Full Transcript for Real Talk: Support for Athletes’ Mental Health Featuring Kevin Love

tell our listeners what your journey to understanding and sharing about your mental health has looked like since that moment in 2017 Yeah, I think more than anything that that experience it was so public and something I had been, ~ you know, dealing with at varying levels for a very long time. 00:03:08.965 --> 00:03:13.798 I would say since my early teenage years and it became very acute. 00:03:14.894 --> 00:03:17.846 throughout high school and then from there on. 00:03:17.846 --> 00:03:26.752 I just never really, you know, I think I acknowledged it, but decided to compartmentalize, to bury it and never really take it head on. 00:03:26.752 --> 00:03:36.698 So I think that experience really forced me to acknowledge what I had been putting off to the side and avoiding for so long. 00:03:36.698 --> 00:03:47.443 was, as an athlete, we're taught to take care of our bodies, but I hadn't given my mind and my mental health, the same type of attention and care. 00:03:47.443 --> 00:04:17.319 So I think the big step that I did initially and what I'd been putting off for so long, despite advice from people I respected and mentors that I trusted was starting therapy and sharing my story publicly in 2018 was a major step and me living life more out in the open and kind of telling people like, You can't use me against me. I'm going to admit who I am so I can get what I want. 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:23.132 ~ And none of that was comfortable at first, and I don't pretend to be an expert. 00:04:23.132 --> 00:04:33.896 I've only know what I know, and I've continued to educate myself on this space in a major way and also just speak from true experience. 00:04:33.896 --> 00:04:38.982 So that has continued to evolve in a big way and. 00:04:39.204 --> 00:04:57.062 Again, speaking openly about it, not everybody needs to do, and it also doesn't mean that ~ things just disappear like the work, not unlike sports and unlike anything that we all do in our profession or what we decide to do for a living or anything worth doing. 00:04:57.062 --> 00:05:05.586 ~ It takes a long time, and that's why through the the Kevin Love Fund, we aim to help. 00:05:05.961 --> 00:05:10.403 you know, young people have these conversations earlier. 00:05:10.403 --> 00:05:17.987 So you don't get to be in, you know, late 20s, early 30s, like myself, or even later stages in life. 00:05:17.987 --> 00:05:25.531 So we're having, you know, kind of early intervention and making people feel more comfortable and asking for support. 00:05:25.531 --> 00:05:44.050 ~ And I think that there's a true stigma still around mental health, but maybe even more so within grassroots sports and you know, sports in general, you know, we're meant to be a certain way and be strong and be, you know, mentally a certain way. 00:05:44.050 --> 00:05:54.598 And I think it's lost that, ~ you know, you can, you can still be performing at a extremely high level yet not be okay, either on the court or away from the court as well. 00:05:54.598 --> 00:06:07.980 So just opening up these conversations, I think it's a really healthy starting place and continuing to build it from Kevin, thank you very much. And ~ thank you to you and the Kevin Love Fund for what you're doing for our young athletes. 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:18.033 I was reading a piece that you did some time ago and it it it talks ~ about a number of things that we'll probably hit on here. 00:06:18.033 --> 00:06:37.173 ~ but And ~ y as you mentioned ~ as you opened up, you said that hey Dan that I started experiencing this in high school and~ I was compartmentalizing it and ~ you know ~ focused on taking care of the body and you know, playing at a high level ~ as you were matriculating through school. 00:06:37.173 --> 00:06:49.095 But ~ you said that ~ you know, you you wanted to speak up because the other thing is you cannot use me against And I I think that's fantastic and as well as the early intervention. 00:06:49.095 --> 00:06:52.867 ~ I wanted to ask you about something here as we move forward. 00:06:52.867 --> 00:07:00.413 You talked about the playbook, and the playbook was really talking about how we as young men grow up. 00:07:00.413 --> 00:07:18.384 ~ be strong, don't talk about our feelings, get through it on your own. ~ what would you what what it what it takes to be a And I know we're talking about athletes, so we're talking about men and women, but I wanted to go back to that for just a second to to get your observations on the what you call the playbook. 00:07:20.435 --> 00:07:42.290 Yeah, for you know for me the the playbook I you know, I think that a lot of the language and the ideation surrounding mental health and how we speak about it is, you know, at least was very broken. And I see that I saw that in the NBA as well. 00:07:42.290 --> 00:07:47.853 Like I can remember, you know, Delonte West coming out and speaking. 00:07:47.853 --> 00:07:56.250 So, you know, trying to almost extend an olive branch or just throw something out in press conferences or. 00:07:56.673 --> 00:08:38.599 Open media after practice like hey, I struggle with depression and and you know, there's a there's a larger thing here happening to me, but I don't think that the NBA itself Had the resources or was you know willing to have that conversation? quite yet, right so my my father was born in 1949, he had a father that you know, had lost his business after, know, in the early to mid fifties, had a steel business and, you know, was subject to some abuse and some hardships by, you know, within the family home. 00:08:38.599 --> 00:08:44.741 And he was taught to bury it, taught it to act and be a certain way. 00:08:44.741 --> 00:08:54.047 And while that drove him to do great things, I saw how that manifested and became ~ generational in our home as well. 00:08:54.774 --> 00:09:03.720 And I was then taught to have that playbook that you just don't show that You don't show the weakness. And it wasn't just in sport. 00:09:03.720

--> 00:09:06.171 It was in quite literally everything else. 00:09:06.171 --> 00:09:22.210 So ~ the playlist was, you know, our playbook, excuse me, was simplified in a way that just keep it to yourself and no ~ vulnerability and withholding. 00:09:22.590 --> 00:09:31.830 On the other side of that can you know compassion in a way that you know my teammates and others, especially young boys just weren't ever taught. 00:09:31.830 --> 00:09:35.669 You know it was the other direction we weren't taught to to be. 00:09:35.669 --> 00:09:52.065 You know vulnerable or open or ask for help or or you know lend ourselves to the coaches and the coaches you know like our teachers we weren't leaning on them because they didn't know how to interact and know how to you know be a safe landing spot and help these. 00:09:52.456 --> 00:10:13.644 kids land the plane like we're trying to discuss and further that conversation today. So ~ the playbook has changed, I believe, as the stigma and education has continued to ~ lessen for stigma and growth in education and more resources at really every level. 00:10:13.644 --> 00:10:16.504 And that's ultimately why we're here. 00:10:16.504 --> 00:10:19.625 We're trying to establish more intervention. 00:10:19.625 --> 00:10:26.249 We're trying to establish ~ a healthier dialogue and conversation surrounding mental health as a whole. 00:10:26.249 --> 00:10:36.111 But I think it all starts one at home and it just starts earlier with really reaching kids and reaching earlier teens and at an earlier age. 00:10:34.892 --> 00:10:44.859 Yeah, thank you, Kevin. And you know, silence about mental health is something that we're very familiar with. ~ and and NAMI work aims to end that silence. 00:10:44.859 --> 00:10:52.124 ~ we we really ~ wanting to create a world where people can share what they've gone through without fear or shame. 00:10:52.124 --> 00:11:06.095 You know, ke Kevin, you you you navigated a a wonderful career and continue to do that in the NBA. ~ what drove you to break the silence about your experiences and moving past the stigma. 00:11:07.524 --> 00:11:26.981 Yeah, a lot of that was the people that had come before me, like without somebody like DeMar DeRozan, who doesn't look like me, who grew up in Compton, California, who saw friends impacted and, you know, die from gang violence. 00:11:26.981 --> 00:11:29.975 And it's just a completely different experience. 00:11:29.975 --> 00:12:18.745 Somebody who doesn't look like me, somebody who also plays my sport who potentially has their livelihood that could be affected by acknowledging this at a public level and within a association and the NBA that, you know, hadn't failed people before them, just didn't know how to ~ provide resources and help people that had struggled before them. So I think it was DeMar hearing him speak about, you know, just a little bit like an offhanded mention and tweet about his depression, but it opened up so many conversations in sports media around the NBA. And so that made a difference for me. 00:12:18.745 --> 00:12:30.660 And he was somebody that I've known for a long time, somebody that ~ I've respected for a long time and have become very good friends with and we're connected for life. 00:12:30.660 --> 00:12:38.785 Like he's somebody that recognized something in himself and you know what I recognize, you he was describing something that I felt for a very long time. 00:12:38.785 --> 00:13:11.216 So I think for me it was furthering that also helping myself while knowing that I could potentially create a space where that he created for me where I could help somebody else and that sense of connection and community and that tribal feel right for somebody else who may be struggling and I looked at like my younger teen or like my 15 year old self and I'm like, I wish I had that, right? So of Yep. 00:13:11.293 --> 00:13:26.538 course I was, sure like many that have come before and after me like scared or nervous how the greater NBA community and my organization that I played for and my owners and people that. 00:13:26.730 --> 00:13:41.860 signed my checks and for this game that I love to play and my coaches and teammates, were they going to be able to trust me ~ in a place that's, you you're not supposed to show that and you're expected to be a certain way. 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:51.619 So my advice would be like, you don't have to share it at the level that we did, but somebody close to you or at arm's distance opening up to that. 00:13:52.942 --> 00:14:00.457 You know, one person or somebody that you trust, you know, can be a very positive and meaningful first step. 00:14:01.722 --> 00:14:05.905 Yeah, you're right, Kevin. And then and what I want to say is that operative word trust. 00:14:05.905 --> 00:14:15.231 trust is so critically important is having someone that you trust and ~ the reciprocity in that is so important. 00:14:15.231 --> 00:14:23.217 Be that a coach, be that an owner, be that a colleague. The other thing you talked about is DeMar, and we talk about something at NAMI called peer-to-peer. 00:14:23.217 --> 00:14:30.043 ~ and and what you're talking about is a peer, your peer who you have a tremendous amount of trust and respect in. 00:14:30.311 --> 00:14:32.272 Who was speaking up and using his platform? 00:14:32.272 --> 00:14:39.216 And you said, wait a minute, ~ there there's there's strength in this and community. So thank you for doing that. 00:14:39.027 --> 00:14:40.947 Yeah. 00:14:39.216 --> 00:14:47.600 For all the people listening, please hear what Kevin is saying about looking back~ at his 15-year-old self and wish he knew what he knows now. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:55.924 Then we talk about that at NAMI as we never want to run into anyone, and we consistently do that that says, I wish it known about NAMI sooner. 00:14:55.924 --> 00:14:57.186 So, Kevin, thank you for this. 00:14:57.186 --> 00:14:59.047 And let me ask you about something. 00:14:59.373 -->

00:15:05.105 Even with the reduced stigma today, therapy often still feels like a big step for many people new to it. 00:15:05.105 --> 00:15:13.400 What was your experience, Kevin, like in therapy? as a professional athlete, did you have fears about about actually going into therapy? 00:15:14.405 --> 00:15:21.505 Yes. And I put it off for so long, I almost didn't know where to start. 00:15:21.505 --> 00:15:27.645 took, it doesn't have to get to this point, right? Like that would be what I would push people. 00:15:29.884 --> 00:16:02.695 into recognizing or really hearing me is like you don't have to get to a point where like for me I had a very public moment and public mental health episode that it kind of I won't say it forced my hand but it made me look in the mirror and say okay I need to get help and it was scary like I didn't know if you know who was going to know about it if I was going to be outed and also just the unknown in itself right like is a scary thing and So is vulnerability. So I didn't know what it would involve. 00:16:02.695 --> 00:16:20.802 And but I think for me it was and especially now was so healthy in peeling back the layers of things that I had been suffering from for a long time, but also things that I had buried for a long time. 00:16:20.802 --> 00:16:34.822 Like I mentioned in that article in 2018, one of the first things that I really that kept Coming up for me was this loss of my grandmother and never allowing myself to really grieve. 00:16:34.822 --> 00:16:42.793 so much of it was life outside of basketball because that particular year, 2017 and 2018, we went to the NBA finals. 00:16:42.793 --> 00:16:47.254 I was named an All-Star for the fifth ~ time. 00:16:47.254 --> 00:16:50.596 So I was succeeding on the court. 00:16:50.596 --> 00:16:53.586 But again, as I mentioned earlier, you can have success on the court. 00:16:53.586 --> 00:17:02.466 You can be ~ competing on a high level, having a lot of success, yet still not be okay. 00:17:02.466 --> 00:17:23.769 And the last thing I would say there is I still don't feel like I have arrived, right? And I don't want to make that seem to people, I guess what I'm saying is the work is the work, nothing's immediate and anything in Like you understand like sports are such a great teacher. 00:17:23.769 --> 00:17:29.789 You have to put in the work consistently and it's a you know, it's like getting 1 % better every day. 00:17:29.789 --> 00:18:11.327 It's the cliche but again, it's there for a reason you continue to just ship away and give yourself perspective and unpack things that you've been burying for so long and freeing yourself of things or giving yourself room for grace and gratitude and empathy. I feel like it just allows it has allowed me to be a more evolved ~ person and therefore it's allowed me to be a better husband, a better father, a better teammate, a better friend. It's certainly checked a lot of boxes and has only continued to make me better really across the

board and in my life and has made me a lot more comfortable in my own skin. 00:18:12.548 --> 00:18:21.255 You, Kevin, and and appreciate what you've shared and ~ those operative words grace, empathy, and gratitude are so important and please to our audience. 00:18:21.255 --> 00:18:23.326 Grace, empathy, and gratitude. 00:18:23.326 --> 00:18:40.657 The other thing is ~ as as the folks that have heard me do these ~ podcasts before, you know that I will repeat ~ nuggets of of very critical information that are shared by our guests. And Kevin said something else that every one of you all need to hear is that I still have not arrived. 00:18:40.657 --> 00:18:41.739 This is work. 00:18:41.838 --> 00:18:43.599 That you have to consistently do. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:19:05.298 So all of the parents and all of the athletes and all the coaches that are that are listening, please understand that this is as repetitive as as~ you ~ doing all of the work in terms of your skills development on the court, on the ice, ~ on on on the pitch,~ on the mat, whatever your athletic pursuit is. 00:19:05.298 --> 00:19:07.078 So, Kevin, thank you for sharing that. 00:19:07.078 --> 00:19:15.132 And I'm probably not doing due justice to all of the great nuggets you're sharing, but I will do my best to continue to try and ~ do that. 00:19:15.132 --> 00:19:17.420 So thank You've been a great teammate so far. 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:18.420 Don't worry about it. 00:19:18.182 --> 00:19:38.837 you, buddy. as men, Kevin, we are taught that feeling these tough maybe negative emotions is weak. You know, in other words, like you growing up, my dad would always say, Shake it off, shake it off, boom, boom, boom, you're okay. And ~ even for those of us who know that isn't true, who seek help anyway, this can be hard to work through. 00:19:38.837 --> 00:19:43.497 ~ because it it's like it Am I good enough? Am I this? Am I that? 00:19:43.497 --> 00:19:51.898 And you know how did you find the confidence to move through that while knowing that seeking help isn't really a weakness? 00:19:51.898 --> 00:19:58.006 Because that's a contradiction that you had to play off while you're playing at such a high level and succeeding at a high level. 00:20:00.756 --> 00:20:31.028 Yeah, that was tough for me because I always been a self starter and always, ~ you know, succeeded so often on the court by just trying, you know, doing everything myself or taking over a game by myself or just ~ like, you know, I was always like a somebody who ~ kind of pushed people away and again suffered in silence. 00:20:31.028 --> 00:20:36.363 I'm like, I'm going to handle everything ~ by myself. 00:20:36.363 --> 00:21:09.695 But I also realized that kind of looking inward and having my sport, which is such a great teacher has allowed me to realize that like we rely on coaches and trainers and the teammates every single day, right? Every time we are in the weight room or watching film or, you know, in the game or on the bench,

you know, wherever, wherever we are, like we, we accept that support within our, our, our sport is something that we already do. 00:21:09.695 --> 00:21:34.925 So, ~ I kind of had to Changed my way of how I viewed it and how I how I saw everything away from those four lines for me and the hardwood but confidence You know doesn't You can ask for help before you know that that confidence is there and you can you can You Yeah, yeah. 00:21:34.844 --> 00:21:40.997 know take take I had to take a step while I wasn't feeling my best. 00:21:40.997 --> 00:21:52.544 I was, again, as I mentioned, was a very vulnerable position where I felt like everything could be taken away from me in a single moment. 00:21:52.544 --> 00:22:02.990 And I just want to nail it home that young kids, boys and girls that are competitive in sport, Like you can be all of these things. 00:22:02.990 --> 00:22:06.011 You can want to achieve things at the highest level. 00:22:06.011 --> 00:22:11.173 You can be ambitious. Ultra competitive. 00:22:11.294 --> 00:22:12.294 Yeah. 00:22:12.453 --> 00:22:18.016 And have teammates and coaches and the greater athletic community. 00:22:18.016 --> 00:22:29.089 depend on you while still being honest with yourself and others that you're having a very hard time and that you're struggling. 00:22:29.294 --> 00:22:31.935 And a lot of ways it's, I've felt it. 00:22:31.935 --> 00:22:36.230 It's very empowering. Again, like it's made me more comfortable in my own skin. 00:22:36.230 --> 00:22:43.786 Every room I feel like I walk into now, which wasn't always the case, I get to be Kevin Love now. 00:22:43.786 --> 00:22:53.864 Like I get to be unapologetically myself, whether that's my job and my first love and my livelihood and the basketball or it's anywhere else in life. 00:22:53.864 --> 00:22:58.067 So again, you can be all of those things and. 00:22:58.413 --> 00:23:01.291 still be very truthful about struggling. 00:23:01.753 --> 00:23:24.911 Yeah. Thank you again. earlier this year, Kevin, I was joined on this podcast by a representative of Off the Field NFL Wives Association. And during that conversation we explored how holding the identity of being an athlete can impact someone's mental It can be hard to link your identity to a professional role, especially one that is is temporary. 00:23:24.911 --> 00:23:26.180 It it won't last forever. 00:23:26.691 --> 00:23:36.189 How do you balance being an athlete professionally with the rest of what makes you you? You mentioned a better husband, father, son. You you you mentioned that a little bit earlier. 00:23:36.189 --> 00:23:40.459 So I wanted to ask you about because all of us know of the Kevin Love,. 00:23:40.342 --> 00:23:48.818 the baller, the basketball player,~ the incredible ~ NBA athlete,~ many of us don't get to know Kevin Love. 00:23:48.818 --> 00:23:56.832 How how have you been able to manage the your identity much past Being a professional basketball player. 00:23:57.262 --> 00:24:00.986 Well, I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't struggling with that right now. 00:24:00.986 --> 00:24:02.059 So I've played Mm. 00:24:01.707 --> 00:24:16.657 18 seasons in the NBA. I've had basically, you know, my identity and self-worth and how I've brought value to the world, at least what it's felt like, is through the basketball court, right? 00:24:15.748 --> 00:24:16.748 Mm-hmm. 00:24:16.598 --> 00:24:21.593 And, you know, it's been since my earliest moments in childhood. 00:24:21.593 --> 00:24:23.314 Like, I was a very precocious kid. 00:24:23.314 --> 00:24:24.314 I was a... 00:24:24.340 --> 00:24:28.063 a high achiever and an outlier very early, right? And I Mm. 00:24:28.084 --> 00:24:34.147 played 18 seasons in the NBA and now, you know, the NBA season has started. 00:24:34.147 --> 00:24:51.720 ~ Training campus started, people had their media day yesterday, first day of practice today. And, you know, I'm still hoping that either before the regular season starts or within four, six, eight, 10 weeks, you know, I'll be on a team for my 19th and maybe likely final season. 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:53.621 But I've struggled with that. 00:24:54.539 --> 00:25:04.222 forever. And I'm struggling with it now because I've always tied that self worth to performance and to achievement. 00:25:04.222 --> 00:25:18.747 And I've also had a you know, I've always thought that I could achieve my way out of feeling depressed or this anxiety. Like if I get to a new height, it's going to fix everything. And of course, like I still have the same brain. 00:25:18.747 --> 00:25:25.874 I have that I have that high I have that that huge spike of adrenaline and dopamine. 00:25:25.874 --> 00:25:28.365 And then I go back to my regular levels that I've always had. 00:25:28.365 --> 00:25:34.118 And if I haven't done the work, I'm going to go back to that same low point I always have had. 00:25:34.118 --> 00:25:40.662 I've always and I've gotten better at it through work and therapy. 00:25:40.662 --> 00:25:50.377 But if I wasn't performing well in basketball, it affected how I saw myself when I when I looked in the mirror. 00:25:50.377 --> 00:25:54.644 Right. So I think My perspective has shift. It's really helped me becoming a father. 00:25:54.644 --> 00:26:04.310 ~ A husband as well, but like kids certainly change your perspective on what's important, right? ~ Yeah. 00:26:05.509 --> 00:26:11.171 My life is more than just taking care of me and I have to be a strong and. 00:26:11.171 --> 00:26:18.294 ~ Consistent, but also positive ~ presence. 00:26:18.824 --> 00:26:24.336 you know, kind of regardless of how I'm feeling, especially now I'm having to keep telling myself that. 00:26:24.336 --> 00:26:40.603 But then I keep the perspective of and gratitude today, like I'm walking my daughter to school, I'm picking her up. I wasn't able to do that last year when I got traded from to Utah. So I have that perspective, which I'm trying to keep telling myself. 00:26:40.603 --> 00:26:47.726 So

I'm making room for ~ people and relationships here. 00:26:48.871 --> 00:26:51.971 in Miami, because I'm not here often. 00:26:51.971 --> 00:26:53.384 ~ and we raise Yeah, mm-hmm. 00:26:53.353 --> 00:26:57.316 our kids here and I have, I'm more than just basketball. 00:26:57.316 --> 00:27:05.036 I have different interests outside of basketball, including the foundation. Like that's why we're here today and partnering with Yes. 00:27:04.661 --> 00:27:07.792 NAMI and that that's that connection. 00:27:07.792 --> 00:27:13.967 That's that tribal feel that helps, you know, also everybody wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves. 00:27:13.967 --> 00:27:17.878 Like, right. So, and, and again, I'd push. 00:27:19.182 --> 00:27:48.015 athletes to understand, especially because I didn't have the presence of mind to look at it this way, because it was just all basketball for me, right? And I kind of just had those blinders on that you can be obsessive with sport and give it every ring that towel as much as you possibly can. But it doesn't have to be the only thing that you like Roger Federer, my favorite athlete of all time. 00:27:49.019 --> 00:28:17.585 He had mentioned, I heard Steve Kerr talking about it, to the Golden State Warriors, this is back several years ago, and he was asked, how do you sustain this greatness over so many years and playing into your 40s? He's like, I would just wake up, I would take my kids to school after having breakfast with them, I would train, but not to the point of exhaustion, I would go home, I'd have lunch with my wife. 00:28:17.826 --> 00:28:25.148 I would then take time to recover, spend time with my kids, have dinner with them, have a little routine at night and go to sleep. 00:28:25.148 --> 00:28:29.319 And I said, wow, that was like a perfect day. 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:44.723 I had great balance. I leaned into my family, leaned into relationships and interests and things outside of just the game of tennis. And he said, that was a great day. And he said, I did that for 20 years and that's how I've been able to sustain it. 00:28:44.723 --> 00:28:46.755 So that eliminates burnout. 00:28:47.398 --> 00:29:01.298 helps you build perspective and gratitude towards the sport and everything away from it. And it just creates, again, that so much balance and it makes for a healthier mind, I feel like. 00:29:01.153 --> 00:29:11.510 It sure does. And you you brought up a sport that I I it paid my way through school tennis. So you talked about somebody that I really do admire quite a bit. And yeah, The best all time great. 00:29:10.986 --> 00:29:14.346 he j he he just f he floated on the court. 00:29:14.346 --> 00:29:17.788 ~ and he had that balance. So thank you for sharing that. 00:29:17.788 --> 00:29:39.144 And ~ you know, ~ I I know that I worked in an environment for twenty one years and gave my all to it and it ended up being ~ a a little bit of time ~ that it took for me to reboot because it was kind of got lost in the moment, Kevin, where it was like it was who I was versus just what I did. 00:29:39.144 --> 00:29:45.385 So it it it it it was a bit of a a a balancing of of of that for myself. 00:29:45.385 --> 00:29:47.567 So I understand exactly what you're saying. 00:29:47.567 --> 00:29:56.951 So ~ are there any specific changes ~ you hope to see in mental health support for athletes overall and through the Kevin Love Fund? 00:29:59.767 --> 00:30:05.163 Yeah, I mean, I think that's part of a big part of why we partnered right like Yeah. 00:30:04.169 --> 00:30:09.741 starting at the youth level. I just keep I keep using ~ grassroots. 00:30:09.741 --> 00:30:15.144 ~ That word it's it's so true like the support. 00:30:15.144 --> 00:30:29.412 Just I feel like it's so important that for the overall athlete experience needs to start in ~ grassroots sports and youth sports like athletes. 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:46.958 I don't think still at that level they know really where to look or where to turn. mentioned ~ coaches being able to~ support as well. ~ some know how to listen. 00:30:46.958 --> 00:30:49.711 Yeah, don't know how to respond. 00:30:49.711 --> 00:30:52.493 Some know how to respond. Like it's just it's it's. 00:30:54.943 --> 00:31:14.872 that, but also having and navigating, finding quality help. And that transcends finding ~ a therapist or good help or, ~ you know, building out a support system. 00:31:14.872 --> 00:31:36.327 Right. Like so, you know, I think that's why this collaboration matters so much, because We are, you know, we're way to starting these important conversations and therefore we will be providing more and more resources like we are now. 00:31:36.327 --> 00:31:51.173 So I think that that's that's my hope is an earlier integration and allowing for ~ not only the athletes, but but coaches who are so vital and so paramount early in life. 00:31:51.458 --> 00:31:54.637 Like I can still remember granted my dad was that as well. 00:31:54.637 --> 00:31:56.038 And so was my best friend's father. 00:31:56.038 --> 00:32:03.577 in each sport like sports, they just teach you so much, right? They're such a great teacher. 00:32:03.577 --> 00:32:15.337 allowing for the next level of support, not only for, you know, team building and community and resilience and. 00:32:17.990 --> 00:32:26.282 So many things that sports teach you, but also allowing for a safe space to for kids to go if they're not feeling well, right? And that's Yeah, yeah. 00:32:26.162 --> 00:32:42.277 going to continue to evolve. But again, as we open up these conversation, there's going to be a lot of points where all of us are going to stand to learn and therefore be able to better apply it not only as athletes, but as parents and coaches and so on. 00:32:42.969 --> 00:32:46.902 Yeah, it's that's great. Thank you, Kevin. And we're so excited about this partnership. 00:32:46.902 --> 00:32:52.506 ~ absolutely ~ collaborative effort to really ~ impact so many young people.

00:32:52.506 --> 00:33:03.074 So ~ Kevin, for for our young listeners, what advice w do you give and would you give to young student athletes who might want to follow in your footsteps? 00:33:03.074 --> 00:33:09.479 And what can they do to prepare their mental health for the pressure of sports performance? 00:33:14.109 --> 00:33:19.201 I wrote it down here again and it was in my notes that Mm. 00:33:18.613 --> 00:33:22.316 I just said it was and it takes a lot of work. 00:33:22.316 --> 00:33:32.144 Again, I've had to build this out in my personal team or I just found a new therapist in July. 00:33:32.144 --> 00:33:35.567 So again, I'm seven, eight, ten years into. 00:33:35.567 --> 00:33:43.776 ~ therapy at this point. So I'm establishing more and more resources, but it's building that support system. 00:33:43.776 --> 00:33:44.776 Right. 00:33:44.432 --> 00:33:45.432 Yeah. 00:33:45.056 --> 00:33:47.296 And control what you could control. 00:33:47.296 --> 00:33:58.955 Like for me, I'm you know, it's just Tuesday afternoon at this point, but I'm having to schedule in recovery for me. 00:33:58.955 --> 00:34:04.875 Not only does that, you know, make me, it kills multiple birds with one stone. 00:34:04.875 --> 00:34:05.875 Right. 00:34:05.455 --> 00:34:08.456 And it helps my, my sport helps me feel better. 00:34:08.456 --> 00:34:12.096 It takes my cortisol down is good for my brain and body. 00:34:12.096 --> 00:34:26.275 ~ speaking of Roger Federer again, he just came out. I mean, it was a little ridiculous, but good for him. He was talking about all the sleep that he got over the course of those 20 years, but it's just, it's the great equalizer, like prioritizing sleep. 00:34:26.275 --> 00:34:28.416 And I know I was the same way. 00:34:28.416 --> 00:34:30.056 Like you don't want to miss anything. 00:34:30.056 --> 00:34:32.195 You have FOMO. It's not only sports. 00:34:32.195 --> 00:34:33.195 It's. 00:34:33.619 --> 00:34:41.052 You know those four years in high school or in two to three years in middle school like you want to like hang on to that. 00:34:41.052 --> 00:34:43.023 You never wanted to end right? 00:34:43.023 --> 00:34:49.724 So like you lack sleep, but prioritizing sleep I think is so huge, especially as an athlete not only for recovery but for your mental health. 00:34:49.724 --> 00:34:53.764 ~ And also just separating the two right? 00:34:53.764 --> 00:34:55.505 Like I'm not saying you can't be obsessive. 00:34:55.505 --> 00:35:00.356 I'm not saying that ~ the journey or the pursuit can't be there. 00:35:00.356 --> 00:35:03.947 The large overwhelming majority of the time, but like. 00:35:03.954 --> 00:35:05.936 Take time to get away from the sport. 00:35:06.063 --> 00:35:07.063 Mm-hmm. 00:35:06.476 --> 00:35:10.378 you don't your commitment is there. 00:35:10.378 --> 00:35:12.119 It's like a great vacation, right? 00:35:12.119 --> 00:35:13.931 Like you leave wanting just a little bit more. 00:35:13.931 --> 00:35:15.181 You spent the perfect amount of time. 00:35:15.181 --> 00:35:21.286 You did all these things, but you leave wanting a little bit more knowing that you can go back to that feeling like you can access that feeling. 00:35:21.286 --> 00:35:44.809 Again, that network is ~ or ~ support system is your friendships and that's in and out of ~ athletics and places where like I talk about being authentically myself, like that's not only on the basketball court for me. 00:35:44.809 --> 00:35:47.612 Like I have places where I can go and I can just be me. 00:35:47.612 --> 00:35:50.615 Right. I think that's ~ that that's it. 00:35:48.003 --> 00:35:52.248 Mm, that's wonderful. Places you can go where you can be you. 00:35:50.615 --> 00:35:53.918 And then. I can just be me. Yeah. 00:35:52.248 --> 00:35:54.742 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 00:35:53.918 --> 00:35:57.021 And like I think that that's. 00:35:57.829 --> 00:36:03.704 incredibly important and I just have so many interests outside of sports and I'm sure so many people do. 00:36:03.704 --> 00:36:06.155 It's not like you just have this one thing. 00:36:06.155 --> 00:36:25.786 Like over the course of time you're going to start ~ adding that into your life and that's where balance comes in too, right? Not everything in life is just the sport and it may feel like it now but I promise if you just put it to the side for one second and come back to it you are going to feel refreshed and better. 00:36:26.838 --> 00:36:51.358 And what's an I'm like, I still I'm my harshest critic and I have, you know, I think in dealing with, you know, mental health issues and, you know, if I'm not if I wasn't performing on the basketball court, I would have this negative feedback loop from hell. 00:36:51.358 --> 00:36:52.576 And Mm. 00:36:52.260 --> 00:36:53.260 I wasn't. 00:36:54.699 --> 00:37:08.652 I guess I was aware, but ~ not ~ mindful of how I would, by myself talk, how I would talk to myself. 00:37:07.277 --> 00:37:08.293 Mm-hmm. 00:37:08.840 --> 00:37:21.724 And I thought that a bad game would, like that's who I was, right? Like that would define, and I let it a lot of the time, and it's something that I've had to consistently work on. 00:37:22.063 --> 00:37:29.978 I would let it define my day or my week or my next game or even my micro level like next play. 00:37:29.978 --> 00:37:43.117 So ~ I think that there's a healthy way forward there and positive self-talk what you tell yourself and the story you tell yourself is ultimately~ what you become. 00:37:43.117 --> 00:37:55.523 So I think that is another major thing is You know, your words matter and it's not only how you talk to others, but how you talk to yourself that can have a major impact on your overall well-being. 00:37:56.045 --> 00:38:07.885 Thank you, Kevin. So ~ a number of things there in terms of not everything in life is the sport. ~ take time to get away from the sport, separating the two and prioritizing sleep. 00:38:07.885 --> 00:38:15.621 ~ little nuggets here again. So for

student athletes who may be considering seeking help, what would you say to them? 00:38:15.621 --> 00:38:17.391 And and then two final thoughts. 00:38:19.704 --> 00:38:27.619 Well, I said it earlier and I'm like my biggest actually in a way speaking to myself, right? 00:38:27.619 --> 00:38:29.992 Like I did this and it was very unhealthy. 00:38:29.992 --> 00:38:38.925 Like I would just and the greatest piece of advice I ever got early on in my career was like, you know, do your work early, right? Like Mm. 00:38:38.769 --> 00:38:43.423 it was it's so simple and like it's like talking about sleep. 00:38:43.423 --> 00:38:59.623 Like that's a very simple concept, but actually doing it and honoring it and committing yourself to it is not easy, right? It's it's hard. Like the consistency is where you know all that that greatness is right. 00:38:59.623 --> 00:39:00.623 So Mm-hmm. 00:39:00.094 --> 00:39:15.570 you don't have to wait for things to be so unhealthy or so far the wrong way or ~ unbearable to feel like you can reach out or speak to someone right like. 00:39:15.875 --> 00:39:18.586 And it doesn't have to be like we don't we all don't have access. 00:39:18.586 --> 00:39:24.771 We don't have the means to, you know, have a therapist like I know how lucky I am. 00:39:24.771 --> 00:39:42.326 I know how lucky I am to play in a league where we're supported ~ in that way as well. And it can be a parent or,~ you know, someone you trust, whether it be a friend, whether it be a adult or, you know, the Kevin Love Fund. 00:39:42.326 --> 00:39:44.407 We we train our teachers and we want. 00:39:45.094 --> 00:39:59.108 ~ You know these conversations to be had amongst peers and within the classrooms, but that's not to discount. You know a counselor as well or somebody within the school that is helping to create a safe space and I further that also by. 00:39:59.108 --> 00:40:10.161 Same coaches like I know there was a lot of coaches that I had growing up and it's funny like I only played soccer for so many years, but like managing my emotions. 00:40:10.161 --> 00:40:14.032 And my emotional immaturity very early on. 00:40:14.264 --> 00:40:16.764 and not being able to articulate it and express it. 00:40:16.764 --> 00:40:27.119 Like when I played soccer, which was only until like fifth grade, I had to find a way to ~ manage, you know, those emotions that I was feeling. 00:40:27.119 --> 00:40:38.958 ~ And I had a had a pretty great coach who was thankfully somebody that I could kind of bounce that off of in a way that of course that, you know. 00:40:39.619 --> 00:40:49.434 11 or 12 years old, the type of conversations are different that you're to have later on. But it was it was just very healthy for me to have, especially at an earlier age. And Yeah. 00:40:48.925 --> 00:40:54.009 these these things can be. It doesn't have to be complicated. 00:40:54.009 --> 00:40:55.599 think I over complicated things. 00:40:55.599 --> 00:41:03.414 I know I did, and it could be something as simple as just saying you still feel right, right? Like I need help. 00:41:01.693 --> 00:41:04.045 Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 00:41:03.414 --> 00:41:08.909 That's it. And somebody is going to want to help you problem solve. 00:41:09.451 --> 00:41:23.856 And there's somebody within that ecosystem, if you decide you want to build that support staff or unit,~ that is going to help you. it's not perfect. 00:41:23.856 --> 00:41:33.661 It's not always perfect. You don't have to feel like you have to have everything ~ figured out. 00:41:33.661 --> 00:41:41.371 You just don't. Because a little secret, as we all know here, like None of us do, right? So None of us do. 00:41:41.639 --> 00:41:43.581 none of us do, and we're always learning. 00:41:43.581 --> 00:41:49.420 And just like in sport, you can wake up and just you're working to be a better version of yourself. 00:41:49.862 --> 00:41:58.539 Yeah, thank you. And positive self talk is also the point and and what you said about, you know, just saying, Hey, I need help, being open to it. 00:41:58.539 --> 00:42:02.824 ~ to ~ to you, Kevin, ~ there's another question here. 00:42:02.824 --> 00:42:12.873 For the youth sports organizations out there, what recommendations would you have for them about incorporating mental health support earlier for young athletes? 00:42:15.639 --> 00:42:18.851 Do you work early? mean, I say it again. 00:42:18.851 --> 00:42:27.757 ~ know, it's. And like teachers again, like. 00:42:27.153 --> 00:42:28.153 Mm-hmm. 00:42:28.599 --> 00:42:42.110 You know, coaches matter so much, I have to continue to drive that home because they're they get to show immediately what leadership looks like, right? And. 00:42:43.617 --> 00:42:46.259 I would I would hope like I would hope. 00:42:46.259 --> 00:43:05.023 At the beginning of. the school year or the beginning of the season right that things would be integrated and implemented in a way and start having conversations and just letting it getting out ahead of it, letting it be known like this. 00:43:05.023 --> 00:43:07.605 This is a safe space. You know if you want to. 00:43:08.224 --> 00:43:30.264 speak off to the side or speak after practice or after school or after class we're here and you know everything you know continuing and having consistency and making a just a really healthy space for for people to turn to. 00:43:32.701 --> 00:43:34.307 Yeah, that's fantastic, yeah. 00:43:33.351 --> 00:44:02.338 And yeah, and another thing I hope is I mentioned it a little bit earlier is the coaches. I get asked the question of, know, and, you know, how can we better help athletes and how can we better help,~ you know, teams in team building and growth and the greater good for like a healthier way forward within sports in every. 00:44:03.492 --> 00:44:10.699 every way and we you know it's it's providing the resources but also giving guidance. ~ To these coaches. 00:44:10.699 --> 00:44:20.847 ~ When these athletes decide that OK we want to come to you

or somebody because eventually it's. 00:44:20.847 --> 00:44:25.590 It's going to happen and sometimes you just don't know how to respond and. 00:44:25.590 --> 00:44:32.934 I truly believe that you know it's a responsibility as not just an adult but. 00:44:33.485 --> 00:44:48.806 as a coach to ~ show up for that kid, but also do their best to try and problem solve and ~ understand where they can best serve the kid. 00:44:48.806 --> 00:44:54.188 it only takes, you know, it's like ~ a domino effect or snowball effect. 00:44:54.188 --> 00:44:58.141 Like you help one kid, you can impact an entire community through that. 00:44:58.141 --> 00:44:59.141 can helping. 00:44:58.853 --> 00:44:59.853 Yes. 00:44:59.463 --> 00:45:07.119 their family unit, their brother and sister, their mom and dad, and you just never know the impact that ~ that is going to have. 00:45:07.119 --> 00:45:17.043 So creating consistency in messaging because we know as athletes, consistency is everything. ~ It's It is. Yeah. 00:45:17.155 --> 00:45:18.155 so important. 00:45:18.003 --> 00:45:19.514 It is so important. And thank you. 00:45:19.514 --> 00:45:27.396 And ~ leadership from the coaches and and~ showing up for the kid and we know that ripple effect can have such great impact. 00:45:27.396 --> 00:45:44.219 So thank you, Kevin. And as we wrap up, we we wrap up with one last ~ question and it really goes back to what we call our podcast. ~ and and it's you know, hope starts with us. So we know the world can be a difficult place and sometimes it can be hard, Kevin, to hold on to hope. 00:45:44.597 --> 00:45:50.963 that's why each episode we dedicate the last minute or two of our podcast to a such special segment called Hold On to Hope. 00:45:50.963 --> 00:45:54.945 Would you tell us what helps you hold on to hope, Kevin? 00:45:58.565 --> 00:46:02.057 For me, it's always like my my greatest teachers right now are. 00:46:04.300 --> 00:46:07.114 my daughters and Mm. 00:46:10.153 --> 00:46:23.121 Looking at their future through the lens of the conversations that we're having I would hope that we're creating just a healthier way forward. 00:46:23.121 --> 00:46:32.447 ~ And we don't know the challenges or what they're going to face when they become teenagers, right? And how... 00:46:33.606 --> 00:46:56.842 best we're going to navigate dealing with emotions with how fast the world is changing. again, continuing to advocate, ~ continuing to create partnerships like this, right? It's only going to impact and affect a better tomorrow. 00:46:56.842 --> 00:47:00.244 So they're teaching me that we're on the right path. 00:47:00.244 --> 00:47:29.820 We're doing the the right things. even now, these conversations might help and I believe will help people feel less alone and like they have a safe space and to reach out and that others, should they see this and are already at the level of having a platform? 00:47:30.143 --> 00:47:57.753 or those who might, you know, take their talents to the next level and continue to,~ you know, grow or make it to division one sports or at a smaller level have a lot of success at,~ you know, the high school level or make it to the pro level will be able to use, you know, their influence to help their teammates. 00:47:57.998 --> 00:48:00.818 and also help their coaches, right? 00:48:00.818 --> 00:48:07.418 It's like, it's not an easy decision to make. 00:48:07.418 --> 00:48:23.427 again, it's, you know, remembering that these conversations are really hard to have, but on the other side of it, there's a lot of freedom and a lot of... 00:48:24.987 --> 00:48:30.248 understanding that we don't have to figure out all of these things on our own. 00:48:30.248 --> 00:48:47.833 And there's a greater community, I think, on the other side. And I think that community ~ is what gives me, again, the most hope. Like, we're going to continue to chip away at this and hopefully make for a better tomorrow, not just for athletes, but for everyone and for the greater good. 00:48:48.530 --> 00:49:14.643 ~ Thank you, Kevin, and thank you for using your platform and taking us past the cover of the book of Kevin Love and to into the table of contents and the chapters and using ~ your your your platform to say, you know, let me tell you about Kevin Love, not just the basketball player, but Kevin Love. So thank you. ~ and as we wrap up, I just want to say to our listeners and and viewers, this has been Hope Starts With Us, a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance for Mental Illness. 00:49:14.643 --> 00:49:17.876 If you want to learn more about the Kevin Love Fund. 00:49:18.398 --> 00:49:24.699 or the lesson NAMI developed with the team, visit Kevinlovefund.org. 00:49:24.699 --> 00:49:33.983 If you are looking for mental health resources, you are not alone. To connect with the NAMI HelpLine and find local resources, visit NAMI.org forward slash help. 00:49:33.983 --> 00:49:41.224 Text N-A-M-I to 62640 or dial 800-950-NAMI-6264. 00:49:41.224 --> 00:49:56.748 Or if you are experiencing an immediate suicide substance use or mental health crisis, I'm sure it's not going be easy to talk to you because I'm not going to be able to everything that's your life. But able to speak to you about everything that's your Please call or text 988 to speak with a trained support specialist or visit life. So I you're 988Lifeline.org. I'm Dan Gillison, going be able hear me I'm going be talk you about everything that's going your host. Thanks for listening and be well.