MY STORY
JODY BURTON
" I will be featured as one of the Dare To Be Vulnerable Courageous Conversation stories. My story will openly share my relationship with the issues that I grappled with in facing my mental health challenges.
It's time we breakthrough the silence. I've been there. I know what it's like to suffer in silence. It's time we change the conversation. Let's rise up and talk about our mental health."
Jody Burton Chief Executive Officer at Stoneworks Technologies Inc.
HOW MANY OF US STRUGGLE WITH OUR MENTAL HEALTH?
1 IN 4 OF US
9 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS SAY THEY FACE...
STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION AS A RESULT
THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF STIGMA THAT EFFECT MENTAL HEALTH
•SELF
•PUBLIC
•INSTITUTIONAL
PUBLIC & INSTITUTIONAL STIGMA PRODUCES
PREJUDICE &
DISCRIMINATION
SELF STIGMA PRODUCES
TOXIC SHAME
WHICH IS FEAR ON STEROIDS
THE MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK ORGANIZATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM DID A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY ON MENTAL HEALTH.
60%
OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID
STIGMAS AND DISCRIMINATION ARE MORE DAMAGING THAN THE SYMPTOMS OF THEIR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM.
35%
OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID
STIGMA HAD MADE THEM GIVE UP ON THEIR AMBITIONS, HOPES AND DREAMS FOR THEIR LIFE.
56%
OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID
THEY WOULD NOT HIRE SOMEONE WITH DEPRESSION EVEN IF THEY WERE THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB.
54%
OF THOSE SURVEYED SAID
THEY ARE IMPACTED MOST BY STIGMA IN THEIR PLACE OF WORK.
DID YOU KNOW?
75% OF SUICIDES INVOLVE MEN
WOMEN ATTEMPT SUICIDE 3 TO 4 TIMES MORE OFTEN THAN MEN
HEARING FROM OTHERS WHO HAVE OVERCOME GREAT ADVERSITY
BRINGS AWARENESS THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE
OUR STORIES
The Dare To Be Vulnerable Project features stories from individuals in our community who openly share their personal struggle with their mental health.
Many of the people in our world, young and old, are suffering in silence because they feel alone, fearful and ashamed. They’re scared to speak up about their mental health. They're afraid if they speak out they are going to be misunderstood and judged unfairly.
Study after study show that one of the best ways to address the stigma and the shame that surrounds mental health is by sharing our lived experiences. Our stories.
OUR PARTNERS
Our partners are helping us create and produce Dare To Be Vulnerable Courageous Conversation stories.
Our partners are creating a greater awareness about the impact that stigma has on our community, our institutions, and ourselves.
Our partners are passionate about changing the conversation surrounding mental health. By busting the stigma we save lives.
Our partners are encouraging others to rise up and share their story about their struggles with mental health so that others know they're not alone.
THE WE GO FIRST TEAM
SUSAN BLAIN
MY STORY: I have struggled with my mental health all my life, with depression as a teenager and suicidal ideation in my early twenties. In 2019, I suffered a trauma of betrayal on many levels and lost everything; my home, my savings, I was homeless, and suicidal. In 2020, I was hospitalized and diagnosed with depression, panic disorder, and later PTSD. Talking about my struggle has been a big part of my healing journey and why I founded the DTBV Project.
DON LACHANCE
MY STORY: When I was 7 years old, I attempted to kill my Dad. I attacked him with a butcher knife while he and my mother were in a violent fight and in drunken stupor. Needless to say I was disarmed and pushed aside with ease. That day I experienced a deep sense of loss of self worth. Loss of self worth resulted in a life long struggle with depression and an anxiety of not measuring up. Today, I'm a grief and loss specialist. I know the importance of speaking up. It's vital to our well-being.
ROD OVERALL
MY STORY: I have had my share of mental anguish and depression. I was sexually abused by my father when I was a child. I put it out of my head. Moved on. Worked hard. Became the owner of a successful advertising communication agency. Life was good. However when I turned 40, something weird happened, and it triggered these continuous flashbacks of my father's face that sent me into deep depression. And my only salvation was to talk about it. Talking is so very important.
STIGMA
IS THE DEEP AND DEBILITATING PERSONAL AND PUBLIC SHAME THAT CREATES THE STRUGGLE WITH IN OURSELVES
OUR MISSION
SHARE OUR LIVED EXPERIENCE STORIES...
SO WE CHANGE THE CONVERSATION SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH
MIKE WATKINSON
MY STORY: I became aware of the pivotal role mental health plays in our lives from an early age. I witnessed challenges with clinical depression, addiction, and the lasting impact of childhood trauma on both sides of my family. When I was 24 years old, a close family member attempted suicide. That event was the catalyst of a 20+ year interested in studying mental health, culminating in a mid-life career change to enter the mental health field.
LISA MACLEOD
MY STORY: I am a six-term member of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament who has championed mental health awareness, suicide prevention and anti-bullying measures throughout my career. I have experienced anxiety and depression but it wasn’t until May of 2022 when I realized something more was happening to me. I spent the 2022 provincial election in crisis, in therapy and a bit of time in a hospital bed. I have since learned I am bipolar- or as Frank Sinatra called himself “an 18 Carat Manic Depressive”. This was not the journey I expected, nor even want, but it’s mine and I am doing my best every day to make it a journey I can be proud of.
VERONICA FARMER
MY STORY: At many times in my life, I have felt utterly helpless while watching loved ones suffer from mental illness. As a young girl and daughter, I watched my parent, my hero, suffer silently. Darkness prevailed in our house from an older generation’s stigma that labelled depression as a weakness. As a mother, I have spent years fighting the undertow of pain and defeat while my child, my sunshine, suffered. Having supported both loved ones along their healing journeys, I do know the first step to navigating care starts with a courageous conversation.
RUDI ASSEER
MY STORY: Being an executive leader for a global company during a pandemic is no short order. Having to triage internal issues of suicide, depression, addictions, manslaughter, and brutal schedules with intense demands has its unique set of challenges. In addition, the recent tragic loss of my sister to mental health furthered my awareness. I am humbled to be a part of the Dare to be Vulnerable Project to bring greater awareness to Mental Health in the workplace and beyond.
SOLEY SOUCIE
MY STORY: I witnessed and experienced mental health, unhealed trauma and addiction at early age. I learned how to over compensate and leaned heavily into my career. In 2018, I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD. In 2019 I lost my voice for 3 months and later found a tumour on my left vocal cord which came from suppression from not speaking out. After 3 surgeries, I'm grateful for my voice and the ability to share my story. Sharing our stories became critical to me after losing 3 friends to suicide during the pandemic. I believe we all have a story and sharing it is the bravest thing we will do in this life.
ALL PERSONAL & BRAND PARTNERSHIP DONATIONS MADE TO DTBV ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
Financial contributions to DTBV are made through Mind Ally, a highly respected Canadian registered charity doing great work in the world of Mental Health and Wellness. Their programs and partners help guide people on their journey to mental wellness so they can fully enjoy a purposeful and fulfilling life.
OUR DTBV
CHARITABLE PARTNER IS
When you make a personal donation to the DTBV Project you become one of our DTBV ANGEL CONTRIBUTORS