82. The Centred Tradie (Mental Health Challenges)

Daniel Gaebler has an ambitious five-year goal – to reduce the number of suicides in Australia to zero.

Dan is a Sydney plumber and has written a book “The Centred Tradie” about facing his inner demons and mental illness. Dan writes about confronting life events, and his mental health journey, and exposes his own extreme vulnerability in order to “help just one person”. The book will speak loudest to men, especially in the trades (like plumbing), and encourage them to reach out to their friends and family, or different modalities of therapists, to help them get back on track and make life better for themselves and their loved ones.

I speak with Dan about how he recognized that he needed help, where trauma originates and how it can manifest later in life, the impact that poor mental health and suicide have on loved ones and communities in general, and the many people - therapists, coaches, mentors, and his wife - that helped Dan along his journey.

Discussion Points

Dan’s first signs that he needed help
Rage, trauma, and frustration as a teen
Connecting with others, taking the first step to getting help
Writing a book had tremendous healing power
Love languages, Dan’s wife, and overcoming trauma
Mental health in business - examples of helping team members
Things you can do to improve your mental health
Simple things we can do right now? Notice, listen, and ask, “Are you okay?”
Being a keynote speaker
The best thing we can do is to TALK about mental health, suicide, and how to help
The people who have had the greatest impact on Dan’s life and leadership
Five things you can do to get through a mental health crisis:
- Connect with people
- Be active
- Learn new skills
- Give to others
- Be present/mindfulness
My key takeaways:
- Leaders know the power of connection
- Leaders have the courage to share their challenges
- Leaders drive impactful change
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