IF 65: Advice That Could Save A Life w/ Shawn Brook

Mental Health Month

In this week’s episode “Advice That Could Save a Life…”, we speak to Shawn Brook in a poignant interview about his very personal experience with mental illness and suicide. Demonstrating that he is tough enough to talk about it, Shawn opens up and shares the gut-wrenching experience that he and his family went through when his wife died by suicide. One of the biggest lessons that he learned from this life-changing event was that he didn’t know anything about mental health.

“There is so much that many of us do not understand about mental health, and if we only took the time to understand, it can change our ability to be a support person for someone in your life,” said Shawn.

Growing up on a farm, he was taught hard work, persistent and the get it done attitude. Although admirable and much sought after, these traits and the corresponding mentality that develops runs entirely counter-intuitive for mental health conditions. Because he did not understand mental illness, he found himself falling back on that hard-driving mental conditioning and thinking thoughts such as;

“If you are not getting done the things you need to, you are lazy.”
“If you don’t want to talk about the things that are important to you, you are closed-minded.”
“If you are not where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there, you are a slacker.”

Shawn shares that the things he was taught on the farm served him very well to be successful in his life; however, they got in the way of him being there for his wife. That is why he shares his story.

If you farm or have family, friends, neighbors, or clients that farm, please tune in to this week’s episode that really does share advice that could save a life.

Tune In Here...

This episode is also available on podcast iTunes / Spotify / Stitcher / Soundcloud / IHeartRadio

 * Disclaimer - As always, this information is not intended to provide business or medical advice. To ensure that your own circumstances have been properly considered and that action is taken based on the latest information available, you should obtain professional advice from qualified business or medical professionals before acting on any of the information in this post.

Shawn Brook

President, Issues Ink

Doing the right thing is not always easy, but it is always the right thing! Shawn remains committed to this concept and knows very clearly that he has surrounded himself with a superbly talented group of colleagues at Issues Ink. With a keen focus on solutions, Shawn utilizes his more than 20-plus years of management experience across multiple private and public sector industries to help share and shape the ag communications landscape. Traveling extensively around the world provides a huge network and global experiences to help clients find solutions to enhance their businesses and increase their return on investment. Content is king and execution is critical – for all of us.

Connect with Shawn Brook - Twitter / LinkedIn

About The Impact Farming Show

Welcome to Impact Farming, Farm Marketer's video and audio show dedicated to helping Canadian farmers excel in the business of farming. Our goal with this show is to introduce our audience to the people and ideas that are going to make an IMPACT on their farming operation. 

Show Host - Tracy Brunet
CEO of Farm Marketer 

Tracy and her husband are cattle ranchers in South East, Manitoba. As host of the show, primary producer and agvocate, Tracy is passionate about helping farmers succeed in the business of farming. 

In each episode, Tracy chats with today's most successful farm advisors and industry leaders to bring our audience the best and most important ideas. 

Connect with Tracy Brunet - Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Linked in