“The Grind Almost Killed Me: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Hear About Mental Health”

By Lemar Griffin

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“For the entrepreneurs, the creators, the parents, teachers, teens, athletes, and Palestinians, the ones carrying the weight of the world—read this before you burn out.”

I got some real shit for yall. Not about business moves, not about wins, but about what it’s taken to even be here writing this.

If you know me, you know how hard I go. If you are reading this and don’t know me. Imagine wolf of wall street but a honest, people pleaser, competitive athlete that is a creative director and he is african american, something like that. I’ve always worked toward one goal: to provide for my family, to make sure my kids are good, and to prove to the clients that worked with me that I would run thru a brick wall to provide value and a real ROI for them because by hiring me that showed me love that they believed in me. I’m talking about trench work from ground up. For a while, that mindset worked. The hustle paid off. I have the numbers to prove it. Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.

A lot of people on the outside look at that and say, “Man, Lemar’s got an ego.”
I usually go with it just to make them feel better about the fact they don’t want to sacrifice for what they want in life. Nah. What you’re seeing is confidence built on sacrifice—on years of pain, on missed moments, on staying up all night editing, making plays, not because I wanted to—but because I felt like I had to.

People don’t always understand what it costs you mentally to believe you’re the best at what you do and then put in the work to make that true to yourself belief. They don’t see the pain it took to earn that belief. I pushed myself past the limit, because I thought the only way to prove my worth was through the work. Through the numbers. Through the grind. Because that’s how I thought I could show my love. Also I fucking love what I do! I work with the best athlete, brands, brides, realtors, podcast host, tech companies, and people in the world. When you find the passion that grows into love for you do, that can be a slippery slope if your not careful, don’t be like me.

But here’s the truth:
You can’t outwork what’s breaking you inside.

I didn’t know how to stop. I thought slowing down meant letting my family down. I thought if I wasn’t everywhere, doing everything, the whole thing would fall apart. And the wildest part? I thought that was love. I thought that was being a man. I thought that was being a provider.

But it almost killed me, literally.

I had a full psychotic episode. I blacked out. I lost control of my mind and my body. And when I woke up, I realized I had almost lost everything—my life, my freedom, and the only thing that actually matters: my family.

Why? Because I didn’t know how to stop. Because I thought asking for help was weakness.

I want to take a quick pause to thank the officers that helped me get to the hospital without using their weapons. I’ve always said there are Good cops, and there are bad cops, and I was right and God saved my life.

Listen—I’m saying this loud, especially to my people of color:
We don’t talk enough about therapy.
We don’t talk enough about how much pain we’re carrying around every day. And that’s a problem. A big one.

The difference between knowing you should talk to somebody and not knowing—that’s life and death. I’m not saying that to be dramatic. I’m saying that because I lived it. Because I almost didn’t make it back.

Therapy has started be a big help for me. Real talk. Sitting down and facing myself, learning that rest is not the enemy, learning that my worth is not tied to how many hours I grind—that’s what saved me. I didn’t understand this until I did a podcast with Justin Simmons who is an NFL Player, Son, Husband, and father. He made me feel like I could finally try therapy. You need to hear the message of getting mental health from someone who can break through the noise and make you listen.

It’s sad to say, but that was me: working myself into the ground thinking that’s what my family needed, when what they really needed was me—alive, present, whole.

So I’m telling you this now:
If you’re feeling like the pressure is too much, if you’re feeling like you can’t slow down, like stopping would make you a failure—
Hit me up to talk please.
I’m not a therapist, but I’ll listen. And I know people who can help.

Mental health is not a weakness. It’s not soft. It’s survival.

I have to put my pride aside. I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being. That’s why I decided to take a step back.

– Simone Biles

I’m grateful God let me tell y’all this story. I’m grateful I didn’t lose it all before I learned the lesson. And I’m grateful for every person who told me to slow down—even when I couldn’t hear it.

I hear it now. And if this letter reaches even one person who needs to hear it—I’m good with that.

Stay solid. Stay standing.

Lemar Griffin

Connect with LeMar : https://www.instagram.com/lemargriffinfilms