In this mental health-themed episode, Kenisha and Griffin begin with the Head of Group Benefits, RBC Insurance, Julie Gaudry. Julie fields questions that range from the societal stigma that faces people who have mental health issues, to what employees can expect from their employers when it comes to health insurance and mental health assistance programs - inviting our audience to check out the list of Mental Health Apps that are recommended on the RBC site. Julie also takes a moment to reflect on her own personal mental health challenges, which is a powerful reminder that even those who are helping often also struggle. Kenisha and Griffin then talk with Humboldt Broncos alum, Tyler Smith who speaks firsthand about his recovery from the tragic bus accident that shook the nation, and shares his experiences on the road to being able to publicly talk about the effects of mental health, not just one on one, and on his podcast, but in front of large crowds of people. It’s an incredible story of resilience that will stick with our listeners for a long time.
In this mental health-themed episode, Kenisha and Griffin begin with the Head of Group Benefits, RBC Insurance, Julie Gaudry. Julie fields questions that range from the societal stigma that faces people who have mental health issues, to what employees can expect from their employers when it comes to health insurance and mental health assistance programs - inviting our audience to check out the list of Mental Health Apps that are recommended on the RBC site. Julie also takes a moment to reflect on her own personal mental health challenges, which is a powerful reminder that even those who are helping often also struggle. Kenisha and Griffin then talk with Humboldt Broncos alum, Tyler Smith who speaks firsthand about his recovery from the tragic bus accident that shook the nation, and shares his experiences on the road to being able to publicly talk about the effects of mental health, not just one on one, and on his podcast, but in front of large crowds of people. It’s an incredible story of resilience that will stick with our listeners for a long time.
RBC
RBC Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html
RBC - https://www.rbc.com/canada.html
RBC RACE FOR THE KIDS - www.rbcraceforthekids.com
RBC MENTAL HEALTH APPS - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/how-mental-health-apps-help-youth-what-you-need-to-know.html
RBC YOUTH MENTAL WELL-BEING - rbc.com/youthmentalwellbeing
Julie Gaudry
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/julie-gaudry-9647367b
Tyler Smith
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tyler-smith-5060a81a8
Twitter @LittleSmitty269
Instagram @Smitty269
#rbcfuturelaunch, #WorldMentalHealthDay, #intheknow
Hosts
Griffin Toplitsky
Kenisha Humber
RBC team
Vishan Persaud
Rachel MacLeod
Elynn Wareham
Allison Tam
Production team
PSBX Team
Baron Manett
Dorene Arcayos
Shaun Benoliel
Isabel Magnoli
Norman Howard Team
Sandy Jobin-Bevans
Nate DuFort
Jason Reilly
Sandy Marshall
Disclaimer: Below you will find a transcription of this episode. The text is the result of an AI-based transcription from an audio recording.
Griffin Toplitsky:[00:00:00] Greetings and welcome to In The Know We have just been informed that we aren't the only podcast out there. So thanks so much for choosing to spend your precious podcast time with us. I'm one of your hosts Griffin Toplitsky
Kenisha Humber: and I am Griffin's partner in this endeavor, Kenisha Humber. We are always excited to have you with us, and whether you've listened to the show before or this is your first time, we hope you like what you hear and we'll keep on coming back.
Griffin Toplitsky: Kenisha, when you're recording this show, do you envision who the audience out there actually
Kenisha Humber: is? I have done that from time to time, but stopped because for some reason it made me nervous to remember. There's a lot of people listening and also I realized that it shouldn't really matter. This podcast is for a younger crowd, and a lot of what we get into is taking a good look at the financial world and the role of the bank for the first time.
But we also want this podcast to be interesting to the people who know a little more about the subject matter and just wanna be informed with good interviews and entertained by what we generally get up to [00:01:00]
Griffin Toplitsky: and what we generally get up to is what I love. Today we are going to talk about mental health, which was given a well deserved spotlight during the pandemic.
Kenisha Humber: It really was because mental health was arguably equally as affected as physical health over the past two plus years. And while we saw the impacts on health and hospitals, it was far less easy to add up the mental health toll.
Griffin Toplitsky: There are no magic fixes for mental health. That's why people are always working on it.
Kenisha Humber: We acknowledge that mental health is very broad and too far reaching to talk about all of its. But we are going to add some more time to this episode so that we can cover as much as possible. And in this
Griffin Toplitsky: expanded time, we will start with a chat with Head of Group Benefits, RBC Insurance, Julie Gore,
Kenisha Humber: because we wanna get into what employees should expect from their employers when it comes to mental health
Griffin Toplitsky: supports.
And we will also sit down with former junior hockey player and survivor of the Humboldt Broncos bus accident. Tyler Smith, talking about the mental health effects of that accident and what he's up to.
Kenisha Humber: But [00:02:00] before we get to those fantastic guests, we of course wanna hear from some of you and get your thoughts on mental health.
So we went out and asked, Do you think we as a society are doing enough to enhance mental health treatment? And if not, what more should we be doing? Here's what you had to say. I think as a society we need to do more for mental health, uh, treatment. And really we need to teach on how to maintain. Um,
Tyler Smith: good mental health.
So many of us are stressed
Kenisha Humber: because of
Tyler Smith: school or work or things going on with our family, and
Julie Gaudry: I find that it's
Tyler Smith: really the basics that we don't understand how
Julie Gaudry: important it is
Tyler Smith: for us to have good mental health. A lot of us, even within our own communities, it's not something that is widely
Julie Gaudry: taught.
Tyler Smith: So I would say there really needs to be more communication.
I feel like society is really trying to discuss mental health more. I think that we're at the point where [00:03:00] we need to keep the conversation going. Uh, we need to explain the different aspects of mental health issues so that we're more aware of how common it
Griffin Toplitsky: is. One listener responds. Detent mental health issues is the need of the hour.
More signals need to be sent out conveying the message that it is normal to have a mental health issue. There's obviously more that we can be doing in the field of mental health, but speaking with any one of our parents' generation, you get a pretty bleak look at what things were like for people who struggled with mental health back in the day.
Kenisha Humber: There's no doubt that we've come a very long way, which is encouraging to many artists like us who live such an uncertain lifestyle of freelance gigs and the stress that comes from that.
Griffin Toplitsky: That's why this podcast can never end. I need that stability.
Kenisha Humber: You don't just mean this episode can never end, right?
The
Griffin Toplitsky: episode can end, but the show as a whole cannot there. I've said it out loud so the universe can manifest our [00:04:00] success. Before
Kenisha Humber: we completely go off the rails, let's get our first guest going. Excellent idea.
Griffin Toplitsky: But even before that, let's hear about an amazing program we think everyone should know about.
Kenisha Humber: RBC Race for the Kids brings mental health resources and programming to communities across Canada. In the last decade, the Toronto event has raised money to support the family navigation project at Sunny. The project provides critical navigation of the mental health services system for young people and their families, connecting partners, families with professional navigators who are knowledgeable about the services that exist and become allies and guiding families towards the right care at the right time.
If you're interested in finding out more, check out www.rbcraceforthekids.com. The link is always is in our show notes as.
Our
Griffin Toplitsky: first in the No Guest. This episode is the head of Group Benefits RBC Insurance. Julie Gore. [00:05:00]
Kenisha Humber: We wanna get into what people can expect from their insurance providers when it comes to mental health. I feel like when we think of health insurance, we mostly consider our physical health and don't always consider how our mental health is covered.
Yeah,
Griffin Toplitsky: I, I for one, often don't consider it at all. So this is great. Please welcome to the show, Julie Godd. Audrey. Julie, thank you for joining us.
Julie Gaudry: Thank you for having me.
Kenisha Humber: So let's just dive right in. With our society becoming better educated about mental health, have you experienced a seismic shift in the world of insurance benefit?
Julie Gaudry: I wouldn't say it's a seismic shift, but there's been some real important changes over the years, especially in the space of mental health. So, So group benefits, they haven't changed a whole lot. If we think about what is covered, right, going to get your prescription covered or the dentist or the insurance sits there.
If you're so unwell that you can't work your disability coverage, those things are still there. They're traditional, They. What's really changed is the role that the group benefits provider [00:06:00] plays in terms of how you experience your group benefits. So the role we play is there to make sure it's easy for you to access benefits, you know what's available to you when you need it.
Um, and we are there to make it easier now to get healthcare coverage that you need. Let's face it, we don't often know what we need, when we need help, and so the role we play often is helping navigate that, serving up recommendations, making it easy for employees to, to reach out for help when they need it.
Griffin Toplitsky: Do you think then, uh, it's the stigma that's still kind of around mental health that's affecting the way people reach out? Or is it more just that, that they would like it, they just don't know.
Julie Gaudry: I think it's a bit of both. So one of the biggest things that happens in insurance and group benefits in particular is people just don't know what they have access to.
You know it. It's important that employers actively communicate what types of support is available to their employees through their group benefits coverage. It's important the group benefits, provider [00:07:00] providers make information easy to access. So whether it's through the app or through a portal, just making it easy for people to understand what's there when they need it.
So that's part of it. Uh, you mentioned stigma. Certainly it's hard for people to ask for help. It's been that way for a long time. And I think that that's continuing, but we definitely have seen considerable improvement and I think we can credit that improvement or reduction in stigma to a couple of key things.
One, you know, just over the years, over my career in group benefits, certainly I've, I have seen that seismic shift in the willingness for employers to speak openly about mental health with their employees. That has changed Tremend. When I first joined RBC in the group benefit space, uh, when I was in human resources, we spoke about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
We talked about how you can lead a mentally healthy lifestyle, but openly discussing mental illness and the challenges we faced. That was new. [00:08:00] And we've seen employers all across Canada that has grown tremendously. Leaders at the highest level, sharing their personal experiences and challenges with mental health, letting employees know it's okay to say that you're struggling and it's okay to put up your hand and ask for help.
So that, that is a big shift that I've seen certainly in mental health space. And then over the last few years, I, I think, As hard as it's been for all of us, we've collectively gone through something very similar, right? We've all had our own experiences through the pandemic and all of the related restrictions, but we've all been through it in some way, shape, or form.
And so it's something that we can openly share how it's impacted us and the challenges that we've faced and why we might need help. So I think those shared experiences as well as a, a willingness for, for leaders to speak openly about it has. Helped reduce stigma considerably.
Griffin Toplitsky: Yeah. I think, uh, my go-to example of, uh, a barometer [00:09:00] for mental health is my parents who d don't talk about anything ever, and the pandemic has opened them up and for the first time, like hearing about their kind of struggles and loneliness during that time.
And even
Julie Gaudry: just the way we encourage people to speak about it. I, I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, uh, in school, I don't know. We didn't talk about that at all. Right. Like we didn't, It was just, you know, put your head down, work hard, getting, get involved in activities and, and you know, if you have trouble, reach out to your teacher, talk to mom and dad like that.
That was kind of the advice we got. And as a parent, as I watch my children come through schooling, I mean, they've gone through programs in elementary school where they're being taught how to label their feelings. And express when they're struggling and to ask for help from so, and, and to lean on the resources being made available to them.
So there's just a, a, generally a, a greater openness to speaking about mental health, which is, which I think is great. It knocks down quite some barriers that allow people to, to reach out for help when they're struggling.
Kenisha Humber: Yeah. So [00:10:00] often do we. When you're in a workspace or at school or any sort of institution, you sort of feel like when you say, Oh, I'm not doing well, you kind of go into a lot of crazy scenarios in your head.
You're like, Am I gonna be fired if I'm, if I underperform today because of this? Or can I take that day off or anything like that. So it's really wonderful to see that in something. So, uh, Really h horrible as the pandemic. I have also seen that there's just been a shift in even the way that we relate to like our friends and family.
Just speaking about these things,
Griffin Toplitsky: you mentioned to us when we reached out to you to be on the show, that when you were a new mom you experienced some mental health challenges. Uh, would you feel comfortable sharing that with us and our listeners?
Julie Gaudry: Sure, I'd be happy to. Um, yeah. Like many new moms, um, here you are, uh, you've got a new baby and you are physically and mentally exhausted.
You're literally sleep deprived. You have no idea what you're doing. I mean, let's face it, there's some of it that's instinctual in other parts, you just feel like you're failing all the time. And [00:11:00] that was me. I was there as a new mom, kind of used to knowing how to do stuff. You know, I. I was very, a confident person in most aspects of my life.
And then all of a sudden there I was responsible for this tiny little human being. Um, and I didn't know what she wanted, you know, sometimes, and she cry a lot, and I didn't know how to help her. And it was a challenge. And, and I, I struggled a lot through our first, uh, child and, you know, leaned on family.
And it was, it was a painful three or four months where, you know, lots of crying, lots of anxious feelings. Never got any formal help with the, with our first, and, but I chopped it up too. She was a tough baby. Do you know? I, I kind of like externalized it and said I wasn't struggling. Like she was just really a challenging baby to deal with.
Of course, I felt that way. But then along came our second child three years later and he was, I don't know, by all definitions, kind of that dream child, right? Like slept all the time, barely cried, like he was just easy. And then there all of a sudden, about four weeks [00:12:00] after he was born, I started feeling all those same feelings again.
And I was like, Oh. Okay. This isn't about how easy or hard the baby is. This is just tough, right? Like, I'm just struggling. I'm, I have these anxious feelings. I'm on edge all the time. Um, I just need some help. And I didn't wanna go through that again. It was four months of, you know, mental. Anguish with the last, and, and I didn't wanna go that through that again.
And so I said, Okay, this time I'm, I'm gonna ask for help. Now the interesting thing, and I guess a direct tie to what I do now is for our second child, I was now an employee of rbc, whereas for our first, I was self-employed and didn't have access to any kinds of benefits. With our second, I did. Now I didn't know what I needed, but I know I needed some help and I knew we had an eap, so I, I called our eap, that's our employee assistance program and just let them know how I was feeling and I didn't know what I needed, but they had options.
Um, they put me in touch with a mom's group. I tried that. That wasn't a good fit for me. But then they, then I [00:13:00] tried in person counseling through them, and I met with a fantastic counselor who just had this great style and knew what I was going through. And now I had tools to. With the feelings I was having, it didn't magically make them go away.
It just, I don't know. I had a way to manage through those really tough moments when they hit, and instead of four months of, of, you know, challenges, I, I had tools to cope with pretty quickly and. I will say that it was life changing in that time because those weren't tools that just helped me then, but they are strategies I rely on every day now.
So thankful that I had help to reach out for somebody, to give that expert advice on ways in which I could cope with the feelings I was having and how I could set myself up to not have so many of them in the future. Um, I lean on those, uh, tools today, both for any time I'm facing and challeng. I've taught them to my kids, right?
Like they are, they are strategies that have helped them cope [00:14:00] with life challenges. So I just think that, you know, It's so important that when you're struggling, you ask for help. I went through it twice the first time, not asking for help, and the second time asking for help, and it was night and day. Um, I'm grateful that I had access to support when I needed it, and most of us are fortunate enough to have some type of support available to us, either through our employers, through family, and so I just encourage people to open up when they're struggling.
That second time I opened up to people way more and I was pleasant. Well, or maybe unpleasantly. Just how many moms out there were facing the same challenges and um, and so we were able to lean on each other and, and to some expert advice there to get great help. So it was great. Wow.
Kenisha Humber: Thank you so much for sharing that.
Griffin Toplitsky: Absolutely. Thank you. So what do you have coming up that our listeners should know more about?
Julie Gaudry: You know, I, I, I mentioned earlier that the role we play as insurers has changed in that, you know, now we're expected to, and I think we should make it easier for people to know. What type of support they have access to, and so make it easier for them [00:15:00] to learn about and use their benefits.
We all live in a world now where we have the ease of shopping online. A couple of clicks, and we've got what we need. Well, expectations of the way we consume goods and services just translated into group benefits as well, right? Like. We just are looking to it to be easier to get coverage, to get support when we need it.
And so that's where we've been spending a fair bit of time is saying, Okay, how do we tape what we do as a traditional group benefits carrier and make it easier, make it faster. Make it smoother? And so we've been leaning a lot, of course, as many, uh, insurers have across the country on how do you digitally enable some of the services you provide.
And so, um, we've had a couple recent interesting launches. We've had a partnership with, uh, with, um, an online pharmacy. So now people have ways in which they can easily get access to, uh, advice from a pharmacist and have their prescriptions filled from the comfort of home so they can continue to go to the bricks and mortar retail pharmacy if they'd like.
But they [00:16:00] also have online, uh, solutions available if they wanna do that from. And have their prescriptions delivered. We've brought new ways of getting care for, uh, orthodontia. There's digital, uh, consults and services available that way. So I think that's the theme you're seeing from RBC Insurance right now and from other carriers.
We are continuing to focus on how we can support the mental health of our clients. And we're now saying, Okay, in addition to mental health, uh, we also need to just make it easier for people to connect, uh, with us when they need us. And so how do we use digital tools to make it easier for people to
Griffin Toplitsky: access?
We've reached out to grab some questions from our audience, and here's what they wanted to ask you. Hi. I was wondering
Tyler Smith: what are some resources for those of us that
Griffin Toplitsky: are uninsured?
Julie Gaudry: Yeah, so certainly there's a number of ways you can get access help. I mean, many of us will often just search online to see what's available.
Um, but I would suggest for, you know, [00:17:00] to people who don't have access to group benefits coverage, a few key places they could turn, certainly their primary care physician, uh, is a great place to ask for, uh, support. Uh, they can help some, you know, point you in the right direction for additional care is needed.
There is a ton of community based, uh, resources out there. Often, you know, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes you just don't know what you have access to, and so it can take a little bit of of research. And then there's a lot of great online tools specifically geared at youth, whether it's text based support, like kids help phone or other types of, uh, apps and online tools that are available.
So RBC is actually a really big supporter of mental health, uh, under our future lunch, uh, program. And if you go to our website, you can look at mental health resources and, and see what's available to people. So while, yes, uh, as, as an employee with access to group benefits, you have additional support available, but even without access to that, whether it's through your school, through your parents' benefits, or anybody looking at community based programming, they can look online and see [00:18:00] additional support a.
Kenisha Humber: Julie, thank you for being here and for sharing your experiences with us and helping us and our listeners better understand what mental health insurance benefits may be out there for us and them. Thank you.
Griffin Toplitsky: Once again, a guest has enlightened me on something I knew very little
Kenisha Humber: about. I sometimes think because I'm someone who doesn't always read the fine print, I just sign up for something like insurance based on the big picture and never really know everything it covers.
Griffin Toplitsky: I really don't think you're alone in
Kenisha Humber: that. Griffin, do you wanna tell us about an amazing resource? If you are struggling
Griffin Toplitsky: with a mental health issue and you don't feel comfortable talking to someone, mobile mental health apps might be a good first step. Mental health apps are quickly becoming an important tool to help all of us, but in particular youth manage their mental health in tandem with traditional treatments for medical professionals.
So if you're out there facing a mental health challenge, try one of these apps to help find the mental health app that is best suited [00:19:00] for you. Check out the link in our show notes or Google RBC mental wellbeing apps to find the guidance we hope will help you.
We are truly grateful to have our next guest with. Tyler Smith was a member of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team that was involved in the fatal bus accident back in April of 2018. It's
Kenisha Humber: hard to believe that happened over four years ago because that tragedy has stuck with every Canadian so vividly that it seems like no one will ever forget it or forget the moment when they first heard the news about it, the whole
Griffin Toplitsky: country was mourning.
Donating and even putting out hockey sticks on their doorstep as a tribute to those players and staff who lost their lives that day.
Kenisha Humber: But it's not only about those who didn't make it, it's also about those who survived and had to figure out how to put their lives [00:20:00] back together, both physically and mentally.
And as we've touched on already in this podcast, the physical damages on the. We see how bad that can be instantly, but the mental damage is under the surface and so often not easy to recognize.
Griffin Toplitsky: So that's where our guest comes in. We want to know how someone can move on after something like this happens.
How do you heal physically? And for the purposes of this episode, how do you heal yourself and the others around you mentally?
Kenisha Humber: Please welcome to the show Tyler Smith. Tyler, thank you for being.
Tyler Smith: Absolutely. Thank you for
Kenisha Humber: having me. Where are you coming to us from today?
Tyler Smith: I'm coming from Calgary, Alberta, or I guess is most like to call it Cow Town.
Um, I, yeah, I moved here, uh, I guess a year and a half ago from LeDuc, Alberta, which is just outside Edmonton. So I'm, uh, I'm now here with my girlfriend. My family's still back home in La Duke, but, uh, yeah, I love it being this goes to the mountains, there's zero complaints. What are you up to these days? [00:21:00] I like to dim my toes in a bunch of different waters.
I do a podcast with a guy who plays for the Buffalo Sabers, uh, longtime NHL veteran, um, Riley Shannon is his name. It's called Speak Your Mind. So that's been honestly something, a lot of things I do now, like I never anticipated doing. I'm very much of a fly by to see my pants and kind of take it day by day person and podcast is about, you know, sort of trying to get rid of the, the stigma.
You know, mental health and, and especially in the sports and entertainment world, like we've been, we've been grateful to have, uh, a bunch of NFL veterans and some NHL guys and some entertainers and um, and some therapists. Honestly, we like to switch it up, but that's, uh, that's one avenue in my life that I am really passionate about now is the mental health space.
And, um, I own a clothing line called Not Alone Co Too, which has been super, super fulfilling to be able to help facilitate these tough conversations due to the messaging on our clothing, cuz. I think the biggest thing for me was I didn't wanna hide behind a logo. Like I just wanted to slap some messages that really meant something to [00:22:00] me on clothing that people can just wear and, and just wear your vulnerability proudly.
I think it's a tough thing to do, but I think being able to do it, you never know who you're gonna touch in, in public, you know, walking through a grocery store, somebody sees the messaging, you never know if they're gonna go home and have that conversation. Um, and then other than that, I like to stay in the hockey.
Uh, I do a little bit of coaching still. I, uh, I work at a golf course here in town. And, um, I guess the mo the thing I'm most passionate about is definitely the public speaking world. And once again, I never ever thought I'd be doing something like that. Uh, I've been super fortunate in being able to speak to a wide variety of groups from the military to high schools, to, you know, sports teams, to, you know, parts of rbc and it's just something I, I really just love doing.
Griffin Toplitsky: Can you share some details of your own personal journey to get
Tyler Smith: to that point? Yeah, it's, uh, , it's crazy cuz I, like I said, I'm very much of a, you know, take it day by day person and it has been quite a journey. Um, these past five years have taught me a lot, [00:23:00] have put me through a lot to break it down. I'm really just fortunate to still you.
Be here and be doing 1:00 AM now. Um, originally for me, I think it was after the accident, it was so heavily dominant on the, the physical side. You know, I suffered nine injuries in the crash and I was like, Okay, I gotta take care of this. Cause if I take care of this, like just like hockey, I think the mental and the emotion will just follow.
Like, I think they all just kind of coincide and you can just put in the work physically, and then it's just like, okay. Everything else will come. And for me, um, I did, I tried to do such a good job of putting this mask on. I tried to do such a good job at bottling everything up and making sure that, you know, I was still trying to get out there and flourish in social settings and, and tried to just be that person that I was before the accident.
While I knew deep down inside that I was in so much pain and I had so much, you know, struggle going on, that I just, I had no idea how to break down. I had no idea to how to start that journey, and ultimately this caused me to really start to lose my identity a little bit. [00:24:00] Like I said, I tried very hard to put this facade on, but.
As time went on, I mean, people really started to understand that something was going on, and obviously it all stemmed from the accident. And it's a day that, you know, I personally don't remember, but it's also a day that I will think about every day for the rest of my life. And for me, I didn't really want to embark on this journey.
I didn't really want to embark on a journey of, you know, putting myself first and figuring out what works for me. Honestly, for me, I just wanted to just, I, I, I've told this many times, but I wish somebody would just like come knock on my door and be like, Okay, here's the, here's the magic formula. You know, you can do this, you can do this.
And I had, I had this conception that I, well misconception ultimately that I really just wanted to rush my healing. I just wanted to get it over with. I just wanted to move forward. I just wanted to find. How I can get back to doing what I love and being a part of society and all this, and, and I was ultimately just like constantly consuming myself with these, these unanswerable questions.
I mean, it's a day that, um, I think a lot of our generation [00:25:00] will remember, uh, had many conversations with people. Not just in the hockey community, but it's, uh, it's bittersweet for me. But I, I always find it interesting to hear of where they were that day, um, and how they remember exactly when they found out and all this.
And, um, I mean, that's kind of a side note, but for me, I was just constantly consuming myself with the why us, You know, why me, why am I still here? And, and Steve's gone, you know, like there was far more talented people that we lost that day and there was far more amazing people that we lost that day. And that was just something that.
Honestly, for probably two to three months after, I would just, you know, go through this monotonous routine of, of going to physiotherapy and, and, you know, having these conversations, these surface level conversations with my loved ones and, and thinking that, you know, I, I am putting this mask on and nobody knows, but at the end of the day, I mean, they came, it came to rear it's ugly head when I had to step away.
Playing for the Broncos after I came back. And, um, my bill among, um, looked me dead in the eyes after a [00:26:00] big hug and she said, You know, you're gonna promise me that you seek help. And I was like, What? Like, I originally, I mean, I had no idea how to comprehend that because I thought I was doing such a good job at, you know, masking what was really going on, but, I was ultimately just starting to really affect negatively the, the relationships with the people that love me the most.
And I think that's what tore me apart inside, was knowing that, you know, me holding everything inside was really starting to affect these relationships with the most amazing people in my life. And, um, after that, you know, after that promise, she told me to, to keep, I mean, I'm happy that I kept it because now, I mean, it's been a journey of finding what works for me and, and.
Ultimately getting to a place where you can embrace the good and the bad. I'm not saying that I'm gonna embrace that day. I'm not gonna embrace the fact that, you know, we lost 16 of the most amazing people, but I can embrace things in a different set so I can embrace the fact that they're still here and they're still with me.
So thank you for
Kenisha Humber: sharing that. Honestly, . [00:27:00] Oh yeah, no worries. As a mental health advocate now, what keeps you motivated? Like what are you doing to find joy in all of the mad.
Tyler Smith: Yeah, that's interesting cuz I, uh, I still even have a hard time, like even when somebody asks, if you're like a motivational speaker, a mental health advocate, like I still have a hard time like attaching that label to myself because realistically for the most part, it's just like, Kind of me sharing my story, especially when I do my public speaking.
Like it's usually just me rambling on for 45 minutes and I really hope it, you know, can make an impact on somebody. But I think the biggest thing that motivates me is, um, it was a quote from my, my therapist actually. Um, I embarked on the therapy journey and I, I never thought that's something that I would be doing.
And, um, for me, She said, your, For us, it was a lot different, obviously with the spotlight and I, you know, Canada ultimately railing behind us and, um, she originally said, Your spotlight can be the light at the end of other people's tunnels. Um, and I switched it around now to kind of, you know, your story. It could be the light at the end of other people's tunnels.
And [00:28:00] I never thought about it in that sense just because I always thought. You know, I always had these misconceptions that if I'm sharing, like there's some shame gonna be attached, there's some judgment that's gonna be attached. And I mean, that's nobody's fault for these conceptions that I have, but that's just something that, I don't know if it's, you know, playing sports or being a male, whatever it may be.
I mean, I started to. I started to get rid of these misconceptions and learning these lessons that, you know, you never know when somebody needs to hear something. You never know when somebody's gonna have something that really resonates with them. And for me, I mean, I had so many thoughts in my mind that, okay, well my story is a lot different than a lot of other people's, and why would I pour this onto somebody else's plate?
You know, I, I'm not saying that, you know, my story is, you know, more important by any means because it's not, But I'm just saying that how does, how does someone. Be able to comprehend this or understand this. And I didn't wanna put that burden on somebody else's plate, but I think I, I, I was finally able to kind of re rewind and reflect where it's not about comparing your story, it's [00:29:00] really just about finding a common ground.
It's about being able to resonate with something, you know, And that's why I really enjoy. Just the, the, especially the conversations after speeches. I think that's something that it's, it was too bad during Covid because a lot of it was virtual. But one of my favorite things about public speaking is, you know, after being able to connect with people, and I also know that, you know, I do have to set some boundaries sometimes because it is a lot, you know, it is a lot for people to, you know, come up and share their story.
And I mean, I'm just super fortunate or blessed that they're wanting to do that. But I also need to understand that, you know, I need to balance that a little bit with my story and make sure that I'm not getting overinvested in theirs. But I mean, at the end of the day, if I can have one little impact, I mean for anything I do, if it's a speech in front of 400 people, if there's one person in the crowd that you know, feels as though that they can go have a conversation or, or they can go on embark on this journey or whatever it may be.
I mean, that is mission accomplished for me.
Griffin Toplitsky: No, we understand if, if you don't wanna share, but is [00:30:00] there a specific moment like that that stands out to.
Tyler Smith: I think back to my first speech I ever did was for a, a mid provincial hockey championship. So it was probably, you know, 15 to 17 year olds. And then there was a bunch of, you know, people in the stands, parents, grandparents, and uncles and aunties and, um, this was the first one I ever did.
So I literally went up to the podium, I had my speech written out, and I, I read it. I kind of looked up every once in a while. I tried to check in a laugh, and originally, like I said, For, I mean, I never thought anybody would really connect or resonate, um, with my story, what I was talking about. But after I walked off the ice, after my, after my speech, I mean, I had adults coming up to me, you know, in tears.
And I'm thinking to myself like, Why? You know, like you have to experience the whole life. You know, what is, what is this little story from a 19 year old who unfortunately went through very, something very traumatic, you know? What is this doing for you? But then, I mean, I, it allowed me to kind of shift my thinking and, and.
Make sure that I remember that [00:31:00] everyone has a story. And I think, you know, especially for our, our parents' generation, um, I'm so fortunate now to be able to have, I, I've learned so much about my parents over the past five years just because we're, we're not shy from having these conversations now. And I mean, every story does really matter and, um, but I think those are the two, two that really stick out for me.
There's. Quite a few, um, which I'm like, I super, super lucky to, to be able to do that
Kenisha Humber: honestly takes a lot of strength to be vulnerable. So I just wanna like take a moment to thank you so much for being so vulnerable with us. Um, and also to anyone listening that has reached out to you, I wanna commend them for also coming up to speak to you after all of those talks because they could easily have walked out and kept everything close to the chest, um, and continu.
On that way. Um, but I think there's something really powerful about the fact that your talks led them to come and speak to you. So I just want to commend all of you, [00:32:00] um, before I ask you the next question. Oh, that's so nice. As individuals, what can we do about the stigma associated with mental health
Tyler Smith: friends?
Me, an article one time about self-compassion and I think. You know, we don't talk about that enough because, I mean, compassion kind of trumps everything else. But I mean, at the end of the day, there is something to be said about self-compassion. And self-compassion is literally just learning to be that, you know, that same warm, supportive friend to yourself.
Um, and I think we do definitely lose sight of that. And a lot of the times, I mean, especially in the sports world, um, I think it's always about, you know, end goal, end goal, win a championship, do this, do this. And if I make a state mistake like I'm done, you know? But I mean, learning to embrace the fact that, you know, this journey we're on and this, you know, this.
Fight for purpose and happiness in our life. You know, it's very hard. It's a very hard thing to constantly go through every day, but if you can appreciate the process that comes along with it and being able to, like I said, [00:33:00] embrace the good and the bad. And that's a hard thing. And I mean, even one of my other friends sent me an article about listening.
I mean, being able to, as individuals, you know, the stigma we have. Listening is something that also gets far overlooked. And I mean, we do it every single day, especially as, you know, as, as youth, you know, with coaches and, and teachers and leaders and parents. And, um, I mean, as you kind of go into your adult life, I think listening is kind of just something we all do.
Like it's, but we never think about how important it is to be a good listener. Because at the end of the day, you know, being a good listener really can dictate like how good that speaker's going to be. And that's something that originally when I read, I was. Wow. Like you're so right. You know, like being able to, Cuz for me, originally I was like, if I'm sharing, if I'm opening up, like I need that person, I need that individual to offer me something.
You know, I need that person to be like, okay, here's the advice I have. You know, here's something that I hope I can offer you. But at the end of the day, it's not about that. You know, just being able to, to [00:34:00] listen. And embrace what that person is saying and just be there, I think is so much more important than being able to offer that perfect set of advice.
And, um, yeah, I think to to, to kind of break it down, once again, I. Really just keeping it open and really just acknowledging the fact that we're all built of the, of strength and struggle. And that's okay. And there is something to be said about, you know, realizing that it's okay and in everything, you know, if you have a bad day, it's okay.
You know, if you cry, it's okay. Like you're allowed to do that and we should be allowed to do that as society. But I think, you know, in a society sometimes we, we don't hold enough space for emotion and grief and, and trauma and that's you. That's something we need to work on, but I mean, it's, it's really refreshing to see how much headway we've made in, in this space.
Kenisha Humber: What is next for you? What do you have coming
Tyler Smith: up? For anybody that knows me, like I said, I'm very much of a, you know, take it day by day person and especially, you know, after, after what [00:35:00] happened. I, uh, I just like that philosophy, and I'm not saying that goal setting is not a good thing to do, cuz I, I really believe that goal setting is a huge thing for people and I, I hope that people do that, but I just want to be able to create a community.
Um, I, I want to constantly be able to, you know, shed light on the fact that. This is good. You know, we're making small steps and as much as you know, some days it's, it's one step forward and two steps back for individuals. I mean, that's a part of it and it, it's not easy, but mental health is, there's so many layers and there's so much complexity, mental health as a whole, and for me, I just want to continually create awareness and create something that people want to be a part of.
I think over these past couple of years with Covid, I think we've really understood that people. Long for a community, people, long for a group of people that they can, you know, attach themselves with and they can, you know, align values with. And, um, mental health is a very uncomfortable space. It's a very difficult space [00:36:00] for a lot of people, but I think being able to, you know, shed a light on on how much joy it is.
For me as a, a young male to sit on my buddy's front steps and ball my eyes out and wake up and feel really good the next day. I think I just want to continually shed a light on how much, how important it is to take care of yourself and how important it is to understand that, you know, this isn't a battle to be won.
You know, just taking us a a step. One foot in front of the other each and every day is something that you can be proud of. And it sounds so simple, and I know that it, you know, for some people it sounds too simple, but trust me, you know, it can really have a profound effect. And, um, as you can see, I pretty much dodge that question because I hate talking about myself and hate talking about what's next, but, Yeah, I'm just gonna continue, you know, doing what, uh, I, I, I hope to keep doing, Honestly,
Kenisha Humber: this was such a big deal for Griffin and I to have you with us.
So thank you so much for being here. This
Tyler Smith: was, uh, this was a pleasure. Yeah, it was a pleasure to meet you. [00:37:00] And, uh, yeah, thank you very much again for having me. You as well. Thank
Griffin Toplitsky: you. That was
Kenisha Humber: incredible. It really was. Tyler was great. Julie was great. We truly thank them both. We've
Griffin Toplitsky: jumped into some pretty heavy topics this season, but our guests always seem to put us at ease.
Kenisha Humber: We're pretty new to this and we don't hide that fact. So as we learn about hosting in this kind of format and learn about a whole slew of topics, We really love our guests for being here and opening up like they do.
Griffin Toplitsky: You truly can't predict where we're going and who we might surprise you with when it comes to
Kenisha Humber: our guests.
And our next episode is no exception.
Griffin Toplitsky: Join us next episode as we attempt to answer the question, What are the most affordable cities in Canada as we take a dive into livable cities? A subject that affects absolutely everyone in this country. Especially in our age group, Claire Fan from RBC will be on inflation Watch, and Elise Punic from Youthful Cities will reveal the results of a study that ranks Canadian cities on all sorts of [00:38:00] factors.
Now,
Kenisha Humber: before we go off to our credits, I wanted to leave our listeners with a word about how they can explore a variety of mental health resources. Jump onto rbc.com/youth mental wellbeing to see if there's a fit for you and find steps you can take to help care for yourself and your mental health.
Griffin Toplitsky: Thanks as always to you for listening to In the
Kenisha Humber: Know We're your host, Kaisha Humber and Griffin tki.
Griffin Toplitsky: Our thanks again to the head of Group Benefits RBC Insurance, Julie Gore for giving us some great practical information we can all use. And
Kenisha Humber: thank you to Humboldt Bronco's alum Tyler Smith for opening up to all of us and sharing his experience with mental health and the road to.
Griffin Toplitsky: And finally we'd be nowhere without our in the know listener community. Thank you all for sending such amazing questions for this week's guests. If you would like a chance to be included in a future episode of In The Know, email us at rbc future launch@rbc.com within the know in the subject line.
Kenisha Humber: In the know is a [00:39:00] production of RBC dedicated to focusing on the issues that matter and are important to society and people.
For more on RBC citizenship, check out the links in our show notes and here to share their mission is none other than Mark Beckels, Vice President, social impact and innovation at rbc. Mark, let's do this.
Tyler Smith: At rbc, our purpose is to help clients thrive and communities prosper. And that's why we are investing 500 million over 10 years as part of RBCs future launch to help empower young people for the jobs of tomorrow.
We want to help you be the best that you can be, so we work to increase your access to information programs, tools, and resource. To share different points of view and challenge your norms, and ultimately helping you make sense of the world around you. We know that our future and the future of our communities starts with you, and that's why we want you to be in [00:40:00] the know.