Ian Hern
I have over 30 years of public speaking experience, in multiple fields. I bring humour and a focus on relationships to every engagement, along with unique perspectives on men's mental health.
Men's mental health has hit epidemic status in North America. The impact of generations of destructive masculine norms, and the poor coping mechanisms that men develop to avoid being seen as weak or not manly enough, have combined with the impact of a pandemic and the resulting financial uncertainty to create huge issues for men and their mental health.
I have dealt with depression for most of my life, and like so many other men I have struggled with anger and substance abuse and other unhealthy coping mechanisms. It has taken years of reflection and work to bring me to a healthier place, and now I love to be able to walk alongside men and help them be their healthiest selves, sharing my walk with others, and supporting others in theirs.
Are you who you are?
Men, do other people see the real you? Do you know who you are and who you want to be? Or do you avoid knowing yourself too deeply, and wear a mask that you show to other people? Are you willing to let others see your fears and weaknesses? Do you cope with stress using anger or substance use? If you relate to any of these questions, let me assure you that there is hope for you. With self-awareness and resilience you can learn new coping mechanisms to be your healthiest self.
My Story
I have always been different. Now I love that difference, but it has not always been that way. I am the son of a Baptist pastor, so I was always the “religious kid”, and on top of that I was weird and sensitive and I would not defend myself. That made me a perfect target for bullies. At the same time I was constantly trying to live up to a false standard of spirituality, which led to seeing myself as a failure as a Christian.
When I was 15, I came very close to killing myself. I made it through, but the lesson I learned was to pretend that I was okay. By age 18 I had so mastered the art of pretending who I was that I lost all sense of who I really was or wanted to be.
That loss of my genuine self had far-reaching implications. I became very angry, I developed a mental illness that went undiagnosed for 2 decades, I walked away from my faith, and I worked very hard to remove any chance of vulnerability from my life. It has taken 30 years to even realize the depths to which I had damaged myself, to learn how to recover the emotions and vulnerability that I locked away, and to value living a genuine life.
Now it has become my passion to use what I have learned to help other men learn the value of pursuing mental health, and to walk alongside others in their journey toward finding the strength to be vulnerable.
Men's mental health has hit epidemic status in North America. The impact of generations of destructive masculine norms, and the poor coping mechanisms that men develop to avoid being seen as weak or not manly enough, have combined with the impact of a pandemic and the resulting financial uncertainty to create huge issues for men and their mental health.
I have dealt with depression for most of my life, and like so many other men I have struggled with anger and substance abuse and other unhealthy coping mechanisms. It has taken years of reflection and work to bring me to a healthier place, and now I love to be able to walk alongside men and help them be their healthiest selves, sharing my walk with others, and supporting others in theirs.
Are you who you are?
Men, do other people see the real you? Do you know who you are and who you want to be? Or do you avoid knowing yourself too deeply, and wear a mask that you show to other people? Are you willing to let others see your fears and weaknesses? Do you cope with stress using anger or substance use? If you relate to any of these questions, let me assure you that there is hope for you. With self-awareness and resilience you can learn new coping mechanisms to be your healthiest self.
My Story
I have always been different. Now I love that difference, but it has not always been that way. I am the son of a Baptist pastor, so I was always the “religious kid”, and on top of that I was weird and sensitive and I would not defend myself. That made me a perfect target for bullies. At the same time I was constantly trying to live up to a false standard of spirituality, which led to seeing myself as a failure as a Christian.
When I was 15, I came very close to killing myself. I made it through, but the lesson I learned was to pretend that I was okay. By age 18 I had so mastered the art of pretending who I was that I lost all sense of who I really was or wanted to be.
That loss of my genuine self had far-reaching implications. I became very angry, I developed a mental illness that went undiagnosed for 2 decades, I walked away from my faith, and I worked very hard to remove any chance of vulnerability from my life. It has taken 30 years to even realize the depths to which I had damaged myself, to learn how to recover the emotions and vulnerability that I locked away, and to value living a genuine life.
Now it has become my passion to use what I have learned to help other men learn the value of pursuing mental health, and to walk alongside others in their journey toward finding the strength to be vulnerable.
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