Dawn Staley on Why the Journey Matters More than the Win

Dawn Staley helped Team USA’s women’s basketball team win gold at the ‘96 Olympics. It was the highlight of her career. Yet she fell into a depression that was so bad, she didn’t even want to look at a basketball. Nothing prepared her to process reaching such a milestone. She was left asking herself: now what? With a resumé is full of career-highs (hi, 3x national champ), Dawn says the real reward isn’t the trophy – it’s all the work it took to get there. Dawn gets into it all in her new memoir, "Uncommon Favor."

In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Dawn also shares: 

• How many shoes she has in her collection (sneakerheads beware)

• Why she aspired to play in the NBA – instead of the WNBA – growing up 

• How the taboo nature of mental health stopped her from asking for help post-Olympics

• Why she was insulted when approached for a coaching job 

• The one thing she wants to see change for women athletes this year

PS: Dawn’s memoir is out now.

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