Please tell us what inspired you to be part of Mission Hope?
Char Murphy reached out to me and asked if I’d like to be in the book. I jumped at the chance! It was the first time someone had asked me to be in a book! The purpose of the book, giving hope to others going through adversity, is something I do anyway, so it aligned perfectly!
Who is your biggest influence and why?
Environmental/animal advocate Jane Goodall has been a big influence on me, as has Scott Harrison of charity: water, Leila Janah of Samasource, and singer/activist Buffy Sainte-Marie. Jane Goodall has had a big influence on the world and has done so with a quiet but motivating voice and has had little controversy in life. Scott Harrison and Leila Janah’s stories resonate with me a lot, and they have had profound changes on clean water (Scott) and alleviating poverty (Leila). Buffy Sainte-Marie helps ground me and inspires me to be creative and fight for things when no one else is.
Tell us something we don’t know about you?
I am a terrible skateboarder and snowboarder. I can barely stay on the boards! I bicycled across Canada when I was 20 and am working on doing it again! I help people with mental illness in developing countries get access to basic mental health care. I have successfully recovered from schizophrenia.
Since we try to share inspiration at Motivation Champs can you share your favorite inspirational quote?
Two I like are Navy SEAL Mark Divine’s mantras: “Easy day, I got this…”, and “Lookin’ good, feelin’ good, oughta be in Hollywood!”
What was your favorite book as a child?
What is your favorite activity to do with the family? I enjoyed the Narnia books as a child. I like to go on road trips with my family!
What do you hope the reader gets from this book?
I hope the reader gets inspired to not give up. Many people are desperate for help, desperate for hope. Life can be seemingly impossible when too many obstacles are thrust in front of us. People need to know as difficult and impossible as things seem, there are ways to navigate the obstacles. People need to know they can achieve things they never thought possible, that they can do heroic things.
Heroes don’t just live in the movies; they live in your community. They serve you food, they teach your kids math classes, they do your taxes for you. We are all heroes. Some of us have gone through trials and we have been shown that to ourselves. Others don’t realize it yet, because they haven’t been put to extremes. But we are all heroes, and we need to be reminded of that. For those who are desperate for help now, I hope this book can give them some tools and inspiration to keep hanging in there and fighting for their life. The beauty and magic of life can be taken from us sometimes. Some of us need to be reminded that it exists when the world is so dark. Light can re-emerge from the shadows. And magic and beauty can reclaim your world once again. A glimmer of hope can save lives. We all need to know that.
Are you working on any other projects?
I am raising funds to help people with mental illness in developing countries get access to basic mental health care. These models of basic mental health care are low-cost, proven effective and scalable. I steer people towards 10 nonprofits using these models. My aim is to help build the capacity of these nonprofits and have more people know about them and donate to them.
Where can we get in touch with you?
All my links and social media channels are at www.MindAid.ca.