Norense Odiase spent most of his life chasing one dream: basketball.A former Division I athlete and professional basketball player, Norense helped Texas Tech make history, ultimately reaching the 2019 National Championship game. But behind the success, recognition, and accomplishments was a much more complicated story.In Part 1 of our conversation, Norense sits down with Joe and Hannah to talk about the experiences that shaped him long before the world knew him as a basketball player.He opens up about growing up in a Nigerian-American family, being sexually assaulted as a child, getting bullied, struggling to fit in, fighting for respect, and eventually discovering basketball as a place where he finally felt safe, seen, and valued.But as basketball gave Norense confidence and purpose, it also slowly became his identity.He shares what happened when injuries threatened the one thing he had built his life around, how rejection pushed him to take control of his own future, and what it felt like to experience the greatest basketball success of his life while privately dealing with grief, loss, and suicidal thoughts.This is a conversation about identity, childhood trauma, ambition, faith, resilience, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.And it’s only Part 1.00:00 Meet Norense Odiase05:00 Childhood, Family & Trauma08:59 Finding Safety in Basketball14:52 Rejection, Coaches & Identity17:01 Faith & Finding Meaning in Pain21:27 Betting Everything on Basketball24:04 Taking Control of His Own Future28:03 Injuries & Losing His Identity31:32 The National Championship Run32:55 The Mental Health Battle Nobody Saw33:13 To Be Continued...