Guest Post: Managing Mental Health & Business

Today's guest post comes to us from Robert, an entrepreneur from Edmonton who runs Powerful Play Experiences. Roberts shares with us today the challenges he had to face as he learnt how to manage his own business all while trying to work through his OWN anxiety and depression. Robert provides us with a glimpse of what it was like for him to get to where he is today and is open to chat with anyone who has any further questions about his own experience. You can reach him at:

Instagram: @powerfulplayexperiences

Facebook: @PowerfulPlayExperiences

LinkedIn: Robert Manolson

Website: powerfulplay.ca

Just over fourteen years ago, I really didn't consider working in the capacity of an Entrepreneur nor did I believe that owning a small business was my destiny. But, if I was going to take a huge leap into this  thing called Entrepreneurship, I quickly decided to reinvent myself! After all, my plan was to launch  Powerful Play Experiences, Positive Workplace Mental Health...For Teams! as a bonified business.  

At that particular time, I was employed in the field of career & employment training, helping Albertans to find the work they love. I was a workshop facilitator, delivering workshops on career planning, work search strategies, and finding the right post-secondary education. I eventually took some time off to  contemplate my next move. I wanted to do something that was fun, inspiring, and driven by creativity. I decided to start my own business, Powerful Play Experiences, based on something that inspired me  in my college and university years - Cooperative Play. 

With the amazing support from the Edmonton Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional  Speakers (CAPS), I launched my business with the intention of helping individuals and teams create  positive change while having fun doing it. Very quickly, my clients began describing me as “The Play  Guy” who facilitates workshops based on Cooperative Play. Two years later, this changed and my clients then described me as “The Fun at Work Guy” who inspires workplace teams to have more fun  at work.  

Today, fully engaged with my business for just over 13 years now, fun at work continues to inspire all  who play with me but my business has evolved and so have my intentions. I'm all about pushing the  message that positive workplace mental health for teams is quite easy to attain at work but when, and only when Leaders commit to more fun at work, and more happy & engaged teams! 

Navigating my life as an Entrepreneur has never been a simple journey nor a straight line journey from point A to point B. Yes, there exists 4 generations of mental illness in my immediate and extended  family. And Yes, I am very open to sharing with you my story of living with and managing depression  and anxiety. 

But, I'm also very open to sharing with you my conviction to calling myself a Mental Health Champion.  Quite recently, a colleague of mine in the Field of Career Development Facebooked me. Cindy, who also lives with and manages depression and anxiety, wrote a most poignant definition of a Mental Health Champion. "Defining the Mental Health Champion! We face adversity. We find ways to deal  with it. We use the support we have around us. We speak our truth when things don't go well. We  function in the wacky world of work where disappointments can be inevitable. We move on.  We validate our feelings. We look for ways to maintain our daily personal wellness. Yes, We are  GREAT! We are Our Own Designated Survivors!" Poignant, to say the least!

If there's one thing that has been absolutely certain during my crazy ride as an Entrepreneur it's that  my life has changed and that my life will keep on changing. Mental illness has impacted both my work  life and my personal life. But through it all, I continue to surround myself with like-spirited people.  People just like Cindy. People who “get it!” People who are very close and dear to me and fully aware  of my ongoing mental and emotional health challenges...daily. 

As a male, I've had to learn and get comfortable with the simple act of talking about my depression  and anxiety, and reaching out for help. My bigger goal? To be a role model for men everywhere, even men reading this article who really need to get comfortable with talking about their daily mental  health to get the help and support they need. 

Walking into the downtown office of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce with no scheduled  appointment and asking to meet someone who can sign me up as a Chamber Member, is one of many  strategies I have taken to achieve that Bigger Goal. I've had the privilege of building business  relationships with Chamber staff who are so supportive of my journey as a Mental Health Champion.  Conversations have taken place with Chamber staff about my desire to meet Chamber Members who  are business leaders for the sole purpose of starting a conversation about mental health in the  workplace. But also determining their knowledge and awareness of some of best resources out there  specific to workplace mental health. In fact, beginning a conversation about best resources out there  is actually a great ice breaker for people who are uneasy with talking about mental health. 

For example, in a recent study conducted by the Canadian Mental Health Association regarding the  mental health and well-being of Canada's Entrepreneurs, the study concluded that 62% of business  owners feel depressed at least once a week. Nearly half of the respondents, 42%, said that mental  health issues interfere with their ability to work. To learn more about this recent study:  https://www.bdc.ca/en/about/mediaroom/news_releases/pages/new-study-finds-business-owners feel-depressed.aspx 

It's reasonable to assume that throughout my journey as an Entrepreneur and owner of a small  business that I have often found myself overwhelmed, stressed or challenged by the pressures to  make sure Powerful Play Experiences IS a successful business. When I consider the demands and  priorities that I need to address daily as a small business owner, it's quite common for me to ask  myself the following, all important questions. “How am I doing today with giving full attention and  energy to being the most positive and enthusiastic person I know? What am I doing to be the very  best Mental Health Champion FOR ME?”  

Look! I am very proud of what I have achieved here and what I will continue to achieve as an  Entrepreneur. I am committed to my work and extremely passionate about impacting the lives of  people everywhere. But most significantly, I continue to trust in this journey and continue to follow  my heart. Clients often say to me, “Where do you get your infectious energy and enthusiasm?”  I receive this question with a heartfelt humbleness and a smile on my face while my inside voice says, “Looks like I'm giving full attention and energy to being the most positive and enthusiastic person I  know!” And when it's appropriate in a situation like that, I sometimes launch into a short story about living  with and managing depression and anxiety. People are clearing surprised to learn that the business  owner of Powerful Play Experiences, the Workshop Facilitator who brought infectious energy and  enthusiasm to their workshop, is also the guy talking about his mental illness. I do have fun with what  seems to be a contradiction for people. So, I talk about wanting to shatter people's perceptions of  what mental illness looks like with the hope that this is one important step to addressing the stigma  attached to mental illness. 

And finally, how touched I was last week when I received an email from Cindy. “You do amaze me with your amazing marketing skills and how you keep pushing forward! You are truly a role model and great supporter of all those who suffer from mental health disorders.” Thanks Cindy!! And Thank You  Everyone. For reading my story.

**If you have a story you would like to share, please feel free to reach out to YEG Wellness Collective at yegwellnesscollective@gmail.com