Awareness has a short shelf life when it isn't paired with action. As Counseling Awareness Month draws to a close, this post goes deeper than the campaign — recapping a five-week social media series and making the case that mental health support is not a last resort, but a proactive investment in how you function, perform, and sustain yourself over time.

At The Family Institute at Northwestern University's second annual Gratitude Gala, Daniel Wilsea moderated a fireside chat with 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist on performance, identity, relationships, and mental health — and why honest public conversations about mental health matter most in the spaces where it has been least visible.