Slow down and go within
Success Starts Long Before the Results Show Up
More than 10 years ago, I mailed (not emailed) over 60 personalized letters to organizations across Saskatchewan, hoping to land a speaking engagement. I received exactly zero responses. I tried a different approach and reached out to executive leaders asking if I...
Safety Starts with Self-Awareness
This morning, I had a meeting with a company whose worker made a decision that deserves recognition. I learned about a young man who voluntarily handed over his firearm because he did not feel safe carrying it in his current state of mind. That act took courage,...
15 Years of Flyer Delivery as a Family
Well, that’s a wrap! For 15 years, flyer delivery was part of our family life. Four different kids took turns walking routes with my wife, Tanya, and me. Through snowstorms, -50 degree weather, pouring rain, and heat exhaustion, we got the job done. What started as a...
A Father’s Promise of Sobriety and Strength
We recently launched a new logo for our clothing line Born Resilient and my wife, Tanya, captured this image of me and my son, Brody. It hit me hard because Brody will never truly know the impact he had on me. Just days after I finally put the bottle down, I felt...
The Power of Hope
After my keynote last week, I held a book signing and one particular conversation has stayed with me. A woman came up to the table, tears already in her eyes, and said, “My daughter attempted suicide last night.” Her voice broke as the tears fell. “She’s in the ICU,...
Learning To Love Myself
Surprisingly, the word ‘Love’ has shown up at the last two conferences that I have spoken at. And, that has caused me to reflect. For so much of my life, I didn’t believe I was someone worth loving. When you carry that feeling long enough, it quietly shapes everything...
Mental Illness: The War Within
My challenges with mental illness began at an early age, and I have always fought an internal war to live or die. I studied kinesiology for a few years, and collected degrees related to physical education. So, theoretically I understand the relationship between...
Lessons From the Storm
Every storm in life has two purposes: To destroy what isn’t solid, and to reveal what is. Pain shows up in a variety of ways, but I don't believe that it comes to ruin us. Pain is a powerful teacher that allows us to remove what is no longer needed. And, when the...
Hope is Real
I was not in a good place when I first met Tanya. I was battling mental illness and addiction - just trying to stay alive. Tanya believed in me more than I believed in myself, and gave me a life that I never dreamed possible. Today, we celebrate our 15th wedding...
Celebrating My Sobriety
Celebrating my sobriety birthday is as equally important as celebrating the day I was born. Sobriety gave me another chance to live. This morning, I sat and reflected on 5 of the lessons I have learned. 1. The goal of sobriety isn't to stop drinking. The goal is to...
“What’s stronger than a broken man who has the courage to rebuild himself? It’s time to redefine what it means to be strong.”
– Allan Kehler
