Kaleb Joseph was one of 11 children growing up in a New Hampshire home filled with chaos. Looking for an outlet, he took to playing basketball as an escape.

After being named a top-five point guard in the nation and receiving a slew of high-major college offers while in high school, Joseph committed to play at Syracuse and was quickly put on the National Freshman of the Year Watch List and named a starter.

However, his first year didn’t pan out the way many expected it to, nor did the remainder of his career.

Joseph spent two seasons at Syracuse and three at Creighton before a brief overseas professional career, facing mental health struggles the entire time.

While playing overseas, Joseph went back to his home in New Hampshire each summer, offering mentorship to younger athletes and recording the conversations regarding mental health he had with them.

Playing in the Czech Republic in 2022, Joseph hit rock bottom and became suicidal, eventually deciding to hang up his basketball sneakers and pick up a microphone, creating the “Self Help Tour” to discuss his past experiences with others and striving to uncover their “unique version of wholeness.”

While traveling the country speaking with students, athletes, coaches, and more, Joseph has built up a following of over 26,000 on his Instagram, which is where Penn State found him, leading to him being invited for multiple speaking engagements with student-athletes.

“I first came in August to work with the football team. I spoke with them and had a really, really good conversation. Then, I was invited to come back a month or two later and speak with the rest of the athletes and coaches,” Joseph said.

Despite Penn State’s football team garnering increased attendance, viewership, and attention over other teams, Joseph said speaking to the football team didn’t bring about a conversation any different from other sports.

“It’s the same conversation, honestly, because we all feel it in different ways. At the end of the day, we’re all living a very human experience,” he said.

Joseph doesn’t describe himself as a motivational speaker, as he’s driving a conversation with the people he’s talking to, rather than “hyping them up.” When he appeared in Happy Valley, those conversations were flowing.

While many entered skeptical of what they’d be hearing about, Joseph got Penn State student-athletes and coaches to open up about their experience with mental health, something not commonly talked about in sports.

“I could just tell that in every locker room that I was in there were other people who were struggling, but it was this hidden secret that nobody wanted to talk about,” Joseph said.

Many motivational speakers haven’t lived through most of what their audience has, especially high-level athletes. In his eyes, that’s what separates Joseph from other speakers.

Joseph spent five years playing on the highest stage of Division I basketball, so talking to current athletes about dealing with that pressure is natural for him.

Now, the 28-year-old is using his past to bring out the best in the folks he talks to.

“It’s exactly what you hear in the testimonials, ‘He understands us,’ because I lived it. I’m not talking about something that hasn’t ruined my life,” he said. “I don’t speak from this authoritative figure position. I speak directly to you as a person who just wants to help, and while it’s uncomfortable to share my experiences, it’s more important to be real about it.”

To hear more about what Penn State athletes had to say about Joseph’s talk, check out the “Self Help Tour” video.