Life in Belgium: Daniel Mullings

Founded over 92 years ago, the Belgium Euromillions League consists of 10 teams that battle it out for the domestic Belgium Cup. The winner of the league than qualifies to compete in the international FIBA Europe Cup which brings together the best-of-the-best European teams. Currently, Mullings plays for the Hubo Limburg United team. 

We caught up with Mullings to see how he has been doing since joining his teammates and how he’s adapted to life in Belgium. 

So far, only six teams out of the 10 in Mullings league have been able to play a regular season game, leaving his team and four others behind by at least two games.  

“I was originally supposed to be over here on August 15th, but due to COVID-19, I didn’t arrive until October 1st,” continued Mullings. “In the beginning it was difficult because everybody was arriving at different times so that made it hard to get on the same page. Once I finally got cleared to play [after two negative Covid-19 tests], some guys were still out so we had guys filling in during practices. So, on top of getting everybody familiar with plays and the new guys, we were all trying to get back into shape. It’s been a little heavier this year as far as the workload with practice because we’re trying to make up for lost time as well.” 

Being one of the older players on his team this season, Mullings saw the opportunity to take on more of a leadership role. 

“A big thing going into this year for me was knowing that this team is pretty young and that these young guys were going to need a leader,” said Mullings. “I wanted to take on a more of a mentor role so I can get better at being a leader both on and off the court. I want to learn how to talk to each player and understand how they function so we can collectively be progressing together as a team.” 

As I sat down over zoom with Mullings, he was cooking up dinner after a long day of practice. He shared that he’s always known how to cook but that his menu has expanded since he’s gotten older. 

“I basically cook every day now,” said Mullings. “This past week I made chicken curry with sweet and sour shrimp, salmon, tacos, and now, I’m cooking up some lasagna.” 

Outside of the kitchen, Mullings enjoys spending his free time reading books, listening to podcasts, watching sports, talking with his two-year-old daughter, and developing his brand, Unlocked Soulz (@unlockedsoulz_). 

Unlocked Soulz is the product of Mullings’ passion of sparking dialogue and conversation regarding the ever-so-silenced topic of mental health amongst male athletes. After his own battles with mental health and having some time off due to COVID-19, Mullings launched the platform to provide a non-judgemental space for men to discuss their emotions and internal thoughts without being expected to ‘man up’. 

“I first noticed in college that I was overthinking a lot and that I was talking negatively towards myself,” confessed Mullings. “I found myself running into the same battles each season and I just couldn’t shake the constant cycle of toxic thoughts. As a guy, I wasn’t talking about things I was going through because, you know, we’re supposed to suppress our feelings and be a man, and to not let anybody see us in a form of weakness. But, at first, I didn’t really understand that’s what was going on, it was only after a few overseas seasons that I was able to sit back and look into everything; and kind of had this ‘oh man so this is what’s been going on’ moment.”

This “ah-ha!” moment for Mullings was realizing that he needed to adjust his daily routine if he wanted to improve his quality of life. 

“I started mediating before each of my games and noticed how much better I felt. I was able to mentally organize my thoughts because I was slowing down and processing everything. Now, I wake up to mediate 20-30 minutes everyday and boom, I’m in a good head space,” said Mullings. “I also started making schedules and lists of goals to keep myself accountable and on track.”

Mullings recognizes that mental health struggles are not just limited to athletes, but that these battles are part of the human experience applicable to both men and women. 

“There's a lot more people that go through things like this [mental health struggles] than I originally thought,” said Mullings. “At the end of the day, we’re all humans and go through the same experiences as everybody else. If I can use my experience, to help other people, not only athletes, but in all aspects of life and professions, then I will. I launched Unlocked Soulz for people to be able to understand that they’re not by themselves and that there is help there for them.” 

Currently, Unlocked Soulz operates as a platform for individuals to discuss their mental health battles, but Mullings is planning to expand the brand to a clothing line as well to bring greater awareness to the discussion. 

“I’ve been working on this for awhile now, but because of COVID-19, I’ve been able to invest more of my time and energy into my brand. I know the ball is going to stop sooner or later, so I just wanted to implement the seeds now for Unlocked Soulz because I didn’t want to wait until I’m done playing ball to start figuring out my next steps. I feel like right now is good time to launch my brand because I feel like I can reach more people worldwide while I’m travelling through Europe. If I can leave my mark on Europe and grow my message to all the people out there, not only in Canada; that’s what I’d love for Unlocked Soulz.” 

The one thing that Mullings always makes time for is his two-year old daughter. 

“I talk to my daughter a lot. I try to call her every morning before she goes to daycare, and then every evening before she goes to bed,” said Mullings. “I know that I'm going to miss a lot of holidays and events and stuff like that. So, I just make sure that whatever chance I get to still be involved through the screen; I do it because I want her to always feel my presence.”  

In addition to the motivation and love he receives from his little girl, Mullings relies on his many close friends, his two brothers, his mother and grandmother for support. 

“I talk to my two brothers a lot and both my mom and grandmother have been my biggest support system because they’ve both been there for me from the jump,” shared Mullings. “Now adays, I try to speak to my grandmother a lot more because she’s over in the UK and I like to check in with her and how she’s doing.”  

On top of hoping to finally play a regular season game, Mullings is locked in on qualifying to compete for both the domestic Belgium Cup and the international FIBA Europe Cup. 

“Personally, I don’t try to look too far ahead, but as far as goals for this season, I want to continue working on my game as a whole because I want to be ready for whatever scouts that may be watching,” said Mullings. “I’m really confident with our team this year and I look forward to making a strong playoff push because we’re always gunning for the top and the championship whenever I play.”

For the holidays, Mullings expects to get a week or two off for a break but will not go home as he’d have to quarantine for the entire duration of his trip. 

The Hubo Lingburg United is scheduled to play their first game on December 5, at 8:30pm against the Belfius Mons-Hainaut. Fans can follow along with Mullings season by tuning into the teams’ live stream and highlights, which can be found here.