Damien, founder of the Mental Health Association in Switzerland, shares his powerful journey from childhood trauma to mental health advocacy, revealing how his "inner echo" helped him survive and eventually thrive despite growing up in a violent environment.

• Started the Mental Health Association to combat stigma around mental health issues in Switzerland
• Grew up in Sydney surrounded by violence, alcoholism, and his mother's undiagnosed mental illness
• Developed an "inner echo" as a protective mechanism that helped him navigate dangerous situations
• Lost his brother to addiction and was heading toward jail before meeting his wife
• Moved to Switzerland thinking he could escape his problems but discovered his undiagnosed bipolar disorder had "snuck onto the airplane"
• Created the Coffee Foundation to bring "brightness and color" to mental health conversations rather than more "tears and heartache"
• Challenges toxic masculinity by emphasizing that "reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness"
• Uses Leonard Cohen's quote "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" as his guiding philosophy

Damien O'Brien

• Tel: +41 79 777 0489
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damien-o-596032b/
• Website: https://www.coffeefoundation.com/
• Email: hello@coffeefoundation.com

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