Saho will return to UD Arena on Wednesday and again moderate a panel discussion for the second annual event. Titled “The Spotlight Town Hall, To Shine A Light On Mental Health,” it is free and open to the public.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. when there will be a mental health resource fair and a meet and greet with Dayton men’s basketball players. The program will run from 7-8:30 p.m.
Saho, like Grant and his wife Chris, has devoted his life to talking about mental health. The death of Jayda, or Jay as she was also known, inspired the Grants to speak out and go public with their story. Jayda, 20, died by suicide in 2022.
Saho, a Cincinnati La Salle High School and University of Cincinnati graduate, has his own personal reasons for spreading awareness about the importance of mental health. He battled alcoholism, depression and suicidal thoughts for years. Opening up about his struggles helped him overcome them.
“I talk about mental health as much as I can because I was suicidal,” Saho wrote on X (Twitter) in May. “I thought I was alone. But I was wrong. To anyone struggling right now, please ask for help. I promise you can be happy again. Feelings are temporary, not facts. Please call a friend or 988. You’re not alone.”
Saho quit his job as a sports reporter at WLWT in Cincinnati in 2022 to start The Mental Game podcast. He now lives in Los Angeles, Calif., but travels often to spread his message. He talked at schools, colleges and workplaces in 30 states in 30 days last winter, traveling more than 5,000 miles and spending more than 80 hours on the road.
Saho said his new life is a roller coaster.
“It was super hard at first,” he said. “It’s still hard. Quitting the job that you love and dream of to go out with no plan and follow this new passion and purpose, it’s scary, but it’s been really cool to see it grow.”
Bengals defensive lineman Sam Hubbard was his first guest. He has since welcomed a variety of actors, celebrities, sports personalities, etc.: actor Terry Crews; Centerville grad and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit; Bengals coach Zac Taylor; and former NFL stars Ricky Williams, Chad Johnson and Ryan Shazier among others.
“Living in LA and having a studio at the house that I’m renting and being able to record episodes with some of these bigger stars, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows,” Saho said. “I’m not saying I’ve made it in Hollywood. It’s nowhere close to that. But to be out here and be able to have that access, it’s been a game-changer.”
At the Spotlight event Wednesday, Gloria Umanah will share her story of overcoming suicidal thoughts and anxiety. There will also be a panel discussion that includes: the Grants; Umanah; Kelly Blankenship, Associate Chief Medical Officer of behavioral health at Dayton Children’s Hospital; Tia Marcel Moretti, Chief Advisor for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; and other adolescent mental health advocates.
Saho said Ohio Bobcats men’s basketball coach Jeff Boals first connected him to the Grants a year ago. He met them face to face for the first time before the first Spotlight.
“They are as genuine as you could ever imagine,” he said. “The sports world and the coaching profession can be really brutal, but Anthony and Chris, they’re both just super kind souls, and they genuinely want to help save lives, which is why I will never tell them no and help them in any type of way.”
Credit: David Jablonski
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