I remember the first time I experienced a depressive episode. It was October 2008; we had just experienced the financial meltdown of the stock markets, the Canadian dollar started to plummet versus the US dollar, banks slashed our Line of Credit, and I felt utterly helpless. My business partner and I were forced to make a series of rapid-fire decisions, … Read More
Why I Believe It’s So Much Easier To Say I’m Fine
On April 11th, it will be seven years since Madeline’s death or, as I’ve come to learn the term: her Angelversary. You wonder how you could get through that first week, then the first month, the first year, birthdays and holidays. You get by because life goes on, and to think otherwise is not an option. I do it for … Read More
11 Essential Mental Health Coping Strategies for Entrepreneurs
Being an entrepreneur can be one of the most rewarding and liberating things you can do as a career. Equally valid, being an entrepreneur can be one of the most frustrating and emotional roles you can choose to make a living. Schools are great at teaching you how to succeed when starting a new business, but do these schools properly … Read More
Wake Up Parents; You Could Lose Your Child to Suicide
Last month I was invited to speak to a group of grade 7 and 8 parents about teen mental illness, what I’ve learned of our dealing with Madeline and what we were hoping to accomplish with The Maddie Project. We scheduled a date. I provided a summary of the content, and an agenda was sent out to all parents to … Read More
Do We Have a Responsibility to the Entrepreneurs of Today and Tomorrow?
Being an entrepreneur can be one of the most rewarding and liberating things you can do as a career. Equally valid, being an entrepreneur can be one of the most frustrating and emotional roles you can choose to make a living. Schools are great at teaching you how to succeed when starting a new business, but do these schools properly … Read More
Does the Entrepreneur’s Journey to Greatness Need to be so Damn Lonely?
Do you ever wish you could have an honest conversation with a fellow business owner without judgement? I’m talking a completely candid; no holes barred, these are my deepest and darkest fears kind of conversations. I’ve been doing this entrepreneur thing for 30 years, and over the duration, I’ve experienced many emotions: joy, frustration, pride, anxiety, depression, optimism, sadness, fear. … Read More
My Accidental 10-Year Journey to Discovering Emotional Intelligence
There’s something ironic about me writing about Emotional Intelligence. Those who knew me 15-20 years ago would probably accuse me of not even knowing the definition of Emotional Intelligence. They wouldn’t be far off the mark. Since then, a lot has happened, including several devastating life events that have impacted the person I am and how I look at the … Read More
9 Powerful Ways That Philanthropy Can Help to Build Your Brand?
Being altruistic usually means putting the needs of others ahead of your own needs. So discussing how philanthropy can help to build your brand almost comes across as being hypocritical. But being generous and charitable doesn’t mean that you can’t beat your chest a little, especially when it comes to being good corporate citizens and leaders in your community. Here … Read More
8 Tragic Things People Don’t Understand About Losing a Child
Earlier this month was Suicide Prevention Day. It’s been more than 6 years since we endured the tragic loss of our beautiful daughter Madeline. Since this tragic event devastated our family’s lives, I have felt a multitude of different emotions ranging from anger, gratitude, helplessness and, of course, inconsolable sadness.I read a blog post by Paula Stephens, “What I Wish … Read More
No One Wakes Up and Suddenly Decides to Become Charitable One Day
In the past, I would never describe myself as being particularly charitable. It’s not that I wasn’t compassionate or I was completely selfish, but to be honest, I didn’t think that anything I contributed towards charity would make a meaningful difference. I wasn’t able to write a significant cheque. The other reason, there wasn’t a particular cause that I was … Read More