2 days ago

EP 32: Depression and Dancers

This episode includes discussions of depression, suicide, and conversion therapy. Please take care while listening. The content is not intended as providing individual counseling on a professional basis. If a listener is in need of psychological counseling they should seek help from a licensed therapist. The show is intended as information and entertainment and not as a substitute for professionally provided counseling or therapy, professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you’re struggling, please seek help. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for free, 24/7 support.

Depression isn’t a flaw to fix but a signal worth paying attention to, especially for performers who build their identity around applause.

John Corella welcomes Nathaniel Flatt, a licensed therapist, former professional dancer, and one-time boy band member, for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on mental health in the arts. What happens when the dream gig doesn’t fulfill you? Or when rejection keeps showing up and starts to feel personal? Nathaniel shares how he went from dancing with Beyoncé at the Oscars to sitting on a therapist’s couch, questioning what came next and why it didn’t feel like enough.

They talk about the emotional weight performers carry, the difference between sadness and depression, and what it really means to celebrate depression instead of fearing it. Nathaniel explains how therapy became a creative and collaborative practice for him, and why our culture’s obsession with winning often leaves people feeling more lost than ever.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt like their worth depends on a callback, a competition result, or someone else’s approval.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Meet Nathaniel Flatt: Therapist, Dancer, Boy Band Member

06:12 From Performing to Therapy: A Career Shift

14:04 Celebrating Depression and Redefining Sadness

25:04 Rejection, Perfectionism, and Identity

42:07 Finding Self-Worth Beyond Performance

44:43 Creativity, Play, and Pressure in Hollywood

50:24 How to Work Through Depression

Links

Connect with Nathaniel Flatt:

https://www.instagram.com/natflatt