The First Openly Gay NBA Player On the Power of Courage, Leadership, and Empathy | John Amaechi
The First Openly Gay NBA Player On the Power of Courage, Leadership, and Empathy | John Amaechi  
Podcast: Finding Mastery with Dr. Michael Gervais
Published On: Wed Dec 03 2025
Description: What does it really mean to live with courage and conviction?On today’s episode, we sit down with Dr. John Amaechi — organizational psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and the first openly gay NBA player. Along his journey, John always set out to be himself in a world that repeatedly told him he was too big, too soft-spoken, too smart, too different. In this conversation, John brings us into parts of his internal world that are hard for any of us to talk about: navigating shame, identity, belonging, and the responsibility of not shrinking so others can stay comfortable. He talks about the cost of visibility, and the radical power of deciding that your worth is not up for negotiation.In this episode, we explore:How to move from clarity to conviction in your personal and professional lifeWhy vulnerability is a core strength of courageous leadershipThe key to creating relationships rooted in empathy and presenceHow to develop moral courage — and know when to walk awayWhat it means to lead from your first principlesThrough stories drawn from sport, psychology, and leadership, John challenges our cultural obsession with individual achievement and redefines what it means to succeed — not by how high you climb, but by how deeply you care and how many people you lift along the way. ___________________________________________________Links & Resources:Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more conversations at the intersection of high performance, leadership, and wellbeing: https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingMasteryGet exclusive discounts and support our amazing sponsors! Go to: https://findingmastery.com/sponsors/Subscribe to the Finding Mastery newsletter for weekly high performance insights: https://www.findingmastery.com/newsletter Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine: findingmastery.com/morningmindsetFollow on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and XSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.