By his own admission, rapper/songwriter/producer Mike Posner had a “midlife crisis at 22.” He had signed a major label deal and experienced his first big brush with success with his 2010 top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Cooler Than Me.”
A few years later, by the time an EDM remix of his stripped-down “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” earned him a 2017 Grammy nomination for song of the year, Posner was well on his way to feeling disillusioned and depleted by fame.
Posner kept making music, but also took a serious look at the decisions he was making and how they were affecting his physical and mental health. At the closing session for the second annual Hollywood & Mind summit held at UTA in Beverly Hills on Thursday (May 9), moderated by Hollywood & Mind founder Cathy Applefeld Olson, Posner, 36, shared some of the wisdom he’s gained through his career and from that arduous work he’s done on himself, including climbing Mount Everest, walking across America and tangling with a rattlesnake.
The daylong event focused on the intersection of entertainment and mental health, and featured close to 50 speakers, including leading mental health professionals, actors, comedians, athletes and entertainment executives, all of whom have an investment in wellness. Panelists included Couples Therapy star Dr. Orna Guralnik, actor and singer Chyler Leigh, music producer Aaron Pearce, Angel Carter Conrad, actress/producer Soleil Moon Frye, comedians Kevin Fredericks and Carmen Esposito, professional basketball player Imani McGee-Stafford, Indianapolis Colts vice chair/owner Kalen Jackson, Bel Air creator and showrunner Morgan Stevenson Cooper, model Emma Brooks, The NAACP’s Kyle Bowser and actor/singer Kevin Quinn.
Here are six takeaways from Olson’s panel with Posner.
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