In this episode, Mike and Trevor sit down with former federal Health Minister Mark Holland for a conversation about what can happen when looking strong becomes more important than admitting you’re struggling. After losing his seat in 2011, Holland watched much of the life he had built unravel. His political career was gone, his marriage ended, his relationship with his children suffered, and at his lowest point, he made an attempt on his life. But instead of asking for help, he tried to hide what was happening because he was afraid of being seen as weak. Holland talks about where that need to prove himself came from, the toll of spending years in public life, and the realization that some of his worst decisions came when he was completely depleted. He also shares what helped pull him back, including purpose, meaningful work, and his relationship with his kids. The conversation explores what he does differently today, how he recognizes when he’s starting to run himself down, and why working less ultimately helped him become more effective. They also turn to the bigger picture of men’s health in Canada and what Holland learned from leading the country’s health portfolio. For a man who once believed strength meant keeping everything to himself, his experience has given him a very different perspective on what strength actually looks like. Support This Podcast and Canadian Men's Health Foundation https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/ Follow Mark Holland Linkedin - linkedin.com/in/mark-holland-70966135 X - @markhollandCA Follow Canadian Men’s Health Foundation Website - https://menshealthfoundation.ca/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/menshealthfdn/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/menshealthfoundation Follow Mike Cameron Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikecameron.ca/ Youtube - https://youtube.com/mikecameronspeaks Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikedavidcameron/ X - Mike Cameron (@axiommike) / X LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/mikecameronWebsite - https://mikecameron.ca/TedX Talk - https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_cameron_redefining_badass_the_way_we_think_about_strong_is_wrong Follow Trevor Botkin Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gsnscreative Muster Point IG - https://www.instagram.com/the_musterpoint Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gsnscreative LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-botkin-869ab5143/Support Men & Their Familes: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Mike and Trevor sit down for a conversation about something most of us are dealing with more often: how do you talk to someone you fundamentally disagree with without getting angry, shutting down, or losing yourself in the process? They get into the difference between listening to someone and accepting what they believe, why compassion still requires boundaries and accountability, and when protecting your own mental health means simply walking away. Mike shares his "lighthouse, not tugboat" approach: you can shine a light and offer support, but you can't steer someone else's ship for them. The conversation also turns to ego and the pressure to be right. Trevor talks about learning to admit when he's wrong, questioning beliefs he once held tightly, and recognizing that some of the behaviours that protected him earlier in life don't serve him anymore. Mike and Trevor explore why changing your mind isn't weakness, and why challenging the idea instead of the person can completely change a difficult conversation. It's an honest conversation about disagreement, boundaries, masculinity, self-awareness, and giving yourself permission to evolve. Support This Podcast and Canadian Men's Health Foundation https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/ Follow Canadian Men’s Health Foundation Website - https://menshealthfoundation.ca/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/menshealthfdn/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/menshealthfoundation Follow Mike Cameron Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikecameron.ca/ YouTube - https://youtube.com/mikecameronspeaks Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikedavidcameron/ Website - https://mikecameron.ca/ Follow Trevor Botkin Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gsnscreative Muster Point IG - https://www.instagram.com/the_musterpoint Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gsnscreative LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-botkin-869ab5143/Support Men & Their Familes: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Mike and Trevor sit down with author and workshop leader Alison Armstrong to talk about shame, and specifically the kind a lot of men carry around without naming it. Armstrong makes a claim that catches both hosts off guard: shame isn't proof you're a bad man. It's a sign you hold yourself to standards that are impossible to meet. That opens up a longer thread on self-forgiveness and why saying "I'm only human" reads more like a confession than an excuse. Trevor talks about his seven years in recovery, including the years his addiction cost him with his daughters. Forgiving himself, he says, was what finally let him show back up for them. The conversation also gets into how the brain handles addiction and why anger can be easier to sit with than fear. It's an honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about accountability and being straight with yourself. Resources from Alison Armstrong for our listeners: Being Extraordinary as a Man: https://www.alisonarmstrong.com/curriculum/bex/buy_bem.html Online Curriculum Free Samples: https://www.alisonarmstrong.com/samples/ Extreme Freedom: https://www.alisonarmstrong.com/extreme_freedom/ Support This Podcast and Canadian Men's Health Foundation https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/ Follow Alison Armstrong Website - https://AlisonArmstrong.com YouTube - https://YouTube.com/user/PAXPrograms Facebook - facebook.com/UnderstandMen Instagram - instagram.com/TheAlisonArmstrong Follow Canadian Men’s Health Foundation Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/menshealthfdn/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/menshealthfoundation Follow Mike Cameron Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikecameron.ca/ YouTube - https://youtube.com/mikecameronspeaks Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikedavidcameron/ Website - https://mikecameron.ca/ Follow Trevor Botkin Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gsnscreative Muster Point IG - https://www.instagram.com/the_musterpoint Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gsnscreative LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-botkin-869ab5143/ Support Men & Their Familes: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
One conversation can change a life. One life can change thousands. In this special live episode of the Don't Change Much Podcast, hosts Mike Cameron and Trevor Botkin join the Big Red Mental Health Society's annual Drive to Thrive Golf Tournament, where family, friends, and community members gather to honour Adam Hobbs and continue the work his legacy inspired. Adam's siblings Brandon, Jake, Julia, and Zach share what it's been like to turn unimaginable loss into purpose. Five years after losing Adam, they've built a community that has raised more than $100,000 for men's mental health while creating something even more valuable: permission for men to talk. The conversation explores grief, brotherhood, and the belief that strength isn't about carrying everything alone. It's about building your pit crew, reaching out before things become overwhelming, and realizing that asking for help isn't weakness. It's one of the toughest things a man can do. Canadian Men's Health Foundation ambassador Trevor "Big Red" Greene reflects on how our definition of toughness has changed over the years and why vulnerability requires far more courage than silence. Together, the guests remind us that every man has people who care about him, even when he can't see it himself. This episode is a powerful reminder that healing happens in community, that grief doesn't have to be carried alone, and that one conversation today could save someone's life tomorrow. In this episode, you'll learn: How one family's loss became a movement for men's mental health Why talking about mental health saves lives What real toughness actually looks like Why every man needs a "pit crew" of people he can lean on How communities can help break the stigma around men's mental health Why legacy isn't measured by how long you live, but by the lives you touch The importance of reaching out before a crisis happens How small conversations can create lasting change Follow Big Red Mental Health Society Website - https://www.bigredmentalhealthsociety... Instagram - / bigredmentalhealthsociety LinkedIn - / big-red-mental-health-society Follow Mike Cameron Instagram - / mikecameron.ca YouTube - / mikecameronspeaks Facebook - / mikedavidcameron Website - https://mikecameron.ca/ Follow Trevor Botkin Instagram - / gsnscreative Muster Point IG - / the_musterpoint Facebook - / gsnscreative LinkedIn - / trevor-botkin-869ab5143 Support Men & Their Familes: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Most men have been taught to handle it themselves. The problem is that silence has a cost. And Canada's Minister of Health — a woman, no less — isn't willing to stay quiet about it. Loneliness gets brushed off as nothing. The pressure to "be strong" gets handed down to sons and grandsons. Addiction and suicide rates climb, and warning signs get missed because no one was ever supposed to ask for help in the first place. In this episode of the Don't Change Much Podcast, hosts Mike Cameron and Trevor Botkin sit down with the Honourable Marjorie Michel to talk about the federal consultation on a national Men and Boys Health Strategy, and why she decided this was a challenge worth picking. What started as a series of cross-country conversations turned into a wake-up call. Hon. Minister Michel shares how the same word kept coming up, trip after trip, across trades workers, fathers, and Indigenous communities alike, and how that pattern convinced her — a self-described lifelong feminist — that men's health needed its own seat at the table. The conversation moves through loneliness, the pressure to perform masculinity, the addiction and suicide statistics she can't ignore as Canada’s Health Minister, and why she believes progress for men and progress for women aren't in competition with each other. You'll hear: Why the Minister calls herself "the holistic Minister of Health" How a pattern of conversations on the road turned into a national consultation The link between trades work, injury, and addiction Why men need space to talk without women in the room, and why that's not a "boys' club" What the Minister wants every man and boy to know about asking for help Because no policy, no government, and no single person can carry this alone. Sometimes leadership just means opening the door to a conversation that's long overdue. Get your Suspenders On this June. Wear them. Share why. Donate. Invite others. Tag @menshealthfdn #SuspendersOn #NeverAlone #MensHealthMonth Donate to Suspenders On: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/canadian-mens-health-month/ Follow Canadian Health Minister Marjorie Michel Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marjoriemichelplc/ Follow Canadian Men's Health FoundationInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/menshealthfdn/Facebook - https://facebook.com/menshealthfoundation Follow Mike CameronInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikecameron.ca/YouTube - https://youtube.com/mikecameronspeaksFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikedavidcameron/Website - https://mikecameron.ca/ Follow Trevor BotkinInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/gsnscreativeMuster Point IG - https://www.instagram.com/the_musterpointFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/gsnscreativeLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-botkin-869ab5143/Support Men & Their Familes: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.