“A confidence in that and a freedom in that.” Now, try coupling that with the ethics of a proud Midwestern, you get a happy, driven, and carefree Savannah James. Watching her talk about her life certainly looks like a privilege now, not the kind attributed to the upper crust but the privilege of a simple life living in the tree-lined street in Akron she grew up on with her parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. What privilege, you would ask?

The opportunities to make mistakes and “work through them.” Savannah has admitted to seeking help via therapy. In a 2023 interview with The Cut, she lamented her experiences of an “intentional journey of being a better woman.” Aging has its natural way of undoing someone and Savannah wanted to age like fine vintage wine. It was more of a spiritual experience wherein she underwent a detox program for three months. The result was a more focused decision-maker where she “was able to make decisions that I feel like I might have been kind of wavering with had I not done it.“

No doubt, she is such a big mental health advocate. In Episode 5 of Everybody’s Crazy podcast, Savannah discussed why it is important to just… slow down sometimes. “I think a mental health day not being a real thing is crazy. I feel like everybody could always use a day… I will milk the hell out of a mental health day,” she opined before talking about her marriage.

A mental health day is when an employee is allowed to take a day off to look after their well-being. However, quite a lot of people end up feeling guilty for doing so, but Savannah James is not one of them. And there’s a reason behind this. Growing up, her mother normalized taking mental health leaves from school. Instead, they would go for a movie and have lunch together.

“Stuck multiple times and to be honest with you, sometimes my head be like [imitates drowning] let me come up. But it is very personal. It is like we were talking before about imposter syndrome.” But what did she do to get out of it?

She shared that he often thinks about her children, her marriage, and all the things that she already has. “You’re fine, you can do this. You’ve got all the things—your kids are healthy, you’re healthy, your husband is thriving,” she shared her self-affirmations. But none of it was easy. Savannah had to slow down, reflect upon her life, and go to therapy. In fact, back in June, she revealed how she once took some time to understand herself better:

“Like ‘Why do I feel like this like this? This is stupid like why’. But I sat with it. I figured it out it came to me why I was feeling that way and I’m like okay. I acknowledged it and I did what I needed to do to move forward with it.”

However, Savannah’s habit of introspection goes long back. She has been with LeBron James since school and, as per her own admission, that attracted a lot of resentment from other women. “I had to defend myself. I had a lot of that. I had girls who didn’t like me and couldn’t tell nobody why they didn’t like me. My whole group of friends, it was tough. It was a lot.”

Clearly, she has had to deal with a lot of outside pressure when it comes to her high-profile relationship and marriage with James. But she isn’t alone in her mental health journey. Being an athlete, LeBron James understands how important mental fitness is. The couple is in it together.

LeBron James: “Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness”

LeBron James’s commitment to mental health extends far beyond his personal experiences. Following the 2011 NBA Finals, he acknowledged the necessity of focusing on mental well-being due to intense scrutiny. “The level of scrutiny that I was dealing with, and how I got out of my comfort zone. I lost my love for the game,” LeBron James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Further, in 2020, the athlete backed a mental fitness platform—the Calm app. He asserted that “mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness.”

The app’s aim was to help users with their meditation and relaxation exercises, and this is something Savannah too has dabbled with. Last year, she revealed how she likes to sit in the sauna and meditate. In fact, yoga and meditation are a part of her everyday routine. And it is not just her; Several elite athletes practice yoga to keep themselves calm.

LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal are two well-known names from the NBA world who have practiced yoga. But this method also extends to other sports, like football and soccer. Many athletes get into yoga to bridge the gap between their bodies and minds.

Here’s how LeBron James ensures his overall fitness:

• Focuses on nutrition and physical fitness.
• Prioritizes sleep.
• Stays mentally fit.

However, his focus on mental health is not limited to his sports career. He truly believes in the power of feeling good inside out. “I want to make sure people understand that it’s okay to not be okay. You have to be true to yourself,” he once stated.