BEST OF: #28 Eric Kussin: His Mental Health Journey #samehere

FIRST AIRED: SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2019 Today I want to switch things up a bit and talk about a very important topic, mental wellness. This is more than a hot topic, its reality and we all need to do a much better job in looking out for ourselves and each other, especially in the workplace. I’ve known my guest today Eric Kussin, an expert in this space, for probably 25 years as we grew up in the same neighborhood in Long Island. We were never really close but always respected and admired each other. In the last few years we connected deeper professionally and the synergy has been fantastic. Eric Kussin is an 18-year professional sports executive, who got his start at the NBA League Office. After five years with the League, he went the team business route and rose the ranks with the expansion Chicago Sky, and later the Phoenix Suns. He then switched over to the NHL, working with the New Jersey Devils, & Florida Panthers. However, a debilitating mental health crisis stopped Eric’s career and life in its tracks for over two and a half years. After many failed treatment modalities, he was lucky enough to learn healing practices that enabled him to dig out of his abyss, and found a higher calling, launching a non-profit at the end of 2017 called, We’re All a Little “Crazy,” The Global Mental Health Alliance. The Alliance is comprised of athletes and celebrities, along with media members, expert practitioners, advocates, and everyday heroes who’ve come together to make talking about mental health a common topic for “5 out of 5” of us. Their #SameHere Movement has swept across college campuses in the US from Cornell to USC, K-12’s, Corporate Offices, and Professional Sports Teams in just over a year. The Movement has recently begun to expand globally as well, with events in markets outside of the US. As mental wellness continues to be at the forefront of every conversation, I knew it was critical to have Eric on the show today to dig in. I am thrilled and honored to have him on. I truly hope that you are able to learn from Eric's story and look out for yourself and your fellow humans. For more info, please visit: https://samehereglobal.org/ And all things, www.thePOZcast.com Thanks!