Why Nike and its CEO are focusing on mental health

Recently Nike CEO John Donahoe spoke to Yahoo Finance about his own struggles with mental health and seeking therapy. Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Christoforous and Sibile Marcellus discuss John Donahoe’s experience and what it means for breaking mental health stigma in corporate America.

Video transcript

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SIBILE MARCELLUS: When it comes to speaking about mental health, we've heard from actors, singers, and even athletes. But CEOs of publicly traded companies? Now that's extremely rare. Well, this week, the CEO of Nike, John Donahoe, spoke out in a Yahoo Finance op-ed.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: That's right. Donahoe says that over the years, he has embraced a lot of help, including for his own mental health. He wrote, "I've had the same therapist for the last 30 years. I have spiritual advisors and business mentors who I call often for guidance. I can't imagine being able to perform today without getting help."

And I don't know about you, Sibile, but when I read that, I thought it was so refreshing. I think people sometimes in positions of power, such as CEOs, feel that saying something like that publicly is a sign of weakness, admitting that you are actually seeking guidance, seeking help. Just saying those words sometimes has people think that you are less than or weak. And I think that it's really important to have role models like Nike's CEO speaking out about the good that mental health can do.

And, you know, something else that struck me during this half hour today was Jeannie Mai when she was talking to Melody Hahm. And she said how, for a lot of people, mental health is a luxury because insurance companies sort of see it as a sidebar. And they don't give the same sort of attention and resources to mental health. And I think that's something that hopefully this country can spend a little more time on.

SIBILE MARCELLUS: Yes, absolutely, Alexis. So I read that op-ed by Nike's CEO. And it's really powerful to see someone that high up in corporate America be willing to be vulnerable for the sake of helping other people in the workplace. And he talked about hearing from somebody who really inspired him and who really encouraged him to seek therapy and even said that he has the same therapist he's had for the past 30 years. So, in saying that, it speaks to the need for the right therapist for you and to look for that person who can really help you, but also, if you really need help, to seek it out before it's too late.

And also, when it comes to athletes, on the show today, we heard from that Michael Phelps interview. And we got the Summer Olympics coming up. And there is that contrast, right, where you want to be vulnerable and seek help, but at the same time, there's a lot of competition, right, especially in sports. And you want to be able to maximize on your mental toughness and ability to perform at the maximum level with maximum pressure. So there's so much going on when it comes to mental health. And I'm so happy that we got to explore it on this show, Alexis. That does it for "A Time for Change."