Even at the height of her athletic career, Stephanie Labbe struggled.
The pressures of being a professional athlete, the reality of being forced to live far away from loved ones, the constant uncertainty of her career all left her battling serious anxiety and depression, even after she stood on an Olympic podium with a gold medal around her neck.
It's a journey the former Canadian goalkeeper is sharing in the new documentary Shut Out.
Telling her story hasn't always been easy, but Labbe has found strength in sharing.
The nearly hour-long documentary launches Tuesday on TELUS Optik TV for subscribers in B.C. and Alberta. Other Canadians can find it online via TELUS Originals.
The film details how a lack of opportunities left Labbe reeling. She was forced to leave Canada in order to find places to play soccer, dealt with serious injuries and consistently had to fight for a spot on the national team.
Making the project took almost a year, as film maker Cassie De Colling sat down for extended interviews with a variety of people in the star athlete's life, including her parents, partner, friends and former teammates and coaches.
The end product includes a vast array of archival footage, from home videos reaching all the way back to Labbe's ice hockey days in childhood, to snippets of some of her greatest sporting moments, including the penalties she stopped to help Canada capture gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
"It's one thing to talk about it, but to actually show things and bring that up, it's pretty awesome," Labbe said.
Stephanie Labbé treasures her <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Olympics</a> gold medal, but her mental health comes first.<br><br>✍️ <a
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