Jason Finucan aims to revolutionise mental health education through inspirational keynotes. Finucan's innovative approach helps to end the stigma of mental illness, particularly among men who far too often fail to seek help. All audience members gain the knowledge and skills needed to survive their own battles with mental illness, and to help others in need.
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In golf, a caddy is a companion who provides both practical support and strategic guidance. Their role extends well beyond physical tasks, going into emotional and behavioural moral support.
Jason's ultimate goal is to help end the stigma of mental illness so people will be more likely to reach for help, rather than fall into despair or worse, die by suicide. As your Mental Health Caddy, Jason's keynotes offer insight that helps audiences better manage mental illness, both for those diagnosed and for their caregivers.
"I have managed living with bipolar 1 disorder for more than 22 years. I know all of the pitfalls, as well as all of the strategies needed to better manage mental illnesses, and it is my mission to use my knowledge to help others,” Finucan explains. His approach draws from personal experiences with physical illness (a heart defect that required open heart surgery in 1988) and mental illness diagnosed in 2005 (bipolar 1 disorder).
More recently, Jason experienced a 7-month long severe depressive episode which brought suicidal ideation. He deeply understands how one can fall to that dark place, and how to survive with the help of a support system. Audiences of Jason's keynotes walk away with the insight, knowledge and skills needed to not just survive mental illness, but thrive despite it.
A portion of all speaking revenues are donated to the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Jason is grateful for the vital support he has received over the years from this program, and wishes to honour the dedicated staff who are so committed to helping their patients recover their full health.
Jason is a mental health advocate and gifted speaker with 18 years dedicated to ending the stigma of mental illness. Jason is also an author and Founder of the workplace mental health training firm, StigmaZero.
As someone who has experienced both a major physical illness (heart defect leading to open heart surgery in 1988) and a major mental illness (bipolar 1 disorder leading to hospitalization in 2005), Jason shares his personal experiences with impactful storytelling techniques. These moving stories can be found as part of his inspirational keynotes and book Jason: 1, Stigma: 0 – My battle with mental illness at home and in the workplace.
Jason aims to make this difficult topic accessible to all, and with this goal in mind he blends real-world stories with rigorous research. His vision is for a future without stigma, which informs his efforts to empower others to develop a deep understanding of this topic. He aims to bolster the growing awareness of mental illness – and effort to end the stigma.
Jason walks the walk. His powerful story captures the attention of the audience and even more importantly it touches their hearts. This is important because it motivates us to relate to him, to care about him, and ultimately to learn from him how we can play pivotal roles for teammates and loved ones that are struggling with mental health.
Jason has been incredible to work with from start to finish. Jason was both a keynote speaker for my company for Mental Health Month and a service provider of the StigmaZero training system going on four years now. The keynote address Jason gave was one of the best-received programs, according to our employees. The training has gone a long way to help our people better understand their coworkers and themselves, as well as to help remove stigma around mental health.
Jason is very pleasant to work with. He is flexible and able to adapt to our needs accordingly. He is also a gifted speaker and incredibly knowledgeable about the subject matter. Creating a stigma-free work environment for staff is so important, and Jason's experience and perspective were so valued by all.
I was privileged to hear Jason present. Two things impacted me: his eloquence and the impact of his message. The stigma associated with mental illness is still so prevalent, yet Jason was able to transcend that in a simple and effective way.
Jason is a dynamic, engaging speaker; we were lucky to have him present on workplace mental illness for our Jim Pattison Group HR Conference. His keynote was very lively and energizing, and the material truly resonated with our delegates. His expert advice on this important topic included clear, actionable tips on how to implement these valuable strategies.
"You Can’t Ask That" is an innovative show which "continues to confront prejudices and break down taboos in society in an authentic and relatable way.” Topics covered ranging from growing up with a disability, living with bipolar disorder, living with parkinson’s, generalized anxiety disorder, being deaf, and more.
Jason is honoured to be featured in the Bipolar Disorder episode of Season 2. Filmed all over Canada, the producers of YCAT Season 2 welcomed Jason to their Montreal studios in November, 2019, for filming. The result is a fascinating study into how a variety of Canadians are both living with this mental illness and the kind of questions average citizens are asking.
Click here to read the blog article on this topic.
Part memoir and part how-to, this engrossing book is the culmination of a lifetime of unique personal experiences with illness by author, Jason Finucan.
Despite significant gains in awareness in recent years, mental illnesses like clinical depression or anxiety disorder are still treated far differently than physical illnesses, like cancer.
In this book, Jason offers insight on how we perceive illness in our society today, the important role of empathy, and what we can all do to effect change. His goal is for everyone to understand this important topic so they are empowered to make a real change and ultimately join his vision for future without stigma.
