Slow down and go within
Project Semicolon
In 2013, Amy Bleuel went to social media and asked anyone who had struggled with a mental illness to draw a semicolon on their wrist and post a photo. A semicolon symbolized that a sentence wasn’t over yet, and neither was their life. Just like that, Project Semicolon...
Listen Don’t Fix
Anytime that I speak at an event in Winnipeg, I try to connect with my Uncle Ray. When he first found out that I was struggling with mental illness, he was upset that he had not known sooner. He believed that these were the very issues that a family needed to discuss...
Mental Health and Connection
With a six-hour layover in Halifax, I walked into Customs this morning hoping that they could squeeze me in for my Nexus interview. I approached the counter stating my intention, and a man asked me what I did for work. After telling him that I was a speaker on topics...
A Full Circle Moment
Every single person has a few painful chapters from their past. What are the odds that my hotel balcony faces my old apartment that contains one of my darkest chapters? After spending the past 16 years on a healing journey, it was time to return. Out front, I saw the...
Soaring Like An Eagle
Almost five years ago to the day, I was scheduled to speak at an event in Northern Saskatchewan. That morning, I went for a walk and felt an undeniable feeling. Out of nowhere, it became clear that I was supposed to leave Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies...
Finding My Voice
One of the most common questions I am asked is about the tattoo on my throat. When we lost my best friend, Justin Andres, to suicide, he left me a note. I traced over his initials, surrounded them with the phoenix, and met with a tattoo artist. You see, Justin...
Kindness Matters
As I was getting settled into my seat I began reflecting on some wise words I once heard. On every flight there is a good chance that someone is on their way to a funeral or perhaps saying goodbye to a loved one. You never know what people are going through, and for...
The Sun Will Rise
The sunrise has always played a pivotal role in my life. On too many nights, I wondered whether or not I would make it to the morning. I used to always say, "One day I am not going to have to fight so hard." Today, I stopped, and took the time to recognize that my...
We All Need Support
We all have those moments when we need someone to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. For me, that was Tanya, and last night her halo was on full display. Tanya and her two boys opened their doors for me when I was three months sober. My resume was not...
A TEDx Moment
This was the highlight of my day. Due to a hotel room being unavailable, a mother asked the event coordinator if her children could attend the keynote. Her children didn’t know who the speaker was, but as soon as I started sharing my story about mental health, one of...
“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