Batista Talks To Lilian Garcia About Suffering From Social Anxiety, Being Estranged From His Father

The following was issued today on Lilian Garcia's new "Chasing Glory" podcast, featuring former WWE Champion Batista as the first guest:

LILIAN GARCIA TO LAUNCH PODCAST ON PODCASTONE

The Singer-Songwriter, Television Personality and Sports Host Premieres with Guest Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Multi-talented singer, songwriter, television personality, sports host and producer, Lilian Garcia, ventures far outside the ring to interview today's greatest entertainers, athletes and influencers on her brand-new, human interest podcast from PodcastOne, the nation's largest advertiser-supported podcast network. Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia takes on heavy-hitting interviews with poise, skill and empathy, as the multi-talented host dives deep into the journey these well-known personalities followed along their personal chases to success. Topics include how they worked to get where they are today, their very personal challenges along the way, and their raw and inspiring histories that the world has never heard.

The podcast debuts with revelations by actor Dave Bautista, who everyone knows as a tough guy from one of today's biggest super-hero franchises, Guardians of the Galaxy, and formerly, the WWE. He divulges his battles with social anxiety, discusses his estranged relationship from his father, and more.

Of the podcast, Bautista says, "I've gotten to know Lilian over the years and her nurturing ways made me feel comfortable enough to open up about my vulnerabilities in a way I never would've done with anyone else. Chasing Glory gave me the opportunity to speak freely, and hopefully make a difference in someone's life that is facing the same challenges I have faced."

The episode is available now on PodcastOne.com, the PodcastOne app and Apple Podcasts, with new episodes every Monday.

Below are excerpts from Garcia's interview with Bautista:

Suffering from Social Anxiety

Bautista: "Wrestling really brought me out of my shell?But I wish when I was younger I hadn't been so ashamed. I wish I would've embraced it more because it's okay, and I find out more, all the time, that a lot of actors are the same way. They get anxiety and get self-conscious, and get insecurities about their performances. And I think if people hear more from that – from people, especially someone like me who succeed in these entertainment fields – they can see that I am someone who is like that as well. Then, they will just be more accepting and just be okay with it. Because there's more people like that than you would think."

His Mother's Fear for Him Growing Up

Bautista: "My mom felt that if I stayed out there in the city, where I was running with gangs and everything, that I was going to end up dead. That's what the crowd that I was falling in with – I mean, I was young. She was getting calls from jail, from police saying, 'Come pick up your son.' And really young ? twelve, thirteen years old. I was hanging around with gangs. I was fighting, stealing cars, joy riding them, just young little criminals. And I was just living that street life. I wasn't going to school. I was in the front door, out the back. Just up to no good."

Being Estranged from His Father

Bautista: "My father was never really there for me?It's something that's a little weird because we had a long talk about it when I was older. I had already been wrestling, so I was in my late thirties, and we had a talk about it, and he was just bent out of shape [about] why I wasn't more respectful of him and why I didn't give more to him. And I told him it was just because he was never there for me, so I don't have that, you know, that father-son connection with him. He's just kind of some guy that I've known. You know, he was barely ever there for me. He's never done anything for me. He's never really even given me any fatherly advice. I just don't know him at all; he's really a stranger to me."