Resilience and Mental Health: Prioritizing What is Important

About this Seminar

Join us to hear Tyler Smith share about his experiences navigating mental health and grief in the face of tragedy. He'll share details about his life over the last five years, the experiences he's gone through, and the lessons he's learned along the way. 

 

Presenters

About Tyler Smith

Mental Health Advocate

Tyler Smith has no memory of the worst day of his life, something the 24-year old considers "a blessing in disguise". On April 6, 2018, Tyler and his junior hockey team, the Humbolt Broncos, were on their way to a play-off game when a semi-truck struck their bus. He lost 16 of his teammates, staff members, and coaches, while he and 12 others survived. 

After he physically recovered, Tyler returned to the Broncos. He made it back for ten games, and although his body felt fine, his mental health was starting to catch up with him. Tyler didn't feel like himself and knew he needed to step away from the game and prioritize his mental recovery. He has made progress with his recovery, but the battle that Tyler is facing is an ongoing one - some days are better than others, and some will always be challenging, but he now feels better equipped to handle the difficult moments when they come. 

Public speaking was never something that Tyler imagined himself doing, but it's now one of his true passions in life. He has seen the value of sharing his story and of hearing personal stories from others, which is why he is so passionate about sharing his story and being a mental health advocate. Tyler will dive deeper into his personal relationship with strength and struggle and the many misconceptions he had prior to embracing his own mental health journey. Tyler likes to take things day-by-day, but he knows that he wants to continue public speaking, advocating for mental health, and sharing his stories with those who may need it. 

Along with the public speaking space, Tyler has found two other major passions in his life which both happen to be in the world of mental health. Tyler co-hosts a podcast with NHL veteran Riley Sheahan called Speak Your Mind. With Speak Your Mind, Riley and Tyler hope to continue to normalize conversations around mental health with a wide variety of guests starting with the sports world, entertainment space, and many more. 

Lastly, Tyler has founded his mental health awareness clothing line called Not Alone Co. Not Alone is all about helping facilitate meaningful conversations around mental health with the messaging that is presented on Not Alone's variety of apparel. Not Alone donates portions of the proceeds to different charities and foundations across Canada including Jack.org. Tyler hopes to build a lasting community with Not Alone that focuses on vulnerability and conversation.