On this important episode of Dear Dr. Charryse, host Dr. Charryse Johnson welcomes entrepreneur, leader, and World Series of Arm Wrestling owner Gregg Sharp for an honest conversation about mental health, leadership, and the hidden struggles behind outward success.
Gregg shares a deeply personal experience involving a friend and former Marine who reached out during a mental health crisis—a conversation that ultimately helped save his life. His story highlights how easily pain can remain invisible when someone appears successful, strong, or capable on the outside.
Together, Gregg and Dr. Charryse explore why high performers often suffer silently, how workplace and family culture can either create safety or reinforce stigma, and why leaders have a responsibility to care about people beyond their productivity.
Gregg also opens up about growing up in a culture where talking about emotional struggles was often seen as weakness and explains how he has intentionally created a different environment for his own children—one built around communication, affection, and emotional openness.
During the episode, Dr. Charryse provides practical tools for recognizing distress and supporting someone who may be struggling.
Coaching Session Highlights:
• Success Doesn't Protect Against Struggle: Achievement, leadership, and competence do not make someone immune to emotional distress.
• The Hidden Cost of Silence: People who appear strong may be carrying significant pain that others never see.
• Mental Health & Leadership: Healthy leaders pay attention to the person behind the performance, not just their productivity.
• The Power of Presence: Supporting someone in distress isn't about having all the answers. Sometimes simply staying present can help someone reconnect with hope.
• Co-Regulation: Being around a calm, grounded person can help slow down an overwhelmed nervous system and create space for clearer thinking.
• Creating Open Families: Gregg shares how honest conversations, affection, and emotional availability can help children know they always have somewhere to turn.
• The "Notice, Ask, Stay, Connect" Tool: Dr. Charryse offers a practical framework:
– Notice: Pay attention to meaningful changes in someone's behavior.
– Ask: Calmly and directly ask whether they are thinking about hurting themselves.
– Stay: Don't leave the person to navigate the moment alone.
– Connect: Identify together who can provide additional support.
• Knowing When to Reach Out: Asking for help is not weakness. Creating connection during difficult moments can be life-changing.
This episode is a powerful reminder that we never truly know what someone is carrying beneath the surface. Mental health starts with creating spaces where people feel safe enough to be honest, supported, and seen.