James Donaldson: From Basketball to Community Advocate. A Lifetime Journey.

James Donaldson is our guest for this episode.

James was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979 after a 4 year career at Washington State University. James played 20 years in professional Basketball.

After retiring James has been a successful business owner, tireless volunteer, and much more. During our conversation James shares stories from his time in the NBA, and from his  in volunteer work across Washington State.

After a major health setback James dealt with significant depression and had  thoughts of suicide.  He was able to recover by building a team around him to help provide structure and support.  James was able to draw from his sports career and saw the power in teamwork.  After months of hard work James was able to realize it was better to hang in there.

James has created a non-profit foundation Your Gift of Life Foundation that is a voice to an advocate and voice for mental health and suicide prevention.  The foundations objectives are:

• To Raise Awareness About Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
• To Raise Money to Contribute to Like-Minded and Like-Hearted Efforts
• To Provide Scholarships to Students of Color and International Students Going Into the Mental Health Field. And also for continuing education purposes as well.
• To Have James on an Ongoing Basis, Speaking About Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Issues.

Find out more about James Donaldson and his journey is this episode. James is an inspiring storyteller and truly passionate about helping the less fortunate in Washington State and beyond.

James Donaldson Episode Transcript

James Donaldson [00:00:00]:

I know. A lot of my cranes are, you know, at a hundred or over a hundred. I’m like, why can’t you do better than that?

Scott Cowan [00:00:07]:

See, you don’t you just don’t understand because you you’ve got athletic ability. Welcome to the Exploring Washington State podcast. Here’s your host, Scott Cowan. Alright. Well, let’s, let’s get started today. Welcome to the Exploring Washington State podcast. It is my pleasure to announce that I am sitting here with the tallest person to be on our show to this point, probably gonna be the tallest one ever. I’m, sitting here cross virtually with mister James Donaldson.

Scott Cowan [00:00:54]:

Thank you so much, James, for making this happen today. As a lifelong Sonix fan, you’re part of that that legacy for me, and I I appreciate you for that.

James Donaldson [00:01:06]:

Alright. Thank you.

Scott Cowan [00:01:08]:

What I yes. I’m sorry. I’m talking over you. Thank you. What I’d like to I have a question. Let me just jump right in and have a question. So you you grew up in in the Sacramento area. Right? You went to high school in that in Sacramento?

James Donaldson [00:01:19]:

Yes. That’s right. Yeah. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:01:21]:

So I have two questions. Number one is, when did you really gain all your height? Because you’re a very tall man. I mean and but I’m saying it’s, like, I grew six inches one summer, so I was awkward. But were you a consistent grower, or did you really sprout up one time when you were a kid?

James Donaldson [00:01:38]:

No. I was just consistent throughout. I think I topped out right around, 20 years of age. Right? So at WSU even, a little bit. So that was fine. Just nice, steady, slow growth and kept on going.

Scott Cowan [00:01:51]:

So you didn’t have that awkward phase where you trip over your shoes when you’re walking?

James Donaldson [00:01:56]:

That was me.

Scott Cowan [00:01:57]:

That was me. Okay. And I’m nowhere near no. Okay. So the other question I have is, so you Sacramento to Pullman. Mhmm. How was that? How was Pullman for you?

James Donaldson [00:02:11]:

Well, you know, I ended up loving it. I stayed there for four years, stayed there for four summers, working, during the summertime, summer jobs and things.

Scott Cowan [00:02:19]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:02:20]:

Working out, basketball camp. So I was always busy during the summer. I didn’t go to school. I didn’t have didn’t have to take classes, thankfully, but, I was, you know, good enough in in school to not have to load up my summer with summer school classes as well. K. So I ended up loving Pullman. It was a great place to be. Probably even more key was the fact that, you know, the coaches I had there, George Raveling and Mark Edwards, Tom Pugliese, were really instrumental in making it a comfortable place to be and, a place that you, you know, you wanna wanna continue, you know, maturing into the young men, the young woman that you become.

Scott Cowan [00:03:01]:

I just I’ve I mean, Pullman is and not full disclosure, I went to college in Ellensburg, which is, you know, in a way, it’s like Pullman. It’s college tech college town. And I always I had friends that went to Pullman, so we always we always kind of it’s kind of an inside joke. We always tease tease each other about Pullman. Come on. But, actually, Pullman’s kind of a neat little a neat little town. And when I would there I was there visiting in the early eighties, when my friends went to school there, I always had a it was I probably should’ve gone to WSU. Let’s just put it that way.

Scott Cowan [00:03:33]:

I should’ve probably gone to WSU.

James Donaldson [00:03:35]:

So, yeah, I’ve always I’ve always enjoyed the college town atmosphere. So whether it’s Pullman or, you know, Ellensburg, Corvallis, Eugene, you know, all these smaller towns that the university is really a big central part of it all. It’s just really always been intriguing, you know, the vitality, the young young, enthusiastic, optimistic minds that are around, folks who are around as well, and that it just really makes a really interesting dynamic.

Scott Cowan [00:04:06]:

I could look this up, but I’ll just ask you. What did you major in at WSU?

James Donaldson [00:04:10]:

I was a social psych major.

Scott Cowan [00:04:12]:

Okay. Alright.

James Donaldson [00:04:14]:

Yep. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:04:16]:

Then you were drafted by my hometown favorite, Seattle Supersonics.

James Donaldson [00:04:22]:

Mhmm. Yep. Back in 1979 as I finished up at WSU, I was drafted by the Sonics. The same year, they won their one and only NBA championship, I think, w ‘9. And I I joined the team the next year, 1980.

Scott Cowan [00:04:37]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:04:37]:

So I can play on the seventy nine team, but I played on the eighty team when all the great championship caliber players were still there, and played there my first three, professional years.

Scott Cowan [00:04:48]:

So how was that as a rookie coming into a team that just won the NBA championship?

James Donaldson [00:04:54]:

Well, I think it’s the best way for a rookie to break. Yeah. And especially if, you know, if they’re not a top first round pick and top you know, lottery pick or something with all the expectations. I came in in the third round. Mhmm. And, you know, I I just kind of paid my dues. I worked hard. First year or so, I set the bench like most rookies do.

James Donaldson [00:05:18]:

Second, third year, I started actually being in the starting lineup on most occasions. Mhmm. We put together our big, Winnebago lineup.

Scott Cowan [00:05:27]:

That’s right. I forgot about that.

James Donaldson [00:05:28]:

Yeah. Jack Sikma, Lonnie Shelton. So we were Oh, jeez. Really big physical team.

Scott Cowan [00:05:34]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:05:34]:

And I was able to be part of all that.

Scott Cowan [00:05:37]:

So did any of those veterans, you know, pull you aside, take you under their wing? Did anybody?

James Donaldson [00:05:43]:

Oh, yeah. Yeah. You know, I give so much credit to, you know, guys like, JJ, John Johnson, who’s now, you know, passed on, but, JJ was really instrumental. Freddie downtown, Freddie Brown was, those two guys. K. Probably more than anybody else, took me under their wings and just worked me every single day. Before practice, after practice, we’d be doing all the big rebounding drills and shot blocking drills and playing with your back to the basket drills. Even though they weren’t they weren’t centers, they were forwards.

James Donaldson [00:06:18]:

But they they knew how to play. They were old established veterans who really knew how to play Okay. And taught me a lot of potential and a lot of willingness to learn and play hard and and, you know, not make excuses. Just get out there and do it.

Scott Cowan [00:06:31]:

Yeah. Well, then you then you you ended up in Dallas. And we’re gonna we’re not gonna talk all about but I’d like to touch on the Dallas piece even though in my Washington State podcast. You ended up being an all star for the Dallas Mavericks. Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:06:44]:

Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:06:45]:

How was your time in Dallas?

James Donaldson [00:06:47]:

Well, that was probably the pinnacle of my career. I had after the Sonics, I went down to the San Diego slash LA Clippers for three years. So here I am half a dozen years in the league. I get traded to the Dallas Mavericks. So right there, I’m I’m in my prime. I’m in my late twenties. I finally figured out the game of basketball and professional basketball, especially.

Scott Cowan [00:07:11]:

K.

James Donaldson [00:07:12]:

And Dallas was what, I I was what I was what Dallas was looking for. Okay. A big center who can clog the middle, who can play defense, who can rebound, who can who can do all the things they need to do, score on occasion. We had a lot of scorers. I didn’t need to score a whole bunch, but my role was to, you know, fill that middle, and I did that for seven years with the Dallas Mavericks. So and making the all star team on top of that was a big testament to the hard work I put in and the willingness to sacrifice my team. And we have some very, very good teams in Dallas.

Scott Cowan [00:07:52]:

Well, let me let me ask you something. You you and I’m gonna not even repeat it correctly, but you said you learned the game of basketball in the NBA. What what give me an example. What what was different about playing in the NBA than, say, playing at WSU? I mean, for someone who never played

James Donaldson [00:08:07]:

at all. Yeah. Of course. The professional game is much more physical, a lot faster. You’re going up against guys your size, your strength, your height, your skill level, and better every single night.

Scott Cowan [00:08:21]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:08:21]:

And that that’s a big adjustment. You know? And and and the college game, you know, there’s usually three or four, you know, little Patsy teams on your schedule that you just run through pretty quickly. K. I’m I’m seven two, and I might be guarded by a guy six six or six seven. That doesn’t happen, and that doesn’t happen to the pros. You’ve got seven footers every single night. And and I played against some of the all time greats, you know, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Bill Walton, all these great, great players. Nice.

James Donaldson [00:08:57]:

When when the first, back in 1996, the NBA put out a a list of the all time 50 greatest all time players. And I looked at the that list, and I played against 37 of those top 50 all time players in my career. Yeah. So we that was the golden age of NBA basketball back in the eighties and nineties.

Scott Cowan [00:09:17]:

It was. I agree.

James Donaldson [00:09:19]:

Those years were just fantastic.

Scott Cowan [00:09:21]:

What player gave you the fits? Who is who is the hardest player for you to to to compete against?

James Donaldson [00:09:30]:

Well, you know, I always say the most unstoppable, you well, no matter what you did was, Abdul Jabbar.

Scott Cowan [00:09:38]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:09:39]:

You know, with his famous, skyhook and his grace and his athletic ability, his knowledge of the game. He was 10 older than I was, so, of course, he knew a lot more than I did. But, you know, he wasn’t he wasn’t the most physical guy I had to play against. I mean, those those guys were, guys like Moses Malone and, you know, Akeem Olajuwon, a terrific athletic, big guys who could do so many things.

Scott Cowan [00:10:08]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:10:09]:

They they they weren’t they weren’t unstoppable like Kareem was.

Scott Cowan [00:10:13]:

Kareem was.

James Donaldson [00:10:14]:

But I had to work my tail off to hang in there and make sure that they didn’t embarrass me out there. And that was my job, just to slow them down a little bit. And so Kareem might be averaging 30, but if I can hold her down to 23 or 24 points.

Scott Cowan [00:10:27]:

That was a win. You do you take that. That was a win.

James Donaldson [00:10:29]:

That was a big accomplishment. Right.

Scott Cowan [00:10:31]:

Right. Well, then after your NBA career, you ended up playing ball in Europe.

James Donaldson [00:10:37]:

Right? Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:10:39]:

How was how was the competition in Europe versus the NBA? I I’m just back then, we didn’t hear a lot. You hear more I think you hear more about the European leagues now than you you did back then. So Yeah. How was that competition back in the Yeah. Back in the day?

James Donaldson [00:10:55]:

There’s slightly more now, but not much. It’s still not you know, we we’ve got so we’ve got such a collegiate, atmosphere, NCAA basketball, especially division one. We’ve got great teams that are almost household names around the country.

Scott Cowan [00:11:11]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:11:12]:

I got Chicago, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina. These these are teams you see every year in the final four.

Scott Cowan [00:11:19]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:11:20]:

And, I’d seen the competition in Europe, and I played six years in Europe. K. Two years in Greece, Two Years in Spain, Two Years in Italy. It’s it’s very comparable to, the division one

Scott Cowan [00:11:33]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:11:33]:

Basketball in college. You’ve got really good teams, really good coaches. The NBA is more of an individual game. You get one or two great individuals on your team, you’re gonna have a pretty good team.

Scott Cowan [00:11:45]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:11:46]:

But college and the European leagues, they rely so much more on teamwork, which I think is the the essence of basketball is it’s a team game. The fundamentals are so important. And that’s what I was trained on and coached on with George Raveling and those guys, to be a team player and to be able to do those kind of things.

Scott Cowan [00:12:08]:

K. And after after that so help me out here. So after you finish up your professional career, did did you move right back to Washington State?

James Donaldson [00:12:18]:

Well, I never left Washington State. I always moved here in Seattle.

Scott Cowan [00:12:23]:

So let me ask you this since we’re exploring Washington State podcast. What drew you to Washington? Why why have you made it your home all these years?

James Donaldson [00:12:30]:

Well, coming up here from Sacramento to the Northwest in the first place, was my first introduction to the Northwest, And then being drafted by the Sonics just across the state, kept me up here for, you know, seven years Mhmm. Of my early years, and Seattle became home. I I I really thought I’d be a lifetime Sonic, back in those days like Freddie Brown was and those guys. But it didn’t work out that way. I learned out quickly that professional sports is nothing but a business, and you’re a commodity, and you’re gonna be traded and, you know, bought and sold. Yeah. And so but Seattle became home. I I really loved my three years in Seattle.

James Donaldson [00:13:13]:

I I decided that was gonna be home. I bought a home there. And no matter where I played from then on out and I played for twenty years total professionally.

Scott Cowan [00:13:23]:

That’s a long time.

James Donaldson [00:13:23]:

Where I played, I always came back to Seattle during the off seasons and kept it kept it as home.

Scott Cowan [00:13:29]:

Okay. And now you’re in Ellensburg. We’ll just flat just I don’t shift very well sometimes if you can’t tell. So, and now you’re in Ellensburg. Ellensburg. What what brought you to Ellensburg?

James Donaldson [00:13:41]:

Yeah. That’s a quick fast forward, but okay. Well, we’re

Scott Cowan [00:13:44]:

gonna go backwards too. But I just just since since we’re literally talking to you while you’re sitting in Ellensburg.

James Donaldson [00:13:49]:

Well, since I’ve only been here six months Okay. You know, Ellensburg was attractive to me because I was looking to make a change after forty one years in Seattle. I had run for elected office Yep. Three times, twice for the office of mayor, once for the office of city council. Came up short all three times, but, you know, we still had a great experience and a great opportunity and a great platform to get my message out about what I’d like to do as mayor.

Scott Cowan [00:14:17]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:14:18]:

And when this last run didn’t work out, 02/2021, I I I just started looking around and looking around Seattle and seeing the very, you know, declining state that it’s in nowadays. I don’t know if you’ve been there recently, but if yeah. Though I grew up back in the eighties and nineties, it’s, the homelessness issue, the the crime, the traffic, the congestion, the expense, the housing. I mean, just one thing after another. And I just said, well, you know, here I am nearing in on 40, 65 years of age, so it’s retirement next year.

Scott Cowan [00:14:59]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:15:00]:

I said, you know, I I really need a, a a change of pace and a quality of life consideration. K. And, I was thinking about moving out of state actually back to my old haunts in maybe Dallas, down in Texas, over in Florida, you know, places like Arizona. A lot of my sunbird friends run down to Arizona, snowbird friends.

Scott Cowan [00:15:25]:

Yeah.

James Donaldson [00:15:27]:

But I said, well, I in talking with a lot of my friends and things that are coming up around the state, there’s a good friends of mine who are building a large development here in Ellensburg this year starting this year, and they asked me if I would wanna be part of it.

Scott Cowan [00:15:44]:

Oh. And Okay.

James Donaldson [00:15:45]:

You know, I said, well, I don’t know much about construction and all that, but, I could definitely be your marketing and PR and, you know, boots on the ground guy. So that was really my initial draw to Ellensburg was to be part of this, housing development. We’re gonna start up later in the spring, early summer k. Of building approximately 1,200 homes or, housing units in residences, single family, multifamily, town homes, those kind of things. Can I ask whereabouts? It’d be right off the I I 90 Interchange.

Scott Cowan [00:16:19]:

Really? Wow. It’s good. It was very large development then for all of us.

James Donaldson [00:16:22]:

There’s a big big, big pasture out there that, the developer purchased and, you know, 275 acres or so, and we’ll we’ll build all of that in there, along with the shopping district, a small commercial shopping district, some recreational. So my job really was, to come on board and to be able to convey and relay all that information down to the historic, downtown businesses in Ellensburg. A lot of mom and pop shops

Scott Cowan [00:16:54]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:16:55]:

Might be a little threatened by that kind of thing, because right now, people come off to the freeway to Ellensburg for gas or a little snack, but you don’t really come into town unless you really have a need to. Right. But if we put a commercial district out there, there’s gonna be less of a need to come in. So I wanna make sure that we can, you know, give an incentive to these folks to come on in to Downtown Ellensburg, visit our historic businesses and historic downtown district. And that was the first draw. And I said, okay. I can do that, even though we’re not starting up for another few months. I came in six months early just to get my feet on the ground.

James Donaldson [00:17:36]:

I met all the elected officials, the city manager, the mayor, city council, county council people, and, just got really involved. I’m a Rotarian. I’m a Kiwanis member, so I joined both of those groups here. So my network has already been established pretty pretty well here in Ellensburg. The other thought the other thought was coming to work and work with the student athletes at CWU. You know, the work I do now really regards around, mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially with our young generation of students and student athletes. And so to work with those athletes and to really be a positive, inspiring, supportive role model for them, someone who’s been there and done that, I think would be absolutely wonderful. And and the third and last thing I read I moved here, I don’t know if you remember back in the day over at Washington State, the old cougar cage camp, basketball camps every summer.

Scott Cowan [00:18:37]:

I remember that. I mean, it that, you know, rattling around the back of my brain. Yes.

James Donaldson [00:18:42]:

I used to work those camps every summer, five, six weeks. We’d have six, seven hundred kids from all over the Northwest coming in.

Scott Cowan [00:18:49]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:18:50]:

Campus, staying in the dorms, stay eating in the cafeterias, playing basketball all year all all week long. And so I wanna establish something like that in Ellensburg here, which is even more centrally located than WSU is. And, so I’m in conversations now with the athletic director with the school to see if we can put something like that together this this summer even.

Scott Cowan [00:19:12]:

That’s exciting. Yeah. The and Central’s lucky to have you. That’s a thanks.

James Donaldson [00:19:17]:

Yeah. I feel lucky to be here. I’ve been so so warmly accepted and embraced. The neighbors are just fantastic. It’s nice to, you know, not have to worry about locking locking everything up, you know, locked tight when you leave the

Scott Cowan [00:19:34]:

Isn’t it a change?

James Donaldson [00:19:36]:

It’s a big, big change.

Scott Cowan [00:19:37]:

It’s a change.

James Donaldson [00:19:38]:

You can even leave your car with the keys inside, outside, you know, you know. It is but they all look out for each other. They look out for me. They’ve gotten to know me. I’ve gotten to know them. Right. And that’s just been fantastic. That’s the quality of life thing I was looking for.

Scott Cowan [00:19:53]:

Yeah. Ellensburg’s a great little. Well, it’s not as little as it used to be, and it’s gonna sounds like it’s gonna be a lot bigger. But that’s, I I like yeah. I loved Ellensburg. Yeah. Your how let’s see. I don’t so, like, I warned you, you know, these are never scripted, so I always have to, like, you know.

James Donaldson [00:20:08]:

That’s alright.

Scott Cowan [00:20:09]:

Push the clutch in, shift a gear. Let’s talk about you’re you’re doing a podcast now. You just started.

James Donaldson [00:20:17]:

Just started.

Scott Cowan [00:20:18]:

And, Lenny Wilkins. George Raveling. Yep. Ruben Mays.

James Donaldson [00:20:24]:

Yep. Wow.

Scott Cowan [00:20:26]:

You’re you’re you’ve got some you’ve got some great connections. Why why did you start podcasting?

James Donaldson [00:20:33]:

You know, of course, over my career, I’ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews. Right. So I’m very accustomed to interviewing, being interviewed. I’ve hosted radio shows in the past, especially down in Dallas.

Scott Cowan [00:20:48]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:20:49]:

And so I was very familiar with it. I I always wanted to kinda get into it, but I wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. And so, I looked at all the podcast platforms that are out there now. They take a while to build them up and monetize them to some extent and all that. But so one show I do, every two weeks out of Cleveland, Ohio is a show with Peter Ray, and it’s, the history of sports.

Scott Cowan [00:21:16]:

Oh, wow. Okay.

James Donaldson [00:21:18]:

I’m on there every two weeks for the last for all six months I’ve been here.

Scott Cowan [00:21:22]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:21:23]:

I’ll be on there tomorrow night, matter of fact. And we talk sports. We talk life. We talk a lot about my mental health work in my book that I published last year. Mhmm. And the audience just loves it. I mean, we tell them, hey. You can go Google all the stats about the Super Bowl yesterday, but let’s talk about what makes the person and what really is important in life.

James Donaldson [00:21:47]:

And that show has really taken off very well. The producer of that show and I started talking, I said, you know, I’ve always wanted to do a show like what Peter’s doing. Can you help me put something together? And he he signed me up right away. He’s like, James, this would be great sale. So I have the same producer

Scott Cowan [00:22:04]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:22:05]:

Who produces that show, and that’s that’s how that came about. We hope to get it to a point once we build the listening audience to a significant part to take it and monetize it, with corporate sponsors, maybe take it national. K. So it’s a little bit different show. It’s it’s sports and life and a whole bunch more.

Scott Cowan [00:22:26]:

What’s your, guest road map? Who who at the time that we’re recording this is the day after the Super Bowl, which I didn’t even ask if you watched yet, but that’s okay. We’ll probably touch on that. But who’s your next guest gonna be on your podcast at the time that you and I are recording this today?

James Donaldson [00:22:41]:

Well, you know, I’m looking at trying to get an an Olympic athlete on board since the the Winter Olympics are wrapping up, next weekend.

Scott Cowan [00:22:48]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:22:49]:

And I’d like to get somebody so I’ve got a couple of folks in mind, one who’s an IOC board member and a former Olympic champion way back in the day. Another is a, is a, a a basketball player who played in the the Olympics, maybe twenty years ago, sixteen years ago. So at the Summer Olympics, of course. So Right. To get their experiences. That’s why I had Ruben Mays on, on Saturday because I wanted an NFL player who could talk about the Super Bowl and his Right. So to get somebody there to talk about the Olympics would be fantastic. And my callback is to reach out to, Major League Baseball and get their managers on board and talk about, you know, they’re still being locked out right now.

James Donaldson [00:23:39]:

And we’ll see if they will open up in time for spring training, but I think So. We’ll we’ll have a whole slew of guests that are different

Scott Cowan [00:23:46]:

exciting.

James Donaldson [00:23:47]:

Different sports, men and women, collegiate, professional, coaches, general managers, referees. You know, we just wanna mix it up and really have fun with it.

Scott Cowan [00:23:59]:

That’s exciting. I I I’ll keep listening. I’m I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t been able to listen to the episode with Ruben Maje yet, so I’ve gotta I got that’s on my list of things I gotta do. Well, let’s talk so when you when you retired from professional sports, you opened up a business in Seattle that you ran for, what, twenty years or so. And then, you’re you’re currently running a a nonprofit foundation? Yes. And I have to switch my tab here. So it’s your your gift to life.

Scott Cowan [00:24:31]:

Your gift excuse me. Your gift of life foundation. Mike’s Mike’s apologies. Can you share with

James Donaldson [00:24:39]:

us

Scott Cowan [00:24:40]:

how this came about?

James Donaldson [00:24:42]:

Well, you know, life being what life is. Sometimes it throws you a a a curveball or one’s right down the middle. You can’t you can’t get the bat off your shoulder.

Scott Cowan [00:24:55]:

Sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing. But yes.

James Donaldson [00:24:58]:

But it’s it’s happening to way too many people now during our pandemic shutdowns and everything else.

Scott Cowan [00:25:04]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:25:04]:

They’re they’re being faced with a lot of adversity that they’re just not used to. I I had the same similar kind of thing happen to me back in 02/2015. An unexpected emergency open heart surgery that saved my life. I would’ve lost my life if I didn’t have the surgery right then and there. Okay. This was 02/2015. I had an aortic dissection, which I don’t know if you know about those. But I

Scott Cowan [00:25:30]:

what is that? I mean, I have an idea, but I’ll ask you just to

James Donaldson [00:25:33]:

It starts out as an aortic, aneurysm, which is a swelling of the blood vessels.

Scott Cowan [00:25:38]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:25:38]:

Dissection is when the tissues in the blood vessels start separating and blood flows in between the tissues, making it very, very, vulnerable to bursting. And, of course, if it does burst, especially on the aorta, you’ve got maybe fifth 10 to 15 heartbeats left, and that’s it. You won’t even you won’t even make it to the front door. So I came down with this, symptom, and, I wasn’t quite sure what was wrong with me, but I knew that I wasn’t feeling good. I was trying to play a round of golf with some friends of mine. And I told him, I say, hey, guys. I just don’t feel it today. My back’s killing me.

James Donaldson [00:26:17]:

I’m I’m sweating profusely. You know? I’m feeling nauseous. I’m gonna go see my doctor. So I I left the golf game. We didn’t we didn’t even get off the first green or first hole. I left the golf game, and I just said, okay. Let me go see my doctor. I drove fifteen minutes or so to the doctor’s office, and I remember vaguely remember, making it to the office and seeing the reception counter in the office, and then everything just went black.

James Donaldson [00:26:48]:

They tell me I fell out right there in the office, after making it there. And a quick scan diagnosis revealed there was definitely something seriously wrong with my heart. They threw me in the ambulance and, right there on the spot, twelve hours, emergency open heart surgery, and I woke up two weeks later. So that’s all I remember. So and then, of course, in intensive care for three months.

Scott Cowan [00:27:18]:

What hospital did you end up did they end up taking you to?

James Donaldson [00:27:22]:

I was at Cherry Hill, in Swedish, Swedish Hospital in Cherry Hill.

Scott Cowan [00:27:26]:

Okay. Okay.

James Donaldson [00:27:29]:

And, you know, it was touch and go, medically induced coma for five or six days to keep the blood the blood temperature low so you reduce the brain swelling and all these other things that go on. You know, it just came totally out of the blue. I had no idea I had any kind of heart issues at all. And, so that began that began the beginning of my downward spiral into, you know, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideations. That was 02/15, ‘2 ’16. I had another surgery, kind of a follow-up, part two.

Scott Cowan [00:28:07]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:28:08]:

Another couple months in intensive care.

Scott Cowan [00:28:11]:

So these are not that was a major follow-up. I mean, that’s just not, like, a little tune up. You you you went you underwent another major surgery.

James Donaldson [00:28:18]:

Oh, yeah. Yeah. It was another major one scheduled.

Scott Cowan [00:28:21]:

Scheduled. But Emergency

James Donaldson [00:28:22]:

one, but it was scheduled to be done and had to be done. K. I actually ended up with four major surgeries in five years. But then during that time, life events really started happening negative, negatively. Mhmm. You know, my my wife of five years, just picked up and walked out of the marriage. She took her boy with her, her son, my stepson, and they just disappeared without a note, without a phone call, without a text message. Nothing.

James Donaldson [00:28:54]:

So here, this is 02/2016. K. My mother passed away. My business that I had run for twenty eight years totally started getting financially unstable. I poured all of my MBA life savings into my business trying to save it. So it just totally emptied out all my accounts and said, hey. I’m trying to save this thing. Banks were not in the business of banking small businesses still, so we didn’t qualify for bank loans.

James Donaldson [00:29:26]:

And, you know, it’s just one thing after another, and it just, it became a really, really dark place by 02/2008, 02/2018, was the darkest twelve months of my life. And, you know, I finally got to a point where I said, well, I need some help. I can’t sleep through the night. Went to see my family doctor, told him my whole story, what’s going on. He said, well, James, you really are you’ve got the big three, you know, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations. We gotta get you some help, and he did. He he helped me with prescription medications, with behavior health counselors. I pulled together a small group of, close intimate friends around me who had known me for thirty, forty years, including, you know, George Ravelin and Lenny Wilkins, coach my old coaches even.

Scott Cowan [00:30:22]:

Wow.

James Donaldson [00:30:23]:

And so they were all instrumental in helping me through this very difficult time. You know, I think the the catalyst, what really shook me and made me determined to make it through no matter what was, the suicide of Tyler Halinski, the Washington State quarterback back in January 2018. Mhmm. And, when he took his life and everybody’s out there trying to tell his story, how great a kid he was, how much he had to live for, how much, you know, wonderful he was, but he wasn’t around to answer and to give any answers. And I just said, well, I I can’t let that happen to me. I’m going to make sure I make it through this thing and be able to tell my story. K. You know? And that’s that’s really what, it was still another ten months of total darkness.

James Donaldson [00:31:14]:

And, that was January when he took his life, and here it it wasn’t until the holidays of 02/2018 that the the darkness started lifting a little bit, and I can start seeing that there was a tomorrow. There was a future. I regained a purpose for being here, a purpose for living. I’d lost my home during that time, home I’d lived in for forty years. I went through bankruptcy. I went through foreclosure in a short sale of my home, all of those things. And so it’s just like one life thing after another. And I tell people, I remind them, I say, you know, we all are gonna go through difficult times in life, and we can usually handle one, you know, devastating blow at a time, maybe every few years.

James Donaldson [00:32:04]:

You know? We all expect at some point to lose our parents, of course, as we get older. We don’t expect to lose our kids, and that’s a huge devastating blow. Yes. We probably are gonna go through a divorce, fifty percent divorce rates. You know, a lot of times that’s devastating. Mhmm. There’s health issues that come along, cancer and surgeries and all these other things. So we’re all gonna go through something.

James Donaldson [00:32:32]:

I went through I just happened to go through about a half a dozen of them in in about a year or two year span, and it got to be almost almost too much, Scott.

Scott Cowan [00:32:42]:

But you you had the presence of mind to build a team, if you will

James Donaldson [00:32:48]:

Yes. Around

Scott Cowan [00:32:49]:

you. You know, you you and that, you know

James Donaldson [00:32:52]:

Well, you know, it’s the only way I know how to operate is by by a team. I had a great medical team. My cardiac surgeon, my cardiologist now are still in my lives. My family doctor. I mean, all these guys really pulled together to make sure I made it through this thing. And then the team of, you know, Lenny Lenny Wilkins and George Bradley and a couple other long time business friends who had lost everything at one point and then regained it, you know, but their stories didn’t really help me out. You know what I mean? I, you know, but it’s nice to know that you’re not the only one, and that’s how you feel when you go through these very difficult times. And and so out of that, I I finally realized that, yeah, there is there’s still a reason to be here.

James Donaldson [00:33:40]:

God kept me here for a reason. And that is to be that voice and that advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Letting people know that, hey. A big strong guy like me on top of the world, it happened to me. It can happen to anybody. But Mhmm. The the key is I’ve made it through, and you can make it through too.

Scott Cowan [00:34:03]:

So help help us here. Tell us about more about your foundation. What what is how how are you guys doing outreach? What’s how how can people, find out more and all of that? I wonder if you can share that with me.

James Donaldson [00:34:16]:

Yeah. Well, we just submitted our paperwork to be a, five zero one c tax exempt corporation.

Scott Cowan [00:34:23]:

Are you sure that didn’t add stress to your life? That’s a simple process.

James Donaldson [00:34:27]:

No. I had I had a man who actually said, James, I like what you’re doing. I’m glad you did it. I’m gonna pay your filing fee of $600, which money has been really tight ever since all I went through all this stuff. So I just

Scott Cowan [00:34:42]:

Sure.

James Donaldson [00:34:42]:

$600 to just throw into this thing. But he he said he’d take care of it for me, and that was great. So I will now with the federal government as a five zero one c three. The reason I I created it, I wanted to have a platform that I could do speaking engagements from all around the country, speaking to our students and student athletes, especially, to corporations and businesses, whatever organization about mental health. And, these times now, you know, that we’re all going through the last couple years, suicide rates are off the charts. You know, overdoses are off the charts. Domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse, everything is just totally off the charts, and there’s not enough mental health professionals to help everybody. You sign up now for an appointment, you’re you’re in line for three or four months before you can get in to see anybody.

James Donaldson [00:35:40]:

Yeah. And so, hopefully, that gets better. I’m in the process now of of getting my behavior health, counseling certification. K. I can make myself available, and I’ve been making it making myself available unofficially

Scott Cowan [00:35:55]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:35:56]:

And unprofessionally, but more coaching than counseling. But once I get a certification, I can do it more professionally and more in a consulting way, to just talk to people, especially our young generation of students and even more especially for men. Men are just notorious for not reaching out for help, not saying, not admitting that there’s a problem, that they need help. They’re gonna try to, you know, shoulder through it alone all by themselves and tough it out. And, you know, it comes from our upbringing of, you know, little boys don’t cry and men don’t cry. And, people see me crying all the time, telling my story and out there. So I want I wanna help men. I wanna help our young generation of students.

James Donaldson [00:36:46]:

And those are my two focus points, which the foundation can help me do. And, of course, be able to raise monies to, to scholarship students of color, especially going into the mental health professions. Okay. We have such a dearth of, of mental health professionals of color. Of the tens of thousands of mental health professionals in the country, only one or 2% are of color. And this is why so many communities of color are so reluctant and shy to talk about mental health. There’s nobody sitting across the table that looks like them that they can relate to that can relate to them. And so that’s what I want my foundation to do, be able to provide scholarship, full ride scholarships to students of color who are going into mental health profession.

James Donaldson [00:37:34]:

And I’m talking about, you know, you’re African American, you’re Hispanic, you’re Asian American, you’re LGBTQ communities, whatever community you are from, we need to get a better representation into the mental health professional field.

Scott Cowan [00:37:51]:

I had no idea that the percentage was that low. Oh. I didn’t expect it to be very high, but not that that number is drastically lower than I

James Donaldson [00:38:00]:

kind of The two the two behavior health counselors I had were were white women, Caucasian women, who had no way. One, gender wise, you know, a a woman trying to understand a man going through this stuff, and the other culturally wise, they had absolutely no idea what to do with me or, how to help me other than, you know, give me, soothing relaxation techniques or go home and count some sheep at night to get to sleep. I’m like, no. That’s that’s not what I need. I need somebody who can really help me dig through this stuff.

Scott Cowan [00:38:34]:

So how did you find that then? Was that the the team you built put around you that was able to provide that? Or

James Donaldson [00:38:42]:

Yes. It was it was more most of the team that was helpful than the men than the behavior health counselors at the time. And I know there’s tons and tons of great behavior health counselors out there. I know. I was just assigned to these two that I worked with.

Scott Cowan [00:38:56]:

Mhmm.

James Donaldson [00:38:56]:

And it didn’t didn’t seem to work out too well, but I had another team of my support group. And being a guy and being a guy in professional sports and competitive sports, I needed more like a game plan. Okay? We’re gonna draw this play up.

Scott Cowan [00:39:14]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:39:14]:

You you know, you give me the ball and you’re gonna run the ball, James. You know? That’s that’s the kind of thing and thinking that I needed. And that’s what that’s what George Raveling and Lenny Wilkins brought to the table. They they reminded me that they knew me way back in high school when they recruited me to WSU.

Scott Cowan [00:39:33]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:39:33]:

They knew me as a young man. They George Raveling told me, hey, James. I I’ve been with you. You’ve put forty years of hard work into making you what you are, and I’m not gonna let you throw it away now.

Scott Cowan [00:39:46]:

Wow. That’s that’s what a wonderful human being to wow. That’s amazing.

James Donaldson [00:39:52]:

Yeah. And that’s wonderful. I I wasn’t gonna wasn’t gonna let him down.

Scott Cowan [00:39:57]:

Therefore Wasn’t gonna let the coach down? Is that I mean, you’re you know, you’ve wow. Yeah. So I’ll come back to that. I I can’t you’ve written a book. Mhmm. You’re you’re just so how I connected with you is we’re both on LinkedIn, and I see a lot of your content on LinkedIn. You you you you publish a lot of stuff on LinkedIn that I see.

James Donaldson [00:40:21]:

Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:40:24]:

But I’m looking here on your on your website, and I’m not even gonna begin to start, but the number of groups and associations that you’re affiliated with is, longer than my arm is here. It’s it’s it’s staggering how many groups you’re involved with.

James Donaldson [00:40:38]:

But, Scott, that’s over the years. I’m not

Scott Cowan [00:40:40]:

Oh, yeah. But still, that’s a staggering amount of of groups that you’ve been involved with or are involved with.

James Donaldson [00:40:47]:

Well, you know, just last week, I was appointed to the Kittitas County Board of Health board. And so here’s yet an but this is right up my alley. This is a What

Scott Cowan [00:40:58]:

what will your what will you be doing with that position?

James Donaldson [00:41:01]:

Well, as a board of health member, I mean, we are in charge of all the things in regards to public health in the county. Okay. So it could be, water quality, sewage, septic tanks, livestock that’s, you know, might have might be decaying and huge numbers on somebody’s property and going into the water table. You know, people who hoard. You know? There might be a person who’s got 40 or 50 cats in their house. So all of these things that we that regard public health, we will be involved with directly and indirectly. And I’m really, really looking forward to this. Of course, I bring the mental health piece aspect to it, which is another big part of what they do.

James Donaldson [00:41:47]:

But I’ve connected with all the mental health agencies in Ellensburg as well. And, so I’m very well connected and networked with all these things, but that’s my latest assignment just last week.

Scott Cowan [00:41:59]:

Latest assignment. But wait. There’s more. My gosh. So I wanna ask you because I’m reading this, and so what is the Washington State University gray w club?

James Donaldson [00:42:10]:

Yeah. Yes. Yes. Well, that that’s our our kind of our special group for Okay. For for WSU athletes who’ve come through, who’ve matriculated through WSU.

Scott Cowan [00:42:25]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:42:25]:

And it really gives us kind of a platform. It’s it’s different than the alumni group, which is all students and everybody else. Okay. This is more so geared only for sports figures. Okay. It’s not running at a real high level right now. It needs to get back up there. It’s it’s kinda geared off, you know, our our our archrival, state rival, UW has the great, has the big w club.

Scott Cowan [00:42:53]:

And, of course,

James Donaldson [00:42:55]:

it’s very well funded.

Scott Cowan [00:42:57]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:42:57]:

Ours is not. And so, I’ve been involved with, GradeW for quite a while. K. But I think there’s so much more we can do with it than we’ve been doing over the last few years. So I’ll I’ll be part of that as well.

Scott Cowan [00:43:10]:

That’s exciting. Gonna put you on the spot. I’m gonna ask you a WSU sports question.

James Donaldson [00:43:15]:

Okay. I’m gonna

Scott Cowan [00:43:15]:

make I’m gonna make you pick. Greatest WSU quarterback.

James Donaldson [00:43:21]:

Wow. That’s a good question. You know, one of my best friend is, is the thrown Samoan Jack Thompson, of course.

Scott Cowan [00:43:31]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:43:32]:

But the greatest WSU quarterback. Wow. I I’m I’m torn between Mark Ripon and Drew Bledsoe. I I don’t know which had the better statistical wise collegiate career.

Scott Cowan [00:43:49]:

Right.

James Donaldson [00:43:49]:

Those two guys went on to the professional ranks and and made a big, big mark there as well.

Scott Cowan [00:43:54]:

Right. Right.

James Donaldson [00:43:55]:

So if you allow me to have two, I’ll

Scott Cowan [00:43:58]:

No. I’m gonna make no. No. That’s it’s okay. I can’t put you on the spot like that. But you that’s right. You yeah. The the Jack Thompson was he was an amazing quarterback.

James Donaldson [00:44:07]:

Yes. Yes. And still a dear friend. He he

Scott Cowan [00:44:09]:

What does he do what is he doing these days?

James Donaldson [00:44:12]:

He started up his own mortgage company, Cherry Cherry. Creek Mortgage.

Scott Cowan [00:44:16]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:44:16]:

He’s got, half dozen branches all over the state, and that’s what he’s been doing the last several years. Okay. He was one of my go to guys as well, along with Lenny and George. It was Jack and, you know, and he he’s just been a great friend. I’ve known him That’s We were the same year at WSU, both graduating ’79.

Scott Cowan [00:44:37]:

K.

James Donaldson [00:44:37]:

He was big man on campus for football, and I was big man on campus for basketball. And we’ve we’ve remained friends throughout.

Scott Cowan [00:44:46]:

Any and was there any collegiate rivalry between the two? I what I don’t remember is help me out here. How was WSU’s nineteen seventy nine football team and their nineteen seventy nine basketball team? How how good were you guys?

James Donaldson [00:44:58]:

You know, it’s a good question. I I don’t know exactly what their record was. I I know they’re competitive, and they were good. Don’t think they went to a ball game back then, but

Scott Cowan [00:45:11]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:45:11]:

You know, but they had great players. I remember so many of them. And, you know, but football and basketball, we’re we’re kind of two separate worlds on the college campus. I mean, football season and now now it’s basketball season going on. Of course, football is the big, the big high profile sport on just about any campus unless you’re Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:45:36]:

Unless you’re Gonzaga.

James Donaldson [00:45:37]:

Gonzaga or Duke or North Carolina. Yeah. But but, typically, the it’s a football team that gets all the headline. Yeah. Days in the news a lot more than basketball does until the final four rolls around, of course.

Scott Cowan [00:45:52]:

Yeah. And that’s that March Madness is it’s crazy to watch. So do you always put you on the spot. Do you always root for the Cougars? Are you always a Cougar root or do you ever do you ever go and, you know, find yourself rooting for that that other team

James Donaldson [00:46:07]:

that No. You know? No. You know, when it’s between the two teams, the apple cup, I’m always with the Cougars, of course. You’re always with the Cougars. You’re always with the Cougars. You’re always with the Cougars. You’re always with the Cougars. You’re always with the Cougars.

James Donaldson [00:46:14]:

You’re always with the Cougars. You’re always with the Cougars. You’re always with the Cou every time we see each other.

Scott Cowan [00:46:22]:

Uh-huh.

James Donaldson [00:46:22]:

But, you know, strangely and oddly enough, I’m not a huge sports fan. I mean, I watched enough to to have a basic conversation about it, but I I don’t even yesterday with the Super Bowl, I I didn’t sit down and watch the game. I still haven’t seen the game. I’ve seen some highlights, so I know who won. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:46:40]:

But Right.

James Donaldson [00:46:41]:

I just I just have always been that way. I’ve never been much of a spectator. I’ve been a lot more of a participant.

Scott Cowan [00:46:48]:

Okay. Well, you mentioned earlier in our conversation, the day that you were you you went to the doctor.

James Donaldson [00:46:54]:

Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:46:55]:

You were playing golf. Are you are you an are you an avid golfer? Do you still golf? Or

James Donaldson [00:47:02]:

Yes. I still do and still can and and golf pretty well, for the most part. Okay. I’ve only played it for the last ten years or so, so I haven’t played that long. But, Okay. Kind of almost natural to pick up a golf club and to, you know, hit the ball and to put it out there and do all the things they need to do. You know? And as big and strong as I am, you know, to be able to have some a nice, you know, deft touch around the greens and

Scott Cowan [00:47:29]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:47:30]:

So, you know, I mean, I’m not great great. I’m usually in the eighties probably. But

Scott Cowan [00:47:36]:

Well, that’s that that’s okay. So you you know, there’s there’s the professional athlete in you. I’m not that great in the eighties. Most of us would, you know, be thrilled to shoot in the eighties, and you’re like, oh, you you know, hey.

James Donaldson [00:47:47]:

I know. A lot of my grand shoot, you know, at a hundred or over a hundred. I’m like, why can’t you do better than that?

Scott Cowan [00:47:54]:

See, you don’t you just don’t understand because you you’ve got athletic ability.

James Donaldson [00:47:59]:

I guess so. I don’t

Scott Cowan [00:48:00]:

You just where, around Washington, where have you where have you golfed that you’ve been found to be a enjoyable experience?

James Donaldson [00:48:08]:

Well, you know, I I love all courses. I mean, even the challenging ones. I I played, I played Chambers Bay when it first opened down there in Tacoma. Oh. I played Cancadia. I played just about every course in the Seattle area, the public courses, private courses. Mhmm. So, you know, I’ll I’ll play anywhere.

James Donaldson [00:48:27]:

It doesn’t matter to me. I just Have you

Scott Cowan [00:48:30]:

played the Owensburg Golf Course yet?

James Donaldson [00:48:31]:

No. But I was out there before before it’s closed down because of the of the winter. Met met a lot of the golfers out there. They’re all excited about me coming out and playing soon. So starting in March, we’ll get out there and start some more playing. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:48:47]:

Alright. Okay. You’ve got, what’s the one up in there’s one north of up in Brewster that’s supposed to be so darn good, and I can’t think of the name of it. Okay. There’s a so, you know, a hundred and some miles from you north north of in Brewster. Yeah. And a beautiful golf course. I mean, it’s absolutely the photographs I’ve seen of it are just it’s a stunning course, and it’s challenging.

James Donaldson [00:49:11]:

Well and, of course, I get invited to a lot of the, celebrity golf tournaments and things. So I usually don’t turn those down if they’re, you know, not not too far away. I won’t go five or six hours to drive, but, you know, a couple hours. Within a couple hours, I can play pretty much anywhere.

Scott Cowan [00:49:28]:

Yeah. Well, you’ve got you’ve got some options. Team go down to Yakima. There’s the the course with the apple shaped green. Mhmm. You know, all that. There’s lots of stuff.

James Donaldson [00:49:36]:

Playing, and I’ll be get out getting out there in March.

Scott Cowan [00:49:40]:

Okay. So you’ve only been in Ellensburg Six Months.

James Donaldson [00:49:43]:

Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:49:45]:

And I I ask this question of all of my guests. Do you drink coffee? Are you a coffee fan?

James Donaldson [00:49:49]:

Not not a huge one. I Oh, really? With breakfast, and that’s that’s all I do.

Scott Cowan [00:49:56]:

I always ask people where’s a great place to go get a cup of coffee. So I was gonna put you on the spot. Where so what have you found in Ellensburg that you’ve enjoyed? In the in the town, what have you you know, as you’ve gotten out and about I mean, I understand with with COVID, they were a little more restrictive. But what about Ellensburg have you been able to get out and experience and explore that you’ve you’ve found to be kind of, like, hey. This is kinda neat here.

James Donaldson [00:50:20]:

The people. I mean, I’m a real people person, and, the people have just been so genuine, so so, open, so inviting to get to know them. And, of course, they’re they wanted to get to know me, and that’s all good with me. And so, you know, I I’m not one to have to go out and try out every restaurant or, you know, I’m a non drinker, so I don’t try out any of the wine bars and things. But but I’ve been to them to just to hang out with friends and people there. That’s fine. Right. But, you know, I mean, my life has taken me all over the world, with great restaurants and great accommodations.

James Donaldson [00:51:02]:

So that’s usually not on my list of things to do to have to go and try every one of them out.

Scott Cowan [00:51:08]:

Okay. Alright. What’s the future gonna hold for you? What what do you so we we we know we’ve talked about your foundation just a little bit, but let’s try to, like, just envision a couple years from now. What what would you say would be success isn’t maybe the right word I’m looking for, but let’s let let’s say I call you back up in two years ago. Hey, James. How are you? How you been? Since we talked last, how are things? And you go, they’ve been great, and here’s why. What what would that be for you?

James Donaldson [00:51:41]:

Well, I’m definitely looking forward to getting married again. And k. You know, I’ve gone through several girlfriends over the last few years. But

Scott Cowan [00:51:51]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:51:51]:

Trying to make make sure one of them sticks, and that’ll be

Scott Cowan [00:51:55]:

Anyone special at this moment? I mean, it is Valentine’s Day when we’re recording this, so we’ve got it. Not that it’ll go out live today, but, you know, folks.

James Donaldson [00:52:02]:

No. I don’t have a Valentine’s here right here with me today. Okay. I’ve got someone I’m working on long distance, and that’s not my preference. Okay. They they kind of fizzle out as often as they even more often than they are successful. But I got a long distance thing going and trying to keep that going. But so, yeah, to to to get married again, to have a family life, I, I never did have any children myself, so I don’t have kids and grandkids and all those things, but, just to, you know, find a wonderful life, you know, soulmate, lifelong partner.

James Donaldson [00:52:38]:

K. I’m still I still love working. I still love being involved. And, as you see with my latest board assignment, and I’ll be writing more books. I got another book in me, I think, in next year or two. Okay. And then traveling the country and really getting a chance to get in front of our kids and young people, and just encouraging them no matter what to hang in there, and things will get better. It’s limited right now as much as I can do because of COVID restrictions and things, but now that things are starting to roll back a little bit, maybe March and April during springtime, I can get out there before the school year finishes up.

Scott Cowan [00:53:20]:

Right. That would be great. I think I my observations of of things is that kids are I think maybe well, I’m not the right person to have an opinion here, but I do. I have one. I think kids’ youth are being it’s been it has to be very hard on them to they’re not equipped with the skills to navigate what we’ve had to go through as a society and as as as a as a species because of COVID. And I think watching I think it’s we need to pay close attention to kids right now and help them navigate back into, quote, unquote, normal, whatever whatever normal may be moving forward. But, you know, they’ve missed school. They’ve they’ve had to sit, you know, and do Zoom school, and and now they’re back in in the some of them are, you know, back in the classrooms, but they’re, you know, all of these things.

Scott Cowan [00:54:22]:

And I don’t I I watched I’ve watched my my grandkids struggle in some ways. Even more than, you you know, a kid might normally struggle, you know, because be let’s be honest. Being kid’s hard and being a teacher. I’m there’s a reason you only go through it once. Right? And and so I I really hope that you’re able to go out and be able to be a voice Yeah. You know, of and and of support and hope.

James Donaldson [00:54:55]:

Well, that’s that’s exciting. And before the pandemic shutdowns, I was going to several schools, talking and sharing with the kids, you know, out here to Central Washington to, Leavenworth, Wenatchee, all over Seattle, Tacoma. And, you know, invariably, I’ve been in front of I’ve been in front of a assembly of middle school aged kids. You know, these are your, you know, 13, 14, 15 year olds. And Mhmm. There might be four or 500 kids in the audience back then. And speaking with them and telling my story, I mean, they could all they all knew that I I had been there, and I knew what I was talking about. Right.

James Donaldson [00:55:40]:

But invariably, after every assembly, there’s always four or five kids who would come up and, you know, individually take me aside just to talk one on one with them. And they would share with me that they’re suicidal right now, and they don’t know how they’re gonna make it through the night. They don’t wanna come to school anymore. They don’t wanna go home. They’re really and this is two years ago before the pandemic.

Scott Cowan [00:56:05]:

Okay.

James Donaldson [00:56:06]:

And I, you know, do my best to inform the principal or the teacher to keep an eye on this particular kid because they’re really struggling. They didn’t have anyone to talk to. And so that’s that’s what’s out there. And Mhmm. You know, suicide and and these ideations are still things that people don’t don’t wanna talk about, but they’re still going on inside of so many of our young people and and even our older people. But the young people really are my focus because they don’t have the life skills to understand that this is temporary. You know? You you make it through. Things will ease ease out again, even out again, and you’ll be back on top of your game.

James Donaldson [00:56:50]:

They don’t know that. Mhmm. You know, I know that. You know that, but they don’t know that.

Scott Cowan [00:56:55]:

Yeah. No. It’s it’s well, my wrap up question and my get out of jail free card, I say this every episode, is what didn’t we talk about that we should have talked about? What didn’t I

James Donaldson [00:57:07]:

ask you?

Scott Cowan [00:57:08]:

This is your chance.

James Donaldson [00:57:09]:

As a published author, I’d like to promote my book a little bit.

Scott Cowan [00:57:14]:

Oh, and and I you okay. You got me. Yes, please. Let’s talk about your book.

James Donaldson [00:57:18]:

I don’t have a a copy of it in front of me, but it’s called celebrating your gift of life. The subtitle is from the verge of suicide to a life of purpose and joy, which is where I am at now. It chronicles, you know, those four major surgeries in five years, all those other life events that really took me down, and how I was able to finally work my way back up and and and back to a big solid place again. At the end of every chapter, there’s exercises that I ask the reader to to do, kind of introspective and self evaluation stuff. Okay. So the book is, I I self published it as I did with my other book, but self published it. But it is it is available online everywhere just like any other book. But want a personally autograph, personally signed copy.

James Donaldson [00:58:11]:

The best place to get it is through my website because that order comes to me. I fulfill it. I sign off on it, drop it in the mail for you. That is at celebratingyourgiftoflife.com. And k.

Scott Cowan [00:58:25]:

And I’ll put that in the show notes so people

James Donaldson [00:58:27]:

can look at it. Yeah. Yeah. And I’d be more than happy. And then I’m gearing up now to to make myself available to talk one or two hours a day to people who need to talk to somebody who’s been there. Okay. You know? And so I have a nominal fee. I don’t need to charge anything for it, but I do want just to make sure that the time is valued for both of us.

James Donaldson [00:58:50]:

Especially men. I want men to reach out and say, hey, James. I’m struggling. I worked with three men during the holidays this past couple months. They were all three on the verge of suicide and taking their lives and talking with them and working with them and giving them hope, incur encouragement. They’re all hanging in there. One is one is struggling a little bit more than the other two, but that’s where they were this this past holiday season. And holidays are always a very difficult time for everyone.

James Donaldson [00:59:23]:

So that’s the work I do. That’s the book that I wrote, and I would love to get a copy of the book into the hands of our listeners today.

Scott Cowan [00:59:32]:

Alright. Let me ask you, if you’re gonna be making time available Yes. Where how can people find out about that when that goes

James Donaldson [00:59:41]:

Yes. I’ll be putting that on my, your giftoflife.org foundation. Okay. So it’ll be on that website. There’ll be a calendar that they can schedule, and they can pay, through that site. And so that look for that to start up in March. Yes.

Scott Cowan [00:59:57]:

Okay. Alright. Well, thank you very much. I’m gonna, wrap this up and respect your time. I I to talk to a Seattle supersonic is is a huge honor for me. I I appreciate it so much. And I your story, your journey has been uplifting to me. At the same time, you know, not not a it’s a it’s a you went through a lot, and, you know, and you know that.

Scott Cowan [01:00:27]:

But I I appreciate you making the time to to talk with us today, and I I welcome you to Central Washington. I mean, welcome to welcome to the good part. All the all state’s great, but I I love living in Central Washington. And, I I’m I’m we will keep an eye on what you’re doing. And if we can ever help you, don’t don’t hesitate to reach out.

James Donaldson [01:00:47]:

So much, Scott. Where where are you located at, by the way? We’re in Wenatchee. Yeah. And I get to Wenatchee every now and then. I got a good friend there. Just contacted me last week about coming down for lunch. So I’ll do that in the next week or two, but I would love to catch up with you in person. It’d be wonderful.

Scott Cowan [01:01:02]:

I would I would I welcome that opportunity. If you’re coming to town or if I head to Ellensburg, let’s I would love to to, shake your hand and

James Donaldson [01:01:09]:

listen to Yeah. This is Patrick. I really appreciate the time. Alright. Thank you.

Scott Cowan [01:01:23]:

Join us next time for another episode of the Exploring Washington State podcast.