NFL Star Arik Armstead's Wife Mindy Is A WAG Who Does It All
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's relationship may be the most talked-about romance in the NFL right now, but the Kansas City Chiefs star is far from the only Super Bowl LVIII player whose partner is seriously impressive. The Chiefs' WAGs include high-profile partners Brittany Mahomes, Lyndsay Bell, and Sheawna Weathersby, but the WAGs of the San Francisco 49ers are also crushing it. Actor Olivia Culpo (who's engaged to Christian McCaffrey) is undoubtedly the most recognizable, but Arik Armstead's wife, Mindy Armstead, definitely deserves your attention.
Arik and Mindy Armstead (nee Harwood) met through mutual friends in 2016 and soon began dating. They then got engaged in 2019. Breaking the news on Instagram, Mindy gushed, "When I met Arik, the person God wanted for my life, it changed me forever." They soon married in 2020 and had daughter Amiri in 2021, followed by daughter Ayla in 2022. But Mindy isn't just a loving mama and supportive NFL spouse — she's a WAG who does it all. Turns out she's a doctor, a co-founder of an impressive nonprofit, and a successful social media personality. In fact, her following is much larger than her beau's. As of February 2024, Arik had 292,000 Instagram followers while his wife was at 536,000. Here's everything we know about boss babe Mindy Armstead.
Mindy Armstead put her medical studies first
When Mindy and Arik Armstead began dating, she was pursuing her medical studies in psychology at the State University of New York at Buffalo and nothing would stop her. After graduating in 2017, she decided to complete her general psychiatry residency at the university, despite it meaning her relationship would have to stay long-distance. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and even that wouldn't derail her dreams. As Arik shared in an essay for The Players' Tribune, watching Mindy finish her residency at the University of Buffalo in 2020 showed him how tough (and special) his partner is. "One thing I learned from watching her go through medical school is that ... it's no joke," he mused. Indeed, Mindy was working 24-hour shifts at the hospital and it was all completely selfless. "Here she is, working these crazy hours, sacrificing and putting herself through school — putting herself into debt — so she can help others," he praised.
Following her residency, they tied the knot, then Mindy was off again to pursue her career. She accepted a fellowship at the University of California at Davis where she chose to specialize in child and adolescent psychiatry, per Psychology Today. As she explained, she's passionate about helping people overcome mental health challenges. "I believe everyone deserves expert physicians with whom they can work collaboratively throughout the course of their treatment," she wrote. "At this time I offer both medication management and therapy services."
Mindy Armstead gives back to others
In addition to pursuing her career in psychiatry wholeheartedly, Mindy Armstead has also found time to be a devoted mother of two and a supportive wife. As she told Today in 2023, it's not easy, especially when your husband's job requires him to be away from home for long periods of time. "No one else can understand that pressure to be kind of this emotional powerhouse and support system for your significant other," she said. Indeed, she's often had to hold down the fort alone. "I've got to take the car for the oil change and I've got to do all the daycare tours and do the fun things, but also the not so fun things," she shared. Not to mention the health risks make things harder. When Arik broke his leg in 2022, for example, it was Mindy who had to pick up the slack and do even more. "[It's] not the most glamorous side of the NFL," she admitted.
And yet, despite already juggling so much, Mindy still found time to start a non-profit with her husband called Armstead Academic Project. Founded in 2019, it helps underserved students in the Sacramento and Bay Area of California by giving them "direct access to the resources they need to thrive," including positive spaces and academic support.