Jean-Paul Bédard
Jean-Paul Bédard is an author, advocate, elite endurance athlete, and was named one of the "50 Most Influential Canadians" by Huffington Post. Jean-Paul was awarded the 2015 "Golden Shoe Award" for being named "Canadian Runner of the Year". As a Brooks sponsored athlete and veteran of over 130 marathons and ultra marathons, Jean-Paul represented Canada in the prestigious Comrades Marathon in South Africa, a grueling 90km race through mountainous terrain.
Jean-Paul turned to long distance running to help him battle his addiction and mental health issues. In 2013, Jean-Paul disclosed to family and friends that he is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and rape. Since that time, he has become an international advocate for other survivors of sexual violence. In 2014, Jean-Paul ran the iconic Boston Marathon twice in the same day in a highly publicized campaign. In the fall of 2015, Jean-Paul ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon three times in the same day to demonstrate the resiliency of survivors of trauma.
Jean-Paul is also a featured contributor to Huffington Post, a columnist with iRun Magazine, and his bestselling book Running Into Yourself was released earlier this year by Breakaway Books of New York. You can read more about Jean-Paul's incredible journey of resiliency by following his popular blog Breathe Through This, which has over 3 million reader/subscribers.
A sought-after public speaker, Jean-Paul is known for his ability to infuse humor in his talks as he speaks candidly about coming to terms with serious issues such as addiction, depression, and trauma. Jean-Paul passionately believes life is not about "what happens to us", but about "what we do with what happens to us." His, is a message of hope, strength, and resiliency.
Jean-Paul is available to speak at private, corporate, or community events on a variety of topics including:
- High Performance Athletics & Living the Endurance Lifestyle
- Start Now – Be a Source of Inspiration
- Depression, Suicide, and Battling Our Inner Demons
- 'To Hell with Bulletproof – I'd Rather Be Resilient'
- Nurturing Resiliency in Your Personal and Professional Life
- Redefining What It Means to "Be a Man" & Building Authentic Relationships
- Life After Childhood Sexual Abuse & Working Through the Disclosure Process
- PTSD & Living in the Belly of Fear
- The Importance of Building Community & Support Networks
- Taking Ownership of Drug & Alcohol Addiction and Crafting a Better Life
Jean-Paul Bédard is an author, advocate, elite endurance athlete, and was named one of the "50 Most Influential Canadians" by Huffington Post. Jean-Paul was awarded the 2015 "Golden Shoe Award" for being named "Canadian Runner of the Year". As a Brooks sponsored athlete and veteran of over 130 marathons and ultra marathons, Jean-Paul represented Canada in the prestigious Comrades Marathon in South Africa, a grueling 90km race through mountainous terrain.
Jean-Paul turned to long distance running to help him battle his addiction and mental health issues. In 2013, Jean-Paul disclosed to family and friends that he is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and rape. Since that time, he has become an international advocate for other survivors of sexual violence. In 2014, Jean-Paul ran the iconic Boston Marathon twice in the same day in a highly publicized campaign. In the fall of 2015, Jean-Paul ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon three times in the same day to demonstrate the resiliency of survivors of trauma.
Jean-Paul is also a featured contributor to Huffington Post, a columnist with iRun Magazine, and his bestselling book Running Into Yourself was released earlier this year by Breakaway Books of New York. You can read more about Jean-Paul's incredible journey of resiliency by following his popular blog Breathe Through This, which has over 3 million reader/subscribers.
A sought-after public speaker, Jean-Paul is known for his ability to infuse humor in his talks as he speaks candidly about coming to terms with serious issues such as addiction, depression, and trauma. Jean-Paul passionately believes life is not about "what happens to us", but about "what we do with what happens to us." His, is a message of hope, strength, and resiliency.
Jean-Paul is available to speak at private, corporate, or community events on a variety of topics including:
- High Performance Athletics & Living the Endurance Lifestyle
- Start Now – Be a Source of Inspiration
- Depression, Suicide, and Battling Our Inner Demons
- 'To Hell with Bulletproof – I'd Rather Be Resilient'
- Nurturing Resiliency in Your Personal and Professional Life
- Redefining What It Means to "Be a Man" & Building Authentic Relationships
- Life After Childhood Sexual Abuse & Working Through the Disclosure Process
- PTSD & Living in the Belly of Fear
- The Importance of Building Community & Support Networks
- Taking Ownership of Drug & Alcohol Addiction and Crafting a Better Life
