Doyin Richards

This is the last time I’ll talk about this, I promise. You’ll find the recording of my global keynote speech for the United Nations World Mental Health Day event below.

Fast-Forward to the 25-minute mark and my speech will start. I also was tasked with providing closing remarks at the end, so check that out too.

Thank you for the kind words and support. I’ll never forget this opportunity 🙏🏾

Https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17a5p86ct?fbclid=PAdGRleANcjGhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpy57lbd_90nkg11Hmj13hJSp27WAZX5GN6wUlgmVWkHMaVHSq_qg8hsnR5HM_aem_XyO7Qb4vmEVMLGSBo3nfLg

If you’re in need of some inspiration, this should help.

Two years ago (almost to the day), I concluded a keynote speech at Michigan State University and a woman in the audience said I’d be a great therapist. On the flight home to Los Angeles I gave it some thought and decided to apply to graduate school for Clinical Psychology. I was incredibly nervous, but I knew I could help many people with their mental health challenges - especially people who struggled with suicidal ideation, like I did.

So on January 2, 2024 at the ripe old age of 49, I entered my first graduate school class with students half my age. As a single dad of two in the middle of a divorce, my mental health was TRASH, but I read every book, completed every assignment, and wrote every research paper as if my non-existent hair was on fire. Two months from now I’ll graduate.

But that’s not the headline.

World Mental Health Day (WMHD) is approaching on Friday October 10, and the United Nations asked me to be the keynote speaker for its WMHD event in NYC on 10/14. If someone told the dude who was scared as hell on 1/2/2024 during his first graduate class that he’d deliver one of the world’s most prestigious mental health keynote speeches for the “U freaking N” less than two years later, I’d say they were insane. But here we are.

I don’t have a powerful speaker bureau booking gigs for me. I don’t have a bunch of friends in high places. I’m just a team of one who believes in my ability to inspire the world. Now I’ll have the opportunity to literally do just that next week. You can watch me live on UNTV (United Nations TV) if you so desire.

“Impossible” is just another item on the to-do list 👊🏾

www.facebook.com/Hill4Ohio

10 years ago today, I posted an innocuous photo on social media of me taking care of my two young daughters and it went mega viral.

Why did it go mega viral? Hell if I know. But that’s not the important part.

I received my share of nice letters, but it didn’t take long before this happened.

“He probably rented those kids for the photo. They look nothing like him.”

“He looks like a thug. I bet those kids are afraid of him.”

“Who’s gonna break the news to the kids that he’ll go to the store to ‘buy milk’ and never come back?”

“Get out of here and take those half-breeds with you.”

You get the idea - and those were the PG-rated ones.

Why would people hate on a heartwarming photo of a dad with his daughters? You know why. Anti-Black racism is one hell of a drug that has been injected into the veins of America for centuries. I’m not silly enough to think I’d be immune to its effects.

I’m not gonna lie, the racism shook me - and there was a time when I legitimately feared for my life and my kids’ lives (it’s INSANE to think this photo triggered some people so intensely). But I also became driven to fight against this nonsense.

Today, I’m a proud Anti-Racism facilitator who has trained thousands of people in corporate America from Fortune 50 C-suite employees to small nonprofit employees and everyone in between. More importantly, my daughters know that it’s normal for Black dads to braid hair, crush them in Mario Kart, cook meals, help with homework, cheer loudly at their basketball games, and offer a shoulder to cry on.

I want you to know it, too.

My daughters are now 12 and 10 and I still keep that same energy today so your sons and daughters can live in a happier and safer world too.

Also, the fact I can still rock the same fit 10 years later is a bonus✌🏾

Let me keep it real — for the majority of my life I didn't like myself very much. It didn’t matter if I was on stage in front of thousands of people or winning awards - I never thought I was good enough, smart enough, likable enough, etc. That impacted me in a lot of ways, including having a serious drinking problem.

I would get hammered at least three times a week to avoid the pain of facing my numerous demons, but on the morning of September 18, 2016, I quietly decided that I would never drink alcohol again. Some people in my inner circle laughed and said I’d be drunk before the end of the week, but I knew I wasn’t turning back.

I'm proud to say that today I've celebrated 7 years of sobriety. During those 7 years I endured my dad's death, a pandemic, death threats because of my anti-racism work, an incredibly grueling surgery, a divorce - all while being a Black man in America who deals with clinical depression. Not once during that period did I take a sip of alcohol and I never will again. If I can do this, anyone can.

If you’re struggling with addiction or if you’re trying to silence the nagging feeling that you’re not good enough in unhealthy ways, please know that you’re not broken. The first step is to realize you have a problem. The second step is doing whatever it takes to solve it.

“You will never escape the demons that are chasing you unless you face them. Only then you will enjoy a life that is truly worth living.”

Dad Edition. No, I’m not going back to school, but my kids are, FINALLY.

(And not only do I read banned books, I write them too 📚)

My kid insisted that we stop here. Now we’re in line to see what the fuss is all about 🍩

By the way, I’m not going to comment here on the Supreme Court ruling because I’m trying to enjoy my vacation in Portland as a Basketball Dad.

I’ll share my thoughts on my weekly newsletter that drops every Tuesday (which you all should subscribe to). And boy, do I have some thoughts.