mental health awareness Archives - The Finish Line Group

5 Less Than Obvious Signs That You’re Heading for a Depressive Episode

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

Top 5 Things To Do if You’re Feeling Stuck in Life

Are you feeling stuck in life? Do you feel like you don’t know what to do next? If so, don’t worry. You are not alone. I’ve been there, and it’s not a great spot to be in. Whether you’re questioning your career, marriage, financial future, purpose or just wanting to wake up happy more days than you’re not happy, it’s … Read More

How Do Kids Handle the Sudden Loss of a Brother or Sister?

By sharing our story and struggles about what we went through with Madeline, we cross paths with the many people who have gone through equal pain and devastation. I believe it’s therapeutic for all of us. Some of the stories are recent, and some are from years ago. Some are tragic, and some are hoping to have or have had … 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?

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

5 Reasons Why I Wouldn’t Want to be a Teenager Today

This isn’t one of those nostalgic posts about “I remember when”, but my kids will probably accuse me of it. Obviously, there have always been challenges in raising teenagers but throw in social media, access to technology and our kids surpassing our knowledge base for certain things, and so our job as parents just got exponentially more difficult. Life was … 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