PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Pace University recently hosted Aaron Taylor, a CBS Sports Analyst and Super Bowl Champion who spent six seasons in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers.

Taylor spoke at Pace University's Goldstein Fitness Center on April 24 at a mental health awareness event, which was done in partnership with The RADical Hope Foundation. As part of the event, Taylor discussed the importance of success, resilience, and empowerment. He spoke to more than 200 Pace students, faculty, and staff about his own mental health challenges that he has faced throughout his life. The session as well-attended by Setter student-athletes, who made up a majority of the crowd.

Taylor was also able to have a more intimate audience with the Pace Football team.

Speaking on what mental health means to him and why it's so important, Taylor said: "We have a tsunami of a mental health epidemic worldwide that is starting to hit our shores. I'm sick and tired of losing people prematurely and unnecessarily."

Taylor says his own life experiences, including the losses he's had over the last several years, have led to him wanting to help others however he can. "I've lost 12 people from my football and friend circles to completed suicide," he said. "Dozens more to what we call deaths of despair. Alcohol, drug addiction, overdoses, those sorts of things. People are hurting, and I've been hurting. But I figured out ways to get out of my own way, to have some tools, tips, techniques, things to take action around."

Pace football head coach Andy Rondeau spoke about how somebody like Taylor sharing his story can have an impact on student-athletes. "He's got this wonderful message," Rondeau said. "It's backed up by real life experience, real pain. Very, very gritty, and dirty. But we all have this relational piece, which is football. Our males, whatever their family structure is, need as much guidance as possible. They can take that message in from a guy who's had a world of experience that they dream about."

With the conversation around mental health becoming much more open than in recent years, Rondeau talked about his own experiences as well, speaking about how conversations about mental health have changed and grown over time. "I'm from another generation, and that other generation was basically taught 'suck it up'. We found our outlets and we found our ways to deal with it. We're clearly at a different point in time, where we're recognizing that there are real issues that can be worked through in professional ways and in formal ways. If we can continue to find ways to send the message that this is real, and the issues people have may be real, there's strength in numbers."

Taylor believes there are several keys to keeping mental health strong, and although it may be difficult, there are ways for everybody to overcome their struggles. Talking about the tools he developed over time to overcome those obstacles and grow as a person, he said: "I focus on viewpoints, mindsets, and how to interrupt negative thinking. These are basics, that over long periods of time, with some focus, attention, time and effort have allowed me to enjoy a life that I never thought possible, so I just want to try to help others do the same."

Bringing Taylor to campus was made possible because of the University's partnership with The RADical Hope Foundation, whose mission is to improve the lives and futures of young adults by strengthening connections and building resilience. Pace University partnered with RADical Hope in the Fall of 2021 to offer its student body Radical Hope's four week, skill-based emotional learning program called RADical Health. By the spring of 2023, 430 Pace students will have completed the cutting-edge wellness experience which explores topics including self-care, stress management, active listening, emotional regulation, and informed decision-making. The program was developed by a team of students, behavioral health specialists, adolescent psychologists, academic leaders and administrators, and centers around peer-led discussion groups. To date, over 30 colleges and universities across the U.S. have partnered with RADical Hope to implement its evidence-based wellness program.