Table of ContentsTable of ContentsExpandMeet Charlamagne tha GodWhy I Wanted to Interview CharlamagneCharlamagne’s Mental Health JourneyStandouts From the EpisodeWhat Charlamagne Learned About Mental HealthMore About the PodcastView All
Table of ContentsExpandMeet Charlamagne tha GodWhy I Wanted to Interview CharlamagneCharlamagne’s Mental Health JourneyStandouts From the EpisodeWhat Charlamagne Learned About Mental HealthMore About the PodcastView All
Table of ContentsExpandMeet Charlamagne tha GodWhy I Wanted to Interview CharlamagneCharlamagne’s Mental Health JourneyStandouts From the EpisodeWhat Charlamagne Learned About Mental HealthMore About the Podcast
Table of ContentsExpand
Expand
Meet Charlamagne tha God
Why I Wanted to Interview Charlamagne
Charlamagne’s Mental Health Journey
Standouts From the Episode
What Charlamagne Learned About Mental Health
More About the Podcast
View All
For this special episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcast, Amy Morin, LCSW sits down with Hall of Fame radio show host Charlamagne tha God to talk about anxiety, therapy, and learning how to become mentally strong.
Jacket & T-shirt: Nudie Jeans; Jeans: Rag and Bone; Sneakers: Veja; Jon Cortizo and WesFilms
Born Lenard McKelvey,Charlamagne tha Godis one of the most influential voices in media. He’s the outspoken host of “The Breakfast Club,” a radio show that reaches over 4.5 million listeners each week. He also co-hosts a popular podcast,The Brilliant Idiots, where he and Andrew Shulz discuss the biggest issues of the day.
I had known about Charlamagne and “The Breakfast Club” for a long time. “The Breakfast Club” is known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Morning Show,” and it’s the top-rated hip hop and R&B morning show. Guests include the biggest names in the music industry, and his interviews with individuals like Kanye West make huge headlines.
But Charlamagne doesn’t just stick to entertainment. He often talks about social issues and race. And he’s interviewed politicians like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
He’s also interviewed many mental health professionals over the years on his shows. In fact, he’s interviewed several people on “The Breakfast Club” who have also appeared on our podcast, includingJames Altucher,Nedra Glover Tawwab, andMike Bayer.
The fact that he’s bringing self-help authors and therapists onto his show is exciting. He’sreducing the stigma of mental health, and he’s showing that everyone can benefit from talking to someone—even successful people like himself.
But I didn’t know much about Charlamagne’s personal life until he was a guest on my friend James Altucher’s podcast. On the show, Charlamagne talked openly about his struggles with anxiety and depression.
Over the years, I’ve heard him talk about his experiences in therapy. I’ve also heard him encourage others to seek help.
As a therapist, I see first-hand how therapy helps people grow and heal. But, I also see a lot of people who areafraid to talk to someone.
So I really wanted to sit down with Charlamagne and talk about why he’s so passionate about encouraging people to get therapy.
You think you’re going for like one or two things like anxiety and depression, but then you start peeling back all these layers of your life and you start unpacking all of this unhealed trauma that you never even knew you had.
When Charlamagne was 31, he went to the emergency room with chest pain, thinking he had a physical health problem. The physician told him he was having apanic attack.
But Charlamagne didn’t get treatment right away. It took him eight more years to see a therapist.
To his surprise, therapy was helpful. He says therapy helped him unpack a lot of the things he’d been carrying around with him. He could open up to someone about all the things he’d kept hidden for years and finally begin to heal.
He mentioned that he went to therapy on “The Breakfast Club.” Eventually, he started talking about his weekly therapy sessions that took place every Friday at 3 p.m. Soon, people were telling him that he inspired them to see a therapist too.
Eco-friendly Wardrobe—Sweatsuit: Blacktag Apparel; Sneakers: Veja; Jai Lennard
Charlamagne says talking to a therapist normalized what he was going through. He better understood his anxiety, depression, and other struggles when he learned about mental health.
He credits therapy with him helping him heal. And while he thinks everyone could benefit from talking to a therapist, even people who don’t have a mental illness, he knows some people face barriers to getting quality treatment.
He launched The Mental Wealth Alliance to treat, train, and teach. His goal is to providemental health services for underserved Black communitiesacross the United States. The foundation is increasing funding for Black mental health providers, providing free therapy, and offering resources to eradicate the stigma.
I want to constantly always be evolving and growing. Like I really wanna feel what it is to be a spiritual being, living a human existence. And I don’t think that happens if you don’t get your mental and emotional and spiritual wellbeing together.
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Reviews and ratings are a great way to encourage other people to listen and help them prioritize their mental health too.
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