Aaron Lane on Courage, Healing, and Doing Life With People
Community · From Student of the Game
Aaron Lane on Courage, Healing, and Doing Life With People
Brad Noll calls Aaron Lane a new friend who feels like an old one. Aaron is a licensed social worker and co-founder, with his wife, of Courageous Healing, a Fort Wayne nonprofit focused on mental health care. He holds a bachelor's degree from Purdue University, a master's in organizational leadership from Indiana Tech, and a second master's in clinical social work from Indiana University.
Before any of that, Aaron was an athlete with a dream of playing at the highest level. On this episode of Student of the Game, he explains how that journey prepared him for the work he does today, and Brad connects each turn in the story to lessons for business owners.
An Identity Built on Sports
Aaron grew up in Fort Wayne with hardworking parents who were often busy, so he spent much of his time at friends' homes, at school, and in youth sports. He was a three-sport athlete in track, basketball, and football, and football was his sport. The recognition he earned became his identity.
Brad asks whether that was healthy. Aaron is honest: athletics came naturally, but from an identity standpoint it was unhealthy, because he relied on the praise to feel accepted and valued. Still, his talent earned him a full scholarship to the University of Saint Francis in his hometown.
“It's okay not to be okay. I don't have to be strong. I don't have to have it all together.”
Aaron Lane
Betting on Himself at Purdue
About a year and a half in, Aaron realized he needed a change of environment. He left his full scholarship and walked on at Purdue, a move he calls a walk of faith. He had watched friends with remarkable ability stay stuck in what was familiar, and he did not want to be that guy. Brad compares it to leaving a comfortable job or a profitable client who is hard on your family, and asks whether Aaron was running toward something or away from something. Aaron says he was running toward a better life.
At Purdue he played scout team running back against future NFL draft picks and held his own. But scholarship players were ahead of him, and a coach suggested he move to cornerback, a position he had never played. "I can either complain about it," Aaron says, or "rise to the occasion and answer the call." He learned the playbook, stepped in when a teammate was injured, became a starter, and earned a full scholarship. Brad's note for young athletes: "You don't get to land on third base."
After graduating, Aaron got a workout with the Miami Dolphins through his agent, Fort Wayne's Eugene Parker, and signed as a free agent. A coaching change brought in a veteran at his position, and he was released after rookie minicamp. He then played arena football in Fort Wayne. Looking back, he says, "sports for me was practice for where I'm currently am in my life."
What Courageous Healing Does
Courageous Healing is a 501(c)(3), culturally centered, trauma-informed mental health organization in Southeast Fort Wayne, where Aaron and his wife were born and raised. It intentionally specializes in serving Black and brown populations, while serving everyone, because stigma, access, and cost keep many people from getting care. The goal is a space where people feel seen, heard, and safe.
Brad shares statistics from his own research showing that one in five people live with a mental illness and that Black and Hispanic Americans receive services at lower rates than white Americans. His takeaway for business owners: identify a problem, then become the best at solving it.
Aaron's fundamentals are people and systems. Courageous Healing follows much of the EOS model from the book Traction. Aaron is the visionary, his wife is the detail and strategy person, and they surround themselves with people whose skills differ from theirs but who believe in the mission. "We do things with people," he says, not to them or for them.
Healing at Every Level
Aaron explains the three levels where Courageous Healing works. The micro level is individuals and families. The meso level is community boards, advisories, and committees. The macro level is city, state, and federal systems. If his team hears about systemic barriers behind closed doors and does nothing about them, he says, they are doing clients a disservice.
People come in with everything from anxiety, depression, and grief to burnout, parenting stress, and the effects of racism and COVID. "We must look at the problems that we are seeing from a multifaceted view," Aaron says. If someone heals and goes back into an environment not set up for them to thrive, the healing is harder to sustain. Brad pictures his old conditioning drill, where the last runner sprints to the front so the whole team moves together.
Why Is Therapy Important for Mental Health?
Brad reads a list of tips for coping with mental health struggles, and Aaron agrees with all of them, especially the first:
- Seek professional help.
- Establish a routine, stay active, eat a balanced diet, and get enough sleep.
- Limit alcohol and avoid drugs.
- Practice mindfulness and relaxation.
- Connect with others and set realistic goals.
- Limit screen time and social media.
Therapy can feel intimidating, Aaron says, but you do not have to know what to expect. Think of it as a checkup or a tune-up. Licensed therapists are bound by confidentiality, and the session is an hour that is all about you. The first step is admitting, "It's okay not to be okay." He adds that the mind and body are connected, and that stuffing things down is like a volcano that eventually erupts.
Brad shares his own habit. Most people schedule workouts for their bodies, so he blocks time on Mondays for what he calls the mind gym, and spends mornings journaling, reading, and reviewing affirmations.
Winning Through Relationships
For Aaron and his wife, winning starts with their marriage and their two children, which they call their first ministry. Beyond that, their mission is to empower people to be the best versions of themselves. Courageous Healing is working toward growing statewide, while making sure its Fort Wayne foundation is sustainable. Aaron wants clients and staff to feel they get to come, not that they have to. Some clients with virtual sessions still choose to come in just to sit in the space.
With many individual and corporate donors, Aaron says, they never make an ask. They let people get to know their hearts and decide what the work is worth. Brad calls it a master class for anyone with a client list, and adds a word of his own: beyond mindset, check your heart set. When asked for virtual flowers, Aaron thanks his wife for her accountability and partnership, and the late Eugene Parker, whose example of faith, family, and business he watched up close for years.
▶ Listen to the full episode
From Athlete to Advocate: Aaron Lane's Journey to Mental Health Awareness, on Student of the Game.
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