008 Brent Seal: From Aspiring Hockey Player to Global Mental Health Educator

Brent Seal is an inspirational spokesperson for mental health awareness. He has personally confronted his own mental health challenges back in 2007. At that time hestruggled and even got to the point of attempting suicide. Fortunately, he has helped countless others learn from his own story. Brent has a business degree, is a TEDx speaker and also founded a social enterprise to help others, called Mavrixx. Besides all this, Brent is an avid athlete, mountain climber and adventurer.

Contact Info

• Company: Mavrixx
• Website: www.Mavrixx.com

Most Influential Person

• Hing, the manager at a Childrens' Hospital where Brent worked for three years. She was a holistic nutritionist, a social worker and she bridged the eastern/western medical modes.

Effect on Emotions

• As a result of mindfulness, I have more sense of calm, less feeling of overwhelm. I can step back from the bigger picture and if I have a negative mental mindset, I can accept it and know that it will pass.

Thoughts on Breathing

• When you take a deep breath, it calms you down. There's physiological evidence for this. Just being able to take some deep breaths and being mindful that it will help me calm down and de-stress at a quick moments notice.

Suggested Resources

• Book: Mindfulness for Teens by Dr. Dzung Vo
• App: Mindshift (iOS) (Android)

Advice for Newbie

Don't get overwhelmed or confused by the idea, just think of mindfulness as your awareness of what you're doing. Focus on getting into a positive mindset and breaking the patterns of negative mental thinking.