LOS ANGELES, April 23, 2024 – Today on “Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental WEALTH Podcast,” an iHeartRadio original podcast, host Jay Glazer welcomes former Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim, who opens up for the first time about going to rehab while serving as G.M. of the team, and the issues he was battling that led him to make changes in his life.
Below are some highlights from the conversation, and the full interview can be accessed HERE.
On why he’s telling his story now:
… “it's funny because when I walked into the room to do this podcast, I felt that sort of, not anxiety, but sort of that little bit of excitement, actually, to be able to tell my story, and hopefully, my story helps someone …maybe somebody else out there, maybe another general manager, maybe another athlete can say, ‘you know what, here's just another guy that has had his issues along the way and was able to talk about it and to be open and honest.’”
On what led him to go to rehab during the season:
“Here I am making the most money I've ever made in my life. You know, more than I could ever imagine making as a young man, living my dream as a general manager, and I was still unhappy. …I'm sitting there trying to ask myself, what's wrong with you? Just get out of this funk. And it was not easy to do, and I couldn't get out of it, and it just got darker and darker. I got more depressed. And really the culmination of what really happened, it probably was the worst part of it, was my inability to sleep. I got to a point where I couldn't even shut my brain off. So, I couldn't sleep. I was taking Xanax, I was taking Ambien just to sleep…”
On the darkness he felt:
“…one thing I learned… which was a great learning lesson for me in the treatment centers, sometimes for guys like ourselves or ‘Type A,’ alpha males, guys who are so driven to be the best, you know, it can become a real predicament whenever you get into a situation where when is it enough? And you know, that's kind of how it was for me. …Money is not enough. How many cars do I need? How many houses do I need? How many things do I need? How many suits do I need? How many watches do I need? Just nothing was gratifying anymore either.”
On what he’s learned as he continues his mental health treatment:
“…the day I walked into the treatment center as the General Manager of the Arizona Cardinals. Knowing that that changed everything in my life. Could have been for the good, bad, or whatever anybody else thought about it. But when I walked out that other end, 45 days later, I found out who Steve Keim was. I liked who he was. And I embraced the things that he did in the past. I forgave him for the things he did in the past. And more than anything, I found a way to love him again.”
On former Arizona Cardinals executive Terry McDonough’s accusations against the team:
“Oh, it's just unfortunate to me, you know, because again, as I said, the stress that I carried that I was trying to keep people happy in every sort of compartment. And that really would tear at you whenever you knew that people couldn't get along. And there were things that went on behind the scenes that maybe only I knew about, or some others knew about, that they were just tough to know that I couldn't fix certain things. Because I always felt like I was the kind of guy that my mentality was always, you know, be part of the solution, not part of the problem, and keep everybody's attitude in the right direction, and roll your sleeves up at the door and check your ego there, and that sort of thing. But it's unfortunate, you know, we had a good run and, you know, I'm still rooting for the organization because again, a lot of people there that I care about.
On whether he’s happier now or when he was a GM:
“Oh, I mean, much happier now. Much happier. Yeah, I mean, you know, when the paychecks stop coming in and fans stop screaming, there's certainly an evolution of life that changes for you. Things slow down, and you miss certain parts of your life in the past. But at the same time, you can finally, again, appreciate the small things. As we said, you know, at a point in time, how many cars, how much money, whatever it is, how many watches. Now, you know, to go on a walk and to see a beautiful day and appreciate that, it changes everything.”
On whose decision it was to get help:
“Leading up to it, you know, I had enough people, again, friends, family, coworkers, Cardinals Owner Michael Bidwill even came, our owner came and sat with me multiple times and said, ‘hey, you know, you don’t seem like yourself.’ And I didn't know what it was, but I'd also didn't try to hide from it. I told him straight up, ‘yeah, I'm not doing good. I don't know what's wrong with me.’ And you know, he was great and supportive. There's a difference between acknowledging and saying, ‘hey, I don't know what's wrong with me and I'm not perfect,’ versus ‘I really need some help.’”
Listen the full conversation HERE.
For past Unbreakable interviews with some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and beyond, including Guy Fieri, Sean McVay, Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn, Josh Altman, Bret Michaels, Kenneth Cole, Terry Bradshaw, David Spade, Ed Mylett, Lewis Howes, Howie Long, Freddy Prinze Jr., and many others, click HERE.
About Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental WEALTH Podcast
“Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental WEALTH Podcast” is an extension of Jay Glazer’s widely-acclaimed, best-selling book “Unbreakable.” The podcast features Fox NFL Insider Jay Glazer as he shares his personal mental health journey with the audience, including the tools and techniques he’s developed to “live in the gray” – his term for living and thriving with anxiety, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Welcoming mental health experts, athletes, coaches, celebrities and others, Glazer and his special guests share personal stories of overcoming adversity, the tools they use to incur MENTAL WEALTH, and their paths to success to help motivate, uplift and inspire listeners, and help set them up to win. New episodes are posted on Wednesdays, with frequent check-ins where Glazer updates listeners as he navigates the path to mental wellness. “Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental WEALTH Podcast” is distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network and is available on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard. Come, listen, and be inspired by “Unbreakable.” Visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to on your favorite device.
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