The Podium Project

Stigma is defined as “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

According to recent estimates from Johns Hopkins, one in four US adults (26%) experience mental illness each year, while research from NAMI states that one in twenty live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (13.1 million).  Nearly 8 million children and adolescents in the U.S. suffer from a serious mental illness.

In fact, 90% of Americans who die by suicide (the second leading cause of death among persons aged 10 to 34) have experienced symptoms of a treatable mental health condition such as depression, anxiety disorders or other forms of serious mental illnesses.

Yet despite these statistics, nearly 50% of people suffering from mental illnesses do not seek treatment. In fact, on average, it takes 11 years for someone to seek help after first experiencing symptoms of a mental disorder.

Although the stigma surrounding mental health disorders has been declining over the past few decades, research shows that 56 percent of Americans would still feel uncomfortable telling their friends or family if they were suffering from a mental illness. This needs to change.

Olympic legend Michael Phelps was frustrated. He had begun to address his own personal mental health challenges but was concerned how many of his Team USA brothers and sisters were also struggling.


Michael partnered with Podium Pictures to produce a feature length documentary detailing the issue.  Together we recruited fellow Olympic legends like Shaun White, Bode Miller, Apolo Ohno, Lolo Jones, Sasha Cohen, Gracie Gold, and David Boudia to tell their own stories.


Acquired by HBO and nominated for a Sports Emmy Award, most importantly the film helped lead to significantly better mental health programs for our nation's greatest athletes.

It also led to billions of public-facing media impressions featuring anti-stigma messaging.

Created by NBA star DeMar DeRozan, focusing on mental health advocacy through intimate conversations. The series features DeRozan engaging in one-on-one discussions with fellow NBA players and other celebrities, exploring their personal stories, struggles, and experiences beyond their public personas. The aim is to humanize these figures, showing that mental health challenges are universal, regardless of fame or success.