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Sing for Mental Health on CTV Morning

In the News

  • Sing for Mental Health is proud to be donating 4 x $1,000 scholarships to Grade 8 students at Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) - SATE (Student Achievement Through Equity) schools. The funds will be used to support the students mental health and well-being. SATE is part of OCDSB’s collective work strategy and collective actions which aims to create lasting and impactful transformative change.

  • Sing for Mental Health is proud to be donating $5,000 to the Children's Aid Foundation of Ottawa to support young people between the ages of 18 and 23 as they transition to adulthood. Funds will be used to offer Mental Health programming directed at the specific challenges faced by this demographic.

  • A huge thank you to the supportive community in the National Capital Region for supporting our flagship event. With the support of Click Networks and our generous sponsors, we raised over $22,000 which will go directly towards Mental Health programming for Entrepreneurs and Youth.

Sutcliffe: Let's look after the mental health of Ottawa entrepreneurs

Many business leaders struggle privately. They think it’s in the job description to be tough and resilient, so they’re reluctant to admit their pain. They worry others will lose confidence in them if they don’t project an image of having everything under control.

Author of the article: Mark Sutcliffe

Published Nov 09, 2021  •  Last updated Nov 09, 2021  •  3 minute read

Phil Keast says entrepreneurs are 'the type of people who get knocked down and always get back up.'

Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

To his friend Phil Keast, Paul Harding was a true visionary and the consummate entrepreneur.

“I call him the godfather of the cloud in Ottawa,” says Keast. “He was talking about the cloud ad nauseam long before it became a big thing. He believed that technology would make the world better.”

In 2014, Harding and Keast joined forces on a mission to introduce cloud computing to government. They launched a startup focused on improving how the public sector connects with businesses. And they later worked together as consultants at the Department of National Defence, where they built the innovative Joint Cloud Defence program.

Harding seemed to be just getting started. He was young and successful, with a wife and two children. He was respected by his peers and doing work that he loved. But, according to Keast, he also faced challenges with his mental health.

“He really struggled with being content and being happy,” says Keast. “He always wanted more. It was never enough.”

When the contract at DND came to an end, Harding faced a difficult decision: whether to accept a senior position with the department or go back out on his own. Keast says Harding worried about being shackled to a government job, so he turned it down. But according to Keast, he was never completely comfortable with the decision and couldn’t decide what to do next.

A few months later, on Dec. 5, 2018, Harding called Keast.

“I can’t handle this,” Keast says Harding told him. “I’m thinking of doing something more permanent.”

Keast knew Harding had been struggling. But he misinterpreted his words. “I thought he was talking about starting a new business or taking some time off.”

A few hours later, Harding died by suicide.

When the shock and grief subsided, Keast was struck by how he had assumed Harding would bounce back, like he always did. Entrepreneurs are accustomed to rejection and uncertainty. “We’re always getting doors slammed in our faces,” says Keast. “We’re the type of people who get knocked down and always get back up.”

Indeed, despite all the efforts to eliminate the stigma of mental illness, many business leaders still struggle privately. They think it’s in the job description to be tough and resilient, so they’re reluctant to admit their pain. They worry others will lose confidence in them if they don’t project an image of having everything under control. And particularly during the pandemic, many leaders have focused on the mental health of their teams rather than on their own.

“Entrepreneurs are deeply susceptible to mental health issues,” says Keast. “So many are isolated and fighting against big odds. And they’re just not the kind of people who reach out and admit they’re struggling.”

In Harding’s memory, Keast created a foundation called Sing for Mental Health. In 2019, on the first anniversary of Harding’s death, more than 200 people gathered for an event with music, food and conversation about mental health. Keast intended to use the proceeds to launch programs in 2020, but the pandemic got in the way.

Now, almost two years later, Keast can finally see a way forward. A second fundraising event is scheduled for Dec. 2 in Kanata. In the new year, he plans to launch a peer support network specifically for entrepreneurs, connecting them with other executives who will truly understand what they’re experiencing as leaders. Keast is also hoping to stimulate a deeper, more meaningful conversation about mental health in the workplace. He worries that while most employers acknowledge mental illness today, the awareness is still superficial.

“I’d like to change the conversation so it’s not just throwing money at the problem; it’s actually more about learning and understanding,” he says.

For entrepreneurs who have suffered quietly, who have been afraid to talk about their challenges, whose isolation and anxiety have only gotten worse during the pandemic, a little bit of help is on the way.

Mark Sutcliffe is a longtime Ottawa entrepreneur, writer, broadcaster, and podcaster. He hosts the Digging Deep podcast, is a business coach and adviser, and is a chair with TEC Canada. His column appears every two weeks.

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