Hailed as the “female Michael Jordan”, Chamique Holdsclaw was a basketball superstar. From leading The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers to three straight NCAA national championships with her team and legendary Coach Pat Summitt to the Olympics to the WNBA, nearly no one has had more focus or drive on the court. Yet underneath, she was pushing down mental health issues that eventually led to a total mental and physical breakdown.

Chamique suffered from serious bouts of depression and manic episodes, a suicide attempt, and an incident in Atlanta involving a firearm. After the episode in Georgia, she was finally open to getting help and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and severe anxiety. After a long journey of learning to manage her illness, Chamique has come back just as fierce. But this time, she’s dedicated her life’s work to mental health and wellness activism--sharing her own personal struggles with depression depicted in her documentary, Mind|Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw.

As a speaker, her talks are incredibly inspiring and have helped many others open up about their own mental health issues or assisted those dealing with loved ones who suffer to seek support. Or as Chamique describes it, “being transparent, raw, and real to help as many people as I can.”