mental health aspect. As athletes, we go through so much that nobody sees. I’m talking about all of the ups and downs through life, plus we have the basketball side of it. So what helps you mentally get prepared for games? What helps you get mentally prepared for certain things like film? What is your go-to routine for that?

Me’Arah O’Neal: I think music plays a huge part in my life. It just allows me to kind of get lost in it. Even before games, you could have really bad nerves, right? And I feel like music is a way for me to just distract myself a little bit. You could put that in every category: academics, practice, just getting out of your head. Music plays a huge part.

[To KN’isha] What about you, though?

KN’isha Godfrey: For me, I feel like something that’s been helping me is writing a lot more and journaling. I didn’t use to journal, but now that I have one and started writing down my thoughts and reflecting on my days and stuff like that, it’s helped me get a lot that’s in my head down, and then I’m able to let it go.

I’m such a, I don’t know if it’s called being organized or anything, but I’m the person who writes everything down and has to cross it off. That is so me. So I feel like that has really been helping me a lot. And also listening to music as well. When I’m trying not to think so much or have anxiety or anything like that, I feel like listening to slower music helps.

The conversation between the two athletes offers a rare glimpse into the battles fans rarely see. KN’isha and Me’Arah have walked very different paths, each marked by challenges, setbacks, and moments that demanded resilience. But in today’s episode, they didn’t just share their stories–they revealed how they learned to rise from them.