NBA Great Kevin Love on Trying to Achieve His Way Out of Depression

August 13
38 mins

View Transcript

Episode Description

Have you ever tried to achieve your way out of anxiety or depression? What happens when reaching your biggest goals still doesn't make you feel like you're enough? In this episode, I sit down with NBA champion and mental health advocate Kevin Love to talk about the anxiety, depression, and constant sense of dread that existed alongside his extraordinary success. Kevin opens up about the panic attack that changed his relationship with mental health, the pressure to prove himself, and why achievement, fame, and money could never fill the void. We also break down perfectionism, overwork, social anxiety, vulnerability, and the complicated relationship between ambition and mental health. Tune in to learn how changing your relationship with achievement can create more room for self-acceptance, connection, and joy.


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In This Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Why Kevin Love decided to speak publicly about his mental health.

04:15 The panic attack that forced Kevin to confront his mental health.

05:00 What happens when you try to achieve your way out of depression?

12:45 Can understanding your mental health make you a better teammate?

14:15 The freedom that comes from separating yourself from your performance.

16:00 When the thing you love becomes your only source of identity.

18:00 What high achievers can learn from failure.

23:15 The fear of being judged after opening up about mental health.

26:15 Why overwork can't fill the emotional void.

27:30 What social anxiety looks like when you're constantly in the public eye.

30:45 Learning to give yourself permission to experience joy.

32:15 How do you redefine achievement without losing your ambition?


Resources + Links

Learn more about the Kevin Love Fund HERE!

Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever

Watch the podcast on YouTube 

Find more resources on our website morraam.com


Follow

Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

Follow Kevin Love Fund: @kevinlovefund

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