Crisis Averted
Shane Battier had achieved almost everything you could dream of accomplishing in basketball: back-to-back NBA Champion (2012 & 2013), NBA Teammate of the Year (2014), NCAA National Champion (2001), and National Player of the Year (2001).
Then, in 2014, he retired from the court and immediately joined ESPN as a basketball analyst.
Without the clarity of what success looked like in this new career and having done the deep internal work of knowing who he was without basketball things quickly unraveled. He battled severe depression and anxiety. He isolated himself and pushed his wife and kids away. He was completely lost without the game. As he shared on The Way of Champions Podcast:
Eventually, his wife gave him three options:
The phone number to the Marriott Hotel
The phone number to a divorce attorney
The phone number to a life coach
He chose option three.
He realized he couldn't figure it out alone and needed help. As Battier later reflected: “I was not vulnerable at a time where I needed it. It’s a worthy journey. It’s worth the investment to learn about yourself.”
Knowing yourself can feel like daunting work. It can feel like unnecessary work. Until you become aware of the cost of not doing that work.
Crisis has a way of forcing us to do this internal work:
For Shane Battier, it was the loss of identity after retirement.
For Kate Courtney, it was a heartbreaking 15th-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
For Tom Brady, it was the sudden feeling of emptiness after winning his first three Super Bowls.
For Andre Agassi, it was realizing how much he hated tennis after becoming the #1 player in the world.
For Pete Carroll, it was getting fired as head coach of the New England Patriots.
But a crisis isn't the only way to wake up. Sometimes, a crisis is averted simply through a strong support system and a steady mentor.
For ultramarathon legend Courtney Dauwalter, it was her parents and her high school coach, Mark Dodds, who cultivated the curiosity and toughness that led her to explore human limits and discover true joy in ultra running.
Similarly, for stars like Roger Federer, Steph Curry, and Christie Rampone, an unwavering foundation was laid early by parents and coach-mentors. For legendary coach John Wooden, it was his father, his high school coach Glen Curtis, and his college coach Piggy Lambert who helped instill a belief system that he would further illustrate through his Pyramid of Success fourteen years into coaching.
Knowing yourself isn't accomplished through a personality assessment. It requires looking outward to those we respect—asking why we want to emulate them. It requires us looking inward with the curiosity to peel back the layers of who we are.
It takes dedicated space, quiet reflection, and honest conversations with people of wisdom.
— J.P. Nerbun
The Culture Captain
If you want to do this work—or guide others through it—grab a copy of my new book, The Culture Captain, and download the companion Field Guide at theculturecaptain.net.
