Shannon Sharpe has molded himself into a media mogul. He’s a regular panelist on ESPN’s First Take and hosts two popular podcasts, i.e. Nightcap and Club Shay Shay.
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The latter allows him to dig deep with guests from a variety of fields. Last week, he hosted comedian Andrew Schulz on Club Shay Shay. Sharpe dove into many different pots during the podcast, discussing Schulz’s comedy and happenings in the celebrity realm. After that, though, they shared they both have attended couples’ therapy.
Schulz told Sharpe his experiences opened him to perspectives he hadn’t considered before. He recalled instances where he had upset his wife, and how he tried handling such things in the past. He then talked about how the lessons he learned helped improve his relationship.
“If I do something, and it bothers you… but it’s not my intention to hurt you… and I apologize for it, my fear is that you will think that was my intention… you’re going to think that I wanted to hurt you by saying that, so here I am trying to explain it away… they don’t need that. They just need you to go, ‘I’m sorry I made you feel that way’… it’s done after that. It’s kind of crazy,” Schulz said.
Sharpe then proceeded to essentially restate Schulz’s comments to him. Schulz, naturally, didn’t take kindly to this. He responded by teasing Sharpe about his handling of the situation.
“This guy is diabolical! Don’t explain to me what I just explained to you! That was insane. Your girl [has] got no chance. Sweetheart, you got no chance! He’s gaslighting me,” Schulz added.
After the pair got back on the same page, they came to the same conclusion: Therapy is useful.
Schulz, Sharpe talk benefits of therapy
Schulz and his wife, Emma, have a better understanding of one another now that they’ve gone to therapy together. And like Schulz, Sharpe has an experience where his relationship improved after open conversation. He recalled the question his therapist asked that sparked his new mindset.
“Are you arguing for right or arguing to be right… she said, ‘you’re going to have to communicate in a language that she understands. Right now, you’re speaking Mandarin and she’s speaking Spanish. So either she learns Mandarin, or you learn Spanish,” Sharpe said candidly.
Schulz joked that Sharpe’s girlfriend “wasn’t going to learn Mandarin.” However, he knows it takes two to tango. Both parties must be invested. And when they are, they reap rewards.
“Therapy is great. It’s difficult to do it, but I think there’s this stigma on it… you go to rehab for your shoulder if it’s messed up. You take care of your body, you go to visit doctors… [you’ve got] to nurture. I would tell people… when you know you’re going to get married, go to a therapist and have them talk you through some of the changes that are going to start to happen,” Schulz continued.
Schulz chalked up people having a “big ego” as a reason for the stereotypes around therapy. He turned the tables, saying people “should be embarrassed about not caring enough about your relationship to make it the best that it can be.”
Therapy has become less stigmatized over the past decade, but it’s still relatively rare to see such notable celebrities openly advocate for it on a major platform. Schulz and Sharpe know the power of their reach, and know their conversation could change lives around the world. Others would seemingly be wise to heed their advice.
