February 20, 2025 • 21 mins
What happens when the mask of success falls away to reveal the raw truth of human vulnerability? Former NFL player Marcus Smith knows firsthand, and he's here to share his harrowing yet inspiring journey from the brink of despair to becoming a beacon of hope in mental health advocacy. Joined by Dr. Rawle Andrews from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, this episode sheds light on the urgent need for openness in mental health conversations and the power of leaders to inspire change. Marcus's transformation from a suicide attempt survivor to the founder of Circle of M highlights the importance of seeking help and the impactful role of vulnerability in healing.
Our conversation highlights the power of collaboration across sectors to tackle mental health challenges collectively. By bringing together voices like those of athletes and entertainers, we emphasize the importance of breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health. Marcus and Dr. Andrews discuss strategic initiatives like the Mental Health Care Works campaign and the Notice Talk Act at School program, which aim to equip educators with the tools to recognize and address mental health issues. These efforts underscore the critical message that mental health is integral to overall well-being, and through collective action, we can create systemic change.
Faith and leadership emerge as pivotal themes, not only in Marcus's personal recovery but also in his ongoing work with youth and communities. The episode explores how faith, intertwined with supportive relationships, can foster resilience, guiding individuals through life's hurdles. Marcus shares how these elements, alongside therapy, have empowered him to mentor others, teaching them to harness inner strength. By weaving personal anecdotes and expert insights, this discussion offers a roadmap for integrating faith and proactive communication as powerful tools in navigating mental health landscapes and making a difference in lives across diverse spheres.
#APAF #CircleofM #Ideagen #GLS2025
Marcus's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-smith-ii-852725160/
Rawle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rawle-andrews-jr-esq-5233baa/
Learn more about the Circle of M here: https://thecircleofm.com/
Learn more about the APAF here: https://www.apaf.org/
View the entire 2024 Global Leadership Summit here: https://www.ideagenglobal.com/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to IdeaGen TV live from Washington DC today,
here with Marcus Smith from theCircle of M Marcus welcome,
thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And Dr Raul Andrews, American Psychiatric Association
Foundation.
Such a pleasure to be with youboth here today.
It's an incredible moment tohave a very serious discussion
about your backgrounds and yourjourneys, and I'd like to launch
right in, Marcus, by asking youwhat brought you on this
(00:43):
journey.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, so you know, first off, marcus is a
second-year, six-year NFLveteran.
What brought you on thisjourney?
Yeah, so you know, first off,mark Smith, second year, sixth
year NFL veteran, played withthe Eagles Seahawks Commanders
Commanders were my last team.
That's why I'm here in DC,obviously, but what brought me
on this journey was goingthrough a suicide attempt right,
just getting down to thenitty-gritty of it was going
(01:05):
through a suicide attempt, right, just getting down to the nitty
gritty of it.
This is why I'm in this spacewhen we talk about mental health
playing the game that I loveright Form a first round draft
pick.
but everything doesn't look allthat great on the inside as it
looks on the outside, and so forme going through that process,
going through having to dealwith family, having to deal with
(01:28):
just the stresses of playing,the game and wanting to appease
the fans, wanting to appease thecoaches.
Having to go through all that iswhat led to a suicide attempt
when I was in Seattle, and soPete Carroll was a person that
kind of threw me that lifeline.
I was able to go to him andjust tell him that I needed help
(01:49):
, right, and sometimes I justfeel like a lot of us you know,
whether you're in your workforce, whether whatever that you're
doing, we're afraid to ask forhelp and that was the moment
that I was vulnerable enough toask for help, vulnerable enough
to ask for help, and so that'show I got into the space and
that's why I work the way that Ido.
So we can, all you know, have asafe, safe place and be
(02:10):
vulnerable to ask for help.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Well, you know it's.
It's incredible to see and tohear and to sort of process what
you just said.
It's incredibly brave to tohelp others to come out and be
able to share and articulatesuch a personal personal journey
(02:35):
, and the fact that you'veturned that now into something
with the circle of M that'shelping so many others across
the world, I mean it gives you achill to think about what
you're doing.
It's incredible, marcus, so Iwant to thank you for that.
I also want to turn here to DrAndrews, who's leading up the
American Psychiatric AssociationFoundation.
(02:56):
You know a little bit aboutmental health through your work
with mentalhealthcareworksorgand everything else that you're
doing.
What aren't you doing in thisspace?
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Well, thank you, george.
And that doctor of laws isgoing a long way today, but Raul
Andrews proud to be theexecutive director of the
American Psychiatric AssociationFoundation, although it is a
new year and I like to thinkthat these 12 months of January
are soon going to be over, thatthese 12 months of January are
(03:28):
soon going to be over, but ourmission remains unchanged,
despite a new year and despite anew administration.
We are working to help improvethe mental health and well-being
of individuals and communitieswhere they live, learn, work,
worship and play.
And we use a three-legged stoolin order to hold up that
platform of those five pillars.
And that is the foundation as athought leader, that is the
(03:51):
foundation as a convener, andthat is the foundation as a
micro philanthropist, so that,while we may not be able to
underwrite your entire program,by putting in largely
unrestricted seed money, throughour grants and awards we're
helping to fuel the ground gameor, in some instances, the air
game, so that everybodyultimately will understand there
(04:14):
is no health without mentalhealth.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You've said it before and I hear you, and you're
helping so many people acrossthe world as well, and so what
are some of the key initiativesof the American Psychiatric
Association Foundation?
What is it that you look to tosay, hey, this is why I'm so
excited to wake up today.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Well, one of the things we did is we're in the
second year of a strategic plan.
Back in 2021, when I joined thefoundation, our strategic plan
had expired, and so we wentthrough a pretty rigorous
process to build a platform, andwhat emerged from our strategic
plan was we needed a publichealth literacy and awareness
and action campaign and I creditone of your other speakers
(04:59):
today because I learned a lotabout what the value of cause
marketing and public healthcampaigns can do from Bill
Novella when I was one of hischarges at AARP some time ago.
And so we created a campaigncalled Mental Health Care Works,
and one of the things it doesabove the line is to shine a
(05:19):
brighter light through the powerof stories, real conditions,
real people, real signs andsymptoms of where mental health
care works.
But what it also does is shinean even brighter light on where
mental health care doesn't work,and we know, no matter how high
awareness is about mentalhealth care, there's still an
(05:40):
access problem.
There's still a workforceshortage problem where we
actually have doctors who areleaving the practice of medicine
to go teach algebra.
That means we don't needalgebra teachers, but we need
doctors, we need nurses, we needother allied health
professionals to make the systemwork.
But in every one of thoseprograms, you know, one of our
(06:02):
signature programs is our NoticeTalk Act at School program.
We are now, because of a grant,able to teach any staff and
faculty of any K-12 school inthe country and the territories
our free Notice Talk Actplatform.
And the nice thing about thatplatform is it's going to tell
(06:24):
you how to notice signs andsymptoms stop, drop and roll.
It's not going to make you adoctor, but you'll understand
the stop, drop and roll ofmiddle health.
It's going to make youcourageous conversation in talk
versus difficult conversations.
And then, when it comes toaction, what are some immediate,
some intermediate and somelong-term tools, tips and
resources where people can getthe help.
(06:44):
So what I encourage all yourviewers to do, particularly
those who are in the UnitedStates, go to our website,
apaforg, and you'll see all ofour platforms and our pillars.
But you'll be able to get someinformation on NotiStockcom,
because your tax dollars havealready paid for us to deliver
that program to your childrenand your grandchildren.
(07:06):
Why would you walk away fromsomething that's already funded?
Right?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Right, and that's profound.
It's so incredible to hearagain, Dr Andrews, your, your
incredible leadership leadingthe way at APAF, as we like to
say.
And so, Marcus, number onedraft pick, you share with us
your journey.
What is it now that's inspiringyou to move forward?
(07:31):
What is it like?
You've played for so many NFLteams, you've achieved so much
success, but now you've turnedto hey, I want to help humanity.
What's next for you?
What's happening?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Yeah, I think, first off the kids.
Right, I have a three-year-oldand I have a six-year-old and I
started to realize that itstarted off when I was younger
my mental health issues.
So with the Circle of MIncorporated when I started it
back in 2020, I started torealize that it wasn't so much
(08:05):
of me being an adult.
I had to peel back a lot oflayers, right, I had to kind of
go to therapy, I had to getmedication.
I had to do all these things inorder to understand what my
purpose was right.
I had to find out who the realMarcus Smith was right, and so I
did that through therapy andthings of that nature.
And so we start off with theyouth.
(08:28):
We have partnered with MarylandPark and Planet to create a
mental health recreationalprogram in Upper Marlboro,
maryland, to kind of just realbasic level understanding of
what mental health is, helpingthem understand what APAF is
right, getting their parentsreally acclimated to what
(08:52):
resources are out there at areally at a young age, like from
eight to 18.
And so that way they understandlike, okay, people that look
like me, oh, okay, they go gethelp, they go to these
foundations, they do all ofthese things in order to get the
help that they need.
And then after that I look at mybrothers right from the NFL, or
(09:12):
I look at my brothers andsisters from all athletes across
the nation right, they needsome type of help.
So we partner with facilitiesthat help them get into
treatment.
One is Refined Recovery, whichis out in California.
Then another one is in, it'sright, in Colorado.
I always mess up that part, butit's right in Colorado I always
mess up that part, but it'sright in Colorado and a lot of
(09:35):
athletes go to these facilitiesto get the treatment that they
need.
So we kind of just serve as abridge, right.
I am not a therapist, I am nota clinician, but I think there
is a need for people right inthe middle to kind of like push
them into the right realms thatthey need to go.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
And what strikes me at this moment in listening to
your description is yourleadership.
I mean, you know standing outas a role model.
To be able to take my nextquestion, which is stigma
Clearly you're helping to debunkthe stigma around mental health
.
You're having a problem.
(10:15):
Your colleagues in the NFL,people across the world, anyone
that will watch this interviewwill say, wow, you know, maybe I
can relate to Marcus Smith II.
I can get assistance and helpwithout having the stigma that
you talk about destigmatizingaccess to mental health.
(10:36):
So maybe I'll turn to Raul foryour perspective on this,
because it's extremely important.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So one of the things we did in Mental Health Care
Works is we stopped using theterm stigma because it was
creating additional stigmas.
Now, once upon a time, wearingglasses was stigmatized.
You were four eyes Now that Iwear frame business.
It's a multi-billion dollarbusiness.
People don't even needcorrected lenses, but they got
(11:03):
to have the frames.
They got away from it.
Diabetes is anybody having morefun than somebody with type 2
diabetes?
Anywhere?
The commercials are fun.
Once upon a time, havingdiabetes.
So the reality of it is we haveto get beyond stigma.
We can't be Pollyannish.
So one of the things we didwhen I got over and we put our
(11:25):
strategic plan said mentalhealth is a health care issue
just like physical health.
We need to hire a doctor.
So we went over to ShepherdPratt and we recruited one of
the best rising stars.
They had Dr Bedrona Hodges, whowas working the mean streets of
Baltimore and said hey, youneed to come to administration
in Washington to make sure wehave medical leadership.
(11:46):
Because if I were to heavenforbid walk out of here and trip
and break my ankle, everybodywould rush to my aid and they
would say, oh, let's get you tourgent care or emergency room.
If I come to you and say, oh,george, I'm feeling a little
depressed today after whathappened yesterday, then you
might have some empathy for me,but you might be shying away
like, oh, that's too much for meto bear.
I'm dealing with Fear.
(12:08):
What is stigma?
Shame, what is stigma?
Retaliation, discrimination Allof those things are what stigma
is.
But one of the reasons why wereally appreciate the work that
Marcus is doing and Marcus and Ihad an opportunity in December
to work on a forum together withthe NFL Washington commanders,
(12:31):
if the hardest of the hard,who've done the hardest things,
can show some vulnerability, canshow some humanity and say you
know what?
I'm not a human doer, I'm not amachine on the gridiron, I'm a
human being and I have physicalpain and I have mental pain, and
sometimes one contradicts theother, right.
(12:52):
So your mind, ultimately, isgoing to tell you what your body
feels.
So that's why we try to bringout some of our elite
entertainers and athletes,because if they're willing to
come forward, then what everydaypeople like we're all might say
is well, if Marcus could say heneeds help, who am I to think
that I couldn't get help?
(13:13):
And so one of the things we'realso going to do, led by our
development team, angela Jones,vic Borden and some others,
we're going to be in New Orleansand Baton Rouge the entirety of
Super Bowl, and we've beeninvited for the first time to
join the Brain House Summit ofLee Steinberg, the super agent,
among other activations, andwe'll spend some time at some
high schools and some middleschools.
The Brain Health Summit of LeeSteinberg, the super agent,
among other activations, andwe'll spend some time at some
(13:34):
high schools and some middleschools.
We'll spend some time next weekhanging around LSU and Southern
University in Baton Rouge, butreally that Steinberg event is
going to be the moonshot thatsays you know what no health
without mental health.
And if you're ready to makethis moment turn into a movement
, come join us and let's figureout how we can do some more good
(13:56):
together.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well, and two things come to mind with this is that
one person can change the world.
There's no doubt, marcus,you're doing that, as you are
for all.
And two, this movement thatyou've created is all about
showing others that you can gethelp.
You don't talk about stigma,and your story is the example of
(14:21):
that, marcus.
And so, as we look further, welook at cross-sector
collaboration, and so you'reboth familiar with this because
that's what you're doing.
You're both familiar with thisbecause that's what you're doing
.
Why is it so important to haveand to engage across sectors on
what you may refer to, forexample, as a health care issue
or an educational issue?
(14:41):
Why is it so important?
Speaker 3 (14:44):
We cannot alone do everything, but together we can
do anything.
And the reality of it is it allstarts with trust.
And the reason why you have tocollaborate, even when it's hard
to do, is because some of thequadrants and industry lines
where we need to connect, wedon't have credibility.
(15:05):
I'm not an elite athlete, Ididn't play in the NFL.
I can't walk into those roomsand open doors the way Marcus
came.
Marcus wasn't in law firm boardrooms or he hadn't been in NGO
administration.
They're happy to meet him, butthey don't know who he is, why
he's there.
Network of Alexandria, to kindof go right into the schools
(15:25):
Because in community is where wecan make the most difference,
and a lot of this is about howdoes the community feel, what
does the community believe theyneed and how do they respond?
You introduced us, george, toHOSA and one of the things that
(15:45):
was really interesting I've gotmy entire school team, our
medical education team, is atthis global summit.
Dr Hodges is here.
Kate Berg, who taught schooland did some crisis intervention
in schools, is here.
She came all the way fromColorado to join this movement.
And then our young hot shotsuperstar, jerry Thupru, is here
(16:06):
.
Jerry's teaching Notice TalkAct to school staff and teachers
somewhere every week.
And here's the distinction,george Most professional service
days for K-12 education breakin news.
It only focuses on the teachers.
Our platform focuses on allschool staff.
(16:26):
So what about the cafeteriaworker who notices we're all who
has a voracious appetite,hadn't been eating all week?
Might be a sign or symptomsomething's going wrong.
The custodian who walks intothe restroom and notices an
inconsolable child and thentries to back away.
Or the example that I givebriefly, george, when I was
coaching travel basketball, oneof my and I've been coaching
(16:49):
these guys since they were seven, eight years old.
They get to be about 13, 14,things are going on and one of
my players had failed a quiz andthey're in the layup line and I
hear all the guys giving himthe business about.
He's suicidal over this failedquiz.
Now, before notice, talk.
I would have just been.
You know sticks and stones,boys will be boys.
(17:10):
So I said you know what.
We need to go down here.
Remember, we said we were goingto work on your free throws.
So I was able, withoutembarrassing him, to separate
him from the crowd.
I said you guys, keep workingon your free throws, layups.
We're going to go down here,we're going to do the free
throws.
And I started talking to him ashe was shooting free throws,
about following through on allour commitments, all our
expectations.
(17:30):
Then I got the whole team backtogether and I said you know
what?
We can be tough on each other,but we're not the enemy, we're
the team, and if we're nottogether on this, we're not
going to achieve our team goalsthat you all told me you wanted
to achieve.
And then the thing I wouldnever have done before notice,
talk.
I wouldn't have told theparents like, look, go easy on
him.
(17:51):
He had a tough day, but thereality of it is I don't want
the guilty knowledge of 48 hoursfrom now, something happens.
He really was in harm's way.
And then didn't anybody seeanything, didn't anybody hear
anything.
Why didn't everybody doanything wrong?
You were with him last, did yousee?
Oh, wow, I do remember.
How do I tell parents that Iheard the F word and I didn't
(18:15):
feel like I should or could doanything about it.
So that's, you don't know whatthe bus driver of our kids and
our grandkids is dealing with,other than what's on CNN every
now and again.
But they're seeing some thingsand they're hearing some things,
but they're not equipped.
Notice, talk act at school.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
You got to get to it, and that's the example of
leadership.
That's the example of theleadership that can start with
an individual leader to helpchange the world.
And that's what you're doingwith Notice Talk Act.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
We are doing it but I give credit to that team
because they're out on the frontline every day and, if I can
boost them up, cheer them on,provide them with the resources
to do it, that's what my job istoo.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So, Marcus, so you talked a lot about your journey
again, and I know faith is apart of it.
I know your leadership theleadership that you developed
throughout your career is partof it.
How do you bring all thesepieces together to be able to
affect change?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Well, I kind of tell the kids and I tell former
players you, you can have faithand a therapist, right.
There's nothing wrong with thatIf that's something that you
subscribe to.
That's something that I did.
I feel like God gave me twolifelines, right.
I met my wife and then I had arelationship with her mom, in
(19:36):
which it was a greatrelationship, but those two
lifelines helped me not commitsuicide, right.
And so I believe that becauseof my faith and because those
people were in my life, theypushed me to be my very best and
then I was able to go get thehelp.
So faith to me is something thatis very important and, you know
(20:00):
, it's the substance of thingshoped for, the evidence of
things not seen.
So I just truly believe thatfaith and therapy kind of go
hand in hand and that's the kindof that's the way that I teach
the kids and that's the way thatyou know if guys want to come
and talk to me and kind of wantto know well, how did I get
(20:20):
through that process?
You know it was work that I hadto put in, but I also had faith
within myself that I can getthrough those tough moments and
that you know I could be on theother side, especially now being
on these platforms, being ableto talk to all of you, all of
(20:41):
you.
So that's what I would sayespecially about you know faith
and just what it looks like tohave that in the workforce, in
sports and in everything elsethat we do.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Well, you know, we speak to global leaders here at
IdeaGen, leaders and luminaries.
We like to say and I'd like tosay that this is leadership
defined these two gentlemen hereare changing the world and
saving lives.
It's incredible.
I want to thank you both sovery much.
Thank you so much.
Welcome to IdeaGen TV live from Washington DC today,
here with Marcus Smith from theCircle of M Marcus welcome,
thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And Dr Raul Andrews, American Psychiatric Association
Foundation.
Such a pleasure to be with youboth here today.
It's an incredible moment tohave a very serious discussion
about your backgrounds and yourjourneys, and I'd like to launch
right in, Marcus, by asking youwhat brought you on this
(00:43):
journey.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, so you know, first off, marcus is a
second-year, six-year NFLveteran.
What brought you on thisjourney?
Yeah, so you know, first off,mark Smith, second year, sixth
year NFL veteran, played withthe Eagles Seahawks Commanders
Commanders were my last team.
That's why I'm here in DC,obviously, but what brought me
on this journey was goingthrough a suicide attempt right,
just getting down to thenitty-gritty of it was going
(01:05):
through a suicide attempt, right, just getting down to the nitty
gritty of it.
This is why I'm in this spacewhen we talk about mental health
playing the game that I loveright Form a first round draft
pick.
but everything doesn't look allthat great on the inside as it
looks on the outside, and so forme going through that process,
going through having to dealwith family, having to deal with
(01:28):
just the stresses of playing,the game and wanting to appease
the fans, wanting to appease thecoaches.
Having to go through all that iswhat led to a suicide attempt
when I was in Seattle, and soPete Carroll was a person that
kind of threw me that lifeline.
I was able to go to him andjust tell him that I needed help
(01:49):
, right, and sometimes I justfeel like a lot of us you know,
whether you're in your workforce, whether whatever that you're
doing, we're afraid to ask forhelp and that was the moment
that I was vulnerable enough toask for help, vulnerable enough
to ask for help, and so that'show I got into the space and
that's why I work the way that Ido.
So we can, all you know, have asafe, safe place and be
(02:10):
vulnerable to ask for help.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Well, you know it's.
It's incredible to see and tohear and to sort of process what
you just said.
It's incredibly brave to tohelp others to come out and be
able to share and articulatesuch a personal personal journey
(02:35):
, and the fact that you'veturned that now into something
with the circle of M that'shelping so many others across
the world, I mean it gives you achill to think about what
you're doing.
It's incredible, marcus, so Iwant to thank you for that.
I also want to turn here to DrAndrews, who's leading up the
American Psychiatric AssociationFoundation.
(02:56):
You know a little bit aboutmental health through your work
with mentalhealthcareworksorgand everything else that you're
doing.
What aren't you doing in thisspace?
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Well, thank you, george.
And that doctor of laws isgoing a long way today, but Raul
Andrews proud to be theexecutive director of the
American Psychiatric AssociationFoundation, although it is a
new year and I like to thinkthat these 12 months of January
are soon going to be over, thatthese 12 months of January are
(03:28):
soon going to be over, but ourmission remains unchanged,
despite a new year and despite anew administration.
We are working to help improvethe mental health and well-being
of individuals and communitieswhere they live, learn, work,
worship and play.
And we use a three-legged stoolin order to hold up that
platform of those five pillars.
And that is the foundation as athought leader, that is the
(03:51):
foundation as a convener, andthat is the foundation as a
micro philanthropist, so that,while we may not be able to
underwrite your entire program,by putting in largely
unrestricted seed money, throughour grants and awards we're
helping to fuel the ground gameor, in some instances, the air
game, so that everybodyultimately will understand there
(04:14):
is no health without mentalhealth.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You've said it before and I hear you, and you're
helping so many people acrossthe world as well, and so what
are some of the key initiativesof the American Psychiatric
Association Foundation?
What is it that you look to tosay, hey, this is why I'm so
excited to wake up today.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Well, one of the things we did is we're in the
second year of a strategic plan.
Back in 2021, when I joined thefoundation, our strategic plan
had expired, and so we wentthrough a pretty rigorous
process to build a platform, andwhat emerged from our strategic
plan was we needed a publichealth literacy and awareness
and action campaign and I creditone of your other speakers
(04:59):
today because I learned a lotabout what the value of cause
marketing and public healthcampaigns can do from Bill
Novella when I was one of hischarges at AARP some time ago.
And so we created a campaigncalled Mental Health Care Works,
and one of the things it doesabove the line is to shine a
(05:19):
brighter light through the powerof stories, real conditions,
real people, real signs andsymptoms of where mental health
care works.
But what it also does is shinean even brighter light on where
mental health care doesn't work,and we know, no matter how high
awareness is about mentalhealth care, there's still an
(05:40):
access problem.
There's still a workforceshortage problem where we
actually have doctors who areleaving the practice of medicine
to go teach algebra.
That means we don't needalgebra teachers, but we need
doctors, we need nurses, we needother allied health
professionals to make the systemwork.
But in every one of thoseprograms, you know, one of our
(06:02):
signature programs is our NoticeTalk Act at School program.
We are now, because of a grant,able to teach any staff and
faculty of any K-12 school inthe country and the territories
our free Notice Talk Actplatform.
And the nice thing about thatplatform is it's going to tell
(06:24):
you how to notice signs andsymptoms stop, drop and roll.
It's not going to make you adoctor, but you'll understand
the stop, drop and roll ofmiddle health.
It's going to make youcourageous conversation in talk
versus difficult conversations.
And then, when it comes toaction, what are some immediate,
some intermediate and somelong-term tools, tips and
resources where people can getthe help.
(06:44):
So what I encourage all yourviewers to do, particularly
those who are in the UnitedStates, go to our website,
apaforg, and you'll see all ofour platforms and our pillars.
But you'll be able to get someinformation on NotiStockcom,
because your tax dollars havealready paid for us to deliver
that program to your childrenand your grandchildren.
(07:06):
Why would you walk away fromsomething that's already funded?
Right?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Right, and that's profound.
It's so incredible to hearagain, Dr Andrews, your, your
incredible leadership leadingthe way at APAF, as we like to
say.
And so, Marcus, number onedraft pick, you share with us
your journey.
What is it now that's inspiringyou to move forward?
(07:31):
What is it like?
You've played for so many NFLteams, you've achieved so much
success, but now you've turnedto hey, I want to help humanity.
What's next for you?
What's happening?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Yeah, I think, first off the kids.
Right, I have a three-year-oldand I have a six-year-old and I
started to realize that itstarted off when I was younger
my mental health issues.
So with the Circle of MIncorporated when I started it
back in 2020, I started torealize that it wasn't so much
(08:05):
of me being an adult.
I had to peel back a lot oflayers, right, I had to kind of
go to therapy, I had to getmedication.
I had to do all these things inorder to understand what my
purpose was right.
I had to find out who the realMarcus Smith was right, and so I
did that through therapy andthings of that nature.
And so we start off with theyouth.
(08:28):
We have partnered with MarylandPark and Planet to create a
mental health recreationalprogram in Upper Marlboro,
maryland, to kind of just realbasic level understanding of
what mental health is, helpingthem understand what APAF is
right, getting their parentsreally acclimated to what
(08:52):
resources are out there at areally at a young age, like from
eight to 18.
And so that way they understandlike, okay, people that look
like me, oh, okay, they go gethelp, they go to these
foundations, they do all ofthese things in order to get the
help that they need.
And then after that I look at mybrothers right from the NFL, or
(09:12):
I look at my brothers andsisters from all athletes across
the nation right, they needsome type of help.
So we partner with facilitiesthat help them get into
treatment.
One is Refined Recovery, whichis out in California.
Then another one is in, it'sright, in Colorado.
I always mess up that part, butit's right in Colorado I always
mess up that part, but it'sright in Colorado and a lot of
(09:35):
athletes go to these facilitiesto get the treatment that they
need.
So we kind of just serve as abridge, right.
I am not a therapist, I am nota clinician, but I think there
is a need for people right inthe middle to kind of like push
them into the right realms thatthey need to go.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
And what strikes me at this moment in listening to
your description is yourleadership.
I mean, you know standing outas a role model.
To be able to take my nextquestion, which is stigma
Clearly you're helping to debunkthe stigma around mental health
.
You're having a problem.
(10:15):
Your colleagues in the NFL,people across the world, anyone
that will watch this interviewwill say, wow, you know, maybe I
can relate to Marcus Smith II.
I can get assistance and helpwithout having the stigma that
you talk about destigmatizingaccess to mental health.
(10:36):
So maybe I'll turn to Raul foryour perspective on this,
because it's extremely important.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So one of the things we did in Mental Health Care
Works is we stopped using theterm stigma because it was
creating additional stigmas.
Now, once upon a time, wearingglasses was stigmatized.
You were four eyes Now that Iwear frame business.
It's a multi-billion dollarbusiness.
People don't even needcorrected lenses, but they got
(11:03):
to have the frames.
They got away from it.
Diabetes is anybody having morefun than somebody with type 2
diabetes?
Anywhere?
The commercials are fun.
Once upon a time, havingdiabetes.
So the reality of it is we haveto get beyond stigma.
We can't be Pollyannish.
So one of the things we didwhen I got over and we put our
(11:25):
strategic plan said mentalhealth is a health care issue
just like physical health.
We need to hire a doctor.
So we went over to ShepherdPratt and we recruited one of
the best rising stars.
They had Dr Bedrona Hodges, whowas working the mean streets of
Baltimore and said hey, youneed to come to administration
in Washington to make sure wehave medical leadership.
(11:46):
Because if I were to heavenforbid walk out of here and trip
and break my ankle, everybodywould rush to my aid and they
would say, oh, let's get you tourgent care or emergency room.
If I come to you and say, oh,george, I'm feeling a little
depressed today after whathappened yesterday, then you
might have some empathy for me,but you might be shying away
like, oh, that's too much for meto bear.
I'm dealing with Fear.
(12:08):
What is stigma?
Shame, what is stigma?
Retaliation, discrimination Allof those things are what stigma
is.
But one of the reasons why wereally appreciate the work that
Marcus is doing and Marcus and Ihad an opportunity in December
to work on a forum together withthe NFL Washington commanders,
(12:31):
if the hardest of the hard,who've done the hardest things,
can show some vulnerability, canshow some humanity and say you
know what?
I'm not a human doer, I'm not amachine on the gridiron, I'm a
human being and I have physicalpain and I have mental pain, and
sometimes one contradicts theother, right.
(12:52):
So your mind, ultimately, isgoing to tell you what your body
feels.
So that's why we try to bringout some of our elite
entertainers and athletes,because if they're willing to
come forward, then what everydaypeople like we're all might say
is well, if Marcus could say heneeds help, who am I to think
that I couldn't get help?
(13:13):
And so one of the things we'realso going to do, led by our
development team, angela Jones,vic Borden and some others,
we're going to be in New Orleansand Baton Rouge the entirety of
Super Bowl, and we've beeninvited for the first time to
join the Brain House Summit ofLee Steinberg, the super agent,
among other activations, andwe'll spend some time at some
high schools and some middleschools.
The Brain Health Summit of LeeSteinberg, the super agent,
among other activations, andwe'll spend some time at some
(13:34):
high schools and some middleschools.
We'll spend some time next weekhanging around LSU and Southern
University in Baton Rouge, butreally that Steinberg event is
going to be the moonshot thatsays you know what no health
without mental health.
And if you're ready to makethis moment turn into a movement
, come join us and let's figureout how we can do some more good
(13:56):
together.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well, and two things come to mind with this is that
one person can change the world.
There's no doubt, marcus,you're doing that, as you are
for all.
And two, this movement thatyou've created is all about
showing others that you can gethelp.
You don't talk about stigma,and your story is the example of
(14:21):
that, marcus.
And so, as we look further, welook at cross-sector
collaboration, and so you'reboth familiar with this because
that's what you're doing.
You're both familiar with thisbecause that's what you're doing
.
Why is it so important to haveand to engage across sectors on
what you may refer to, forexample, as a health care issue
or an educational issue?
(14:41):
Why is it so important?
Speaker 3 (14:44):
We cannot alone do everything, but together we can
do anything.
And the reality of it is it allstarts with trust.
And the reason why you have tocollaborate, even when it's hard
to do, is because some of thequadrants and industry lines
where we need to connect, wedon't have credibility.
(15:05):
I'm not an elite athlete, Ididn't play in the NFL.
I can't walk into those roomsand open doors the way Marcus
came.
Marcus wasn't in law firm boardrooms or he hadn't been in NGO
administration.
They're happy to meet him, butthey don't know who he is, why
he's there.
Network of Alexandria, to kindof go right into the schools
(15:25):
Because in community is where wecan make the most difference,
and a lot of this is about howdoes the community feel, what
does the community believe theyneed and how do they respond?
You introduced us, george, toHOSA and one of the things that
(15:45):
was really interesting I've gotmy entire school team, our
medical education team, is atthis global summit.
Dr Hodges is here.
Kate Berg, who taught schooland did some crisis intervention
in schools, is here.
She came all the way fromColorado to join this movement.
And then our young hot shotsuperstar, jerry Thupru, is here
(16:06):
.
Jerry's teaching Notice TalkAct to school staff and teachers
somewhere every week.
And here's the distinction,george Most professional service
days for K-12 education breakin news.
It only focuses on the teachers.
Our platform focuses on allschool staff.
(16:26):
So what about the cafeteriaworker who notices we're all who
has a voracious appetite,hadn't been eating all week?
Might be a sign or symptomsomething's going wrong.
The custodian who walks intothe restroom and notices an
inconsolable child and thentries to back away.
Or the example that I givebriefly, george, when I was
coaching travel basketball, oneof my and I've been coaching
(16:49):
these guys since they were seven, eight years old.
They get to be about 13, 14,things are going on and one of
my players had failed a quiz andthey're in the layup line and I
hear all the guys giving himthe business about.
He's suicidal over this failedquiz.
Now, before notice, talk.
I would have just been.
You know sticks and stones,boys will be boys.
(17:10):
So I said you know what.
We need to go down here.
Remember, we said we were goingto work on your free throws.
So I was able, withoutembarrassing him, to separate
him from the crowd.
I said you guys, keep workingon your free throws, layups.
We're going to go down here,we're going to do the free
throws.
And I started talking to him ashe was shooting free throws,
about following through on allour commitments, all our
expectations.
(17:30):
Then I got the whole team backtogether and I said you know
what?
We can be tough on each other,but we're not the enemy, we're
the team, and if we're nottogether on this, we're not
going to achieve our team goalsthat you all told me you wanted
to achieve.
And then the thing I wouldnever have done before notice,
talk.
I wouldn't have told theparents like, look, go easy on
him.
(17:51):
He had a tough day, but thereality of it is I don't want
the guilty knowledge of 48 hoursfrom now, something happens.
He really was in harm's way.
And then didn't anybody seeanything, didn't anybody hear
anything.
Why didn't everybody doanything wrong?
You were with him last, did yousee?
Oh, wow, I do remember.
How do I tell parents that Iheard the F word and I didn't
(18:15):
feel like I should or could doanything about it.
So that's, you don't know whatthe bus driver of our kids and
our grandkids is dealing with,other than what's on CNN every
now and again.
But they're seeing some thingsand they're hearing some things,
but they're not equipped.
Notice, talk act at school.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
You got to get to it, and that's the example of
leadership.
That's the example of theleadership that can start with
an individual leader to helpchange the world.
And that's what you're doingwith Notice Talk Act.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
We are doing it but I give credit to that team
because they're out on the frontline every day and, if I can
boost them up, cheer them on,provide them with the resources
to do it, that's what my job istoo.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So, Marcus, so you talked a lot about your journey
again, and I know faith is apart of it.
I know your leadership theleadership that you developed
throughout your career is partof it.
How do you bring all thesepieces together to be able to
affect change?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Well, I kind of tell the kids and I tell former
players you, you can have faithand a therapist, right.
There's nothing wrong with thatIf that's something that you
subscribe to.
That's something that I did.
I feel like God gave me twolifelines, right.
I met my wife and then I had arelationship with her mom, in
(19:36):
which it was a greatrelationship, but those two
lifelines helped me not commitsuicide, right.
And so I believe that becauseof my faith and because those
people were in my life, theypushed me to be my very best and
then I was able to go get thehelp.
So faith to me is something thatis very important and, you know
(20:00):
, it's the substance of thingshoped for, the evidence of
things not seen.
So I just truly believe thatfaith and therapy kind of go
hand in hand and that's the kindof that's the way that I teach
the kids and that's the way thatyou know if guys want to come
and talk to me and kind of wantto know well, how did I get
(20:20):
through that process?
You know it was work that I hadto put in, but I also had faith
within myself that I can getthrough those tough moments and
that you know I could be on theother side, especially now being
on these platforms, being ableto talk to all of you, all of
(20:41):
you.
So that's what I would sayespecially about you know faith
and just what it looks like tohave that in the workforce, in
sports and in everything elsethat we do.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Well, you know, we speak to global leaders here at
IdeaGen, leaders and luminaries.
We like to say and I'd like tosay that this is leadership
defined these two gentlemen hereare changing the world and
saving lives.
It's incredible.
I want to thank you both sovery much.
Thank you so much.
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