men's mental health, depression, grief, athlete mental health, youth mental health, suicide loss, identity after sport, soccer, resilience, mental health awareness, Dehara Thompson

What happens when the thing that defined you for most of your life is suddenly gone?

Dehara Thompson was playing provincial soccer at 15. By 17, she had reached the South African Women's National Team. She earned a full university scholarship, pursued professional soccer in Europe and played with Newcastle United Women.

Then a serious car accident changed everything.

The sport that had given her structure, identity, discipline and purpose was suddenly no longer the same. Dehara opens up about the depression that followed, physical pain, rebuilding her identity and eventually finding another outlet through music.

But this conversation goes much deeper than soccer.

Dehara and Erick talk about men's mental health, why many men still do not feel safe opening up, youth mental health, competitive pressure, parenting, social media, screens, discipline, accountability and what young people may be losing when they never learn how to struggle, lose and recover.

Dehara also shares the devastating loss of a former partner to suicide and what the aftermath taught her about grief, warning signs, unanswered questions and the ripple effect suicide can leave behind.

Erick opens up about surviving his own suicide attempt in 2015 and why something as simple as an adult coloring book became part of rebuilding his life.

They also talk about art, music, community, coaching, motherhood, raising boys, supporting young athletes and why feeling safe enough to make mistakes can change the way a person grows.

Near the end, Erick asks Dehara about the mutual friend who ultimately connected their stories, Jules.

That conversation gets personal.

GUEST

Dehara Thompson

Executive Director, She Plays Sports Society
Former South African National Women's Team player
Former Newcastle United Women's player
Community leader and coach

Website:
https://deharathompsonforpoco.com

Instagram:
@dehara_thompson

TikTok:
@deharathompson

CHAPTERS

00:00 Dehara Thompson's Story
03:44 Where to Find Dehara
04:24 Who She Was Before Soccer
05:20 Where Her Competitive Drive Came From
06:58 Handling Pressure at 15
11:23 South African National Team at 17
13:35 Family Breakdown and Using Soccer as an Outlet
17:58 Success and Constantly Moving the Goalpost
18:45 Losing a Scholarship, Then Getting Another Chance
21:22 Chasing Professional Soccer in Europe
22:20 When Your Identity Is Built Around Sport
22:49 The Car Accident That Changed Everything
25:36 Rebuilding Her Identity Through Music
27:55 Erick's Own Soccer Story
33:27 Women in Coaching and Leadership
36:38 Building She Plays Sports Society
38:24 Coaching the Human Being, Not Just the Athlete
45:22 Raising a Son Changed Her Perspective
47:05 Boys, Men and the "Suck It Up" Mentality
48:01 Do Men Actually Feel Safe Opening Up?
50:31 Losing a Partner to Suicide
54:19 The Warning Signs We Sometimes Miss
58:06 Erick Opens Up About Surviving Suicide
60:31 How Coloring Helped Erick Rebuild
61:21 Art and Music as Tools for Healing
64:56 Parenting, Screens and Youth Mental Health
68:23 Competition, Confidence and Learning to Lose
71:26 Accountability and Fixing the Wound
74:27 Remembering Jules
77:16 Dehara's Final Message
79:13 Why Raw Minds Exists

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide or experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 in Canada or the United States.

RAW MINDS PODCAST

Real conversations about men's mental health, trauma, grief, addiction, fatherhood, relationships, resilience and rebuilding your life.

For the ones we'll never meet.
Healing Out Loud.

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