Our last instalment of Mental Health Week profiles span extraordinarily heart-wrenching experiences. What unites them is how each incredible person behind the story took some of the darkest moments imaginable and returned with good—with a goal of sharing their lowest lows and and giving us a lift through them.
As a former post-traumatic stress disorder sufferer, Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Stéphane Grenier knows the toll mental health issues can take on individuals firsthand. He knows that in our modern workplace, mental health problems have become the leading cause of disability claims, accounting for 70% of workplace disability management costs in Canada so he’s built talks that offers audiences pragmatic advice designed to foster workplaces that support an open, non-stigmatized approach to mental health.
No job in the world of sports is as intimidating, exhilarating, and as stress-ridden as that of an NHL hockey goaltender. Now imagine doing that job while suffering high anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and depression, and having your career nearly cut short by a skate slicing across your neck. Clint Malarchuk shares an unbelievable life story that includes his long battle with alcoholism and almost ending his life by a gunshot to the head in a relentless effort to help end the stigma of mental illness and to help others who may suffer as well.
In 2008, Amanda Lindhout travelled to Somalia where she was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. Lindhout was held hostage for 460 days, and survived on her strategy, fortitude, and hope in the face of unimaginable adversity. Her tale of survival builds suspense and momentum, revealing life-changing insights with actionable takeaways on how to re-frame pain into power.
