Since The Mental Game Podcast debuted in November 2022, host Brandon Saho has interviewed numerous celebrities, athletes and even strangers about mental health. The podcast hosts big name celebrities of local and national fame as it aims to break the stigma surrounding mental health, and the latest episode will see Saho’s biggest guest yet.
Recently, Saho spoke with Chad Johnson live at the Cincinnati Kroger Wellness Festival about the benefits of being sober; earlier this month he interviewed Zak Williams, son of Robin Williams, about suicide prevention; and he’s landed a few names from his high-profile wish list of guests like Kate Flannery of The Office.
On Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 12 a.m. the 40th episode of The Mental Game will premiere with guest Terry Crews. The actor is known best for his comedic roles in White Chicks, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and currently as the host of America’s Got Talent.
“Terry is a dream guest,” Saho tells CityBeat. “He’s one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The fact that I got to sit down and talk with him for an hour about mental health was a dream come true. It was surreal. But at the same time it was cool for me because I felt like I should be there having that conversation. It just felt like two men who have gone through a lot of shit with their mental health talking about how to help yourself. And so it was really natural.”
The connection happened when Saho made a post on social media that Crews commented on. “He said he loved it with fire emojis,” Saho says. The post was about men’s mental health and normalizing men telling men that they love each other. After some networking and communication, Saho was able to make direct contact with Crews, which landed him the interview.
“It was really cool, because in the interview, [Crews] tells me, ‘I had to do it. I had to come on. I love what you’re doing. I had to encourage you,’” Saho says. “And that was really cool for a full circle moment, where it all started from [Crews], literally just commenting on my Instagram post, to us having an hour conversation about mental health.”
Saho has accomplished normalizing mental health talk and humanizing celebrities and entertainers by creating spaces for them to feel comfortable enough to discuss personal issues. The Mental Game also recently earned the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation as a sponsor, Saho says.
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In Tuesday’s episode, listeners will hear an intimate conversation between Crews and Saho about how being one of the biggest stars in Hollywood doesn’t exempt a person from mental health struggles. Crews divulges his mental state at the height of his career, suicidal thoughts, addiction and rehab, Saho says.
“Terry opens up about his own suicidal thoughts, battling his porn addiction, cheating on his wife, checking into a rehab facility. And just figuring out how to take care of his own mental health,” Saho tells CityBeat. “We touch on men’s mental health, too. He has been through a lot. It’s a really powerful, impactful episode. And he was completely honest and open about literally every single question I asked.”
To hear the interview, tune into The Mental Game Podcast anywhere podcasts are available, the episode premieres Tuesday at 12 a.m.
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This article appears in Oct 18-31, 2023.
