Gratitude Gala 2024 Fireside Chat — The Family Institute at Northwestern University
What does a World Series MVP know about mental health? As it turns out — quite a lot.
At The Family Institute at Northwestern University's second annual Gratitude Gala, I had the privilege of moderating a fireside chat with former Chicago Cub and 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist. The conversation was one of the most meaningful I have been part of in a public setting — not because Zobrist is a celebrated athlete, but because of the candor and depth he brought to discussing the intersection of performance, identity, relationships, and mental health.
Athletes at the elite level face a version of the performance-wellbeing tension that clinicians see across populations: the pressure to project composure and capability, the cost of suppressing what is actually happening internally, and the profound challenge of building a life that is not entirely defined by performance outcomes. Zobrist spoke to all of that directly and without deflection.
The Gratitude Gala is an annual fundraising event supporting The Family Institute's clinical programs and community mental health initiatives. This year's conversation reinforced what I believe about the relationship between performance and wellbeing: that the two are not in tension. For elite performers and everyday people alike, attending to mental health is not a distraction from high performance — it is a prerequisite for it.
The full fireside chat is available through The Family Institute at Northwestern University. I hope it is useful to clinicians, coaches, athletes, parents, and anyone navigating the question of how to perform well and live well at the same time.
The Family Institute at Northwestern University
Watch the Full Fireside Chat
Ben Zobrist and Daniel Wilsea on performance, identity, relationships, and mental health.
