The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos Make Vulnerability Your Superpower (with NBA star Kevin Love)
31 snips
Oct 20, 2025 
Kevin Love, a five-time NBA All-Star and mental health advocate, shares his transformative journey through anxiety and depression. He opens up about the intense pressures of performance and toxic masculinity that contributed to his struggles. After experiencing a panic attack, Kevin embraced vulnerability as a strength, emphasizing the importance of seeking help and promoting emotional education. He discusses founding the Kevin Love Fund to combat stigma and support youth mental health, aiming to change the culture around vulnerability in sports.
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Generational Trauma Shapes Emotional Patterns
- Kevin links generational trauma and family patterns to emotional regulation struggles across generations.
- Understanding family history helped him reframe his father's behavior with compassion late in life.
Unprocessed Grief Became Physical Symptoms
- Kevin Love avoided grieving his grandmother and buried his feelings in basketball for years.
- That inaction later surfaced as panic attacks, rage fits, and agoraphobia that impacted his life and career.
Public Panic Attack Triggered Seeking Help
- Kevin describes a very public panic attack that left him passed out and on oxygen in the trainer's office.
- That event pushed him to finally start therapy and seek medication under professional care.
