Alright, well Albert, thanks for joining us. Let's start right at the beginning. the question basically is when did you first start playing soccer like tell us that initial experience when you first went to that i mean you're still really young but how young were you when you started um thank you for having me yeah um yeah i started playing soccer when i was
Three, that was like my first time playing organized soccer, like rec or boys and girls club. But I just always play soccer in the house, kicking a ball around. But since three, like I've played in an organized. either rec or competitive, is what they call it over there in Alaska. But yeah, it's what I've been doing my whole life. I got a quick question. It's not on the script, but do you identify as like an Alaskan when you think about like your upbringing and home?
I mean, there's two different things. Alaska Native and then... alaskan you know like i was born in alaskan so i consider myself alaskan but obviously i'm not alaskan native that's a whole different thing that's people that you know are actually from from the land in there but yeah i'm very proud to be from
from anchorage alaska you know represent the the state that yeah you know many people don't don't even know it's part of the quick story we used to play odp and so you play against all the states and alaska would come to the tournaments And I just remember like thinking, and they would just get smashed every tournament. I was on those teams. Kids would like, you know, guys have different, different, different even branded cleats on just to like get there into that moment you know
And it always blew my mind, just your story and not making it out per se, but being from there and to the level of success that you've had is like, it blows my mind, dude. It really does. But what inspired you to fall in love with soccer? Because obviously something clicked. Was it in your family? Was it something you watched on TV? Was it a group of friends? I think it was my family, Jess. My parents and my grandparents, every time I went back to Mexico.
Both of my grandparents, they played and they loved watching soccer all the time. I think the passion that my dad transmitted to me his whole life was probably the most. relevant factor. He coached me from 10 to when I left Anchorage. And then my brother played, my sister's playing college. My mom loved to play as well. Back when she was in Mexico, women weren't allowed to play. But her brother played.
for Globamerica in their academy and she would like run out the house to go watch and play so she like had the same passion as my dad for the game. At home, it was just soccer all the time, coming back from school. Just training. Yeah. Wow. Obviously, there's a big connection there with your family. I'm curious kind of how that connection has changed over the years. Obviously, your dad, you said, was coaching you at one point. Now he watches you, so he's not coaching you.
Is he still trying to coach sometimes? Is he texting you calling you saying, oh, but try this, try that? He's still coaching me faster. He's still... You know, when I ride with him to the games, he's still like giving me like, you know, pointers, a few tips. He's like, you know, I'm not at the same level. I didn't play at the level that you're playing at. i don't know as much as your coaches do but shoot outside the box take the shot you know
But yeah, my relationship with him has evolved. I think now that I'm a little bit older, you get into more deeper meaning of life. And he's more a life coach now for me. But just with my whole family, I think our connection has been deeper. My brother and my siblings are getting older. We start to cherish those moments together, not as much as when we were younger.
together and we wouldn't realize you know what we were doing but now like my relationship with my family you know so close and it's the best relationship right now for me yeah when I go to schools and and kind of talk to these kids and they have to recognize that Yes, they might play on a sports team.
But at the end of the day, you're part of a school. That's your team also. And we've got, you know, the broader, now that you've become, you know, an adopted Washingtonian, I would say, we're all kind of in this together. How do you maintain a sense of community? You've obviously got your family, but how do you maintain that sense of community with your team?
with people outside, friends, whoever it may be, and how do you stay connected with the community here? Yeah, I think that was one of the hardest parts for me when I first came was connect with people here obviously when I was 14 straight out of middle school going to high school
But, you know, being in the academy team, you know, you're with kids all over your age, you know, and I would go out with them and do what they would do. They would introduce me to their friends, and that's kind of how I got introduced to the community.
And obviously a lot of things with the Rape Foundation, I love doing that stuff. I think we just did one, especially with the Hispanic community because that's the community I... kind of feel most connected to so whenever there's something that involves a Hispanic or Latino community I always love to participate and help.
My mom as well like her job is basically just helping the Hispanic community or immigrants in Anchorage and now that she moved to here like She's been trying to help people that come here.
immigrant backgrounds and you know helping them get established here and so that that as well has been helping me you know getting involved with the hispanic community here in washington yeah no i think that's amazing i'm a bit similar because of myself you know when i was playing my family was in London so I kind of like but I'm still tied up to them connected to them but I was very far away
I wonder for you how it's been since you moved there at 14. So you're very young. But how have you been able to back then and even now stay connected when they're not here physically, but you know that maybe your siblings or your... parents are supporting you from a distance i mean what ways you stay connected like how you is it texting before games good luck is it calls is it kind of just um as it goes well we have a family group chat um so we always you know texting and that but we have uh
with my siblings. We have one hour every week. We all have to connect on a FaceTime call at least. You know, because when I first moved, then my sister moved, then my brother moved. And so we wouldn't talk. We would like see each other in Christmas and we wouldn't know what we had been doing for like texting isn't the same as actually talking. You know, you text one or two things and that's pretty much it.
So we made this so that we could all, when we see each other, we actually knew what was going on in each other's lives. So credit to my sister for setting that up. I love that. And that's like how I connect with them. But with my parents, like my mom, sometimes she's in Alaska. And I have to cook. I call him, help me out, walk me through it. It's not the same if I go on YouTube than if I call you.
So that's always awesome. And then my dad, we just love chatting about anything. You know, League of America scores, you know, CONCACAF Champions League, UEFA Champions League, everything. So we always talking about something. When you think about your family, then they've obviously been pivotal. I think we can all reflect on our upbringing and how instrumental it's been. But for you specifically, how much do you credit their support for where you're at right now?
Yeah, I think their support is probably the most important thing. I think my upbringing and the way my parents raised me helped me. have a mentality to get through every phase that I've been through. I saw a lot of kids in the academy that probably had the talent, had the natural ability skill, but maybe they didn't have it in their head.
And I think for me, that was the most important thing because I wasn't the most talented player or the most skillful when I joined the academy, that was for sure. But I did have something about me where, like, I told myself I'm going to. outwork them somehow you know and that's how i'm gonna make it and that was something my parents instilled in me for sure you know um And all those little things that they taught me, it was the most important thing. Never give up, never put your head down.
Always believe in yourself. I think all those things that they instilled in me as a young man have brought me to this moment. That's brilliant. I mean, I think we're good there. I'm just having a hard time believing that there's a 14-year-old that was better than you. Like, I have a hard time believing that. But I'm going to say good one. There was good players. Yeah, there was good players in the academy. Still are. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow.
Good stuff. Well, Obed, thanks for joining us. Wish you all the best in your journey, man. Honestly, it's a pleasure watching you. Thank you. And for us, you're one of my favorites to watch, just the way you play. Keep going. And I agree with you that. Shoot more outside the box. Thank you. Michelle McDaniel, CEO of Crisis Connections, is being honoured as a community hero as part of the Behind the Shield series, a partnership between Regents Blue Shield and Sounders FC.
The content series profiling both soundest players and community leaders celebrates humans showing extraordinary grit and determination in their everyday life. Michelle Lee's Crisis Connections, a mental health nonprofit that operates crisis phone and text lines across King County and Washington State, including the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Since Michelle joined Crisis Connections as CEO in 2021, The nonprofit has expanded from 90 employees to more than 350 and from 260 volunteers to more than 530 as it serves individuals in emotional and substance use crisis across the state. so obviously i'm delighted to be joined now by michelle and the first question i want to ask you michelle is now you first became involved with crisis connections nearly 30 years ago
And then you rejoined the organization in 2021. So why have you been kind of so connected and committed to this organization and this mission for so long? What about it resonates with you so much? Yeah, thanks, Steve. Thanks so much for asking me about that. And let me just say, first of all, I'd like to say.
that I really appreciate being recognized for the community hero for the Seattle Sounders and Regents Corporate Foundation. It's truly humbling and I just have to say their support amplifies our mission. and helps us reach more individuals in need. So I just wanted to put that out there first. To answer your question, at its core, Crisis Connections is about making sure that no one has to face life's toughest moments alone.
And that's what's pulled me in for over 38 years now. And what keeps bringing me back as a staff member, as I've been a volunteer, but again now as the organization's CEO for the last four years. What's important to know is that as something we all know that life throws a lot at people. Whether it's a mental health crisis, it's addiction, loss, or somebody just having a really hard day. But knowing there's someone they can reach out to at any time can truly change everything for folks.
When I first started, Crisis Connections was mostly a local effort, kind of Seattle, King County. Today we are a lifeline for people across Washington State and part of a national network through the 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline, 211 Information Referral. So the mission has gotten only more urgent.
So I couldn't imagine not being part of it. And to me, there's no more important work than answering that call literally when someone needs it most. So I have deep gratitude for our dedicated staff and volunteers. really their compassion and commitment are the heartbeat of crisis connections. And so without them, we couldn't provide the support that so many rely on.
you know beautifully said well said um with that one kind of piggyback on that you mentioned a few things that obviously you just have to look outside in the world today there's you know mental health crisis and there's substance abuse and there's so much going on um so why would you say the services provided by crisis connection are probably more important now than ever Yeah, great question. I mean, we all see this today. People are facing more complex challenges than ever before.
You know again mental health struggles substance use financial hardship isolation and Crisis Connections is here for all of us. We like to say that no crisis is too big or too small. People define what that crisis is. And oftentimes people think, well, I have to be going through something really significant in order to reach out and want to talk with someone. And that's not true. We receive over 600,000 requests.
for help each year and every single one represents someone who's found a lifeline when they need it most. and so we don't just help in the moments of danger we help people before it becomes an emergency. Ideally we want to talk with folks before it becomes what would we call kind of a full-blown crisis or maybe it is something as serious as contemplating ending their life.
So we talk with teens who are struggling on a number of different issues. We talk to parents who are worried that maybe they're not going to be able to pay their rent. We are connecting with veterans who are battling loneliness. All of them can reach out to us and get connected to real support. We operate at Crisis Connections where there's what we call a no wrong door approach. Sometimes people don't know exactly what it is that they need to reach out to us.
and we will help you find the next step. So again, calling 988 is a good example of a crisis line, but maybe I'm not really sure exactly what I'm looking for, but someone will be able to pick up that phone or... Respond to your text 24-7. And I'll say that especially after the pandemic, people realize how much mental health is really healthy. It's not separate or less important than caring for your physical health.
And organizations like Crisis Connections are essentially helping communities thrive. But, you know, there's such a more of an honest conversation and less stigma around talking about mental health. I think honestly in the sports community that has really helped to open up some of those doors. We think about some of our sports stars like Tim Biles, even Marshawn Lynch. starting to talk about their own mental health. And I really think that that has been instrumental in making it safe.
for people to be that vulnerable and so when they do need they're ready to talk with someone simply you know calling their crisis connections program uh including 98 we're right there for folks yeah that's really really well said and you raised some great points there and one of the things i want to touch on there is kind of connectivity because one of the themes of you know our behind the show series um is it is connectivity and you know so why is it so important for
to someone's well-being to be connected to friends family and neighbors and sort of have that support system can you kind of speak to the importance of having that in your life Yeah, well, it's no small thing to know that Crisis Connections has connections in our name. Connections isn't just a nice thing to have. It's something that saves lives.
Human connection is one of the best shields we have against loneliness Depression and even physical health problems because physical problems and mental health problems are very interlinked In fact, I don't know how many people know this, but back in 2023, the US Surgeon General put out a report about loneliness and said that loneliness poses health risks. as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily. In fact, the Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health epidemic back in 2023.
And that lack of connection, and I guess we talk about just generally being disconnected, is most harmful when life isn't going so great. So maybe people tend to be a little more isolated. Maybe they're kind of focusing more on social media and not interacting with other people. It really becomes more of an issue that can become very serious when they are struggling. Sometimes people think they have to be strong by doing it alone or something not having a...
relationships to call upon when life gets tough, we have to have those connections built. So again, at Crisis Connections, Connections is literally in our mission, it's in our name. And when we ask the phone, or we're responding to a text, we remind people that they are not alone. So even a short conversation can be a bridge back to hope for so many people.
The Sounders are a great example of how connection builds resilience. You don't win matches in isolation. You don't build a healthy community in isolation either. It's always about the team and it's about community. Our volunteers and staff embody that spirit of connection and their dedication to listening and supporting others to foster belonging and that resilience. That's really about building community.
yeah that's an incredible work and so lastly i want to ask you along those lines obviously this kind of work is a huge undertaking Nobody can do it alone. All the support you can get. There'll be a lot of people listening to this who say, you know, this sounds great. I want to get involved or just support. So I want to speak on one area that they can do that in, obviously, is donating. And so can you speak to why financial donations are so critical for your mission at Crisis Connections?
Absolutely. It's really simple. Donations keep our services free, accessible, and available 24-7. How many places can you go and say, you know what, if I just need to connect with someone and I need to do it right now, how many times are we have the ability to say, I can pick up a phone or send a text or a chat and you get that.
Obviously, our services are at no cost to the community, but they cost Every trained specialist on the line, every connection we make to critical resources such as connecting people to housing, to food, to services if they're seeking recovery from addiction, it's made possible by donors and people who believe in our work. When people give to Crisis Connections, they're not just funding a survey. They're investing in a stronger, healthier, more connected community for all of us.
So we're immensely grateful to our donors. Their generosity ensures that we can continue to be there for anyone in need anytime. And again, I have to say a special thanks to Regents Corporate Foundation for their unwavering support. Their contributions have been instrumental. and enhancing our services and reaching more individuals in crisis. So thank you and please, we really need the support of the community to help keep this work, this intervention, this support available for folks.
Thank you very much for sharing down the show. And look, let me just say for myself and obviously on behalf of the Sounders, The work you're doing is incredible. And I encourage everyone listening to this to get behind and support because you never know when you'll be the one in need as well. And the mental health is very near and dear to my heart.
And I'm a big champion of this. I'll be making a donation myself and I encourage everyone listening to do so as well. So I really thank you for joining us and I'm glad we can highlight you and the great work being done at Crisis Connections. Thank you again. Well, thank you. Thank you for your contribution in this time and this platform and for all you do.