A’ja Wilson: From Anxiety to MVP—Authenticity, Brand Deals, and Doing It Her Way

Four-time MVP and WNBA champion A’ja Wilson sits down with Nina to talk mental health, boundaries, NIL, authentic brand partnerships (Nike, Gatorade, Ruffles, JPMorgan Chase), her sell-out signature shoe, the A’ja Wilson Foundation’s work in dyslexia awareness, and why success has to include peace. We also get into Becky Hammon and Dawn Staley’s impact, choosing yourself in a loud social era, and what it really means to be “wealthy in more ways than money.” Resources mentioned • Book: Dear Black Girls: How to Be True to You — A’ja Wilson - https://amzn.to/3PHGJpB • A’ja Wilson Foundation — dyslexia awareness & anti-bullying - https://www.ajawilsonfoundation.org/ • Burnt Wax Candle Co. - https://www.burntwaxcandle.com/ 🔗 Watch next from the Do Tell channel • Sinead Bovell — AI, digital boundaries & human connection:    • AI, Loneliness & Deepfakes: Futurist Sinea...   • Etienne Maurice — activism, purpose & community:    • Healing, Marriage & Black Mental Wellness ...   • Latham Thomas — motherhood, intuition & self-care:    • The Surprising Difference Between Passion ...   Chapters 👇 (click to jump) 00:00 Intro 05:00 Icebreaker — Walk Away or Walk Through It 06:00 Unsolicited advice from friends 06:51 Burnout vs momentum 07:41 Dream opportunity during vacation 08:35 When a group chat turns toxic 09:58 “The human inside the legend” — on-court vs off-court 10:30 Protecting peace after the bubble; anxiety & depression 11:54 “You can’t please everybody” 14:35 The first anxiety attack; therapy & decompression 17:63 → (should be 18:03) What she hopes changes for the next generation 19:37 NIL: missing it, and why she was “hot” (in a good way) 21:05 Navigating attention, pressure & brand choices 21:41 Advice to her younger self: grace while you’re still becoming 23:21 Enjoying the journey before the bills hit 25:00 Authentic partnerships (Nike, etc.)—no faking the funk 27:19 Signature shoe: process, pink colorway, culture moment 29:50 “Dear Black Girls” — on being complex & gentle + powerful 33:41 A’ja Wilson Foundation — dyslexia awareness & support 35:59 Overcoming self-doubt; reading before games 37:51 Coaches Dawn Staley & Becky Hammon — fun, trust, and accountability 45:37 Who she is with family & friends (games, escape rooms, true-crime) 47:43 Burnt Wax Candle—every scent named after an accolade 48:59 “Wealthy in more ways than money” — what a good life means 50:01 Wrap 🔗 Watch next from the Do Tell channel • Russell Westbrook — Modern Love, Boundaries & Resetting Your Relationship -    • Russell & Nina Westbrook on Modern Love, B...   • Sinead Bovell — AI, digital boundaries & human connection:    • AI, Loneliness & Deepfakes: Futurist Sinea...   • Etienne Maurice — activism, purpose & community:    • Healing, Marriage & Black Mental Wellness ...   • Latham Thomas — motherhood, intuition & self-care:    • The Surprising Difference Between Passion ...   Follow Do Tell: Instagram:   / dotellpodcast   TikTok:   / dotellpodcast   Linkedin:   / do-tell-relationship-podcast   Do Tell Card Game: https://dotellcardgame.com 🎧 Listen to the podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7fM5vkx... A’ja Wilson, WNBA, Las Vegas Aces, Becky Hammon, Dawn Staley, NIL, women’s basketball, mental health, athlete anxiety, dyslexia advocacy, signature shoe, Nike A’One, brand partnerships, women in sports, Dear Black Girls, Burnt Wax Candle