Episode 35

From the NBA to Mental Health Advocate: A Conversation with James Donaldson

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Key Takeaways

  • The culture of professional sports often demands emotional performance and discourages vulnerability.
  • James opens up about his own battle with depression and surviving a near-suicide experience.
  • He shares the power of storytelling, identity loss after sports, and redefining success.
  • James discusses what suicide prevention really means—and what young people actually need to hear.
  • We reflect on legacy, connection, and how small, unexpected things can keep someone going.


This episode contains discussions about mental health challenges, including depression and suicide. If these topics are sensitive or triggering for you, please take care while listening. You're not alone—support is available. In Canada, call or text 988. In the U.S., dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.


Guest Bio

James Donaldson is a former NBA All-Star and professional basketball player whose career spanned 14 seasons, including time with the Seattle Supersonics and Dallas Mavericks. After playing internationally and touring with the Harlem Globetrotters, James faced a life-altering battle with depression. Today, he is, a suicide prevention nonprofit, and the author of Celebrating Your Gift of Life, a deeply personal memoir about surviving crisis and rediscovering purpose.

James now speaks globally on mental health and wellness, bringing powerful messages of hope, resilience, and human connection.

Connect with James:


Host Bio

Lexi Burt is a passionate advocate for holistic health, dedicated to empowering women to take charge of their well-being. As a Fertility Advisor, Endometriosis Advocate, and Endometriosis Researcher, Lexi specializes in helping clients manage health challenges, restore fertility, and reclaim balance through personalized strategies in nutrition, movement, and mental wellness.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with Honours, Lexi brings a deep understanding of the mind-body connection to her coaching practice. Her love for nature and holistic living shines through in her approach, blending evidence-based methods with lifestyle philosophies like Hygge and the Blue Zones.

Based in British Columbia, Lexi finds inspiration in outdoor adventures like camping, hiking, cold-water swims, and rock climbing. She treasures time with her friends, family, her playful Corgi, and her supportive partner, drawing from these experiences to create a life rooted in joy and resilience.

Connect with Lexi:


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Transcript
Lexi Burt:

Lex, welcome to a quest for wholeness podcast. I'm

Lexi Burt:

your host. Lexi Burt, a fertility advisor and

Lexi Burt:

endometriosis advocate together, we're diving into the journey of

Lexi Burt:

understanding what it truly means to be a healthy, complete

Lexi Burt:

individual, biologically, psychologically, socially and

Lexi Burt:

spiritually. In solo episodes, I'll share my insights on

Lexi Burt:

fertility, holistic health and endometriosis, plus we'll have

Lexi Burt:

conversations with incredible guests, all exploring the same

Lexi Burt:

burning question, what does it mean to be a whole, healthy and

Lexi Burt:

satisfied person. I'm so grateful you're here.

Lexi Burt:

Today's guest is James Donaldson, author, mental health

Lexi Burt:

advocate and founder of the your GIFT of Life Foundation, former

Lexi Burt:

NBA All Star with the Seattle SuperSonics and Dallas

Lexi Burt:

Mavericks. James's journey took him from the pro basketball to

Lexi Burt:

global tours with the Harlem Globetrotters and eventually to

Lexi Burt:

a powerful mission off the court. After facing his own

Lexi Burt:

mental health challenges, he now dedicates his life to suicide

Lexi Burt:

prevention and mental wellness. His book celebrating your gift

Lexi Burt:

of life, shares his inspiring story from struggle to purpose.

Lexi Burt:

This episode contains discussions about mental health

Lexi Burt:

challenges, including depression and suicide. If these topics are

Lexi Burt:

sensitive or triggering for you, please take care of yourself

Lexi Burt:

while listening. You aren't alone, and support is available.

Lexi Burt:

If you are in Canada, you can call or text 988 anytime for

Lexi Burt:

free and confidential help in the US. You can also dial 988 to

Lexi Burt:

reach the suicide and crisis lifeline

Lexi Burt:

I am so excited to get right into the meat and potatoes of

Lexi Burt:

this episode. James, your NBA career spanned 14 seasons,

Lexi Burt:

including an all star title and international play. Looking

Lexi Burt:

back, when did you first notice that mental health was something

Lexi Burt:

being neglected in professional sports, either personally or

Lexi Burt:

among your teammates?

James Donaldson:

Well, you know, I never really personally

James Donaldson:

noticed it when I was playing, although I did see year after

James Donaldson:

year after year, a lot of the guys that come to the league,

James Donaldson:

they try out, they put their whole heart and soul into it,

James Donaldson:

and they wouldn't make the team, and they'd be devastated. And

James Donaldson:

I've felt for them. I mean, I of course, they moved on, and they

James Donaldson:

went on with their life, hopefully, and found something

James Donaldson:

else to get into, but you kind of run into that brick wall. I

James Donaldson:

mean, after being all everything in grade school and all

James Donaldson:

everything in high school and all everything in college, then

James Donaldson:

you get to the pros, and they say no, because there's only so

James Donaldson:

many spots in that team, and you got to be really, really good

James Donaldson:

and very competitive to make it. Not everybody's gonna make it.

James Donaldson:

Lot of guys don't have a backup plan. They're not ready for

James Donaldson:

something to kind of kind of kind of roll into, in case this

James Donaldson:

doesn't work out. And that's why I encourage the guys, hey, make

James Donaldson:

sure you have a backup plan. But I saw it year after year,

James Donaldson:

especially in training camp, we'd have 3040, guys come to

James Donaldson:

camp. Only 12 are going to make the team, and so a lot of

James Donaldson:

disheartened and broken spirits at the end of the camp, and I

James Donaldson:

always wondered and felt, you know, for the guys and how they

James Donaldson:

made out with life after the game, which is what I dedicated

James Donaldson:

a lot of my post basketball career to, is being on the board

James Donaldson:

with the retired NBA players and helping them make that

James Donaldson:

transition from professional sports into real, everyday life

James Donaldson:

again. Most of us aren't ready for it, but it's coming sooner

James Donaldson:

or later, and you just have to really get yourself prepared for

James Donaldson:

it.

Lexi Burt:

I wonder was mental health? Was it specifically like

Lexi Burt:

caught in that framework, back in the day when you were kind of

Lexi Burt:

in the NBA, or was it something, that word and that idea kind of

Lexi Burt:

was more, yeah, I guess aware to you after the fact.

James Donaldson:

It was after the fact. I mean, it was really

James Donaldson:

stigmatized when I was playing. I played in the 80s and 90s most

James Donaldson:

of my career, and so mental health wasn't something that the

James Donaldson:

players talked about, the coaches, the teams. Of course,

James Donaldson:

all of us have big, strong testosterone field heat men. And

James Donaldson:

you know, we don't dare cry, we don't dare show weakness. We

James Donaldson:

don't dare, you know, show that you're injured or anything like

James Donaldson:

that. You just keep playing through it and cover it up. You

James Donaldson:

put that mask on. Not good for these guys, I tell the guys out

James Donaldson:

there now, it's not good. I mean, that's such a detriment to

James Donaldson:

you to be so they call it toxic masculinity now, where you just

James Donaldson:

do you play that role to the hilt. You know, the strong,

James Donaldson:

silent type, but never cry type. And I tell the guys, hey, it's

James Donaldson:

okay to be in touch with your feelings. It's okay. Not to be

James Donaldson:

okay and to reach out for help. I wish I had known what I know

James Donaldson:

now back in the 80s and 90s, because I could have helped a

James Donaldson:

lot of the guys that came through could have helped myself

James Donaldson:

as well. I had some serious injuries that put me on the

James Donaldson:

couch and knocked me out for six months, eight months, and mental

James Donaldson:

health was a big part of that, the depression, the loneliness,

James Donaldson:

the isolation becomes the crowd. The fans are no longer cheery.

James Donaldson:

They're roaring for you every night you're home all by

James Donaldson:

yourself. And life is just totally different. So all of

James Donaldson:

these things come into play, and I really hope to be able to work

James Donaldson:

with a lot more athletes, especially men, and particularly

James Donaldson:

because us guys are a different sort of animal that's, you know,

James Donaldson:

from from childhood, from boyhood, were taught not to cry

James Donaldson:

and to be tough and to suck it up. And we believe that, and we

James Donaldson:

carry that into adulthood, and it starts to affect us when we

James Donaldson:

start having problems. So we have to be better prepared for

James Donaldson:

that, and that's what I hope to do more and more of

Lexi Burt:

Was there ever a moment like during the time that

Lexi Burt:

you were playing in the NBA, like you felt like you had to

Lexi Burt:

perform emotionally, not just physically, but like you were

Lexi Burt:

expected to be on in every kind of way

Unknown:

you are, you are. I mean, emotion is a big part of

Unknown:

the game. Of course, physicality is the book. The best part,

Unknown:

biggest part of it, you have to be physically able to play in

Unknown:

the NBA, but you have to get yourself up every game. And I

Unknown:

think that the toughest part for a lot of the guys who aren't

Unknown:

don't have that good balance, is how to handle the tremendous

Unknown:

highs when you win and how to handle the tremendous lows when

Unknown:

you lose 82 games in a season, that's a lot of highs, a lot of

Unknown:

lows, and the playoffs roll around and everything is on, the

Unknown:

chips are on the table, and you're playing everything for

Unknown:

the playoffs and for that championship ring, tremendous

Unknown:

emotionally highs you're riding the whole time, and then boom,

Unknown:

it just crashes to an end if you Don't walk away with that

Unknown:

trophy. So that's the emotional part of the game. And the guys

Unknown:

who are well balanced, I noted, I had a lot of teammates who had

Unknown:

substance abuse problems, and they would take the drinking way

Unknown:

too much after a win, or drinking way too much after a

Unknown:

loss, doing drugs way too much after a win, doing drugs way too

Unknown:

much after I mean, they just couldn't find that balance, that

Unknown:

equilibrium, and that's the emotional part of the game that

Unknown:

you have to be in touch with in order to perform consistently on

Unknown:

a nightly basis like we have to.

Lexi Burt:

You know, I don't know if you're a fan of hockey,

Lexi Burt:

I usually jump on the bandwagon at the end of the final, but it

Lexi Burt:

was an American team, the Cougars, against the Edmonton

Lexi Burt:

Oilers last night. And you could even see that right, like the

Lexi Burt:

Oilers law had a devastating loss. They lost one to five last

Lexi Burt:

night. And you could see the there were some tears the camera

Lexi Burt:

caught in the goalies face, and you could see how devastating

Lexi Burt:

that was. And for them, that's like going to be one of their

Lexi Burt:

worst nights of their careers, and then you saw the celebrating

Lexi Burt:

team that's going to be the one of the best nights. So I think

Lexi Burt:

that's a good example of just those highs and lows that you

Lexi Burt:

just mentioned.

Unknown:

That's exactly right. And I mean, in one locker room,

Unknown:

they're they're popping champagne, and everybody's

Unknown:

cheering. The other locker room, they're in tears, and they are

Unknown:

just physically exhausted, emotionally exhausted, and you

Unknown:

just don't even want to take your uniform off, chances over.

Unknown:

But what can you do? And so I hope more and more teams are

Unknown:

providing the mental health support that's so crucial for

Unknown:

these players as they go through a long season, and not only

Unknown:

that, but to prepare them for life after the game, because

Unknown:

that's when the that's when the cheering really stops. That's

Unknown:

when you know your identity that you had as a player. You go back

Unknown:

to your hometown, and yeah, there might be a handful of

Unknown:

people who know you and recognize you, but for the most

Unknown:

part, you're just a regular, average, you know, overly tall

Unknown:

guy, but you know, regular, average guy, that nobody's

Unknown:

cheering for you anymore, and it's hard for a lot of guys to

Unknown:

make that adjustment

Lexi Burt:

Right, like assimilating back into

Lexi Burt:

civilization as essentially,

James Donaldson:

Yes, finding a purpose, finding that purpose.

James Donaldson:

What is life all about? And who am I really for guys, especially

James Donaldson:

what we do is our identity, we really tie it into our I our

James Donaldson:

identity. So I'm an NBA player, and that's what I'm going to be

James Donaldson:

the rest of my life. Well, you're not going to be that the

James Donaldson:

rest of your life. That's what you used to do. But if you still

James Donaldson:

think that, I watch a lot of social media now, and guys I

James Donaldson:

played with back in the 80s and 90s are still talking about the

James Donaldson:

matchups and the games and things 40 years ago, like you

James Donaldson:

guys have to let it go. That's way in the past. Nobody

James Donaldson:

remembers you guys now, but they talk about it as if it happened

James Donaldson:

last week,

Lexi Burt:

Right? Yeah, and I think you make such a good point

Lexi Burt:

about you know, teams aren't they're setting people up for

Lexi Burt:

the career and to make them super good players. In that time

Lexi Burt:

frame, but in your experience in the past, or even what you know

Lexi Burt:

now about how that operates, is there any like off boarding

Lexi Burt:

process or support for these players?

James Donaldson:

Well, I'm not real familiar with it, although

James Donaldson:

I'm aware that most teams, if not all teams, have a mental

James Donaldson:

health counselor of some sort on the staff around the team, so

James Donaldson:

the guys can reach out. This is the role I'm trying to play now

James Donaldson:

with the NBA, as a former NBA player, a guy who's actually

James Donaldson:

been there and done that, a lot of these mental health

James Donaldson:

counselors have never dribbled the basketball. They don't, they

James Donaldson:

can't, they don't know the first thing about the game, you know.

James Donaldson:

So we don't talk to the guys about the stress surrender or

James Donaldson:

the anxiety, but I can talk to them about, hey, actually,

James Donaldson:

you're living through this and playing through it and dealing

James Donaldson:

with it myself. And so I hope I can find my way into the NBA

James Donaldson:

somehow and actually work with the players and be that guy that

James Donaldson:

the players can call at three in the morning if they just can't

James Donaldson:

get to sleep. They're just so filled with anxiety and dread

James Donaldson:

and anxiousness and the whole works. I've been there. I know

James Donaldson:

that. I know it's part of the game, and I know I can help them

James Donaldson:

more than most people can, absolutely.

Lexi Burt:

And I mean the culture of professional sports

Lexi Burt:

often discourages vulnerability, right? What did it take for you

Lexi Burt:

to start speaking publicly about your mental health, and how did

Lexi Burt:

that contrast with the mindset you had to maintain as an

Lexi Burt:

athlete?

James Donaldson:

Well, my mental health challenges came about

James Donaldson:

after a series of real serious medical incidents I had with my

James Donaldson:

heart I had emergency open heart surgery to save my life back in

James Donaldson:

2015 and it was touch and go for several weeks. I was in the ICU

James Donaldson:

for three, three months flat on my back for the whole year, and

James Donaldson:

had to go through it again in 2016 Wow. Two year back, and

James Donaldson:

here I am. Up until that point, I'm still this big athlete, even

James Donaldson:

though it was an older athlete. I'm in the gym five, six days a

James Donaldson:

week. I'm running, you know, three or four or five kilometers

James Donaldson:

every day, and just in tip top shape. And boom, it was all

James Donaldson:

over. And so this caused me to go through this mental health

James Donaldson:

spiral, downhill, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts,

James Donaldson:

suicidal ideations, loneliness, isolation, and I went through

James Donaldson:

that for a whole year. 2018 was my worst year, and so that's

James Donaldson:

when I had to deal with it. Now I was about 5758 59 at the time.

James Donaldson:

So after my basketball career, but still very much tied to

James Donaldson:

sports and to the NBA. I mean, you know, I'm, I'm over two

James Donaldson:

meters tall, you know, 218 I guess in your country, 218 so

James Donaldson:

people still recognize me as a basketball player. They still

James Donaldson:

see me and think that I'm a basketball player. So I can't

James Donaldson:

get away from it. But this really caused me and being laid

James Donaldson:

up pretty much all 215 and 216 I ended up losing my long running

James Donaldson:

business I had for 30 years physical therapy business. I

James Donaldson:

ended up going through a bankruptcy, losing my life

James Donaldson:

savings, all my NBA savings, losing my all in foreclosure,

James Donaldson:

losing my my marriage, my wife and my stepson. Everything that

James Donaldson:

could fall apart fell apart, and everything that could leave left

James Donaldson:

except for my old life, which I was just in my mind toying with

James Donaldson:

at my own fingertips and ready to throw it all away at any

James Donaldson:

point. And so I went through all of that, and that's why, when I

James Donaldson:

finally came out of that, at the end of 2018 2019 I had this talk

James Donaldson:

with God, you know, and I said, Hey, God, I always took care of

James Donaldson:

myself. I've always been a good guy. Always done the right

James Donaldson:

things. Why? Why? Why do I have to go through this? He's like,

James Donaldson:

he's like, Hey, James, I let you go through that so you know, and

James Donaldson:

now you understand what mental health challenges are all about.

James Donaldson:

You got a big platform, you know, people know you, people

James Donaldson:

like you, people respect you. I want you to use your platform,

James Donaldson:

get out there and speak and talk to people about mental health.

James Donaldson:

Be an advocate, be a voice, help people, channel them to the

James Donaldson:

resources that are available. And that has become my whole

James Donaldson:

next chapter of life, from 2019 on, with your gift of life

James Donaldson:

Foundation, which I started up in 2019 and all of the work I do

James Donaldson:

now with middle school and high school students and men in

James Donaldson:

particular, constantly, constantly talking to them and

James Donaldson:

showing them that, hey, help is readily available. You got to

James Donaldson:

ask for it, because mental health, like unlike most things,

James Donaldson:

you can't tell something's wrong with somebody from the outside.

James Donaldson:

They have to let you know. So you have to let. People know

James Donaldson:

that you need help and you need them to be there for you.

Lexi Burt:

You literally gave me shivers, because I think if you

Lexi Burt:

go through those experiences, it's really about the meaning

Lexi Burt:

that you take away, right? And you came out the positive side

Lexi Burt:

of that and found meaning in that. And I think that's where

Lexi Burt:

people really can impact communities and other people, is

Lexi Burt:

by taking their adversity and turning it into something that's

Lexi Burt:

going to help other people. That's a lot of work that I do

Lexi Burt:

in women's health. I had kind of been through the ringer with the

Lexi Burt:

medical system for like, 12 years to finally get a diagnosis

Lexi Burt:

and find treatments and support that work. And I feel almost

Lexi Burt:

responsible to be able to share this information with other

Lexi Burt:

people, because it's like, maybe it doesn't have to be like that

Lexi Burt:

for everybody.

James Donaldson:

That's right. That's right. Yeah, exactly. And

James Donaldson:

so, you know, sometimes you just don't know until you have to go

James Donaldson:

through it yourself, and then you come out being that advocate

James Donaldson:

and that voice and on fire read the word and help other people

James Donaldson:

out. And that's exactly what I've been doing and what I plan

James Donaldson:

to do the rest of my life. My long running business is over

James Donaldson:

with. You know, I have to rebuild my nest egg. Got to find

James Donaldson:

another girlfriend who can be my wife one day. I got to rebuild

James Donaldson:

everything from the start, but I'm still here to be able to do

James Donaldson:

that.

Lexi Burt:

What was something that you learned about yourself

Lexi Burt:

going through really the darkest times of your life with your

Lexi Burt:

mental health?

James Donaldson:

Yeah, that's a really good question. You know,

James Donaldson:

I've always been a man of faith. You know, I grew up in a

James Donaldson:

Christian home, and I really have a strong sense of faith,

James Donaldson:

and God is real, and God is in control. And so I knew all along

James Donaldson:

that even though I was going through a real difficult time,

James Donaldson:

that God wasn't so much putting me through it. He was allowing

James Donaldson:

me to go through it. He was waiting for me the other end

James Donaldson:

saying, Hey, come on, you're learning a little lesson. I'm

James Donaldson:

teaching you a lesson. I'm going to equip you with all you need

James Donaldson:

to get out there and make a difference in the world. And so

James Donaldson:

it was tough. It was 12 months of, I say, pure darkness in

James Donaldson:

hell, 2018 where some days I didn't think I'd make it

James Donaldson:

tomorrow, some days I didn't think I'd make it to the next

James Donaldson:

hour. But I had a small group of friends, five, six, real,

James Donaldson:

intimate, close friends, and I asked them all. I said, Hey

James Donaldson:

guys, I need you to check in on me two or three times a week.

James Donaldson:

Just call me and ask me how my day is going, and I need you to

James Donaldson:

allow me to call you at two or three in the morning if I need

James Donaldson:

to. And they all put their hand up say, yes, yes, yes. God, you

James Donaldson:

know that made a big difference having a support group around

James Donaldson:

me. And we all need a support group, even if it's just one or

James Donaldson:

two people, you've got to have that person that you can go to.

James Donaldson:

And these, these little phones that we're talking about,

James Donaldson:

they're not going to do it. They're not going to cut it.

James Donaldson:

Yeah, they got all these apps and things for mental health and

James Donaldson:

meditations and calm and everything else. But it's not

James Donaldson:

the same as talking to a real, live person who's actually

James Donaldson:

looking you in the eye or taking you by the taking you by the arm

James Donaldson:

or giving you a hug, that that makes all the difference.

Lexi Burt:

Well, Said, I think that's the thing. We live in

Lexi Burt:

North America, where we are. We're really in this epidemic of

Lexi Burt:

loneliness. We're more connected than where we've ever been in

Lexi Burt:

history, but we're experiencing the highest levels of isolation

Lexi Burt:

and loneliness, which I think are contributing to these mental

Lexi Burt:

health crises that we're really seeing all across the board.

James Donaldson:

Yeah, I really agree with that, and I've met up

James Donaldson:

a blog every single day, also about mental health and

James Donaldson:

different articles and things, and I brought out what the US

James Donaldson:

Surgeon General said two or three years ago about

James Donaldson:

loneliness. That's right, being the number one epidemic in this

James Donaldson:

country. I mean, it's mental health is way out there, but

James Donaldson:

loneliness is above that. And so many of us, I really feel for

James Donaldson:

our kids, though, because our kids are just living their own

James Donaldson:

life through this, this little phone gadget in their hand. They

James Donaldson:

just can't put it down. They can't look up from it. And, you

James Donaldson:

know, studies show now that a lot of kids are up to 12 hours a

James Donaldson:

day on social media platforms, 12 hours. I mean, you're trying

James Donaldson:

to go to go to school for four or five hours. You're trying to

James Donaldson:

eat for an hour or two. You should be out playing with your

James Donaldson:

friends for a few hours, but they're on their phones for 12

James Donaldson:

hours a day on average. And I feel for them as they get a

James Donaldson:

little bit older into their 20s, and they got to go out and find

James Donaldson:

that first little girlfriend or first little boyfriend, and they

James Donaldson:

won't be. To talk to them without texting to them right

James Donaldson:

across the table. You know, it's not going to work very well.

Lexi Burt:

I think about that often, particularly like two or

Lexi Burt:

three years ago, I guess three years ago now, there was a

Lexi Burt:

whistleblower came out about metas, data about teenage girls

Lexi Burt:

on social media and mental health, comparing, you know,

Lexi Burt:

Body, body image, like issues. And I was thinking it made me

Lexi Burt:

really angry, and I even notice it. I'm 29 but I notice when I'm

Lexi Burt:

on those platforms too much, I can feel this depression come in

Lexi Burt:

and this comparison, and I'm feeling bad about my body, I

Lexi Burt:

have a fully developed frontal lobe, and I am recognizing that.

Lexi Burt:

And there's children who don't even have these cognitive

Lexi Burt:

capacities developed, and it's really frightening to see where

Lexi Burt:

that might go when they've been indoctrinated by these tools

Lexi Burt:

from so early

James Donaldson:

on, yes, yes, it's scary, very, very scary.

Lexi Burt:

I want to ask as well, because you're such an

Lexi Burt:

advocate for, you know, suicide prevention. And when we talk

Lexi Burt:

about even the word suicide, there's a lot of stigma around

Lexi Burt:

it. And before we hit record, we were talking about how, you

Lexi Burt:

know, suicidal ideations isn't something that's abnormal. It

Lexi Burt:

doesn't mean you're broken and it doesn't mean that there's

Lexi Burt:

something wrong with you. So I'm wondering, when you're speaking

Lexi Burt:

about, you know, suicidality, suicidal ideations and suicide

Lexi Burt:

prevention, what is kind of the vibe that you are receiving or

Lexi Burt:

experiencing from people?

James Donaldson:

Well, you know, my presentation and talks are

James Donaldson:

received very, very well from the middle school and high

James Donaldson:

school kids that I speak to all around the state of Washington,

James Donaldson:

although YouTube just pulled out one of my videos, of course, I

James Donaldson:

know, like, come on, because it said it violated their term or

James Donaldson:

condition or something. I was even though it's made for kids,

James Donaldson:

I checked the box made for kids. I'm speaking to the kids about,

James Donaldson:

you know, suicide and possibly taking your life and reaching

James Donaldson:

out for help. YouTube thought I violated their terms, so they

James Donaldson:

took that video down. I still got dozens of other videos up

James Donaldson:

there saying the same thing, but they took this one. But the

James Donaldson:

kids, the kids appreciate the fact that you're straight

James Donaldson:

shooting, straight talking. You're not dancing around, you

James Donaldson:

know? And at the end of my talks, I usually have questions

James Donaldson:

and answers for the kids. And there's always three or four

James Donaldson:

kids in the in the audience that will tell you that they're

James Donaldson:

suicidal right now, and they'll say it in front of their peers,

James Donaldson:

especially in the small town small school settings, they'll

James Donaldson:

say it in front of their peers and let everybody know that

James Donaldson:

they're really struggling the transgender things that kids are

James Donaldson:

going through, the gender identity things that kids are

James Donaldson:

going through, the bullying the kids are going through, the body

James Donaldson:

shaming, and all these things that kids go through. They are

James Donaldson:

really struggling with these things, and so I'm a straight

James Donaldson:

shooter, and straight talk with them. I just let them know that,

James Donaldson:

hey, I've been through all these things I'm talking about, and

James Donaldson:

you might go through them too, but I made it through, and you

James Donaldson:

will too, but I reached out for help, and you must reach out for

James Donaldson:

help. And so that's how I like to talk to them. And they

James Donaldson:

really, really, I'm more than just, you know, the school

James Donaldson:

counselor or the school principal holding the school

James Donaldson:

assembly, and they're just rolling their eyes over they see

James Donaldson:

me come through, and they're like, Wow, that's James. And you

James Donaldson:

know, he's, he's bigger than life. You know, he's right here.

James Donaldson:

And, and I have a whole new video that plays, and it's got

James Donaldson:

some little basketball highlights in there, but mainly

James Donaldson:

it's telling my story of how often the great heights I was at

James Donaldson:

to the great lows I went to, and then be able to work my body

James Donaldson:

back up. This is life, and it may happen to you, and if it

James Donaldson:

does, let's let's get you as best prepared as we can.

Lexi Burt:

I'm sure they really appreciate being spoken to

Lexi Burt:

straight up. Because I think, you know, just as we infantilize

Lexi Burt:

older adults, right, and talk to them like babies, and we talk to

Lexi Burt:

children like they don't really get it. They get it. They get

Lexi Burt:

it, and they want someone to talk to them respectfully, like

Lexi Burt:

an adult

James Donaldson:

That's exactly right. And my little video shows

James Donaldson:

that I actually went through these things, you know. So it's

James Donaldson:

not like I'm just talking and a little rah, rah, motivational,

James Donaldson:

inspirational, like I used to do way back in the day, before I

James Donaldson:

knew about this stuff. Now I'm in there with real life

James Donaldson:

experience and sharing that with them, backing it up with a nice

James Donaldson:

video to spray in. And they're really into it. And then I let

James Donaldson:

them ask questions, whatever questions they have. And a lot

James Donaldson:

of them, you know, kids being kids, they don't have the

James Donaldson:

filters on that US grown ups do.

Lexi Burt:

So what kind of, uh, questions, if you don't mind

Lexi Burt:

sharing. Or do you kind of like commonly receive, or what has

Lexi Burt:

been some surprising ones.

James Donaldson:

Well, you know, they asked me about, you know,

James Donaldson:

things like, number of ways I thought about killing myself,

James Donaldson:

and that's, it's still touchy this I'm getting emotional now.

James Donaldson:

It's still touchy to talk about those things, because that was a

James Donaldson:

place in my life and a whole different mindset I was in. I

James Donaldson:

would never think about that, no, but to think about the fact

James Donaldson:

that I thought about those things, I write about in my

James Donaldson:

book, and I tell people, Hey, I had my plan all planned out. All

James Donaldson:

I had to do was execute it. Every once while, I got that

James Donaldson:

impulsive voice in my head that kept telling me, James, go ahead

James Donaldson:

and do it. Just do it. You got it all mapped out. You got your

James Donaldson:

plan ready do it. And I'm like, Whoa. I gotta fight this voice

James Donaldson:

off. I gotta get this out of my head. And that was the toughest

James Donaldson:

part of that whole 12 month journey I went through to get

James Donaldson:

that little voice out of your head, especially at two or three

James Donaldson:

in the morning, when it hits you most, and when you're all by

James Donaldson:

yourself and you can't get back to sleep. So I share with these

James Donaldson:

kids that, hey, that's what I went through, and I don't have

James Donaldson:

anything holding back from you. And so, you know, we we talk

James Donaldson:

about it, we all, we have some laughs during the talk, but we

James Donaldson:

also have some tears and some crying. And most, so I end up

James Donaldson:

crying, but they're crying right along with me.

James Donaldson:

It sounds like, just like we were talking about, you know,

James Donaldson:

with professional athletes like these highs and the lows, right?

James Donaldson:

Even in your in your presentations with these kids,

James Donaldson:

there's the highs and the lows, and then it's like, how do we

James Donaldson:

get back to to equilibrium? Yeah, and it's, it's funny that

James Donaldson:

we're having this conversation. I always find in interviews I do

James Donaldson:

there's always a common theme that kind of ends up emerging

James Donaldson:

through our conversations. And this morning I was thinking

James Donaldson:

about, you know, I deal with a lot of chronic health, right?

James Donaldson:

And it was just like you were saying about suicide or even

James Donaldson:

depression, right? You look fine. You don't look sick. And I

James Donaldson:

think that happens a lot with some invisible chronic health

James Donaldson:

diseases. And I was thinking about how, I don't think it's

James Donaldson:

always avoiding those low points or trying to stay at all the

James Donaldson:

high points, but it's how do you get back back on the horse, once

James Donaldson:

things have, you know, gone awry, or once they've been

James Donaldson:

really good, because you're not going to stay up there the whole

James Donaldson:

time, but it's how do you bring yourself back to balance? And I

James Donaldson:

think that's a really underrated skill that we don't talk a lot

James Donaldson:

about, is getting back to equilibrium and kind of back to

James Donaldson:

that baseline. Yeah,yeah. And unfortunately, with so many of

James Donaldson:

us living socially isolated lives, we don't have a lot of

James Donaldson:

role models to emulate. We don't have a lot of mentors to walk us

James Donaldson:

through these things not readily available. We have to search

James Donaldson:

them out. Whereas growing up, back in the day, you know, we

James Donaldson:

had our parents, we had our neighbors, we had the village,

James Donaldson:

raising us, everybody was part of our life. Kids don't have

James Donaldson:

that anymore, and so it's really more on them. The onus is on the

James Donaldson:

kids to reach out for help and let people know they're not okay

James Donaldson:

at the moment, but we can get you back to being okay again

James Donaldson:

with some help.

Lexi Burt:

If your 25 year old self could sit in on one of

Lexi Burt:

these school talks today about mental health and suicide

Lexi Burt:

prevention. What do you think you would find surprising or

Lexi Burt:

even hard to believe?

James Donaldson:

Wow, that's I would have never imagined. I

James Donaldson:

would have gone through something like this. For one

James Donaldson:

thing, 25 I was on top of the world. I was in the NBA. I was

James Donaldson:

and run all day, jump all day. You know, everything was just

James Donaldson:

picture perfect. I couldn't have dreamed of better existence. But

James Donaldson:

you know, you never know how life is going to give you those

James Donaldson:

twists and turns or throw you that curveball that you you just

James Donaldson:

can't, can't even get the bat off your shoulder to hit it and

James Donaldson:

and what can you like and turn upside down in a moment. What I

James Donaldson:

tell other folks about me is that, you know, you don't have

James Donaldson:

to do a lot of bad things for bad things that happen in life

James Donaldson:

sometimes lacks just happens, especially when it's health

James Donaldson:

related or financial related, relationship related. I mean,

James Donaldson:

people go through breakouts and divorces all the time. There's a

James Donaldson:

lot of heartbreak with that. So there's a lot of things we can't

James Donaldson:

control, but there's a whole bunch of things in life we can't

James Donaldson:

control, and so you'll have to just be able to hang on that

James Donaldson:

little piece that you can control and make sure that

James Donaldson:

you're you're the best you you can be at that moment, get

James Donaldson:

through whatever you're going through

Lexi Burt:

That's well put that makes me think of this story a

Lexi Burt:

client shared with me the other day. She's a fertility client.

Lexi Burt:

Client trying to achieve pregnancy and had a miscarriage,

Lexi Burt:

and she's a NICU nurse, and she had to take some time off right

Lexi Burt:

from work, but you still got to go back to your job seeing

Lexi Burt:

babies. How devastating, right? And I said, Wow, that must have

Lexi Burt:

been really hard. How did you manage that time? And she said

Lexi Burt:

it was quite healing for her, because she realized we can

Lexi Burt:

control these things that we can do, we can eat healthy, we can

Lexi Burt:

be kind and be generous. Can exercise, you know, be socially

Lexi Burt:

involved. But there's this other aspect that we can't control,

Lexi Burt:

and she said she realized that when she saw babies come in who

Lexi Burt:

are addicted to heroin. The mother never had prenatal care,

Lexi Burt:

but the babies were full term healthy. And then there was the

Lexi Burt:

parents who did all of the prenatal care. They were eating

Lexi Burt:

healthy before trying to conceive, and their baby, you

Lexi Burt:

know, was ill upon delivery, and she said, that's when she

Lexi Burt:

realized that there's this, this thing that we can't quite

Lexi Burt:

control, and that's okay. We can do our best and control the

Lexi Burt:

things that we can, but there's just things that happen.

James Donaldson:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Life does happen. And you

James Donaldson:

know, you don't have to be a drug addict or alcoholic or

James Donaldson:

doing devastating things to your life, and bad things happen to

James Donaldson:

them too. But when you're doing the best you can to be the best

James Donaldson:

you can, and things still happen. It seems like Life's not

James Donaldson:

fair sometime. But you know, these are the challenges that

James Donaldson:

come with the journey that we're on, and that's challenges to

James Donaldson:

make it through, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep

James Donaldson:

on going.

Lexi Burt:

James, were you this empathetic before your mental

Lexi Burt:

health crisis? Or do you feel like you developed a lot more

Lexi Burt:

empathy? Because I feel like you're very intuitive and kind

Lexi Burt:

person.

James Donaldson:

Yeah, well, much more than ever before. Much

James Donaldson:

more empathetic, much more sympathetic, after going through

James Donaldson:

what I've gone through, you know, being an athlete, I was

James Donaldson:

very competitive. So I was one of the guys. I pushed myself. I

James Donaldson:

pushed the rest of the guys. You know, we rear each other if we

James Donaldson:

start crying or you fall down, or you double over it, because

James Donaldson:

you got to hit in the stomach, you know, hey, no, you don't do

James Donaldson:

that. You just keep on playing it. Don't worry about it. I

James Donaldson:

learned a whole bunch going through my mental health

James Donaldson:

experience, because now I see how people who talk about mental

James Donaldson:

health challenges how they feel or how they must feel, I

James Donaldson:

empathize with them right away, whether it's, you know, dealing

James Donaldson:

with bullying at school or going through a divorce or financial I

James Donaldson:

mean, I've been through most of these things already, and I know

James Donaldson:

intuitively now how they must be feeling. And I encourage them to

James Donaldson:

talk to me about it, or talk to somebody about it? Because, hey,

James Donaldson:

it's the loneliest film in the world when you're on that mental

James Donaldson:

health Island, that mental health challenge Island, all by

James Donaldson:

yourself, because you feel like you're all by yourself. You know

James Donaldson:

you.

Lexi Burt:

Your mind tricks you. It lies to you as in fact,

Lexi Burt:

actually it says nobody wants to help you, nobody wants to listen

Lexi Burt:

to you, so you just keep it to yourself, but it's a lie. Yes,

James Donaldson:

yes, yeah. It is a lie, yeah. And you feel

James Donaldson:

like actually nobody cares. I mean, my little video I show the

James Donaldson:

kids, I'm sitting there, I talk about my scenario, talking with

James Donaldson:

my family physician, sitting six feet away from him. And he said,

James Donaldson:

James, if you take your life, people are going to miss you,

James Donaldson:

people going to people care about you. People love you. And

James Donaldson:

I look back at him as serious can be. I said, Doc, nobody's

James Donaldson:

going to miss me. Nobody cares about me. Nobody loves me. And

James Donaldson:

that's exactly how I felt. Now I know better. Now I know people

James Donaldson:

love me, people care about me, people don't miss me. But back

James Donaldson:

then, 2018 I was ready to check out any day

Lexi Burt:

Going through any sort of mental health crisis,

Lexi Burt:

especially an elongated one. You develop skills, right and things

Lexi Burt:

to add to your toolbox. What's something in your toolbox now

Lexi Burt:

that really supports you when things get tough?

James Donaldson:

Yeah, well, I keep my face going. My faith in

James Donaldson:

God is really paramount. You know, they nightly prayers to

James Donaldson:

the man upstairs. Journaling is a big part of my day. Every

James Donaldson:

night I journal how my day went so I can recollect these

James Donaldson:

experiences months down the road, years down the road, and

James Donaldson:

also having a good friend or two nearby, almost on a daily basis,

James Donaldson:

making sure that I can talk with them, that can be with them,

James Donaldson:

that can share with them what I'm going through. I've got two

James Donaldson:

or three. Little groups of men friends that we meet a Tuesday

James Donaldson:

group, there's a Thursday group, there's a Saturday group. We

James Donaldson:

meet for breakfast and to be able to talk with guys,

James Donaldson:

especially, you know, guys, guys are a little different when the

James Donaldson:

women aren't around. You know, yeah, who can actually lay it

James Donaldson:

out there and talk? And that's that's so helpful for me and for

James Donaldson:

them too.

Lexi Burt:

Well, what would you tell young men these days? I'm

Lexi Burt:

curious on finding those groups or those connections, because,

Lexi Burt:

again, like we were talking about with the kids and even us

Lexi Burt:

as adults, it's so easy to get sucked into this isolation and

Lexi Burt:

just being online playing video games, and especially for young

Lexi Burt:

men in North America, again, it's, it's a common trend where

Lexi Burt:

there's this more, yeah, isolation and internalization.

Lexi Burt:

What would you say to those young men? Well,

James Donaldson:

I encourage them to make sure they have a

James Donaldson:

good friend in their life. Most men are lone wolves. You know,

James Donaldson:

we go at it by ourselves. We end up isolated. We might give a

James Donaldson:

relationship a good try, but if it works great, if it doesn't

James Donaldson:

well, you're out there hitting the bars the single seal and

James Donaldson:

strip joints and the gambling halls and all these detrimental

James Donaldson:

behaviors that just don't serve you well. And that's because he

James Donaldson:

doesn't really have a good a good friend in his life that you

James Donaldson:

can lean on and talk to. And so that's the most important thing.

James Donaldson:

I was blessed, and still am blessed, to have tremendous role

James Donaldson:

models in my life, most of my old basketball coaches, who are

James Donaldson:

20 years older than I am. They're in their mid 80s, now

James Donaldson:

late 80s, and I still talk with them all the time. And you know,

James Donaldson:

they helped me tremendously, just by their experience, by

James Donaldson:

their wisdom, by their encouragement to keep on hanging

James Donaldson:

in there. I remember my old university coach told me, he

James Donaldson:

said, Hey, his slice didn't really turn for the better. Even

James Donaldson:

though he was a very successful college basketball coach, he

James Donaldson:

really hit success when he hit 63, years of age. And he says,

James Donaldson:

days you haven't got started yet. I'm like, wow, you know?

James Donaldson:

And it gives something to look forward to. It gives you

James Donaldson:

something to say, Wow, I get to that point and boom, life can

James Donaldson:

see. It's never too late. Life can be so much better as we keep

James Donaldson:

on plugging away and keep on working at it.

Lexi Burt:

I love that 63 you know? That gives a lot of years

Lexi Burt:

to to look forward to.

James Donaldson:

He went, he went to work for Nike, and

James Donaldson:

became a big Nike, Nike, global ambassador for Nike, one of Phil

James Donaldson:

Knight's right hand men. And I mean, he, and he had a

James Donaldson:

successful coaching career for 40 years, but he never really

James Donaldson:

got to to the highest height of coaching, winning championships,

James Donaldson:

and then he moves over to Nike, and, boom, his whole world

James Donaldson:

opened up.

Lexi Burt:

That's so cool. That is so cool. I mean, on that note

Lexi Burt:

too, you said you were once the guy who had it all a career, the

Lexi Burt:

success businesses. How do you define having it all now, and

Lexi Burt:

has that definition changed? Kind of post depression?

James Donaldson:

Well, you know, I was never very materialistic,

James Donaldson:

even though I did have material trappings, you know, but I

James Donaldson:

didn't have multiple cars and multiple houses and multiple

James Donaldson:

everything. I had a nice car, had a nice house at a wonderful

James Donaldson:

wife, but you know, my back then I, I think again, my identity

James Donaldson:

defined me so much. I was a former professional NBA player,

James Donaldson:

I was a business owner, I was a community leader. I was very

James Donaldson:

involved with, you know, everything in town, and so that

James Donaldson:

all kind of went away when I went through my depression, I

James Donaldson:

kind of retracted somewhat on my own, and I just didn't feel like

James Donaldson:

those things were still at my, at my within my reach. And so

James Donaldson:

I've been able to come back out and remake myself, minus the

James Donaldson:

house, minus the money, minus the out the wives, minus the

James Donaldson:

family, mine is everything, except for my own sense of who I

James Donaldson:

am and what my new purpose in life is, and the purpose of

James Donaldson:

something, you just get up in the morning. You're just going

James Donaldson:

at it. You just, I mean, like I did with basketball, like it did

James Donaldson:

with business, like I've done with everything, running my GIFT

James Donaldson:

of Life Foundation and helping people with mental health

James Donaldson:

challenges is right, really my new passion, and it's something

James Donaldson:

I get up in the morning. I'm raring to go. I'm shooting my

James Donaldson:

blogs off. I'm doing my social media posts, I'm speaking at

James Donaldson:

schools. I'm everywhere, doing this kind of thing. And that's

James Donaldson:

my true sense of my new passion, my new purpose, and that's the

James Donaldson:

title of my book, celebrating a gift from the verge of suicide

James Donaldson:

back to a life of purpose and joy, purpose and joy.

Lexi Burt:

Have you heard of the term, Japanese term, ikigai? I

Lexi Burt:

don't think so. It's basically that thing that. Gets you up in

Lexi Burt:

the morning, that thing that gives you energy and gives you

Lexi Burt:

purpose, and we all need to have that icky guy in our lives, or

Lexi Burt:

else. What's the point, right? If you don't have that thing

Lexi Burt:

driving you?

James Donaldson:

Yeah, that's exactly right. No, that's so

James Donaldson:

true. And unfortunately, a lot of people don't have a purpose

James Donaldson:

in life. I mean, they get up, they, you know, they punch the

James Donaldson:

clock at work from eight to five, they go back home that,

James Donaldson:

you know, in commuting traffic for an hour or two. They just

James Donaldson:

don't realize they don't really have much of a purpose. And, and

James Donaldson:

I think it's, it's paramount to find a reason that you're here.

James Donaldson:

What? What are you going to make of this existence that we all

James Donaldson:

have for these 7080, 90 years, whatever you're going to be

James Donaldson:

here, you got to make them count, because they do go by

James Donaldson:

pretty quickly.

Lexi Burt:

Yeah, and you know, like, I think just people going

Lexi Burt:

through a mental health experience, you really learn to

Lexi Burt:

figure out, okay, what? What do I want to make my purpose

Lexi Burt:

because we aren't just predestined to something. You

Lexi Burt:

get to choose, and it doesn't have to be something grand you

Lexi Burt:

don't have to be like my purpose is to only be an NBA player, and

Lexi Burt:

that's it. It could be to tend to the garden in your yard,

Lexi Burt:

right? To be a caretaker of plans like, it doesn't have to

Lexi Burt:

be something so successful and extreme, but just something that

Lexi Burt:

when you wake up in the morning, you're like, I get to do that.

Lexi Burt:

And I think that's so exciting. That's

James Donaldson:

right, whatever brings you joy, that purpose and

James Donaldson:

joy is success for everybody, and it's everybody. So find,

James Donaldson:

find what that is, pursue it and do it with gusto.

Lexi Burt:

I love it so James, when you walk into a school or

Lexi Burt:

youth group now, what do you hope young people hear most

Lexi Burt:

clearly from your story? What do you say to them that makes them

Lexi Burt:

start stop scrolling and start listening?

James Donaldson:

Well, you know, being lower, seven feet tall,

James Donaldson:

all eyes are on me when I walk into a middle school. That was

James Donaldson:

good. That's a good, a good attention grabber. You know,

James Donaldson:

itself I command command attention when I get in there.

James Donaldson:

But I think, more than anything, because there's some of these

James Donaldson:

stereotypes that come with professional athletes. You know,

James Donaldson:

you live in a big gated mansion up on the hill, away from

James Donaldson:

everybody else. You've got half a dozen cars in the driveway.

James Donaldson:

There's stereotypes Money, money that's just flowing off of you.

James Donaldson:

Well, that's true for a few, a very few, guys, but not most of

James Donaldson:

the guys and the kids buying that too, because you see it all

James Donaldson:

on social media. This is what they think and they believe. And

James Donaldson:

so I went to show them that, yes, I was very, very good

James Donaldson:

basketball player. I was very successful at it, but, you know,

James Donaldson:

along came some serious medical issues that really derailed me

James Donaldson:

in my life, and I put myself back on the track of getting

James Donaldson:

back on my feet again. And these things happen in life. You know,

James Donaldson:

nothing's guaranteed, so I show them that, hey, I had it all.

James Donaldson:

I'm working on rebuilding that all again. I'm making some good

James Donaldson:

progress doing that. And you guys, you kids, can do the same.

James Donaldson:

So no matter what you're going through right now. You might be

James Donaldson:

bullied, you might be laughed at, you might feel awkward and

James Donaldson:

socially inept. Keep going through it. Be the best you can

James Donaldson:

be a little bit better tomorrow.

Lexi Burt:

There you go. I think, yeah, you made a good

Lexi Burt:

point. Your fight makes people stop. The kid stops

James Donaldson:

That's too. That really does that's

Lexi Burt:

a good one. James, if people have questions or want to

Lexi Burt:

learn more about you or connect with you, where's the best place

Lexi Burt:

that they can do that?

James Donaldson:

Best place you can catch up with me is through

James Donaldson:

my foundation, which is your gift of life.org, which is my

James Donaldson:

website. My email address is James D, like Donaldson. James T

James Donaldson:

at your gift of life.org. Please shoot me an email. I always

James Donaldson:

respond to them. I've even got a secondary phone number up there

James Donaldson:

that I answer, and if people need to talk to me, need to call

James Donaldson:

me. I always put this out for the guys that are listening,

James Donaldson:

because a lot of these guys, they do call, you know, they

James Donaldson:

won't talk to their girlfriend or their wife or their doctor,

James Donaldson:

but they want to talk to me. I'm like, Cool, hey, let's talk. And

James Donaldson:

I've helped a lot of them back from the verge of suicide and

James Donaldson:

just really throwing their lives away. So guys, if you're

James Donaldson:

listening out there and you need somebody to talk to give me a

James Donaldson:

call. I'd be more than happy to talk with you so you can reach

James Donaldson:

out to me on those couple means my book is available on the

James Donaldson:

website as well. You're celebrating your gift of life. I

James Donaldson:

personally autographed and signed everyone and dropped it

James Donaldson:

back in the mail to you. So get it through my link, or you can

James Donaldson:

pick it up on Amazon, or, you know, Books a Million, or Barnes

James Donaldson:

Noble and all the rest of those things too. They're not the.

James Donaldson:

Nice little note in there for you, but I will,

Lexi Burt:

so go to the website. Is what he's saying. I'll have

Lexi Burt:

all of that linked up in the show notes if listeners want to

Lexi Burt:

connect or touch base. And thank you so much for blessing us with

Lexi Burt:

this conversation. James

Unknown:

Lexi, this has been fabulous. Thank you so so very

Unknown:

much. It's it's been a real pleasure. I yeah, I never know

Unknown:

what to expect when I'm coming on somebody's somebody's show.

Unknown:

But hey, this is just fantastic. It worked out perfectly. Thank

Unknown:

you.

Lexi Burt:

Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. I

Lexi Burt:

hope you feel inspired and empowered to embrace your whole

Lexi Burt:

self in mind, body and spirit. If you're ready to take the next

Lexi Burt:

step in understanding your fertility or women's health

Lexi Burt:

needs, I would love to support you. Book a free consult with

Lexi Burt:

me, and Together, we'll explore how we can work towards your

Lexi Burt:

healthiest, most vibrant self until next time, take care you.

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About the Podcast

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A Quest for Wholeness
a bio-psycho-social-spiritual guide

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About your host

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Lexi Burt

Lexi Burt is a passionate advocate for holistic health, dedicated to empowering women to take charge of their well-being. As a Fertility Advisor, Endometriosis Advocate, and Endometriosis Reseacher, Lexi specializes in helping clients manage health challenges, restore fertility, and reclaim balance through personalized strategies in nutrition, movement, and mental wellness.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with Honours, Lexi brings a deep understanding of the mind-body connection to her coaching practice. Her love for nature and holistic living shines through in her approach, blending evidence-based methods with lifestyle philosophies like Hygge and the Blue Zones.

Based in beautiful British Columbia, Lexi finds inspiration in outdoor adventures like camping, hiking, cold-water swims, and rock climbing. She treasures time with her friends, family, her playful Corgi, and her supportive partner, drawing from these experiences to create a life rooted in joy and resilience.