The issue of mental health has become a big part of the national conversation. More and more, we see the struggles of mental health played out in the news and on social media, where we watch tragedies unfold and hear athletes, performers, and other celebrities speak out about the stressors of fame and the difficulty of dealing with their mental well-being while in the public eye. Mental health is not just a topic for headlines and tabloid chatter, however; we all have our times of trouble and can find it difficult to cope with everyday life. How do we deal with things like depression, grief, anger, and unexpected tragedy?
In this series, you'll meet four highly successful individuals who have faced overwhelming mental health challenges, and who have managed not only to survive, but also to find strength in their struggles. You will hear the deeply personal experiences of sports analyst Jay Williams; New York Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas; singer, songwriter, and poet Mary Lambert; and boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard.
Your guide through the five illuminating episodes of Finding Strength in Mental Health Struggles is sports journalist Kate Fagan. Throughout her career, Kate has seen the mental health struggles of top-tier athletes up close and will help you connect the difficulties of high-level performers to the similar, if less publicly visible, issues of everyday life. You will also gain valuable insights from Dr. Lisa Damour, a clinical psychologist and expert on mental health challenges, who will help frame these discussions using her renowned expertise and personal experience.
We may not all be world-class athletes, television presenters, or Grammy-nominated musicians, but we all have struggles with our daily circumstances. By listening to these conversations, you will see examples of overcoming hardship and how lives that look enviable from the outside can contain the same difficulties that many of us face every day. This glimpse into the struggles of others may help you find a way to tackle your own.
