294: Chris Hubbard on NFL Pressures, Personal Loss, and Mental Health Advocacy
The Addicted Mind Podcast
Duane Osterlind, LMFT
4.8 • 621 Ratings
🗓️ 5 August 2024
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How do you manage the weight of expectation and the emotional toll of personal loss while thriving in the high-stakes world of professional football? Join us Duane as he sits down with Chris Hubbard, a celebrated NFL player and a fervent mental health advocate. From his roots in Columbus, Georgia, to the peaks and valleys of his collegiate career at UAB, Chris sheds light on the trials of being a first-generation college student and the seismic impact of losing his grandfather at the tender age of 19. His candid recounting of emotional struggles, his mother’s unwavering support, and the transformative decision to seek therapy at 25 are truly inspiring, leading to the creation of his mental health initiative, the Overcoming Together Foundation.
Discover the intense pressures that come with NFL draft day and the valuable lessons Chris gleaned from illustrious teammates like Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger during his early years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also delves into how losing touch with his core beliefs led to feelings of being lost and how therapy helped him confront deep-seated traumas, including the devastating loss of a friend to suicide.
Chris also emphasizes the power of expressing emotions openly, breaking the societal mold of stoicism, and surrounding oneself with positive influences. Through his foundation, Overcoming Together, Chris is committed to fostering community support, spreading mental health awareness, and providing safe spaces for open dialogue, demonstrating that vulnerability is a strength and mental health support is transformative.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Mental health advocacy in sports
- Navigating mental health struggles in sports
- Embracing mental health through spirituality
- Strength through mental health awareness
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Supporting Resources:
https://www.nfl.com/players/chris-hubbard/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Addicted Mind podcast. My name is Dwayne Austerlund. I'm your host, and we are on to another episode. |
| 0:13.0 | So our guest today is professional football player Christopher Hubbard, and he currently plays for the San Francisco 49ers on the offensive |
| 0:22.8 | line being a professional football player. Christopher is also known as a mental health advocate |
| 0:29.6 | and founder of the Overcoming Together Foundation to help support his mental health advocacy work. So Christopher, after the early |
| 0:40.5 | loss of his grandfather at the age of 19, Christopher really started to have some difficulties |
| 0:45.8 | and he was able to start therapy at the age of 25 and really realized the importance of |
| 0:53.4 | talking about his feelings. |
| 0:55.6 | But at the same time, he also recognized the stigma of reaching out for help, |
| 1:00.7 | especially as a professional athlete. |
| 1:02.6 | So today, he's going to share his story. |
| 1:05.2 | He's going to talk about this, all the lessons that he learned in that process, |
| 1:10.0 | and how this has become really another passion |
| 1:14.3 | for him to help others and really in the stigma we have about seeking help for any mental |
| 1:22.2 | health issues we're experiencing. So I think you're going to get a lot out of this episode. |
| 1:26.8 | And if you're getting a lot out of |
| 1:28.4 | the Addicted Mind podcast, please rate and review us in whatever podcast app you're using right now, |
| 1:34.6 | that really does help the podcast get found. It does mean a lot to me, and I just really appreciate it. |
| 1:42.2 | And you can continue the conversation online. Join our Facebook group. |
| 1:46.5 | Go to Facebook. Type in the Addicted Mind podcast and click join. All right, everyone, enjoy this |
| 1:51.8 | episode. All right, everybody, welcome to the Addicted Mind podcast. I have a great guest, Chris Hubbard. |
| 2:03.2 | Chris, why don't you just introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you for anybody who doesn't know you. Yes, I am Christopher |
| 2:09.2 | Hubbard. I was born in Columbus, Georgia, 1991, born and raised in Columbus, Georgia all my life |
... |
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