How do you feel about your “weaknesses”? Do they make you feel insecure or vulnerable?
If so, you’re not alone. In fact, almost everyone feels that way. What if I told you there was a secret to turning your vulnerability into your greatest strength?
Stories like the one we have today are why I do this podcast. As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression in my life, bringing awareness to mental health issues is extremely important to me.
We as a society have come a long way as far as transparency with mental health is concerned. Today, all kinds of successful individuals from athletes to business professionals are opening up about their various struggles with mental health, and we frequently discuss mental health topics here on the podcast as well!
However, we still have a long way to go. Mental health is still considered a taboo topic in many cultures around the world, and here in America, we have only just begun to erase this stigma. Our guest today is on a mission to erase the stigma surrounding mental health in the sports world and beyond, Jay Glazer.
Despite his external success, Jay always wrestled with internal demons that he later discovered were depression and anxiety. This led to a series of panic attacks, breakdowns, and eventually, monumental breakthroughs.
In today’s show, Jay is going to share how we can ALL turn our mental health struggles into the motivation and the superpower that takes us to the next level. Please help me welcome the one-and-only, Jay Glazer, to The School of Greatness!
Who is Jay Glazer?
Jay Glazer is a TV personality and National Football League (NFL) insider for FOX Sports’ award-winning NFL pregame studio show, FOX NFL Sunday. The entire cast, including Glazer, became the first sports show inducted into the Television Hall Of Fame in 2019.
In 2007, Glazer created the first mixed martial arts training program for pro athletes in America and has trained over 1,000 pro athletes. And in 2014, he co-founded the Unbreakable Performance Center, a private training facility frequented by Wiz Khalifa, Chris Pratt, and Demi Lovato, as well as numerous NFL, NHL, and MMA athletes.
Jay’s Journey
When I sat down with Jay, I immediately knew we were in for a good conversation. I understood Jay’s battles and was inspired by his ability to push through what he called “the gray,” which is how he described his anxiety and depression. Those days when you wake up feeling blue but can’t find a reason why you feel that way.
Jay said he felt he was blessed with the gift of communication, so he felt it was his duty to help other people push through the gray. He described feeling this depression and anxiety in his early childhood and continues to battle it today, detailing how it destroyed his motivation and ability to love and care for himself.
“I’ve had to build up this persona on TV all these years to hide it, but no one knew how much pain I was in until now. I first talked about it a few years ago [at] a charity that I work with, Veterans MVP. … One day I did an article somewhere where I was being this vulnerable — how I am in the huddle with them — with the rest of the world. And the reaction was like, Oh my God, you too? You have depression and anxiety? ” – Jay Glazer
Jay said there were only so many ways he could make people laugh as a TV personality on FOX before the gray would creep in. After going to therapy for most of his life, Jay has written his new book, Unbreakable, where he talks about the tools he used to pull himself out of his worst days. As many of you know, mental health does not only affect your mind but it affects you physically as well.
“It was almost like these heavy chains were pulling my soul down, and it was heavy — it hurt. When I’m having really bad days like this past weekend, I feel it behind my rib cage. It feels like I’m having a heart attack. The left side of my gut feels like it’s been punched, and my joints ache like I just got out of a fight — like a 50-round boxing match. So there’s a physical, visceral reaction for me.” – Jay Glazer
I was right there with Jay when he told me this. I know all too well the physical effect that mental health can have on a person. Many of you know I was abused by a man I didn’t know when I was 5 and I held on to that secret and that shame for 25 years because I thought no one would love me if I told them.
In the end, holding onto this shame made me feel less emotionally connected to the people in my life because I was lacking that aspect of vulnerability. It was only 9 years ago when I finally started talking about it, and when I did it felt like an enormous weight had been lifted. Consequently, my relationships only strengthened as I became more vulnerable.
It’s amazing to hear another person’s journey with vulnerability and how it has helped them connect with people and lift them out of tough times. Jay managed to take something that caused him daily pain both emotional and physical, and turn it into his biggest strength.
